Converting measurements when using American recipes in Europe and abroad

On the English Forum, someone recently asked for information about how to convert measurements from American and British cookbooks, which measure dry ingredients differently. In American cookbooks, for example, a recipe might ask for a cup of flour, whereas in European recipes it would ask for the flour in grams.

I will repeat the recommendations I posted there.

Julia Child’s conversion tables

Since I was trained at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne, and raised on Julia Child, I have always used her extremely thorough and precise conversion tables. They are invaluable, because they give French, British and American equivalents, which is important since — perhaps you don’t know — an American ounce is quite a different thing than a British ounce! (I’m exaggerating a wee bit there.)

These conversion tables are to be found in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” of which an anniversary edition has just been published. Child, or simply “Julia”, as we like to call her in the world of cuisine, also provided temperature conversion charts, including both British and French “marks” as well as metric and Imperial temperatures. You might also find this masterpiece at Books Books Books in Lausanne.

I will try to reproduce these here in the next few weeks, because many people are quite understandably confused, especially when they first arrive in Europe.

If you do have anybody back in the U.S. who can send you a set of stainless steel measuring cups and spoons however, do ask them to do so. The American ones usually give the U.S. measurement as well as the metric equivalent. I agree that weighing small amounts is tedious, and once you start using these cups and spoons, you’ll soon get a feel for the metric equivalents.

They can easily be found in stores such as Walmart, and certainly in all major department stores, hypermarkets, superstores and, of course, in cookware shops. They are not expensive, and last forever. I’ve been using the same ones for 25 years now.

If you don’t have anyone who can send you the cheap variety, which is what I have, you can order them online from Fante’s Kitchen Ware Shops, which offers them in plastic, glass, and stainless steel, and in every shape, form and size imaginable.