Understanding Weight Equivalents When Cooking

Thanks to the internet and all the cooking shows, now we have a plethora of recipes available at our fingertips. But sometimes, a recipe from outside your country or region might leave you scratching your head, wondering how many cups are in a tablespoon and vice versa. Some countries use imperial measurements while others use the metric system; some use weight as a volume, while others a unit.

In short, cooking is a science that needs to be mastered, and one of the first steps you need to understand is weight equivalents. If you don’t know what units/volumes are and how to convert between them, don’t complain when you are up to your elbows in a recipe, and you have to think how many tablespoons are in a cup.

For your convenience, we have this converter chart along with some of the most common ingredients grouped together, so you don’t ever have to get confused. Let’s get started.

Weight Equivalents

Note: Some measurements are approximate.

1. Liquid or Volume Measurements

2.  Weight (Mass)

3.  Dry/Weight Measure

Oven Temperatures

Importance of a Kitchen Scale

Whether you want to be consistent in cooking or count how many calories you are consuming, a kitchen scale comes in handy. Not only does it help you with exact measurements, but it also cuts down your prep time. Let’s learn the importance of kitchen scale and how it can help you.

What is a Digital Scale, and How Does it Work?

A digital scale is a measuring instrument that reads and displays the weight of an object. In the kitchen, it can help you measure the weight of different ingredients in different units, such as pounds, grams, milliliters, or fluid ounces.

A kitchen scale works best on a flat surface, preferably a kitchen counter. When you place an object on it, its strain gauge deforms with its weight. The scale converts the amount of deformation into an electrical signal, runs it through a digital converter, and displays the weight in the selected unit.

Why Should You Use a Digital Scale in the Kitchen?

• It helps you maintain accuracy and consistency.
• Makes it easy for you to measure and portion out your food according to the serving sizes. Therefore, you can track how many calories, protein, carbs, and fat you are consuming.
• Helps you convert measurements, especially when you are following a recipe that calls for another measuring unit.
• Some advanced kitchen scales even allow you to measure nutritional information, such as calories, fat, protein, carbs, the fiber in the food, cholesterol, etc.
• Helps you get the right proportions of your drink, especially if you are making a mocktail. You can always be sure of the quantity you add.

Product

Visual

Where to Buy

Joseph Joseph 40071 TriScale Compact Folding Digital Kitchen Food Scale, White

Escali Primo Lightweight Scale, 8.5 x 6 x 1.5 inches, Royal Blue

Greater Goods Nutrition Food Scale, Perfect for Weighing Nutritional Meals, Calculating Food Facts, and Portioning Snacks, Designed in St. Louis.

Phansra Smart Food Scale, Bluetooth Digital Kitchen Scale for Baking Cooking with Nutritional Calculator for Keto, Macro, Calorie and Weight Loss with Smartphone App, Tempered Glass Black

Top Kitchen Scales

Note: The list is in no specific order.

1. Joseph Joseph 40071 TriScale Compact Folding Digital Kitchen Food Scale

Top Features

• Folds down to a compact size.
• It can measure in grams, pounds, fluid ounces, and milliliters.
• Equipped with touch-sensitive buttons.
• Easy-to-read LCD display.
• Auto power-off.

2. Escali Primo Lightweight Scale

Top Features

• Lightweight body.
• The buttons and body are sealed for protection against accidental spills.
• It can measure in pounds, ounces, and grams.

3. Greater Goods Nutrition Food Scale

Top Features

• Compact and slim design.
• Shows nutrition facts for more than 2,000 foods.
• Easy-to-read backlit screen.
• Automatically shuts off and calibrates.
• Easy to clean.
• Smooth touch-sensitive buttons.
• Equipped with four weighing sensors for higher accuracy.

4. Phansra Smart Food Scale

Top Features:

• Automatically shuts off when not in use.
• Its amazing smart app shows the nutritional information of the food, including calories, total fat, carbs, protein, etc.
• Connected with USDA database having more than 240,000 food items.

Weight Equivalents for Various Food Items

If you are following a recipe, you need to add the exact amount/weight of ingredients for the same great taste. We have divided the food items into different categories/groups so it can be easy for you to read about their weight equivalence in detail.

Vegetables

• Lettuce
• Carrot
• Onion
• Tomato
• Potato
• Green Onion
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Chives
• Radish
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Peas

Nuts

• Almond

Fruits

• Chili Pepper
• Orange
• Apple
• Cucumber
• Lemon
• Grape Fruit
• Peach
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Pineapple
• Plums
• Apricot
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew Melon
• Banana
• Watermelon
• Cherries

Others

• Mushroom
• Eggs
• Galchi Jorim
• Bae – Asian Pear

Conclusion

If you know the weight equivalents while cooking and following a certain recipe, you would never get confused. We hope that this brief guide helps you easily understand the weight equivalence of different food items and convert teaspoons into grams, cups into tablespoons, and more.