Measure for Measure
Here's help when your recipe calls for, say 2 cups of an ingredient, and the store has a 12-ounce box.
By Al Sicherman, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune published in the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, Wednesday, March 28, 2001. Star reporter Bryn Bailer also contributed to this story.
It's a problem for cooks at every level of experience: Recipes call for ingredients by volume but that's not how they are sold.
A recipe might call for 2 cups of crushed vanilla wafers, or 3 cups of sliced carrots, or 1 cup of cubed cooked chicken breast.
But what's in the supermarket is 12-ounce boxes of vanilla wafers, bunches of green-top carrots and bags of carrots from 1 pound to 5 pounds, and whole chicken breasts.
So how many boxes of wafers, bunches or bags of carrots, or bone-in or boneless chicken breast do you need to buy?
That's a good question, and one we attempt to answer with a clip-and-save chart listing numerous grocery items.
The chart doesn't list everything in the store, but if what you need isn't there, something similar might be.
And for when you're in a pinch, we've thrown in a bunch of emergency substitutions, too.
It's a dilemma that the University of Arizona's Pima County Cooperative Extensions master consumer advisers sometimes resolve for callers.
"Once you've done it (cooking) for a while, you're more comfortable with substitutions," explained master consumer advisor Susan Burg.
Because Tucson has a variety of supermarkets and specialty food stores, Tucsonans generally don't have to worry about not being able to find a particular ingredient - just whether they want to make the extra trip.
"With some things, I'd go out and buy it," Burg noted, "But at other times, I'd substitute - if I had something fairly close to what they were asking for."
FRUIT
· Apples, diced or sliced: 1 pound (3 medium) equals 2 ¾ cups (1 apple equals almost 1 cup).
· Apricots, dried: 1 pound equals 3 cups (4 ½ cups cooked).
· Apricots, fresh: 1 pound (5 to 8 medium) equals 2 ¼ cups sliced.
· Bananas, 1 pound (3 to 4 medium) equals 2 cups sliced, 1 1/3 cups mashed.
· Berries (except strawberries): 1 pound equals 2 cups.
· Cherries, canned: 15-ounce can equals 1 ¾ to 2 cups.
· Dates, pitted: 1 pound equals 2 ½ cups.
· Grapes, seedless: 1 pound equals 2 ½ cups.
· Juice, canned: 46-ounce can equals 5 ¾ cups.
· Lemon juice: 6 medium lemons equal 1 cup of juice.
· Lemon zest, grated: 1 lemon equals 2 to 3 teaspoons.
· Lime juice: 8 medium limes equal 1 cup juice.
· Orange juice: 3 medium oranges equal 1 cup juice.
· Orange zest, grated: 1 orange equals 1 tablespoon.
· Peaches, canned, sliced: 16-ounce can equals 1 ¾ to 2 cups.
· Peaches, fresh, sliced: 1 pound (4 medium) equals 2 cups.
· Pears, fresh, sliced: 1 pound (4 medium) equals 2 cups.
· Pineapple, fresh, cubed: 2 pounds (1 medium) equals 3 cups.
· Pineapple, canned, chunks and crushed: 20-ounce can equals 2 ½ cups.
· Pineapple, canned, slices: 20-ounce can equals 10 slices.
· Prunes, dried, pitted: 1 pound equals 2 ¼ cups (4 cups cooked).
· Raisins: 1 pound equals 2 ¾ cups; 1 cup equals 6 ounces.
· Rhubarb, fresh, diced: 1 pound equals 3 ½ cups or 2 cooks cooked.
· Strawberries: 1 pound equals 1 ¾ cups sliced.
VEGEETABLES
· Asparagus, fresh: 1 pound equals 16 to 20 thin spears (2 cups cooked)
· Beans, green, fresh: cut 1 pound equals 3 cups (2 ¼ cups cooked).
· Beans, dry: 1 pounds equals 2 ¼ cups (1 cup dry equals 2 ¼ cups cooked).
· Beans, green: 15-ounce can equals 1 cup.
· Broccoli, fresh: chopped 1 pounds equals 4 ½ cups.
· Cabbage, fresh: shredded 1 pound equals 4 cups (medium head is 2 pounds).
· Carrots, sliced: 1 pound (8 to 9 large) equals 4 cups sliced (2 large carrots will equal 1 cup).
· Cauliflower, fresh: 1 pound equals 1 ½ cups.
· Cauliflower, frozen: 16-ounce bag equals 4 cups.
· Celery, chopped: 1 rib equals ¾ cup.
· Garlic, minced: 1 medium clove equals ½ teaspoon.
· Ginger root, peeled: chopped 2 ounces will equal 5 tablespoons.
· Mushrooms: 8 ounces equal 3 cups sliced (1 cup sliced sauteed).
· Onions, green: cut in 1-inch lengths, four onions (1/2 a bunch) equal 1 cup.
· Onions, coarsely chopped: 1 pound (3 large) equals 2 ½ cups (1 cup equals 1 ¼ large).
· Parsley, chopped: 1 bunch equal 1 1/3 to 1 ½ cup chopped (¼ cup equals six or seven stems).
· Peas, fresh, in pod: 1 pound equals 1 ¼ cup shelled.
· Peas, frozen: 10-ounce equals 2 cups.
· Green pepper, diced: one medium equals 1 cup.
· Potatoes: 1 pound (three medium) equals 2 ¼ cups cooked, 1 ¾ cups mashed.
· Pumpkin, canned: 15-ounce can equals 2 cups.
· Shallots, chopped: one medium equals 3 to 3 ½ teaspoons.
· Spinach, frozen, chopped: 10-ounce package equals 1 1/8 cups.
· Tomatoes, canned whole, chopped: 28-ounce can equals 1 1/3 cups tomatoes, lots of liquid.
· Tomatoes, fresh, chopped: 1 pound (3 medium) equals 3 cups.
· Water chestnuts, canned: sliced 8-ounce can equals 1 cup.
· Zucchini, sliced: four (bratwurst-sized) equals 4 cups.
DAIRY, EGGS
· Cheese, cottage: 1 pounds equals 2 cups.
· Cheese, shredded: 4 ounces equals 1 cup.
· Cream, heavy, whipped: 1 cup cream equals 2 cups whipped.
· Egg whites (large eggs): 1 cup equals 8 to 10 whites.
· Eggs, whole, beaten: five equal 1 cup.
· Milk, nonfat dry, reconstituted: 1 pound (3 ¼ cups of powder) equals 17 cups milk ( 7/8 cup powder equals 2 cups milk)
MEAT, POULTRY, FISH
· Bacon: 1 pound equals 22 regular or 14 thick slices.
· Chicken, bone-in breast, cooked: cubed 1 pound (2 medium) equals 1 ½ cups (1 cup equals 0.67 pounds).
· Chicken, skinless, boneless breast, cooked: cubed 0.60 pounds (2 medium) equals 1 ½ cups (1 cup equals 0.40 pounds).
· Chicken, meat, canned: drained 5-ounce can equals almost ¼ cup.
· Shrimp, tiny, canned: drained 4 ¼-oucne can equals 1 cup.
· Tuna, canned: drained 6-ounce can equals 1 cup.
GRAIN, FLOUR, CEREAL
· Bread crumbs, from day-old bread: two slices equal 1 cup.
· Bread crumbs, canned dry: 10-ounces equals 2 ½ cups.
· Cornmeal: 1 pound equals 3 cups (1 cup uncooked equals 4 ½ cups cooked).
· Crackers, graham: 16 singles equal 1 cup crumbs.
· Crackers, saltine: 28 singles equal 1 cup crumbs.
· Flour, all-purpose, sifted: 1 pound equals 4 cups.
· Flour, cake, sifted: 1 pound equals 4 ¾ cups.
· Flour, whole wheat, unsifted: spooned 1 pound equals 3 1/3 cups.
· Oatmeal (uncooked): 1 pound equals 5 ½ cups ( 1 cup uncooked equals 1 ¾ cups cooked).
· Pasta: 1 pound uncooked (4 to 5 cups) equals 8 cups cooked.
· Rice, brown, uncooked: 14-ounce package (2 cups) equals 8 cups cooked.
· Rice, quick-cooking, or converted, uncooked: 14-ounce package (2 cups) equals 8 cups cooked.
· Rice, regular, uncooked: 1 pound (2 ¼ cups) equals 6 ¾ cups cooked (1 cup equals 3 cups cooked).
· Rice, wild, uncooked: 1 pound (3 cup) equals 11 to 12 cups cooked.
DESSERT INGREDIENTS
· Chocolate chips: 1 cup equals 6 ounces
· Chocolate wafers (Famous): crushed 9-ounce package equals 2 1/3 cups.
· Cocoa powder, unsweetened: 8-ounce can equals 3 cups.
· Coconut, flaked or shredded: 7-ounce bag equals 2 ½ cups.
· Gelatin, unflavored: ¼ ounce (1 envelope) equals 2 teaspoons.
· Honey: 1 pound equals 1 1/3 cups.
· Marshmallows: 10-ounce bag equals 40 large.
· Marshmallows: 1 large equals 10 miniature.
· Sugar, brown, packed: 1 pound equals 2 ¼ cups.
· Sugar, granulated: 1 pound equals 2 ¼ cups.
· Sugar, powdered, unsifted: 1 pound equals 3 ¾ cups.
· Vanilla wafers, crushed: 12-ounce box equals 3 ¾ cups crumbs.
· Whipped topping, frozen: 8-ounce tub equals 3 cups.
NUTS
· Almonds, slivered: 4-ounce bag equals ¾ cups (1 cup equals 5 1/3 ounces).
· Pecans, chopped: 2-ounce bag equals ½ cup.
· Pistachios, with shells: 4 ounces (1 cup) equals ½ cups shelled.
· Walnuts, chopped: 2-ounce bag equals ½ cup.
MISCELLANEOUS
· Coffee, ground: 1 pound (5 ½ cups) equals 88 tablespoons (44 coffee measures).
· Peanut butter: 18-ounce jar equals 2 cups.
· Potato chips, crushed: 1 cup whole equals ½ cup crumbs.
EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS
If you don't have…..substitute….
· 1 cup buttermilk equals 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (wait 5 minutes).
· 1 cup sifted cake flour equals 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour.
· 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate equals 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter.
· 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate equals 1 ½-ounce semisweet chocolate and reducing the sugar by 2 teaspoons.
· 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate equals generous ½ ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoons sugar.
· 1 tablespoon cornstarch equals 2 tablespoons flour.
· 1 cup light corn syrup or honey equals 1 ¼ cups sugar plus 1/3 cup liquid.
· 1 clove garlic equals ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
· 1 cup half-and-half equals 7/8 cup milk plus 3 tablespoons melted butter.
· 1 cup heavy cream equals ¾ cups milk plus 1/3 cup melted butter.
· 1 tablespoon fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
· 1 cup whole milk equals ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water, or 1 cup skim milk plus 2 teaspoons melted butter.
· ¼ cup chopped onions equals 1 tablespoon dried minced onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder.
· ¼ cup wine (in desserts) equals ½ cup fruit juice.
· ½ cup wine (in cooking) equals ½ cup broth.
Quantities have been rounded to the nearest useful measure, and are approximate: Yields from fresh produce can vary; many small variations exist in can and package sizes, some quantities can vary with humidity and others with how finely an item is chopped. In an case, these numbers are a good guide for shopping.
Sources: Handbook of Food Preparation of the American Home
Economics Association; Al Sicherman
