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Ounces, cups or grams?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Sorry, I need the avoirdupois measurements, tho I know many of you folks weigh stuff in grams ... or not.

I know I should do my breads and doughs in grams.

Thots?

Featured Answer

plllog

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

LOL! IC, by google: Middle English (denoting merchandise sold by weight): from Old French aveir de peis ‘goods of weight’, from aveir ‘to have’ (infinitive used as a noun, from Latin habere ) + peis ‘weight’ (see poise1).

Au revoir aux pois? Visualize whirled peas? (common bumper sticker referring to a little known band). Johnson boys eat peas with honey. They been eatin' them all their life. They do say it sure tastes funny, but it keeps them on the knife. Shame, shame, you Johnson boys.

Dave, whatever you do, don't try to use a weight/volume conversion table for baking. It doesn't work. If you want to convert a recipe, weigh each measure you do by cups while you make the recipe. Then do the recipe again on another day with different weather. If it comes out the same, you've got it. If it comes out very different, keep repeating with different amounts of moisture in the air, until you find a good median.

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Comments (9)

plllog
4 years ago
The math is easy in grams, but one of the main reasons I use them for bread is that my scale doesn't show partial ounces (weight), so grams are more precise. I did just get a little scale which was on sale that will accurately weigh salt.

Of course, baking bread is as much art as science, but, still, I've found that for a lot of the recipes I've tweaked for my ingredients, methods, etc., which I want to repeat, having accurate measures to start with makes for a lot less fussing and adjusting.

Just using a scale is half the battle, especially for flour. I still use cups for my mother's challah recipe because that's the way it always was, and I couldn't see her hands in it if I measured up the weights, and I don't mind the fuss for the already fussy recipe, as opposed to regular, daily bread, which I want to be as little a bother as possible.

Short version: Nothing wrong with pounds and ounces. :)
colleenoz
4 years ago
Why “should” you do bread in grams? It’s no different using pounds/ounces, which is what “avoirdupois” means, unless you are thinking it means “cups”. Measuring in cups is “measuring by volume”.

I use whatever measurements the recipe is in, since that is how the amounts have been calibrated.
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Islay Corbel
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
What a strange expression that really should be avoir du poids, otherwise it literally means have some peas lol
John Liu
4 years ago
I use grams. So much easier.

But it's also useful to remember the *rough* (within 5% or so) conversions of

1 oz to 28 g

1 kg to 2.2 lb

1 liter to 1 qt
bragu_DSM 5 thanked John Liu
artemis_ma
4 years ago
I use whatever measurement the recipe says. My measuring cup does both metric and English volumes, and my scales do both ounces and grams.
marymd7
4 years ago
I prefer to use measurements by weight for baking (especially bread), but also will use volume measurements. I hate, loathe and despise volume measurements for canning. WAAAAAAY too imprecise. Needs to be by weight. I am gradually converting a few of the canning recipes that I really like which are only in volume to weight.
marymd7
4 years ago
Oh and I don't care if weight or volume measurements are imperial or metric, though I think grams are a bit better for small amounts in baking measurements.
bragu_DSM 5
Original Author
4 years ago
P ... it's like newspapers ... on humid days they weigh more, on dry days they weigh less. The USPS loves humid days ... and charges accordingly.

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