These Printable Conversion Charts Will Save You Time In The Kitchen

I’d like to clear up the 240 mL vs 250 mL per cup debate. They are both correct. It all depends on which measurement system you are referring to when you speak of cups. There is an American cup and an Imperial cup.

Before the days of Standard Measuring utensils we used the cups in the cupboard (that we drank out of) and the spoons in the drawer (that we ate with). The crocks in the pantry were our quarts & gallons (some people had mason jars but not all of us) and our baskets were our pecks and bushels. The difference between the ‘two cups’ happened a long time ago. I don’t know why or when the Government made the change but by the 1950s & 60s the American cup was 6 oz and the Imperial cup was 8 oz. All of the other measurements (tsp, T, pt, qt, gal) were the same.

For Imperial measurements the 3 tsp = 1 T, 16 T = 1 c, 2 c= 1 pt & 1/2 qt, 4 c & 2 pt = 1 qt and 4 qt = 1 gal (and so on up to pecks [4 gal] and bushels [2 pecks]). In fl oz (fluid oz not oz by weight): 2 T = 1 oz, 16 T = 1 c or 8 oz, etc. So the 6 oz American cup doesn’t fit this multiple like it does in the Imperial system.

With the American cup, at 6 oz, it didn’t fit this easy multiple of the measurements. The pt, qt and gal had to be defined by oz instead of cups because 4 c at 6 oz ea is only 24 oz not a qt (32 oz), etc. This made remembering the multiple of the measurements difficult for Americans because the 6 oz cup doesn’t fit. The multiple is easy to remember, if you think of the cup as 8 oz. A qt = 32 oz (4 x 8), a gal = 128 oz (4 x 32).

So, there is the reason why 240 mL and 250 mL are both correct. One refers to the American cup and the other refers to the Imperial cup.

And this is why we now weigh our ingredients. Because even though the author of the recipe is in one country or another, we can’t be sure which cup they used.

And now the Aussie Government is flipping between a 15 mL T and a 20 mL T as their Standard. Lord have mercy! We all want to be global neighbors but the Gov is confusing our language.

Who else has noticed the difference between the 6 and the 8 when referring to cups?

I’d like to clear up the 240 mL vs 250 mL per cup debate. They are both correct. It all depends on which measurement system you are referring to when you speak of cups. There is an American cup and an Imperial cup.

Before the days of Standard Measuring utensils we used the cups in the cupboard (that we drank out of) and the spoons in the drawer (that we ate with). The crocks in the pantry were our quarts & gallons (some people had mason jars but not all of us) and our baskets were our pecks and bushels. The difference between the ‘two cups’ happened a long time ago. I don’t know why or when the Government made the change but by the 1950s & 60s the American cup was 6 oz and the Imperial cup was 8 oz. All of the other measurements (tsp, T, pt, qt, gal) were the same.

For Imperial measurements the 3 tsp = 1 T, 16 T = 1 c, 2 c= 1 pt & 1/2 qt, 4 c & 2 pt = 1 qt and 4 qt = 1 gal (and so on up to pecks [4 gal] and bushels [2 pecks]). In fl oz (fluid oz not oz by weight): 2 T = 1 oz, 16 T = 1 c or 8 oz, etc. So the 6 oz American cup doesn’t fit this multiple like it does in the Imperial system.

With the American cup, at 6 oz, it didn’t fit this easy multiple of the measurements. The pt, qt and gal had to be defined by oz instead of cups because 4 c at 6 oz ea is only 24 oz not a qt (32 oz), etc. This made remembering the multiple of the measurements difficult for Americans because the 6 oz cup doesn’t fit. The multiple is easy to remember, if you think of the cup as 8 oz. A qt = 32 oz (4 x 8), a gal = 128 oz (4 x 32).

So, there is the reason why 240 mL and 250 mL are both correct. One refers to the American cup and the other refers to the Imperial cup.

And this is why we now weigh our ingredients. Because even though the author of the recipe is in one country or another, we can’t be sure which cup they used.

And now the Aussie Government is flipping between a 15 mL T and a 20 mL T as their Standard. Lord have mercy! We all want to be global neighbors but the Gov is confusing our language.

Who else has noticed the difference between the 6 and the 8 when referring to cups?