Cooking Measurements

When we follow a recipe, understanding the Volume and Weight (Mass) measurements can help us get the perfect taste.

Volume

Water, milk, flour, sugar, oil and many more can be measured using:

Some are metric, others US Standard, but it doesn't matter when we use measuring spoons and cups.

measuring spoons 1 tbs, 1/2 tbs, 1 tsp, 1/4 tsp

These are common sizes for Measuring Spoons:

150 ml milk in cup

And this is a measuring cup showing milliliters (ml):

In fact it shows 150 ml.

It doesn't say "150" ... it says "50" ... but it is half-way between 100 and 200 so we can figure out it is 150 ml.

What happens when a recipe calls for a measurement that isn't in our kitchen? Don't worry! We can easily find equivalent measures.

Rough Equivalent Volumes

ml: milliliters, tsp: teaspoon, Tbs: tablespoon, fl oz: fluid ounces
These are not all exact, but close enough for cooking:

ml tsp Tbs cups fl oz pints quarts
5 ml 1 tsp          
15 ml 3 tsp 1 Tbs        
30 ml 6 tsp 2 Tbs 1/8 cup 1 fl oz    
60 ml   4 Tbs 1/4 cup 2 fl oz    
120 ml   8 Tbs 1/2 cup 4 fl oz    
250 ml   16 Tbs 1 cup 8 fl oz    
500 ml     2 cups 16 fl oz 1 pint  
1 liter     4 cups 32 fl oz 2 pints 1 quart
2 liters         4 pints 2 quarts

The table above rounds some values to make it simpler, helping us focus more on enjoying the cooking process:

While exact conversion may vary by country, these approximations work well in the kitchen

Weight (Mass)

Recipes may also use these weight (mass) measures

Rough Equivalent Weights

These are not all exact, but close enough for cooking:

grams ounces pounds
30 g 1 oz  
60 g 2 oz  
120 g 4 oz ¼ lb
230 g 8 oz ½ lb
450 g 16 oz 1 lb
900 g 32 oz 2 lb

Unit Conversion

You might also find the Unit Conversion Tool useful.

"A Liter is a Kilogram"

This is based on the idea that a liter of water has a mass of about 1 kilogram. It also works for similar fluids like milk and juice

But liters and kilograms are different things.

But be careful! This won't work if the fluid's density is not like water. For example a liter of honey has a mass of about 1.4 kg.

"A Pint is a Pound"

This is based on the idea that 16 fluid ounces of water (1 pint) has a mass of about 16 ounces (1 pound). It also works for similar fluids like milk and juice.

But ounces and fluid ounces are different things.

But be careful! This won't work if the fluid's density is not like water. For example a pint of honey has a mass of about 24 ounces (1½ pounds).