Here's just about everything you need to know to cook just about anything! Looking for something "different" for dinner tonite? Check out The Recipes Archive, a comprehensive recipe archive that has been converted from Usenet to be Web Accessible. Catagories included are: (these are not hot links, sorry, just a listing) Appetizers Barbeque Beans Grains Beef Veal Beverages Breads Cakes Candy Snacks Cookies Desserts Eggs Dairy Fish Fruits Misc Pasta Pies Pastries Pork Lamb Poultry Preserving Salads Sandwiches Sauces Shellfish Soups Stews Variety Meats Vegetables If you can't find the answer to your cooking question here, try The Web Chef, where you can ask your specific question to a real, live chef and get an email answer within 24-36 hours. Be prepared to drool at this site, it's got wonderful photos of their pastries!! High Altitude conversions: Trial and error seems to be the word here, but I did find the following: Water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes, so when cooking pasta etc, you'll have to cook longer, and the pasta will absorb more water. Check it often to prevent a mushy mess. Here is a table with the boiling point of water at various altitudes. (Taken from Joy of Cooking) Degrees F Degrees C Sea Level 212 100 2,000 ft. 208 98 5,000 ft. 203 95 7,500 ft. 198 92 10,000 ft. 194 90 Roasting procedures do not differ materially from those at sea level. Any procedure involving liquid will be proportionately lingthened as altitude increases. If you are doing any pressure cooking, the accuracy of the guage is vital, and your home economics department or the county extension agent should be able to tell you where to get the guage checked. A dough that either bakes at 400 F or steams at 212 F for 20 minutes will cook in deep fat heated to 400 F in 3 minutes. A hard-cooked egg will cool in 5 minutes if plunged into ice water, but will need 20 minutes to cool in 32 F air. A vegetable that will cook in 20 minutes in water at 212 F will need only 2 minutes steaming under 15 Lbs. pressure at 250 F. In timing, a great deal depends on the freshness of food (this is especially true of vegetables); on the aging and fat content of meat; and on the size of the food unit. Large, thick objects like roasts need lower heat and a longer cooking period than do cutlets, to allow the heat to penetrate deep into the center. The amount of surface exposed is also a factor, as you have no doubt learned from experience with whole as compared to diced veggies. Some other things to consider when figuring timing in cooking are: Reflective and absorptive quality of the pan. Recent tests have shown that a whole hour can be cut from the roasting time of a 10 to 12 pound turkey if it is cooked in one of those dark enamel pans that absorb heat rather than in a shiny metal one that reflects it. The insulative qualities of foil, when used in wrap-cooking. Placement in an oven (yes, this CAN make a difference) The temperature of the food at the onset of heating. (Room temp vs. refrigerated) For non-yeast baked goods, decrease the baking powder or baking soda. For example, if making biscuits, use one teaspoon of baking powder for each cup of flour. You almost never need much more than 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in anything unless the recipe calls for more than a cup of buttermilk or sour cream or yoghurt. Want to see some actual recipes for high altitude cakes? I've got a few on my Up in the Clouds cooking page. You can also check out these books (look at the local Library?) High Altitude Baking and Cooking Compiled and Tested by Emma Rice, M. S. Foods and Nutrition University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming Includes adjustments for sea-level cake recipes, a guide for checking altitude adjustments, tables of equivalents, metric information, basic mixes, and over 170 tested recipes for all types of cooking affected by altitudes above 4,000 feet. (c) 1969 by Emma Rice Revisions 1972, 1978 It's 64 pages long and $5.00 new. On the back cover it gives the publisher's address: JELM MOUNTAIN PUBLICATIONS 2017 Grand Laramie, WY 82070 Rec.Food.Cooking is a good source of information on all your cooking questions, you can use DejaNews to search the archives of Usenet and read the pertinant articles. US/UK/metric conversions 1 cup = 250 mls 1 tablespoon = 20 mls 1 teaspoon = 5 mls 1 pound (US) = 454 grams = 16 oz. 1 kg = 2.2 lbs. Oven Temperatures An approximate conversion chart: Electric Gas mark Description Farenheit Centigrade 225 F 110 C 1/4 Very cool 250 F 130 C 1/2 275 F 140 C 1 cool 300 F 150 C 2 325 F 170 C 3 very moderate 350 F 180 C 4 moderate 375 F 190 C 5 400 F 200 C 6 moderately hot 425 F 220 C 7 hot 450 F 230 C 8 475 F 240 C 9 very hot American Liquid Measures 1 pint 450 ml ( 16 fl oz) 1 cup 225 ml ( 8 fl oz) 1 tablespoon 16 ml (1/2 fl oz) British Liquid Measures 1 breakfast cup (10 fl oz) 1/2 pint 1 tea cup 1/3 pint 8 tablespoons 1/4 pint 1 tablespoon 15 ml 1 dessertspoon 10 ml 1 teaspoon 5 ml 1/3 tablespoon UK UK oz Metric ml US oz 1 quart 40 1140 38.5 1 pint 20 570 1 cup 10 1 gill 5 1 fluid oz 1 28.4 0.96 1 tbl 5/8 15 1 dsp 1/3 10 1 tsp 1/6 5 British Short Cuts Cheese (grated) 1 oz = 4 level tablespoons Cocoa or chocolate powder 1 oz = 3 level tablespoons Coconut (desicated) 1 oz = 4 level tablespoons Flour (unsifted) 1 oz = 3 level tablespoons Sugar (castor/caste 1 oz = 2 level tablespoons (granulated) 1 oz = 2 level tablespoons (icing) 1 oz = 2 1/2 level tablespoons Syrup (golden) 1 oz = 1 level tablespoons General Conversion Tables standard cup tablespoon teaspoon Canada 250ml 15ml 5ml Australia 250ml 20ml 5ml New Zealand 250ml 15ml 5ml UK 250ml 15ml 5ml Weight 1 ounce = 28.4 g (can usually be rounded to 25 or 30) 1 pound = 454 g= 16 oz. 1 kg = 2.2 pounds US Liquid Measurements 1 liter = 1.057 quarts 2.1 pints 1 quart = 0.95 liter 1 gallon= 3.8 liters 1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons 1/3 " = 0.8 dl 1/2 " = 1.2 dl 2/3 " = 1.6 dl 3/4 " = 1.75 dl 7/8 " = 2.1 dl 1 cup = 2.4 dl 1 dl = 2/5 cup = 6 to 7 tablespoons Miscellaneous 1 UK pint is about 6 dl 1 UK liquid oz is 0.96 US liquid oz. a "stick" of butter or margarine weighs 4 oz and is 1/2 cup US. each 1/4 cup or half stick butter or margarine in US recipes weighs about 50 g. there are 8 tablespoons in 1/4 pound butter A Food by Any Other Name aubergine - US eggplant. (purple, vaguely egg-shaped vegetable) beetroot - US beet Bermuda onion - also called Spanish onion- a sweet onion. This may vary by region. Another possible alternative is the 1015 onion biscuits - in the UK, same as US cookies, small sweet cakes usually for dessert. In the US, a type of non-yeast bread made of flour, milk, and shortening, usually served with breakfast - small, and similar to what much of the world refers to as 'scones'. black treacle - similar to blackstrap molasses brinjal - Indian word for eggplant / Aubergine cabanossi - US pepperoni capsicum - another name for red/green/yellow bell peppers castor/caster sugar - somewhat finer than US granulated sugar. Similar to US superfine sugar. chickpeas - also called garbanzo beans, ceci beans Chicken Maryland - in Australia, refers to chicken leg with both thigh and drumstick attatched. In the US, refers to any parts of chicken, crumbed, browned in hot fat, baked and served with cream gravy. Chinese parsley - also called cilantro and coriander cider - widely varying definition! A drink (almost) always made from pressed apples, to many people but not all it is alcoholic. US usage is typically that 'cider' is not alcoholic and 'hard cider' is. If in doubt, ask. cilantro - the leaf of the coriander plant. Also called Chinese/Thai/Mexican parsley,vand green corriander. cockles - clams confectioner's sugar - same as powdered sugar or UK icing sugar cookies - UK biscuits cordial - in the US, a synonym for liqueur in UK, NZ, Australia, a thick syrup (which may or may not contain real fruit) which is diluted to give a non-alcoholic fruit drink cornflour - cornstarch. Used to thicken sauces etc. Usually made from wheat cornmeal - ground corn (maize). courgette - US zucchini. A long, green squash, looks something like a cucumber. cream of wheat - sometimes called farina dessicated coconut - dried coconut shreds, similar to US coconut shreds. In the US, coconut is usually sold sweetened, this is not so common in other countries. digestive biscuits - almost the same as US graham crackers. donax - clams double cream - somewhat heavier than whipping cream eggplant - UK aubergine (which see) essence - US extract extract - UK essence farina - sometimes called cream of wheat filberts - also called hazelnuts garbanzo beans - also called chickpeas graham crackers - similar to UK digestive biscuits granulated sugar - somewhat coarser than UK castor/caster sugar. green onions - same as spring onions or scallions green shallots- an inaccurate but occasionally used description for spring onions grill - In the UK, the same as US broiler; in the US, a device for cooking food over a charcoal or gas fire, outdoors. Habanero pepper - similar to Scotch bonnet pepper half and half - a mixture of half cream and half whole milk hazelnuts - sometimes called filberts heavy cream - same as whipping cream or UK double cream icing sugar - US confectioner's or powdered sugar. The finest kind. ladyfingers - little finger-shaped sponge cakes used in desserts. "Ladies' fingers" is the US vegetable okra. lemonade - in the US, a drink made of lemon juice, sugar and water; in the UK, a carbonated drink that doesn't necessarily contain anything closer to a lemon than a bit of citric acid. Sprite (TM) and 7-Up (TM) are examples of what would be called lemonade in many countries. marrow - US summer squash. Also 'vegetable marrow'. melon - a family of fruits. All have a thick, hard, inedible rind, sweet meat, and lots of seeds. Common examples: watermelon, cantaloupe molasses - similar to UK treacle pawpaw - papaya, also persimmons in some places, or even a third fruit, Asimina triloba. If I were you I'd check with the recipe author. polenta - same as corn meal, also, a thick porridge made from cornmeal. (also known as 'cornmeal mush', 'mamaliga') powdered sugar - same as confectioner's sugar or UK icing sugar rock melon - cantaloupe scallion - also called spring onion or green onion or scallion Scotch Bonnet pepper - similar to Habanero pepper shallots - not green/spring onion - small pointed members of the onion family that grow in clusters something like garlic and have a mild, oniony taste. single cream - US light cream Spanish onion - also called Bermuda onion. Large and not as "hot" as standard onions. This nomenclature may vary in some regions. Often used to mean "Red Spanish Onion" which is not so much red as purple spring onion - also called scallion or green onion squash - a family of vegetables. All but two have a thick, hard, usually inedible rind, rich-tasting meat, and lots of seeds. A well-known if not wide-spread example is the pumpkin. There are also things called summer squashes, which have edible rinds, milder meats, and usually fewer seeds. An example of this type is the zucchini or courgette. tomato sauce - in UK/NZ/A ustralia, a homogeneous dark red sauce containing (typically) tomatoes, sugar, salt, acid, spices, - much the same thing as US ketchup. In the US, a more heterogeneous concoction, served in and on more foods such as pasta. whipping cream - in US, cream with at least 30% butterfat (light cream (18%) and heavy cream (36%)) zucchini - UK courgette Substitutions and Equivalents Flours US all-purpose flour and UK plain-flour can be substituted for one another without adjustment. US cake flour is lighter than these. It is not used much anymore, but if it does come up, you can substitute all-pupose/plain flour by removing three tablespoons per cup of flour and replacing it with corn starch or potato flour. Self-raising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of flour. US whole wheat flour is interchangeable with UK wholemeal flour. Leavening agents Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It must be mixed with acidic ingredients to work. Baking powder contains baking soda and a powdered acid, so it can work without other acidic ingredients. 1 pkg. of active dry yeast = 7 grams = 1/4 oz. = 1 cube compressed yeast Canned milk Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk both come in cans, both are thick and a weird color... but are not the same thing. Sweetened condensed milk is, as the name implies, mixed with sugar or another sweetener already. It isn't found everywhere, but this recipe makes a good, quick substitute: Mix 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry (powdered) milk and 1/2 cup warm water. When mixed, add 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Starches UK corn flour is the same as US cornstarch. Potato flour, despite its name, is a starch, and cannot be substituted for regular flour. It often can be substituted for corn starch and vice versa. Cornmeal or polenta is not the same thing as cornstarch or corn flour! What one can buy labelled `polenta' really looks no different to cornmeal though. Polenta is commonly used to describe cornmeal porridge but may also be used to mean plain cornmeal. Beware. If you don't have cornstarch/corn flour, you can use twice the amount of all-purpose flour. However, unless whatever you're adding it to is allowed to boil, the result will taste starchy. Sugar and other sweeteners UK castor/caster sugar is somewhat finer than US granulated sugar. There is a product in the US called superfine sugar, which is about the same as UK castor/caster sugar. Usually, you can use granulated sugar in recipes calling for castor/caster sugar and vice versa. As usual, give the recipe a trial run with the substitute some time when it doesn't need to be perfect. Corn syrup is common in the US but not always elsewhere. Sugar (golden) syrup can be substituted. Corn syrup comes in two flavours - dark and light. Light corn syrup is just sweet, dark has a mild molasses flavour. A common US brand is Karo. Golden syrup is a thick, golden brown byproduct of cane sugar refining. The taste is mostly sweet, although there is a slight acidic, metallic component. If desperate, a plain sugar syrup may be a possible substitute, boil 2 parts sugar, 1 part water. Fats Shortening is solid, white fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. (A popular brand name is Crisco, and many people call all shortening Crisco.) It is common in the US, tougher to find in some other parts of the globe. Copha is a solid fat derived from coconuts, it is fairly saturated and used in recipes where it is melted, combined with other ingredients and left to set. Lard can be successfully substituted in some recipes, for example it makes very flaky pastry. Deep frying requires fats/oils with heat-tolerant properties. Butter and margarine, for example, are right out, as are lard and olive oil. Corn and peanut oils are both good. Chocolate If you don't have unsweetened baking chocolate, substitute three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder plus one tablespoon of fat (preferably oil) for each one ounce square. US dark chocolate is the same as UK plain chocolate, that is, the darkest and least sweet of the chocolates intended for eating (also called bittersweet). What is called milk chocolate in the UK is called milk chocolate in the US, too, but many people simply refer to it as "chocolate". The stuff called "semi-sweet chocolate" by some folks is the US dark or UK plain. "Bitter chocolate" is, apparently, the UK term for high quality plain chocolate. Some manufacturers apparently distinguish between "sweet dark," "semi-sweet" and "bittersweet" (Sarotti is one), but they seem to be minor variations on a theme. Chocolate chips are not necessarily a substitute for bar chocolates, because the chips have something added to them to slow down melting. Buttermilk/Cultured Milk If a recipe calls for buttermilk or cultured milk, you can make sour milk as a substitute. For each cup you need, take one tablespoon of vinegar or lemonjuice, then add enough milk to make one cup. Don't stir. Let it stand for five minutes before using. Food Equivalences Flours 4 oz. plain/strong/sifted = 1 Cup all-purpose/self-raising/unbleached = 5 oz. unbleached white 6 oz. wholemeal/stoneground = 1 Cup whole wheat 4 1/2 oz. cornflour = 1 Cup cornstarch 6 oz. yellow corn meal/polenta = 1 Cup coarse corn meal/polenta 6 oz. rye flour = 1 Cup Cereals 7 oz. pearl barley =1 Cup 7 oz. rice/bulgar wheat/millet/wheat = 1 Cup 6 oz. semolina/ground rice/tapioca = 1 Cup 2 oz. fresh soft breadcrumbs = 1 Cup fresh soft breadcrumbs 4 oz. dried breadcrumbs = 1 Cup 3 1/2 oz. porridge oats = 1 Cup rolled oats Sugars 8 oz. light/dark soft brown sugar = 1 Cup (firmly packed) 1/2 oz. castor/caster/granulated sugar = 1 Cup granulated sugar 4 1/2 oz. icing sugar = 1 Cup sifted confectioners' sugar Fats and cheeses 1 oz. butter, margarine, cooking fat, lard, dripping = 2 Tbsp. butter, shortening, lard, drippings 8 oz. butter, margarine, cooking fat, lard, dripping = 1 Cup butter, shortening, lard, drippings 4 oz. grated cheese - cheddar type = 1 Cup 1 lb grated cheese - cheddar type = 4 - 5 cups (packed) Vegetables and fruit 1 small to med. onion = 1 Cup 4 oz. shelled peas = 3/4 Cup 4 oz. cooked sweet corn = 1 Cup 4 sticks celery = 1 Cup chopped 7 oz. chopped tomatoes = 1 Cup 3-4 oz. button mushrooms = 1 Cup 2 oz. chopped pickled beetroot = 1/3 Cup 4 oz. black/redcurrants/bilberries = 1 Cup 5 oz. raspberries/strawberries = 1 Cup 3 1/2 oz. dried beans = 1/2 Cup Dried fruit and nuts, etc 5-6 oz. currants/sultanas/raisins,chopped candied peel = 1 Cup 2 oz. currants/sultanas/raisins,chopped candied peel = 1/3 Cup 8 oz. glace cherries = 1 Cup candied cherries 3 1/2 oz. sesame seeds = 3/4 Cup 5 oz. whole shelled almonds = 1 Cup 4 oz. ground almonds = 1 Cup 2 oz. chopped nuts = 1/3 - 1/2 cup 8 oz. peanut butter = 1 Cup Preserves 12 oz. clear honey/golden syrup/molasses/black treacle = 1 Cup 11 oz. maple/corn syrup = 1 Cup 5-6 oz. jam/marmalade/jelly = 1/2 Cup Some Australian Conversions Metric Cups Grams(approx) Ounces(approx) 1 cup butter 250 8 3/4 1 cup biscuit (cookie) crumbs 110 3 3/4 1 cup breadcrumbs, soft 60 2 1 cup breadcrumbs, dry 125 4 1/2 1 cup cheese, grated 125 4 1/2 1 cup cocoa 110 3 3/4 1 cup cornflour (cornstarch) 125 4 1/2 1 cup cornflakes 30 1 1 cup rice bubbles (rice crispies) 30 1 1 cup coconut, desiccated (flaked) 95 3 1/4 1 cup dried split peas, lentils 200 7 1 cup dried fruit 160 5 3/4 1 cup dates, chopped 150 5 1/4 1 cup flour, plain, self-rising 125 4 1/2 1 cup flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) 135 4 3/4 1 cup golden syrup, honey, glucose 360 12 3/4 1 cup jam 330 11 1/2 1 cup nuts, chopped 125 4 1/2 1 cup oats, rolled 90 3 1/4 1 cup rice, short grain 210 7 1/2 1 cup rice, long grain 200 7 1 cup salt, or crystal sugar 250 8 3/4 1 cup castor sugar (superfine) 220 7 3/4 1 cup soft brown sugar, firmly packed 170 6 1 cup icing sugar (confectioners') 150 5 Metric spoons Grams Ounces 1 level tablespoon peanut butter 20 2/3 1 level tablespoon baking powder, bicarb soda, cream of tartar, gelatine, rice, sago 15 1/2 1 level tablespoon cocoa, cornflour, custard powder, nuts 10 1/2 1 level tablelspoon golden syrup, treacle, honey, glucose 30 1 1 level tablespoon sugar, salt 20 2/3 1 level tablespoon yeast, compressed 20 2/3 Allspice, mixed spice and five-spice Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of a small tree. It is available ground or in seed form, & used in a variety of dishes such as pickles, casseroles, cakes & puddings. Also known as Jamaica Pepper. Mixed spice is a classic mixture generally containing caraway, allspice, coriander, cumin, nutmeg & ginger, although cinnamon & other spices can be added. It is used with fruit & in cakes. (In America 'Pumpkin Pie Spice' is very similar). Five-spice powder is a blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel & Szechuan pepper. It is used in Chinese cooking. Back to The Dovenest Back to the Recipes Column in the Newsletter HTML version by Sue Dove