Weights & measures

For baking, it pays to invest in a measuring scale. Look for one with the smallest increments possible (e.g. 1g not 5g), to ensure accuracy – which is important in baking.

Buy metal measuring spoons and glass measuring jugs (not plastic ones), because they will hold their shape forever and provide accurate measuring. All spoon measures are level unless otherwise stated. Try to find jugs with lots of increment markings on the side, again for accuracy.

If you don’t have scales, the following charts include conversions from spoon and cup measures to weights.

You’ll find American equivalents and terminology under Cook’s Notes Funny spellings 

Note: I generally base my recipes on the rounded gram values in the ‘general’ column.

However, if you are following an English recipe when making pastry, a cake or baking, and using standard plain flour in New Zealand or Australia, you will most likely need to increase the amount of liquid called for, or to lower the flour quantity slightly, because the flours are milled differently. Antipodean standard flour seems to be drier than those in the UK (the finer the flour, the more liquid it will absorb). As an example, a classic rich shortcrust pastry in the UK is made with 225g (8 oz) plain flour, 170g (6 oz) butter, 1 medium egg yolk and approximately 2 tablespoons of water. In New Zealand the water needs to be increased to 4 tablespoons or the pastry will be too dry and flaky to gather into a ball and will shred when being rolled out and it will be dry to eat.

Special note on eggs

If egg whites or yolks are left over from a recipe, they can be stored for other uses. Egg whites will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, or for several months if frozen. The trick is to remember how many egg whites are in the container! If you forget, you can work it out by measuring the liquid:

1 egg white    = ⅛ cup

2 egg whites = ¼ cup

4 egg whites = ½ cup.

Another trick is to weigh them, as the white makes up approximately two-thirds of an egg’s weight:

small (size 5) eggs weigh about 55g (about 35g for the white)

medium (size 6) eggs weigh about 65g (45g for the white)

large (size 7) eggs weigh about 75g (50g for the white).

Special note on yeast

Active dry yeast needs to be rehydrated in liquid before mixing with other ingredients.

Instant dry yeast has been developed for use in bread-making machines and can be added directly to dry ingredients without rehydrating in liquid first.

1 packet active dry yeast most often weighs 7g (7g = ¼ oz = 2¼ tsp).

1¼ tsp active dry yeast = 1 tsp instant dry yeast.

Fresh yeast gives baking a more complex flavour, yeasty and flowery.

As a rule of thumb, divide or multiply by 3 when exchanging fresh yeast for active dry yeast or vice versa.

10g fresh yeast = 1 tsp dry yeast

30g fresh yeast = 10g dry yeast

7g dry yeast – 21g fresh yeast