I'm all for respecting cultural differences, but...

[EscargotChic]

I love the internet as a source of recipes, but when they give ingredients US-style it drives me nuts. I think the one currently in the oven will be fine with approximate amounts which is good because it called for a pint of cherry tomatoes and a quarter of a cup chopped onion.
Not wanting to disrespect lovely US Mumsnetters, but seriously, kitchen scales are an amazing invention!

Whatever. My granny taught me to cook and ingredients tended to be a pinch of this and a bushel of that. Best food ever.

People who use any old cup- what happens when you get to eggs?

I have cups and scales. Much prefer the scales for accuracy- the volume of eg sifted flour is quite different to unsifted. I also use my scales for liquids especially when bread making.

They did with their money, even used the French word cents

I had assumed a set of cups was quite a normal thing to have in your kitchen.

Sometimes when I can't be bothered to get the scales out, I convert grams to cups! Sacrilege! 😂

I think it’s just a normal-sized block of butter.

Or better still, do everything by weight, even water and milk, and chopped onions. When I save recipes, this is what I do. Make full use of that zero set on your scales!

I've got some Australian recipe books and their cup sizes are different again!

Americans fought and died in the War of Independence just so they could have the right to chose their own weights and measures!
There’s even video evidence to prove it:

Absolutely nothing. Just like all eggs aren't exactly the same size. I changed first sentence as it looked like an egg pun and then went and stuck one in the second! Assuming you use a cup that's roughly the right size of a cup*, you'll be fine. People think they're doing brain surgery, it doesn't have to be that precise. If you're a decent cook/baker you will always adjust regardless of how you measured.

I might make a cake and have used scales but still see it's not quite right and add a bit of flour or liquid. Or I'll quadruple double the vanilla and it makes absolutely no difference.

• A small mug works for me in a pinch. No idea how it actually measures up. Never gone wrong before.

USA is still in ounces and their pounds weigh less.

I see your complaint re: measuring cups and counter with what the hell are gas marks? It's not even a temperature just a random number. At least they appear to be on their way out.

you can use a sausage as a spoon

A stick of butter is approximately 113g - 4oz. And a cup is approximately 240ml or dry weight 4.5oz or 120g.

It doesn't bother me at all. I make a lot of American recipes and they always come out really well.

Make sense if your cup is roughly the size of a measuring cup. I had visions of people substituting a Sports Direct mug 😂

We have a set of cups, but I think we may have bought them in America come to think of it.

There's an amusing book called Pedant in the Kitchen by Julian Barnes about measurements used in recipes. I think it's the only book that has had me almost laughing out loud.

Not quite. It's about half the size of a uk cube butter

Oh god no. It’s really not. It’s 4oz.

@MyRoseHam i was told to always weigh the eggs first when making a cake and measure the other ingredients proportionately.

So if I make a Victoria sponge, I weight the eggs and use the same weight flour, butter and sugar. It seems to work most of the time, I did make a flat cake the other day though, didn’t rise at all. 😂

Having lived in the US on and off - it’s SO much easier when the butter comes in sticks in the box and everything else you just use the right size scoop. I’m as English as they come - but I prefer following an American tecipe now I’m used to them!

I don’t mind the cups, but I hate when a recipe calls for a stick of butter, a can of this and a box of that. Are those standardised sizes across the whole US? Do they not have issues with shrinkflation?

My great granny used to recite her basic recipes as “equal parts fat and flour”, or “once the egg, twice the fat, half the sugar” and weighed on a balance rather than a scales. Recipes with oz make more sense of proportions than one that calls for 227g.

Yes I gathered that but doesn’t help when in UK 😀

cups are quite easy and for most recipes totally fine.

what gets me is 1/2 a medium onion.

Do you have an old 'proper' set of scales with weights??

I have always wanted one since I had a toy one as a child! But never had the space for one. If/when I get a big enough kitchen my hunt will begin!!

my digital one takes 5 seconds to get out & turn on & I can 'set to zero' with bowl & previous ingredients on it.