"Joan" > wrote in message
news
> Hi everyone. I wonder if you can help. Does anyone know a website
> where I can find a list of American cup measurements in the following
> fomat eg:
>
> 1 cup flour = 5 oz. approx.
> 1 cup sugar = 8 oz. approx.
>
> I'm wanting to convert some recipes I have from an American book my
> daughter bought me on a recent visit and I thought a list of the
> ingredients in this form would be useful. I'm thinking of a similar
> measurement for sultanas, rice, breadcrumbs etc. etc. maybe liquids
> like maple syrup.
>
> I hope you can help.
> Joan


Flour can be tricky if you're making something which requires great
precision in measurement. A conversion chart may be misleading in these
situations.

I don't recall where I first heard of this, and it's so obvious that it
shouldn't have required an outside source, but anyway, it did. Imagine if
you kept flour in a big tupperware thing. Scoop out an exact cup and weigh
it, or at least "notice very hard" what the weight feels like. Now, dump it
back into the container, close the lid, and gently invert the container a
few times. Scoop out an exact cup, and notice the weight difference. Don't
tap the measuring cup - just scoop it and level the top. The difference can
be quite significant. I've read that for some recipes, professional bakers
will NEVER use volume as a measurement. They weigh the flour, and it doesn't
matter how much experience they have - they always weigh the flour.