Cooking & Recipe Converter

Convert between cooking measurements, volumes, weights, and special cooking units

Unit Converter
Enter a value and select units to convert
Popular Cooking Unit Conversions
1 Cup
=
240 mL
Standard liquid measurement
1 Tablespoon
=
3 Teaspoons
Basic volume conversion
1 Ounce
=
28.35 g
Weight conversion
1 Pound
=
453.6 g
Large weight conversion
1 Stick Butter
=
8 Tablespoons
Butter measurement
1 Pint
=
473 mL
Medium volume conversion
Complete Cooking and Recipe Conversion Guide

Understanding Culinary Measurements

Accurate measurement is fundamental to successful cooking and baking. Different ingredients require different measurement approaches - liquids by volume, solids by weight, and some ingredients by specialized units. Understanding cooking conversions ensures recipe consistency, portion control, and successful scaling for different serving sizes.

Essential Cooking Measurement Concepts

Volume Measurements

Measure space occupied by liquid ingredients (cups, liters, tablespoons)

Weight Measurements

Measure actual mass of ingredients (grams, ounces, pounds)

Dry vs. Liquid Measures

Different cup sizes for dry (240ml) vs liquid (250ml) ingredients

Recipe Scaling

Proportional adjustment of ingredients for different serving sizes

Precision vs. Approximation

Baking requires precision, cooking allows more flexibility

International Cooking Measurement Systems

US Customary

  • • Cups, tablespoons, teaspoons
  • • Fluid ounces, pounds, ounces
  • • Standard in American recipes

Imperial (UK)

  • • Similar to US system
  • • Different fluid ounce size
  • • UK: 28.4ml vs US: 29.6ml

Metric

  • • Milliliters, liters
  • • Grams, kilograms
  • • Used globally for precision

European Baking

  • • Weight measurements preferred
  • • Flour, sugar, butter by grams
  • • More precise than volume

Asian Cooking

  • • Rice cups (180ml)
  • • Soy sauce spoons
  • • Regional specialized measures
Professional Culinary Applications

Restaurant Kitchens

  • • Recipe standardization
  • • Portion control
  • • Cost management
  • • Inventory planning

Commercial Baking

  • • Precise measurements for consistency
  • • Large batch scaling
  • • Quality control
  • • Production efficiency

Food Manufacturing

  • • Industrial recipe development
  • • Nutritional analysis
  • • Regulatory compliance
  • • Quality assurance

Catering Services

  • • Event planning
  • • Bulk preparation
  • • Dietary requirement calculations
  • • Cost estimation

Culinary Education

  • • Teaching measurement techniques
  • • Recipe development
  • • Food science principles
  • • Professional standards

Recipe Development

  • • Creating reproducible recipes
  • • Testing variations
  • • Nutritional analysis
  • • Scaling optimization
Key Cooking Conversion Factors

Volume Conversions

  • • 1 Cup = 16 Tablespoons = 48 Teaspoons = 240ml
  • • 1 Liter = 1000ml = 4.2 US Cups (approximately)
  • • 1 Fluid Ounce (US) = 29.6ml = 2 Tablespoons

Weight Conversions

  • • 1 Pound = 16 Ounces = 453.6 Grams
  • • 1 Ounce = 28.35 Grams
  • • 1 Kilogram = 2.2 Pounds = 35.3 Ounces

Special Conversions

  • • 1 Stick Butter = 8 Tablespoons = 1/2 Cup = 115g
  • • 1 Pinch = 1/16 Teaspoon (approximately)
  • • 1 Dash = 1/8 Teaspoon (approximately)
Ingredient-Specific Conversion Guidelines

Flour

1 cup all-purpose flour ≈ 120-125g (varies by sifting and packing)

Sugar

1 cup granulated sugar ≈ 200g, 1 cup brown sugar ≈ 220g

Butter

1 cup = 2 sticks = 227g, room temperature for accurate measuring

Liquids

Water, milk, oil - measure in liquid measuring cups at eye level

Spices

Small amounts measured by volume (teaspoons), larger by weight

Recipe Scaling and Portion Control

Linear Scaling

Multiply all ingredients by same factor for different serving sizes

Non-Linear Considerations

Seasonings, leavening agents, cooking times may need adjustment

Equipment Limitations

Pan sizes, oven capacity, mixing bowl volumes affect scaling

Texture Considerations

Some recipes don't scale well (soufflés, delicate pastries)

Taste Testing

Always adjust seasonings after scaling recipes

Measurement Accuracy Tips

Liquid Ingredients

Use clear measuring cups, measure at eye level, pour slowly

Dry Ingredients

Spoon into measuring cups, level with straight edge, don't pack unless specified

Brown Sugar

Pack firmly into measuring cup unless recipe specifies otherwise

Flour

Spoon into cup and level - don't scoop directly from bag (causes packing)

Kitchen Scale

Most accurate method for dry ingredients, especially in baking

Common Cooking Measurement Equivalents

Small Batch

1-2 servings (¼ to ½ recipe scaling)

Family Size

4-6 servings (standard recipe size)

Party/Gathering

8-12 servings (2-3x recipe scaling)

Commercial Prep

20+ servings (requires careful scaling considerations)

Emergency Substitutions

1 tbsp = 3 tsp, 1 cup = 16 tbsp, 1 pint = 2 cups

Special Cooking Units Explained

Pinch

Approximately 1/16 teaspoon, amount held between thumb and forefinger

Dash

Approximately 1/8 teaspoon, quick shake from spice container

Smidgen

Approximately 1/32 teaspoon, smaller than a pinch

Stick of Butter

US standard = 8 tablespoons = ½ cup = 113g

Can Sizes

Standard soup can = 10.75 oz, diced tomatoes = 14.5 oz

Volume (US)
Teaspoonstsp
Tablespoonstbsp
Cupscup
Pintspt
Quartsqt
Gallonsgal
Fluid Ouncesfl oz
Volume (Metric)
MillilitersmL
LitersL
Weight (Imperial)
Poundslb
Ouncesoz
Weight (Metric)
Gramsg
Kilogramskg
Special
Sticks of Butterstick
Pinchespinch