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METRIC CONVERSION OF MEASUREMENTS

When you are cooking it is sometimes necessary for you measure an ingredient in an equivalent manner. These might be helpful to you the next time you are cooking. While exact measurements may not be necessary for some dishes, remember that when baking you should endeavor to follow the recipe completely.

You are right in the middle of preparing a recipe and suddenly discover you are missing an ingredient.  Yes, you know you should have checked on this before you began but that does not help now.

The following substitutions might help you finish your dish.

“Cooking for beginners is just a matter of being able to read. After all, there are recipes everywhere.” At first glance this may seem true but as you explore those recipes, you discover that terms are confusing and in general the recipe doesn’t give details about cooking. For the beginner this can be frustrating.

Although cooking can be likened to a chemical formula, once you learn the language it will be easier to begin cooking. For the beginner, your knowledge will be able to grow by leaps and bounds by understanding what you are doing each step of the way.
Read the recipe all the way through.  Look up terms that you don’t understand. Don’t guess or assume you know. The language of cooking can be very different. Build your cooking knowledge base with solid information. Some of those terms you will encounter:

• Brown hamburger meat (ground meat) – Cook until the pink disappears. Stir with a fork so that it is in small pieces when finished. It does not mean to turn the meat dark brown.

• Tender – When cooking vegetables, they are done when a fork slides easily into the vegetable. It should not meet with resistance.

• Cook until translucent – Commonly used when talking about onions, it means that they have turned to a softer white that is more transparent rather than solid white.

• Stir frequently – Use a spoon to manipulate the ingredients in the pan or skillet. Frequently means every 2 to 3 minutes.

Good recipes start with the ingredient list. Assemble all the required ingredients. This will allow you to be sure you have everything needed. There is nothing more frustrating than being half way through a recipe and discovering you don’t have an ingredient.
Ingredients are usually listed in the order that they will be used. Even the order of those words has significance. For example, if the recipe calls for “1 cup nuts, chopped”, it means measure the cup of nuts and then chop the nuts. However, if the instructions say “1 cup chopped nuts”, it means chop them and then measure.
These are common abbreviations:

• Tbsp = Tablespoon
• tsp = teaspoon
• oz = ounce
• lb = pound

Temperature and cooking time is frequently given as a range. This is to accommodate the difference in appliances. It is advisable to use the lowest part of the heat setting. You can always turn the heat up or cook it a little longer. But overcooking or burning can’t be undone.
Cooking for the beginner should be an interesting and fun journey.   So experiment with new things. Acquire a new skill at least weekly.