How many grams of flour are in a cup or a spoon, how °C turns into °F, which tin can stand in for another and what to use instead of baking powder, buttermilk or an egg. A cheat sheet to keep open on your phone by the stove.
Cups, glasses and spoons
240 ml
US cup
250 ml
Metric cup
15 ml
Tablespoon
10 ml
Dessert spoon
5 ml
Teaspoon
Grams in a cup and a spoon
| Product | 1 cup (240 ml) | 1 tablespoon | 1 teaspoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 125 g | 8 g | 2.5 g |
| Sugar | 205 g | 13 g | 4 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 8 g | 2.5 g |
| Starch | 130 g | 8 g | 2.5 g |
| Cocoa | 85 g | 5 g | 2 g |
| Semolina | 170 g | 11 g | 4 g |
| Oats | 90 g | 6 g | 2 g |
| Rice | 195 g | 12 g | 4 g |
| Buckwheat | 170 g | 11 g | 4 g |
| Poppy seeds | 140 g | 9 g | 3 g |
| Nuts | 120 g | 8 g | 2.5 g |
| Butter | 230 g | 14 g | 5 g |
| Honey | 345 g | 20 g | 7 g |
| Sour cream | 245 g | 15 g | 5 g |
| Cottage cheese | 230 g | 14 g | 5 g |
| Milk | 250 g | 16 g | 5 g |
| Water | 240 g | 15 g | 5 g |
| Oil | 220 g | 14 g | 5 g |
| Salt | 295 g | 19 g | 6 g |
| Baking powder | 195 g | 12 g | 4 g |
| Baking soda | 225 g | 14 g | 5 g |
Level spoons and cups; flour spooned in loosely, not packed. Values are rounded — for baking, a kitchen scale is always more accurate.
Oven temperatures
| °C | °F | Gas mark | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 °C | 275 °F | 1 | Very low |
| 150 °C | 300 °F | 2 | Low |
| 160 °C | 325 °F | 3 | Low |
| 180 °C | 350 °F | 4 | Moderate |
| 190 °C | 375 °F | 5 | Moderately hot |
| 200 °C | 400 °F | 6 | Moderately hot |
| 220 °C | 425 °F | 7 | Hot |
| 230 °C | 450 °F | 8 | Very hot |
| 240 °C | 475 °F | 9 | Very hot |
Fan ovens: set 20 °C (about 25 °F) lower than a recipe written for top and bottom heat.
Baking tin sizes
| Round tin | Inches | Batter compared with 22 cm |
|---|---|---|
| 18 cm | 7″ | ×0.67 |
| 20 cm | 8″ | ×0.83 |
| 22 cm | 9″ | ×1.00 |
| 24 cm | 9½″ | ×1.19 |
| 26 cm | 10″ | ×1.40 |
| 28 cm | 11″ | ×1.62 |
The amount of batter follows the area of the tin: a 26 cm tin needs about 1.4 times a 22 cm recipe. A 20 × 30 cm tray holds about as much as a 26 cm round tin.
What to use instead
- Baking powder
- 1 tsp = ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar, added with the wet ingredients.
- Buttermilk or kefir
- 250 ml milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar; leave for 10 minutes until it thickens.
- Sour cream
- Full-fat Greek yogurt, one for one. In baking the crumb is a little less tender.
- One egg in cakes and muffins
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, left for 10 minutes, or 60 g apple purée.
- Butter in a batter
- Neutral oil: 80 g oil for every 100 g butter. Not for shortcrust or puff pastry.
- Yeast
- 25 g fresh yeast = 8 g active dry yeast = 7 g instant yeast.
- Self-raising flour
- 125 g plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + a pinch of salt.
- Vanilla sugar
- 10 g vanilla sugar = 1 tsp vanilla extract + 2 tsp sugar.
- Powdered sugar
- Blend granulated sugar with 1 tsp starch per 100 g until fine as dust.
- Fresh herbs
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs = 1 tsp dried; add dried herbs earlier in cooking.
- Whipping cream (33%)
- Nothing else whips the same. For sauces and soups: 200 ml milk + 30 g butter.
- Wine in a sauce
- Stock with 1 tsp wine vinegar or lemon juice for every 100 ml.