Author Topic: What is a cup? (Read 3318 times)

katynewbie · « **on:** July 10, 2006, 13:44:14 »

???

Recipe calls for "6 cups chopped sweet onions"
How much is that in weight? All my cups are different sizes!

Help!!

supersprout · « **Reply #1 on:** July 10, 2006, 13:46:51 »

If you use a posh teacup, you shouldn't be far out. Next time I chop onions I'll weigh a cup. I gave in eventually and bought cup measures, now essential! Another gadget for the Xmas list

katynewbie · « **Reply #2 on:** July 10, 2006, 13:51:33 »

;D

Lol...you assume I have a posh teacup! :-[

Will buy measures asap! Thanks SS

dandelion · « **Reply #3 on:** July 10, 2006, 13:53:42 »

I have a container which has cup measurements on it. According to this it's about 1/4 l (or 8 fluid Oz).

supersprout · « **Reply #4 on:** July 10, 2006, 13:58:56 »

tee hee katie, yes, I do have one left from my trousseau ;) ;D

moonbells · « **Reply #5 on:** July 10, 2006, 14:19:05 »

I've never quite understood why the US still uses a volumetric measure and not a weight-based measure. I guess it's historically something to do with lack of standard units over a largely pioneer-frontier country: if ingredients are all to scale then a recipe should work more or less regardless of cup size (bar things like eggs!).

But why do they still use it? Surely oz or g would be more accurate?

I bought a cheap plastic set of cup measures last time I was in the US. Cost about a quid and at least means I can use recipes found online without having to cross reference densities/volumes/whatever to convert to UK units!

moonbells (still happily Imperial (UK) for most cooking)

tim · « **Reply #6 on:** July 10, 2006, 17:48:16 »

If you really want to be pedantic - something I love!! .................

Canadian CUP = 227 ml
US CUP = 237 ml
Metric CUP = 250 ml

US CUP = 1/2 pint = 8 fl oz

UK 1/2 pint = 10 fl oz.

Happy Cooking!

euronerd · « **Reply #7 on:** July 10, 2006, 21:54:42 »

I think it's a daft way to measure things like onions. I mean, if you chop them really fine you'll get twice as much weight in as if you rough chopped them. I've even seen butter measured in cups. Does one melt it and pour it in? I'm with moonbells, but usually end up using ...about that much.

Tim: pedantry - Who led the pedants revolt?

Which Tyler.

Geoff.

katynewbie · « **Reply #8 on:** July 10, 2006, 22:16:37 »

::)

Sheesh! Bought some measuring whatsits with cups. Made onion chutney. It's in the jars. If it's disgusting I will blame "across the pond" measurements!

;)

tim · « **Reply #9 on:** July 11, 2006, 06:03:50 »

Nice, Geoff!

valmarg · « **Reply #10 on:** July 11, 2006, 23:59:30 »

And then of course there is the Australian cup!!

valmarg

moonbells · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2006, 10:49:09 »

Quote from: euronerd on July 10, 2006, 21:54:42

Tim: pedantry - Who led the pedants revolt?

Which Tyler.

Geoff.

Augh! (And huge laugh)

I like it! Will have to pass that one on...

moonbells

tim · « **Reply #12 on:** July 12, 2006, 11:40:46 »

But, sadly, valmarg, not the World Cup??

And the Aussies one, of course, is just metric? Their big difference is 4tsp to a tbs??

WHY doesn't everyone standardise on my system - T = tbs, t = tsp?? SO simple!!

valmarg · « **Reply #13 on:** July 12, 2006, 22:14:23 »

Yes Tim, but according to my Aussie Women’s Weekly Home Library cookbooks:

1 Aussie cup = 1¼ American/British cup
¾ “ “ = 1 “ “ “
2 Aussie tablespoons = ¼ cup

And here I disagree with them – 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons – its always been four teaspoons in my book!!

What about dessert spoons Tim? – The blessed Delia uses it as a measure:

1 tablespoon = 2 dessert spoons = 4 teaspoons.

valmarg

PS Tim – what world cup? – there just seems so (too) many of them these days!!

euronerd · « **Reply #14 on:** July 13, 2006, 10:21:03 »

Isn't this fun? Is this what globalisation has done for us? I know that this spoon - plus a bit - of flour, and a slice of butter that thick from the block, and about so much milk, makes enough roux for this sauce. Unless I'm adding some of those, in which case I need a bit less of that. Just hope that I never have to translate any of my recipes.
I use the dessert spoon occasionally, not as a measure but simply because it fits in the jar, where a tablespoon won't.

Girls, aren't you amazed that none of us boys have picked up on the 'other' sort of cup?

Geoff.

moonbells · « **Reply #15 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:12:48 »

Quote from: euronerd on July 13, 2006, 10:21:03

Girls, aren't you amazed that none of us boys have picked up on the 'other' sort of cup?
Geoff.

Given that this is recipes, I'd think anyone that did was seriously weird!

moonbells

tim · « **Reply #16 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:56:17 »

Oh, so you're Aussie, valmarg??

valmarg · « **Reply #17 on:** July 13, 2006, 21:56:59 »

Nope tim, sadly not Aussie.

Your copy of the measurements looks like a lift from one of my Aussie Women's Weekly cookbooks, that are widely available in the UK. The early books I have are brilliant, but the newer ones are not so good. They do have some wonderful recipes in them.

Going off at a complete, absolute and utter PC incorrect tangent, if I was half the age I am now, I would be off down Australia or New Zealand like a dose of salts. EU UK is not to my liking!!

valmarg

trojanrabbit · « **Reply #18 on:** July 17, 2006, 12:02:57 »

Two thoughts on the whole matter:

1) Surely this is some sort of Zen / Matrix-esque question and is correctly answered by
"You need only recognise the truth - there is no cup" ;)

... at which point various utensils would most likely be hurled with comments such as "duck this idea then, smart-ass" ;D

2) In a more practical sense, this is why weights are a much more transferable method of writing recipes than "3 rounded tablespoons" etc, since every household will not only have different spoons, but a different interpretation of what level, rounded, or heaped means - eg: I have been accused of using moutainous tablespoons of flour! :P I'm just glad most of my inherited recipes are in weights ;D

News:

Author Topic: What is a cup? (Read 3318 times)