Here in the U.S. many of the recipes (especially the older ones) go by volume rather than weight. There are two sets of measuring cups in use, one set for liquids, one set for dry. The capacity is actually the same for both sets - 237 ml (usually rounded up to 240) but liquid measuring cups have a lip that extends about the 1-cup (240 ml) line to contain the liquid while dry measure cups don't. That way bakers can run a knife over the edge to level off items such as flour. The NCHFP and other reliable canning sources are "re-tooling" many old recipes from volume to weight and also metricating those recipes. But, of course, life being what it is, usually the recipes we're most interested in don't offer that convenience! As Ken said, there's no consistent weight per cup because that will change depending upon the product and its density (i.e. chopped tomatoes v.s. sliced). What I have been doing with many of my old recipes is transposing to weight, so if a recipe calls for 1 cup of zucchini, I will measure out 1 cup by volume, weigh it and make note so that in future I can use weights, which is much faster and convenient. It's important to remember that British (Imperial) measures can be larger than American measures. For example, a British "cup" is 285 ml while an American "cup" is 240 ml. There are many Conversion tables on the internet. Here's one you might find useful, especially the comparison charts for Australia, UK and US. As mentioned above, in most instances the differences are not great enough to be significant, though with low-acid additions I would err on the lesser side. It does become much more of an issue in cake baking where precision can be critical. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking Weights and Measures

Annie, a couple years ago I was commenting on how much smaller eggs seemed than a few years ago. But in looking it up, the standard is: 30 oz per dozen eggs = jumbo 27 oz per dozen eggs = extra large 24 oz per dozen eggs = large 21 oz per dozen eggs = medium 18 oz per dozen eggs = small I was still skeptical so I took out a carton of eggs. Didn't have a dozen so I weighed 6 and they were just over 12 oz. I was surprised. But they still look smaller on the plate. And just the other day I started wondering about if they'd go to 11 (or 10) eggs per carton!

I agree, "get a good scale". Heck, get a cheap scale - just get a scale and eliminate the conversion math quiz. You'll soon be sorry you didn't get a scale a long time ago. There are all kinds of things a scale makes easier in the kitchen. -Divide bread dough into equal amounts so the loaves, rolls, buns, etc. are all the same size and will bake evenly. -When you make layer cakes you can scale the batter in the pans to equal weights so the layers are the same size. -It's a lot easier weighing sticky things than scooping them into cups (although you'd have a hard time getting my Wonder Cup from me ;-). -Accuracy...as already mentioned. If you have 3 people measure 1-cup of flour, they will all be a different weight because of how they fill them. They may be as little as 3.75 oz. to as much as 5 or 6 oz. BTW - There are not any "standards" for how much a cup of flour weighs. Even the "experts" can't decide this one. -Dry measuring cups and spoons sold in the U.S. are not manufactured to a standardized volume, so each set you have may be slightly different in volume. Measuring cups/spoons in the U.K. and Australia are larger than the ones from the U.S. About the only reason measuring cups work at all is because most recipes are based on a ration of ingredients. For instance, a plain cake has, by measure, one-third as much fat as sugar; two-thirds as much milk as sugar; and about three times as much flour as liquid. So you can use measuring cups, grandma's coffee or tea cup, canning jars, or buckets for measuring, as long as you maintain the ration of ingredients. The exact measurement isn't as critical as the ratio of one ingredient to another. -With a scale, when you need 4 oz. of shredded cheese you can weigh it and not try to figure out how many cups that will be, and whether the cup is loose-packed or tightly-packed. It's 4-oz. by weight and you don't have to worry if you've over-stuffed the cup or not put enough in it. -However, accuracy of measurement goes out the window when it comes to flour for bread making - also already mentioned.... Due to the amount of moisture in flour (more in humid weather and less in the dry winter months), if will alter the weight of the flour. You have to go by the "feel" of the dough rather than an exact measurement. Each bag of flour will also vary in protein/gluten content, as well as moisture. The higher the protein level in the flour, the more hydration it will absorb. Protein content of flour can't be weighed with a scale. -Grainlady

Speedy No Knead Bread Ingredients 3 cups bread flour 1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast 1 ½ teaspoons salt Oil as needed Preparation Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. CI's recipe also suggests putting a large sheet of parchment paper into the dutch oven before dropping in the dough, to make it easier to remove when its done. Let the bread fully cool before slicing, to enjoy the crust to its fullest.