Simple Conversions of Measurement to Weight
Many years ago I enrolled in culinary school and found out just how much I didn’t know about cooking and baking. I always wondered why sometimes I would make cookies and they turned out wonderful and other times they were dry and crumbly even though it was the same recipe. Well, in culinary school I discovered where the mistake was and how to correct it. Since then, cookies come out perfect every time. It turns out that measuring is not an accurate way to bake anything. You can measure one cup of flour four times and get four different amounts. It has to do with the moisture in the flour as well as whether you “pack” it in the measuring cup or lightly fill the measuring cup. Here are some of the more common ingredients and their conversion from measurement to weight. Next time you make cookies, try weighing your ingredients and see if you achieve a more successful result.
- Flour (bread) 1 cup is equal to 4.75 oz.
- Flour (cake) 1 cup is equal to 4.5 oz
- Sugar 1 cup is equal to 7 oz
- Brown Sugar (light brown) 1 cup is equal to 7.66 oz
- (dark brown) 1 cup is equal to 8.4 oz
- Powdered Sugar (Confectioners) 1 cup is equal to 4.5 oz
- Powdered Sugar (sifted) 1 cup is equal to 4 oz
- Baking Powder or Soda 2 T is equal to 1 oz
- 1 1/2 t is equal to 1/4 oz
- Salt 5 t is equal to 1 oz
- 1 1/4 t is equal to 1/4 oz
- Cocoa 1 T is equal to .2 oz
- 5 T is equal to 1 oz
In order to be truly successful with weighing your ingredients, don’t mix measuring and weighing in the same recipe. Be consistent, weigh all ingredients for the recipe.
