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  #1 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
Posts: n/a
Default Does any one know how many cups to an ounce?

Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx

  #2 (permalink)   Report Post  
anthonyd
 
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wrote:
> Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and

use
> ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx


Try he

http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

  #3 (permalink)   Report Post  
Peter Aitken
 
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> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
> ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx
>


8 ounces = 1 cup.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.


  #5 (permalink)   Report Post  
Ophelia
 
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> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
> ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx


You can buy measuring cups in supermarkets or kitchen shop

Ophelia
Scotland




  #6 (permalink)   Report Post  
--
 
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> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
> ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx
>


There are fluid ounces (volume) and there are dry (avoirdupois weight)
ounces.

Fresh water converts easily between volume and weight -

Other things do not convert easily - and unless you like having a
food-covered calculator in your recipe stores:

since you are British, it is probably a lot easier long run to pop over
to Harrads (sic) and get a set of US-measure measuring cups and spoons for
less than the cost of the ride there.
Or check a local cooking shoppe.
Or order a set on the internet.

mo

1) Replicating cooking recipes is supposedly most reliable when done by
weight. Use of the common cup and spoon measures indirectly delivers the
proper weight of the ingredient.

2) Fresh water, used as the standard so the old labs and merchants could set
up their measures at a common point, converts easily between volume and
weight -

1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces.
( similar to using water in old metric common point: 1cc=1ml=1g )

Note: I do not think the Imperial gallon at 10 lbs a gallon was originally
part of the system and follows these rules, however. I believe it is akin to
the bakers dozen, devised so the provider of goods could not be hanged for
shorting a customer by mistake, back when brit leaders were on a death
penalty craze.

3) You may have heard the memory tool "pint's a pound the world around" .
For water:
1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces =16 tablespoons.
And there are 16 cups and 8 pints and about 8 lbs of water per gallon.
It is octal-based ( i.e., "on multiples of just fingers, because the
thumbs are busy holding the food" someone said)

4) Most other things do not convert easily , because their volume per weight
varies. A cup of flour or a cup of shortening does not weigh 8 ounces.
Some people's baked goods and souffles, however, well exceed 8 ounces a
cup.


and BTW, don't eat baked goods that exceed 1 kg per cup.




  #9 (permalink)   Report Post  
Halvdan
 
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Actually its more like how many ounces to a cup. 1 cup = 8 oz. 16 oz
= 1 pound. Hope this helps

  #15 (permalink)   Report Post  
Kenneth
 
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On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:22:57 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
> wrote:

>Dry ounces are
>still volume measure


Hi Bob,

You offer that as if it were some widely accepted fact, but
I think it is far more ambiguous.

If someone told me to add eight ounces of flour to
something, I would weigh it (as would many other people.)

I certainly would not deny that some would pull out a
half-cup measure, but I think that is hardly as likely as
you seem to believe.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."


  #16 (permalink)   Report Post  
Kenneth
 
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On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:35:59 -0500, Kenneth
> wrote:

>half-cup measure


Ooops... should have been "cup measure"

'Sorry,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."
  #17 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
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In rec.food.cooking, "Bob (this one)" > wrote:

> Dry ounces are
> still volume measure, like fluid ounces.


Does anyone know how it happened that "ounces" refers to either weight or
volume, depending on usage? Is there some nexis between the two? All I
can imagine is that one fluid ounce of water at STP weighs one ounce. Is
that it?

--
In the councils of government, we must guard against the
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
-- Dwight David Eisenhower
  #18 (permalink)   Report Post  
Katra
 
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Default

In article >,
Kenneth > wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:22:57 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
> > wrote:
>
> >Dry ounces are
> >still volume measure

>
> Hi Bob,
>
> You offer that as if it were some widely accepted fact, but
> I think it is far more ambiguous.
>
> If someone told me to add eight ounces of flour to
> something, I would weigh it (as would many other people.)
>
> I certainly would not deny that some would pull out a
> half-cup measure, but I think that is hardly as likely as
> you seem to believe.
>
> All the best,


If it said 8 oz., I'd weigh it.
If it said 1/2 cup, I'd use a measuring cup.

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<


http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra
  #19 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
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Excellent post. Thanks.

It clarified lots and lots of stuff that I had been wondering about for a
long time.




In rec.food.cooking, -- > wrote:

> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
> > ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx
> >


> There are fluid ounces (volume) and there are dry (avoirdupois weight)
> ounces.


> Fresh water converts easily between volume and weight -


> Other things do not convert easily - and unless you like having a
> food-covered calculator in your recipe stores:


> since you are British, it is probably a lot easier long run to pop over
> to Harrads (sic) and get a set of US-measure measuring cups and spoons for
> less than the cost of the ride there.
> Or check a local cooking shoppe.
> Or order a set on the internet.


> mo


> 1) Replicating cooking recipes is supposedly most reliable when done by
> weight. Use of the common cup and spoon measures indirectly delivers the
> proper weight of the ingredient.


> 2) Fresh water, used as the standard so the old labs and merchants could set
> up their measures at a common point, converts easily between volume and
> weight -


> 1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces.
> ( similar to using water in old metric common point: 1cc=1ml=1g )


> Note: I do not think the Imperial gallon at 10 lbs a gallon was originally
> part of the system and follows these rules, however. I believe it is akin to
> the bakers dozen, devised so the provider of goods could not be hanged for
> shorting a customer by mistake, back when brit leaders were on a death
> penalty craze.


> 3) You may have heard the memory tool "pint's a pound the world around" .
> For water:
> 1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces =16 tablespoons.
> And there are 16 cups and 8 pints and about 8 lbs of water per gallon.
> It is octal-based ( i.e., "on multiples of just fingers, because the
> thumbs are busy holding the food" someone said)


> 4) Most other things do not convert easily , because their volume per weight
> varies. A cup of flour or a cup of shortening does not weigh 8 ounces.
> Some people's baked goods and souffles, however, well exceed 8 ounces a
> cup.



> and BTW, don't eat baked goods that exceed 1 kg per cup.






--
In the councils of government, we must guard against the
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
-- Dwight David Eisenhower
  #20 (permalink)   Report Post  
Noises Off
 
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-- wrote:

> 3) You may have heard the memory tool "pint's a pound the world around" .
> For water:
> 1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces =16 tablespoons.
> And there are 16 cups and 8 pints and about 8 lbs of water per gallon.


The British do not have this rhyme. The British equivalent
is "A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter".

1 imperial pint weighs 20 oz.
1 imperial gallon (8 pints) weighs 10 lbs.

Noises Off



  #21 (permalink)   Report Post  
Kenneth
 
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On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 15:40:43 -0600, Katra
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Kenneth > wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:22:57 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >Dry ounces are
>> >still volume measure

>>
>> Hi Bob,
>>
>> You offer that as if it were some widely accepted fact, but
>> I think it is far more ambiguous.
>>
>> If someone told me to add eight ounces of flour to
>> something, I would weigh it (as would many other people.)
>>
>> I certainly would not deny that some would pull out a
>> half-cup measure, but I think that is hardly as likely as
>> you seem to believe.
>>
>> All the best,

>
>If it said 8 oz., I'd weigh it.
>If it said 1/2 cup, I'd use a measuring cup.


Hi Katra,

That is exactly my point... I think most people would do
what you describe.

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."
  #23 (permalink)   Report Post  
Gabby
 
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Default


"Noises Off" > wrote in message
...
> -- wrote:
>
>> 3) You may have heard the memory tool "pint's a pound the world around" .
>> For water:
>> 1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces =16 tablespoons.
>> And there are 16 cups and 8 pints and about 8 lbs of water per gallon.

>
> The British do not have this rhyme. The British equivalent is "A pint of
> water weighs a pound and a quarter".
>
> 1 imperial pint weighs 20 oz.
> 1 imperial gallon (8 pints) weighs 10 lbs.


The American pint is 2 cups = 16 oz.
The imperial pint is 4 gills (1 gill = 5 oz.) = 20 oz.

Talk about confusing to a Canadian kid who learned that
8 oz = 1 cup
2 cup = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon -- but, children, our gallon is bigger than the
Americans'.

"Explain please? Is their ounce smaller? Our cup bigger? Why is our
gallon bigger?"
Never got an answer.

But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52 weeks
and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"

Gabby


  #24 (permalink)   Report Post  
Peter Aitken
 
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"Gabby" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52 weeks
> and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"
>
> Gabby
>


Since a year does not have 52 weeks (exactly) the question is meaningless
and silly.



--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.


  #25 (permalink)   Report Post  
Noises Off
 
Posts: n/a
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Gabby wrote:

> But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52 weeks
> and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"


The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
would be better?"

Noises Off



  #26 (permalink)   Report Post  
Dan Abel
 
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In article >, "Gabby"
> wrote:


> But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52 weeks
> and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"



I'd like to know also. I'm assuming that I've been lied to for the last
55 years, and a year really has approximately 52 weeks.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

  #27 (permalink)   Report Post  
Gabby
 
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"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
. ..
> "Gabby" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52
>> weeks and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"
>>
>> Gabby
>>

>
> Since a year does not have 52 weeks (exactly) the question is meaningless
> and silly.


Not to the 10 year old me who asked the question after being taught
categorically that there ARE 52 weeks in a year.

Gabby


  #29 (permalink)   Report Post  
djs0302
 
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Noises Off wrote:
> Gabby wrote:
>
> The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
> day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
> would be better?"
>
> Noises Off


Because at one time March 1st was the first day of the year. That made
February the last month of the year and when leap year came along they
simply tacked on the extra day at the end of the year. This also
explains the naming of the months of September, October, November, and
December. Sept, oct, nov, and dec are the Latin prefixes for 7, 8,9,
and 10. With March being the first month of the year that made
September the 7th month, October the 8th month, November the 9th month,
and December the 10th month.

  #30 (permalink)   Report Post  
Marc Wolfe
 
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"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
. com...
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Hiya, would like to try some of these recipes, but I'm british and use
>> ounces in cooking. Does anyone know the conversion? Thanx
>>

>
> 8 ounces = 1 cup.
>


According to The Food Lover's Companion it's a bit more complicated than
that. A British cup is 1.25 US cups, and an imperial ounce is .96 US
ounces.

Best,

Marc




  #31 (permalink)   Report Post  
Bob (this one)
 
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Kenneth wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:22:57 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
> > wrote:
>=20
>>Dry ounces are still volume measure


> Hi Bob,
>=20
> You offer that as if it were some widely accepted fact, but
> I think it is far more ambiguous.


No, really isn't ambiguous at all. It has a very specific meaning.=20
"Dry ounces" is a standard of measure. It's what comprises a dry pint=20
and that's how berries are sold - those pints and quarts are=20
different than fluid measures with the same names. You're confusing=20
them with "avoirdupois ounces" which are measures of weight. There's=20
no direct interchangeability. The clich=E9 that says a volume ounce of=20
water weighs an ounce avoirdupois is wrong. Close but no cigar.

> If someone told me to add eight ounces of flour to
> something, I would weigh it (as would many other people.)


<LOL> Right. That would most likely be a cup in the US and a weight=20
measure just about everyplace else that uses ounces (not many places=20
left). I'd suggest you ask the person for clarification. The final=20
recipe will vary significantly if he meant weight and you used volume=20
or vice versa. It's just guesswork that way.

What many other people would or wouldn't do isn't germane to the=20
discourse. There are defined standards for volume and weight with=20
conventional names. Guessing about them is merely guessing, no matter=20
how many people do it.

> I certainly would not deny that some would pull out a
> half-cup measure, but I think that is hardly as likely as
> you seem to believe.


You know, there are standards for recipe notation. They vary from=20
country to country and culture to culture. To see the American=20
standard, get a copy of "Recipes Into Type" by Whitman and Simon.

Few American kitchens have scales because of Fanny Farmer and her=20
approach to writing recipes. She published her book just about at the=20
right time for the industrial revolution to provide standardized=20
measures. Little glass cups with numbers on them are cheap. Scales are=20
not. So cups it was and so it remains except in the professional=20
kitchens.

Anyone who told you to add 8 ounces of anything customarily referred=20
to by volume is merely adding distraction and confusion. If people are=20
going to play in the kitchen, it behooves them to learn the local=20
language.

Pastorio

  #32 (permalink)   Report Post  
 
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In rec.food.cooking, Noises Off > wrote:

> The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
> day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
> would be better?"


I never thought of it that way. But you raise an excellent point!

Hell, why not make it a Monday Holiday!?

If it were all up to me, I'd make ten months, each with 36 days, made up
of 6 six-day weeks. The extra 5 or 6 days would be the "holiday season"
centered around the winter solstice, during which time nobody would work.

--
In the councils of government, we must guard against the
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
-- Dwight David Eisenhower
  #33 (permalink)   Report Post  
Hahabogus
 
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"Marc Wolfe" > wrote in
:

> According to The Food Lover's Companion it's a bit more complicated
> than that. A British cup is 1.25 US cups, and an imperial ounce is
> .96 US ounces.
>
> Best,
>
> Marc
>


A british imperial pint is 20 british ounces...hence a british imperial
cup is 10 british ounces. After conversion to metric, the british cup was
relegated to 300 ml.

A canadian cup was relegated to 250 ml.

An american Cup is 247 (I believe) ml.

So if you're british for convienence, use a metric measuring cup and if
the recipe is american use a 250 ml cup. (I included the 3 mls, for ease
of measuring).

It's been well over 20 years since britan 'went' metric, so it is time
you 'embraced' the future and got new kitchen measuring equipment.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban
  #34 (permalink)   Report Post  
Top Spin
 
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On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 14:30:08 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:

>In rec.food.cooking, Noises Off > wrote:
>
>> The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
>> day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
>> would be better?"

>
>I never thought of it that way. But you raise an excellent point!
>
>Hell, why not make it a Monday Holiday!?
>
>If it were all up to me, I'd make ten months, each with 36 days, made up
>of 6 six-day weeks. The extra 5 or 6 days would be the "holiday season"
>centered around the winter solstice, during which time nobody would work.


I have often thought about something like this, too. In my schemes,
the months consist of 4 7-day weeks with weekends as at present. The
main thing is to have each month the same length and an even multiple
of weeks.

I also thought of putting the extra (variable number of) days at the
end of the year or beraking the year up into quarters and putting some
holiday days at the end of each quarter or some such.

Of course, none of this is ever going to happen. If we (Americans)
cannot adopt the metric system or phoneticize the language, it just
proves that we are not rational.

We also run into the reilgious goodballs who believe all manner of
nuttiness about Sunday and other special days.

If I were king and we were starting all over, I'd also divide a day
into 10 (or 100) hours and subdivide with a metric (base 10) system.

Not holding my breath for any of this.

--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)
  #35 (permalink)   Report Post  
--
 
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"Gabby" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Noises Off" > wrote in

message
> ...
> > -- wrote:
> >
> >> 3) You may have heard the memory tool "pint's a pound the world around"

..
> >> For water:
> >> 1 measured cup water = 8 fluid ounces = avoir. 8 ounces =16

tablespoons.
> >> And there are 16 cups and 8 pints and about 8 lbs of water per gallon.

> >
> > The British do not have this rhyme. The British equivalent is "A pint of
> > water weighs a pound and a quarter".
> >
> > 1 imperial pint weighs 20 oz.
> > 1 imperial gallon (8 pints) weighs 10 lbs.

>
> The American pint is 2 cups = 16 oz.
> The imperial pint is 4 gills (1 gill = 5 oz.) = 20 oz.
>
> Talk about confusing to a Canadian kid who learned that
> 8 oz = 1 cup
> 2 cup = 1 pint
> 2 pints = 1 quart
> 4 quarts = 1 gallon -- but, children, our gallon is bigger than the
> Americans'.
>
> "Explain please? Is their ounce smaller? Our cup bigger? Why is our
> gallon bigger?"
> Never got an answer.
>
> But then again I never got an answer when I asked "If a year has 52 weeks
> and a week has 7 days, why doesn't a year have 364 days?"
>


it did, once. But the ole orbit is slowing down, and its longer in the year
now.

> Gabby
>
>





  #36 (permalink)   Report Post  
Kenneth
 
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Default

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 08:45:55 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
> wrote:

>Kenneth wrote:
>> On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:22:57 -0500, "Bob (this one)"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>Dry ounces are still volume measure

>
>> Hi Bob,
>>
>> You offer that as if it were some widely accepted fact, but
>> I think it is far more ambiguous.

>
>No, really isn't ambiguous at all. It has a very specific meaning.
>"Dry ounces" is a standard of measure. It's what comprises a dry pint
>and that's how berries are sold - those pints and quarts are
>different than fluid measures with the same names. You're confusing
>them with "avoirdupois ounces" which are measures of weight. There's
>no direct interchangeability. The cliché that says a volume ounce of
>water weighs an ounce avoirdupois is wrong. Close but no cigar.
>
>> If someone told me to add eight ounces of flour to
>> something, I would weigh it (as would many other people.)

>
><LOL> Right. That would most likely be a cup in the US and a weight
>measure just about everyplace else that uses ounces (not many places
>left). I'd suggest you ask the person for clarification. The final
>recipe will vary significantly if he meant weight and you used volume
>or vice versa. It's just guesswork that way.
>
>What many other people would or wouldn't do isn't germane to the
>discourse. There are defined standards for volume and weight with
>conventional names. Guessing about them is merely guessing, no matter
>how many people do it.
>
>> I certainly would not deny that some would pull out a
>> half-cup measure, but I think that is hardly as likely as
>> you seem to believe.

>
>You know, there are standards for recipe notation. They vary from
>country to country and culture to culture. To see the American
>standard, get a copy of "Recipes Into Type" by Whitman and Simon.
>
>Few American kitchens have scales because of Fanny Farmer and her
>approach to writing recipes. She published her book just about at the
>right time for the industrial revolution to provide standardized
>measures. Little glass cups with numbers on them are cheap. Scales are
>not. So cups it was and so it remains except in the professional
>kitchens.
>
>Anyone who told you to add 8 ounces of anything customarily referred
>to by volume is merely adding distraction and confusion. If people are
>going to play in the kitchen, it behooves them to learn the local
>language.
>
>Pastorio


Hi Bob,

I did misinterpret what you have written...

I was not taking your comment to relate to the phrase "Dry
Measure" but rather understood your comment to relate to how
people measured dry stuff.

Thanks for the clarification,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."
  #37 (permalink)   Report Post  
--
 
Posts: n/a
Default


> wrote in message
...
> In rec.food.cooking, Noises Off

> wrote:
>
> > The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
> > day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
> > would be better?"

>
> I never thought of it that way. But you raise an excellent point!
>
> Hell, why not make it a Monday Holiday!?
>
> If it were all up to me, I'd make ten months, each with 36 days, made up
> of 6 six-day weeks. The extra 5 or 6 days would be the "holiday season"
> centered around the winter solstice, during which time nobody would work.
>


Wasn't that like the old Julian calendar? Extra days for a sinful holiday,
no extra days in months for catching up.
Heard from some cynic somewhere that when the powers that be fixed the
Julian, they made it more God-like and gave the christian holiday months
their due, and also fixed it properly so the taxes and special assessment
holidays were in the longer months, etc. February, the month of no harvest
and no holidays and thus no tithing payments or taxes, was made short.
And the months with the big christian holidays were made longer
(Christmas was Jan 6 back then, I think? )

heard that somewhere. Third stall down, probably.

Since you could be burned at the stake for using science and reason
instead of faith at the time, it was tjust as likely hat or some other good
political reason -- as ever involving taxes and the public morality.

> --
> In the councils of government, we must guard against the
> acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
> by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
> disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
> -- Dwight David Eisenhower



  #38 (permalink)   Report Post  
Default User
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Bob (this one) wrote:

> But it all comes to nothing here because most everybody but the US
> cooks by weight. Brits typically use their kitchen scales to cook

with
> - much more accurate than volume measure.



About the only thing I weigh regularly is pasta. Due to the varying
shapes and irregular nature, it works out much better that way. I have
an old spring-type kitchen scale, and that's good enough. I don't need
precision or even that much accuracy, just consistency. That makes it
easy to divide up a pound package of noodles or vermicelli or whatever
into relatively even portions.



Brian

  #39 (permalink)   Report Post  
--
 
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> wrote in message
...
> In rec.food.cooking, "Bob (this one)" > wrote:
>
> > Dry ounces are
> > still volume measure, like fluid ounces.

>
> Does anyone know how it happened that "ounces" refers to either weight or
> volume, depending on usage? Is there some nexis between the two? All I
> can imagine is that one fluid ounce of water at STP weighs one ounce. Is
> that it?


as i understand -

the old labs of the amateur scientists 400-500 years or so back needed a way
to calibrate their instruments (tolerance was somewhat slack back then than
now) . Later, after merchants picked up those measures, they also needed an
easy way to be checked.

Water was commonly available, so weight and temperature scales were
established and agreed upon using water-related parameters.
If you had the container of the correct dimensions, call it one "pint",
and you filled it with water, you had a lb weight. Calibration can be done.

So the volume of a pint measure hanging on the wall of the lab defined
the weight of one pound, and the volume of a pint.

Volume meets weight.

The old easily-remembered-by-ordinary-uneducated-humans 3 by 4 system in
use at the time was not good enough for them, so someone wanted to change it
to a more logical 8 based system.

Divide the measure into 2x8 parts and call it an ounce, and if you are not
too careful defining which measure it was, and either by design so we could
remember it or by accident, we get 16 ounces and 16 ounces, weight and
volume.

-------------------
Similar for the metric system, except someone in France decided that
one millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole was better than
using the weight of water in a measured container that those evil English
were using.

They then set the nexis at 1ml liquid = 1gram mass = 1 cubic centimeter
volume when using water, so instruments could also be calibrated easily in
the metric system.
-------------
humans remember 3s and 4s groups more readily than any other values

sets of 8 is the most natural when using octal or counting when your thumbs
are used as the next digit
(why octal for the uneducated? count to eight twice using your fingers as
the ones and use the thumbs as the next-place-holder eights, and you get two
thumbs worth, i.e., 16 - you can count to sixteen on your hands without
remembering in octal, while the evil enemy the french with their new-fangled
metrics can only count to ten before they have to scratch a mark in the dirt
to go higher)

the original metric had (and some still do have) 100 degrees in a circle,
100 degrees between water boiling and freezing, 100 parts to a time and
geometry minute, 10 increments in everything.
works ok in theory, and quite well in many applications, but in geometry,
in time, in most water-based applications such as steam calculations which
were devised to be simple by using "specific" parameters, forces ( several
measures), pressures (there are probably six or seven metric measures that
can drive the engineer nuts), and rapid mental calculation of small digital
amounts, the British 3-4 and octal length-force-second system and the 60
multiple time, temperature, and geometry units beats the original metric
length-meter-mass hands down.

All those odd measure - chains, barrels, tons, are standards for
specific purpose that were used by both countries in international commerce
are blamed on the british system. As I understand, one of the french kings
had all of France surveyed in great part to scrap the old and get the new
measure in place

or so the story goes


>
> --
> In the councils of government, we must guard against the
> acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
> by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
> disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
> -- Dwight David Eisenhower



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"djs0302" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Noises Off wrote:
> > Gabby wrote:
> >
> > The best question is "Why do they put the extra leap year
> > day in February? Why not put it in August when the weather
> > would be better?"
> >
> > Noises Off

>
> Because at one time March 1st was the first day of the year. That made
> February the last month of the year and when leap year came along they
> simply tacked on the extra day at the end of the year. This also
> explains the naming of the months of September, October, November, and
> December. Sept, oct, nov, and dec are the Latin prefixes for 7, 8,9,
> and 10. With March being the first month of the year that made
> September the 7th month, October the 8th month, November the 9th month,
> and December the 10th month.


that makes a lot more sense than what I heard TSD about taxes and tithes and
holidays

thanx

>



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