Cooking Tips, Tricks & Conversions
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- Covert plain flour into self raising flour by adding 2 teasp of baking powder to 1 cup of flour.
- Bad eggs sink good eggs rise/float. Put your eggs in a bowl of water to test them out.
- Meringues do not like any moisture! So make sure all utensils are dry and you are not cooking on a damp day.
- When baking cakes, never open the oven during the first half of the cooking time. Cold air will disturb the rising of your cake & make it flat!
- Best way to test if your cake is ready is to insert a cake tester, skewer or toothpick into the center of the cake; if the tester comes our clean & dry your cake is ready
- To give you cake a more professional look apply 1 thin layer of icing/frosting first to seal in any remaining crumbs and then apply a thicker final layer.
- Run your fresh herbs under hot water before using them, this will bring out their flavour & aroma
- Your can freeze Kaffir Lime leaves! Who would have thought..
- If you cannot find Gluten Free Cornflour / Cornstarch you can replace it with Arrowroot.
- Do not boil rice noodles. Simply place them in a bowl add boiling water from the kettle then let sit 5mins or until soft.
General Substitutes
| Need | Substitute with... |
|---|---|
| 1 cup self raising flour (cake flour) | 1 cup plain flour plus 2 teasp baking powder |
| 1 tblsp cornstarch | 2 tblsp all purpose flour or 2 tblsp arrowroot |
| 1 cup tomato sauce | 1/2 cup tomato paste plus 1/2 cup cold water |
| 1 teasp vinegar | 2 teasp lemon juice |
| 1 cup whole milk | 1 cup skim milk plus 2 tblsp melted butter |
| 1 teasp baking powder | 1/2 teasp baking soda plus 1/4 teasp cream of tartar |
| 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar | 1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 2 tblsp molasses |
| 1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened baking chocolate | 3 tblsp unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tblsp shortening |
| 1 cup heavy cream (for baking not whipping) | 3/4 cup whole milk plus 1/4 cup butter |
| 1 cup honey | 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water |
Common Conversions
| = | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 cups butter | = | 1 pound |
| 1/2 cup butter | = | 2 tablespoons |
| 1 cup chocolate chips | = | 6 ounces |
| 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut | = | 3 1/2 ounces |
| 1 cup cream cheese | = | 1 cup |
| 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar | = | 1 pound |
| 2 1/4 cups brown sugar | = | 1 pound |
Metric Conversions
| Oven Temperatures | ||
|---|---|---|
| 250°F | = | 120°C |
| 275°F | = | 140°C |
| 300°F | = | 150°C |
| 325°F | = | 160°C |
| 350°F | = | 180°C |
| 375°F | = | 190°C |
| 400°F | = | 200°C |
| 425°F | = | 220°C |
| 450°F | = | 230°C |
| Weights (mass) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 ounce | = | 15g |
| 1 ounce | = | 30g |
| 3 ounces | = | 90g |
| 4 ounces | = | 120g |
| Volume Measurements (dry) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 teaspoon | = | 1mL |
| 1/2 teaspoon | = | 2mL |
| 3/4 teaspoon | = | 4mL |
| 1 teaspoon | = | 5mL |
| 1 tablespoon | = | 15mL |
| 1/4 cup | = | 60mL |
| 1/3 cup | = | 75mL |
| 1/2 cup | = | 125mL |
| 2 cups = 1 pint | = | 500mL |
| 4 cups = 1 quart | = | 1L |
| Volume Measurements (fluid) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tablespoons | = | 30mL | = | 1 fluid ounces |
| 1/2 cup | = | 125mL | = | 4 fluid ounces |
| 1 cup | = | 250mL | = | 8 fluid ounces |
| 1 1/2 cups | = | 375mL | = | 12 fluid ounces |
| 2 cups | = | 500mL | = | 6 fluid ounces |
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 inch | = | 6mm |
| 1/2 inch | = | 1.5cm |
| 1 inch | = | 2.5cm |
