The Ultimate Guide to Decrypting Ingredient Quantities!
When the recipe calls for 1 cup of sliced apples, how many apples do you buy? Shopping for ingredients listed in a recipe can be frustrating and confusing.
Sometimes it is awkward for a recipe to call for anything other than the measurement needed. Instead of 1/4 cup of diced onions, the recipe might call for “1/2 of 1 small onion diced to hopefully resemble something such as 1/4 cup,” but that’s like having to say "the artist formally known as Prince"—it’s a waste of words and just isn’t as much fun.
The chart shown below, is from a wonderful basic cooking primer, ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO COOKING, by Deb Roussou. It can assist in decrypting ingredient quantities needed for your recipe; however, remember that because fruits and vegetables are not perfectly uniform, the measurements are approximations. With most recipes, a slight difference does not make a difference.
I hope you find this chart as helpful as I have. I printed it off and taped it inside a cupboard door above my counter where I do most of my food prepping. In closing, I’ll share a summer squash casserole recipe that sent me right to this chart (the reference on the chart that I used was for zucchini).
4 small yellow squash (about 2 lbs.), sliced (about 6 cups total)
4 tablespoons butter divided
1 medium onion finely diced
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese divided
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups crushed salad croutons and round buttery crackers Ritz, for instance; use a mixture of what you have on hand), divided
Directions:
Sometimes it is awkward for a recipe to call for anything other than the measurement needed. Instead of 1/4 cup of diced onions, the recipe might call for “1/2 of 1 small onion diced to hopefully resemble something such as 1/4 cup,” but that’s like having to say "the artist formally known as Prince"—it’s a waste of words and just isn’t as much fun.
The chart shown below, is from a wonderful basic cooking primer, ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO COOKING, by Deb Roussou. It can assist in decrypting ingredient quantities needed for your recipe; however, remember that because fruits and vegetables are not perfectly uniform, the measurements are approximations. With most recipes, a slight difference does not make a difference.
| Meat and Eggs | Weight or Count | Measure or Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 8 slices cooked | 1/2 cup crumbled |
| Egg, whole | 1 large | 1/4 cup |
| Eggs, whole | 9 medium | 1 cup |
| Eggs, whites | 8–11 | 1 cup |
| Eggs, yolks | 12–14 | 1 cup |
Dairy | Weight or Count | Measure or Yield |
| Butter | 1 pound | 2 cups |
| Butter | 1 stick | 1/2 cup |
| Sour Cream | 8 ounces | 1 cup |
| Cheese (semi-firm/firm) | 4 ounces | 1 cup shredded |
| Cheese (hard) | 3 ounces | 1 cup grated |
| Whipping cream | 1 cup | 2 cups whipped |
Fruits/Vegetables | Weight or Count | Measure or Yield |
| Apples | 1 medium | 1 cup sliced |
| Bananas | 3 medium | 2 1/2 cups sliced; 1 cup mashed |
| Beans, green/wax | 1 pound | 3 to 3 1/2 cups cut |
| Bell pepper | 1 medium | 1 cup chopped |
| Cabbage, raw | 1 pound | 4 cups shredded |
| Carrots | 2 medium | 1 cup sliced |
| 1½ medium | 1 cup shredded | |
| Cauliflower | 1 pound | 3 cups florets |
| Celery | 2 medium stalks | 1 cup sliced |
| Cherries | 1 pound | 3 cups whole/2 1/2 cups pitted |
| Corn | 2 medium ears | 1 cup kernels |
| Cranberries | 1 pound | 4 cups |
| Cucumber | 1 small to medium | 1 cup chopped |
| Dates, pitted | 1/2 pint | 3 cups chopped |
| Dates, not pitted | 1 pound | 1 1/2 cups chopped |
| Frozen fruit | 10 ounce package | 1 1/4 cups |
| Frozen vegetables | 9 to 10 ounce package | 2 cups thawed vegetables |
| Green bell pepper | 1 large | 1 cup diced |
| Lemon | 1 medium | 2 - 3 Tbsp juice, 2 tsp grated rind |
| Lettuce | 1 pound head | 6 1/4 cups torn |
| Lime | 1 medium | 1½ - 2 Tbsp juice, 1½ tsp grated rind |
| Mushrooms, fresh | ½ pound fresh/3 oz dried | 3 cups sliced |
| Onion | 1 medium | 1/2 cup chopped |
| Orange | 1 medium | 1/3 – ½ cup juice, 2 Tbsp grated rind |
| Peaches | 2 medium | 1 cup sliced |
| Pears | 2 medium | 1 cup sliced |
| Peas in pod | 1 pound | 1 cup shelled |
| Potatoes | 1 pound | 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes |
| Potatoes | 6 medium | 4 cups diced/1¾ cup cooked/mashed |
| Raisins, seedless | 1 pound | 3 cups |
| Scallions (green onions) | 9 (with tops) | 1 cup sliced |
| Strawberries | 1 quart | 4 cups sliced |
| Tomato | 1 medium | 1 cup chopped |
| Zucchini | 1 medium | 2 cups sliced |
Grains, Beans, Rice, Pasta | Weight/Count | Measure/Yield |
| Beans, dried | 1 pound | 6 cups cooked |
| Macaroni | 4 ounces dried (1 cup) | 2 1/4 cups cooked |
| Oats, quick-cooking | 1 cup | 1 3/4 cups cooked |
| Rice, long-grain | 1 cup uncooked | 3 to 4 cups cooked |
| Rice, converted | 1 cup uncooked | 3 to 4 cups cooked |
| Rice, wild | 1 cup uncooked | 3 cups cooked |
| Spaghetti, uncooked | 7 ounces | About 4 cups cooked |
| Nuts | Weight or Count | Measure or Yield |
| Almonds | 1 pound shelled | 3 1/2 cups nutmeats |
| Pecans | 1 pound shelled | 4 cups nutmeats |
| Walnuts | 1 pound shelled | 4 cups nutmeats |
Miscellaneous | Weight or Count | Measure or Yield |
| Bread | 2 slices | 1 cup soft crumbs |
| Chocolate, baking | 1 square | 1 ounce |
| Chocolate chips (morsels) | 6 ounce package | 1 cup |
| Cocoa | 1 pound | 4 cups |
| Crackers, graham | 14 squares | 1 cup fine crumbs |
| Crackers, saltine | 28 squares | 1 cup finely crushed |
| Flour, all-purpose | 1 pound | 4 cups, un-sifted |
| Flour, cake | 1 pound | 4 3/4 to 5 cups sifted |
| Flour, whole wheat | 1 pound | 3 1/2 cups un-sifted |
| Fresh-ground pepper | 6 grinds of pepper mill | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Milk, sweetened condensed | 14-ounce can | 1 1/4 cups |
| Salt, coarse or kosher | 1 ounce | 2 tablespoons |
| Salt, table | 1 ounce | 1 1/2 tablespoons |
| Sugar, brown | 1 pound | 2 1/2 cups firmly packed |
| Sugar, granulated | 1 pound | 2 cups |
| Sugar, powdered | 1 pound | 4 cups sifted |
| Yeast | 1/4 ounce package | 2 1/2 teaspoons |
I hope you find this chart as helpful as I have. I printed it off and taped it inside a cupboard door above my counter where I do most of my food prepping. In closing, I’ll share a summer squash casserole recipe that sent me right to this chart (the reference on the chart that I used was for zucchini).
Southern Squash Casserole
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 492
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 492
4 small yellow squash (about 2 lbs.), sliced (about 6 cups total)
4 tablespoons butter divided
1 medium onion finely diced
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese divided
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups crushed salad croutons and round buttery crackers Ritz, for instance; use a mixture of what you have on hand), divided
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray or coat with butter; set aside.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet, cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes (or until vegetables are tender).
4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
6. Stir egg mixture into squash mixture.
7. Pour ½ of squash mixture into prepared baking dish.
8. Spread 1 cup of grated cheese atop squash mixture.
9. Sprinkle ¾ cups of crushed croutons/crackers atop grated cheese.
10. Pour remaining squash mixture over cheese.
11. Spread remaining cheese atop squash mixture.
12. Sprinkle remaining crushed croutons/crackers atop cheese.
13. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until casserole is set and topping is golden brown.
NOTE: If cooking just for two, you can easily prepare a smaller baking dish and cut the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
2. Spray an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray or coat with butter; set aside.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet, cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes (or until vegetables are tender).
4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
6. Stir egg mixture into squash mixture.
7. Pour ½ of squash mixture into prepared baking dish.
8. Spread 1 cup of grated cheese atop squash mixture.
9. Sprinkle ¾ cups of crushed croutons/crackers atop grated cheese.
10. Pour remaining squash mixture over cheese.
11. Spread remaining cheese atop squash mixture.
12. Sprinkle remaining crushed croutons/crackers atop cheese.
13. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until casserole is set and topping is golden brown.
NOTE: If cooking just for two, you can easily prepare a smaller baking dish and cut the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.eipm.org
- www.theseasonedmom.com
- www.amazon.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
