Cooking Class

From raw ingredients to smart substitutions to pots and pans, here's your cheat sheet.

Measure for Measure:

Quick:  How much cooked white rice does 1 raw cup yield?  Answer:  3 cups.  We unravel this and other mysteries that cooks face time and again.

Tbs = Tablespoon    tsp = Teaspoon    oz = ounce    lb = pound

AMOUNT EQUALS
Berries:  1 pint basket 2 1/4 Cups
Butter/Margarine:  1 stick 1/2 cups, or 8 Tbs
Cheese: 8 oz cream cheese

            4 oz parmesan

 1 cup

1 1/4 cups, grated
Chocolate: 1 baker's square

                6 oz chips

 1 oz

1 cup
Cookies: 1 cups crumbs 14 graham-cracker squares, 19 chocolate wafers or 22 vanilla wafers
Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups whipped
Herbs: 1 Tbs fresh 1 tsp dried
Pasta: 

8 oz medium wide noodles

8 oz elbow macaroni or spaghetti

 3 3/4 cups cooked

4 cups cooked
Rice:  1 cup instant

         1 cup white

         1 cup converted

         1 cup brown

 1 1/2 cups cooked

3 cups cooked

4 cups cooked

3 to 4 cups cooked
Sugar: 1 lb granulated

          1 lb brown

          1 lb confectioners', sifted

 2 cups

2 1/4 cups

4 1/2 cups

Pan particulars:

Recipes specify what size pan to use.  If you need to swap, pick a pan with similar volume and dimensions.  Actual sizes vary slightly among bake ware companies.  Measure across the top, as the manufacturers to.

Springform Pans 8 1/2 x 4 inches, 11 cups

9 3/4 x 3 inches, 14 cups
Tart Pan (removable bottom) 9 x 1 inch, 4 cups
Square Cake Pans 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 1 7/8 inches (metal), 7 1/4 cups
Bundt Pan 10 inches, 12 cups
Angelfood or tube pan 9 1/2 x 4 inches, 17 cups
Loaf Pans (metal) 8 1/2 x 3 5/8 x 2 5/8 inches, 6 cups

9 1/4 x 5 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches, 7 1/2 cups
Round Cake Pans (straight sides, metal) 8 x 1 1/4 inches, 4 cups

9 x 1 1/2 inches, 5 3/4 cups

9 x 2 1/8 inches, 8 1/2 cups
Pie Pans 9 inches (glass), 4 1/2 cups

9 inches (metal), 5 cups
Rectangular Pans 11 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches (glass), 10 cups

12 3/4 x 8 3/4 x 2 inches (glass), 13 cups
Jelly-Roll Pan 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 inch, 11 cups
Cupcake Tins 12 standard (2 3/4 x 1 1/4 inches), 9 1/3 cups

How to Know What You Need:

Making a shopping list based on a recipe can be tricky if you don't know how many tomatoes yield 3 cups chopped.  Our handy translations:

WHEN THE RECIPE CALLS FOR: YOU NEED:
4 cups shredded cabbage 1 small cabbage
1 cup grated raw carrot 1 large carrot
2 1/2 cups slices carrots 1 pound raw carrots
4 cups cut fresh green beans 1 pound beans
1 cup chopped onion 1 large onion
4 cups sliced raw potatoes 4 medium-size potatoes
1 cup chopped sweet pepper 1 large pepper
1 cups chopped tomato 1 large tomato
4 cups sliced apples 4 medium-size apples
1 cup mashed banana 3 medium-size bananas
1 tsp grated lemon rind 1 medium size lemon
2 Tbs lemon juice 1 medium-size lemon
4 tsp grated orange rind 1 medium-size orange
1 cup orange juice 3 medium-size oranges
4 cups sliced peaches 8 medium-size peaches
2 cups sliced strawberries 1 pint strawberries
1 cup soft bread crumbs 2 slices fresh bread
2 cups shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese 8 oz cheese
1 cup egg whites 6 or 7 large eggs
1 egg white 2 tsp egg-white powder plus 2 Tbs water
4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans 1 pound shelled

No thermometer?  

Conquer fear of frying.  You can gauge oil temp by noting how long it takes to fry a 1 inch cube of white bread until golden brown:

20 seconds = 385 to 395 degrees

40 seconds = 375 to 385 degrees

50 seconds = 365 to 375 degrees

60 seconds = 355 to 365 degrees

65 seconds = 345 to 355 degrees

In-a-Pinch Substitutions:

It can happen tot he best of us:  Halfway through a recipe, you find you're completely out of a key ingredient.  Here's what to do:

RECIPE CALLS FOR: YOU MAY SUBSTITUTE:
1 square unsweetened chocolate 3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 Tbs butter or margarine
1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar plus 1/4 tsp cornstarch
1 cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup additional liquid used in recipe
1 cup milk 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1 Tbs white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup sugar plus 2 Tbs molasses
1 tsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp white vinegar (not balsamic or red-wine)

 

**If you have a recipe or hint  you'd like to share, please email Penny.  **

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