Basic Kitchen and Food Measurement Guide

Measurement is the assignment of a number to something. In cooking and baking, measurement typically involves the use of measuring cups and spoons. All cooks should be able to work in three different measurement systems with ease. Two of these systems are closely connected (U.S. and Imperial), but the third (S.I., sometimes known as Metric) is distinct from the other two.

The imperial and American measuring systems were derived from the European system used before the twentieth century. Although both the imperial and American systems utilise the same terminology, minor discrepancies in actual measures must be taken into account, especially when dealing with volume.

The most straightforward approach to work with the three systems is to have different measuring equipment for each: one for the metric system, one for the imperial system, and one for the United States system. Alternatively, you might use a single set of devices to collect data for all three systems. For imperial measurements, U.S. measuring devices can be used with minor changes.

It is not good to utilise two different measurement systems when creating a recipe. Working with two different measurement systems in a recipe can lead to mistakes that influence the finished product's taste, yield, uniformity, and appearance. Converting the recipe into one standard method of measurement is a smart practice to ensure a consistent and satisfactory result.

In the culinary arts, five basic units of measurement are used: volume, weight, temperature, length, and time. These measurements are used in cooking and baking to ensure consistency in recipes and products.

Mass (weight), capacity (volume), and temperature are the most regularly used measurements in commercial kitchens. Let’s start by exploring the metric system, as it is the most widely used method of measurement.

The S.I. (Metric) System: Units and Symbols

The basic units for length, mass (weight), capacity (volume), and temperature are the same in all measuring systems. The metric system's basic units are listed in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Metric System Units of Measure

Note that the unit's abbreviation or symbol is not preceded by a period, and that all of the abbreviations are lowercase letters, with the exception of litre, which is generally written in capital letters.

The basic units are converted to bigger or smaller measurements in the metric system by inserting a prefix with a specific meaning, as indicated in Table 2. Kilo (k), centi (c), and milli (m) are the most regularly used prefixes (m).

Table 2: Metric Prefixes for Measurements

When you read a measurement in this metric system, it's rather simple to convert it to one of the basic units. 3 kg (three kilograms) is equivalent to 3 x 1000 (kilo) grams or 3000 grams, for example. Alternatively, 5 mL (five millilitres) is 5 0.001 (milli) litres or 0.005 litres. This method is covered in further detail in the converting section below.

Units of Mass (Weight)

The gram is the basic unit of mass or weight in the metric system. In Australia's food industry, the gram and kilogram are the most commonly used mass and weight units. The following are the mass units in the metric system, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Units of Mass (Weight).

For ease of production and service, certain metric terminology is not commonly used.  The average cook or chef may not remember how many grams there are in a hecto-, deca-, deci-, or centigram. In a recipe, writing and reading 100 grams rather than 1 hectogram is far more practical.

Units of Capacity (Volume)

The litre is the most fundamental unit of volume and capacity. The litre and millilitre are the two most commonly used cooking units. Table 4 below shows the metric equivalents of volume units.

Table 4: Units of Capacity (Volume)

You may come across a unit of volume known as cubic measurement (which is also used to express the volume of solids and/or the capacity of containers), and the units will be written as "cc" or cm³ (cubic centimetre). Cubic centimetres are the same as millilitres. That is, 1 cc = 1 cm³ = 1 mL.

America uses a different measuring system called the U.S. system. It is similar to the Imperial system, with slight differences. Read on.

The most commonly used units of measurement in the U.S. and imperial systems are shown in Table 5.

Table 5: U.S. and Imperial System Units of Measurement

Note: At times there is confusion regarding the symbol #. When the symbol # is used in front of a number, as in #20, the # is read as the word number. Therefore, #20 is read as number 20. When the # follows after a number, the # is read as pounds. Therefore, 20# is read as 20 pounds. 

Major differences between the U.S. and Imperial Systems

The notable difference between the imperial and American systems is the measurement of volume. The imperial system not only has a larger number of ounces in pints, quarts, and gallons, but it also has a different size of one fluid ounce, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Difference between the U.S. and Imperial System Measurements

Always check the source of a recipe written in cups and ounces to see if it was written in the US or imperial system. When producing large quantities, the difference in volume measurements can be very noticeable.

If the recipe is from America, convert to US measurements; if the recipe is from the United Kingdom, Australia, or another former British Empire country, convert to imperial measurements.

Converting Metric to Imperial and US Measurement Systems

If you know the conversion ratios, you can convert between metric and imperial or US measurements using simple multiplication or division. Tables 7.1 and 7.2 are helpful, but there are also a plethora of online converters and apps to help you out.

Table 7.1: Converting from Metric to U.S. or Imperial Measurements

Table 7.2: Converting from Imperial or U.S. to Metric Measurements

Table 8 lists the most common U.S. 

. measurements and metric units of measure, and their equivalents used in professional kitchens. Table 9 presents the conversion factors.

Table 8: Common U.S. and Metric Units of Measurement

Table 9: Popular U.S. and Metric Units of Measurement

Soft Conversions

Cooks frequently use "soft conversions" rather than exact conversions, especially in small batch recipes where a slight variation can be tolerated, because measuring very fine quantities with liquid measures can be difficult. If you only have a set of metric measuring tools and a US recipe (or vice versa), this is a shortcut you can use. Table 10 lists the common soft conversions.

Table 10: Simple Soft Conversions