No wonder Americans are lousy cooks

[Brengirl]

I have come across some bizarre cooking ingredients but today beats the lot!
I was comparing recipes for Yorkshire Teacakes. I found one that looked interesting until I saw

.............1 pint of flour.

does anyone know what that means?

[Incy]

Take that back! My Mum is American and a fantastic cook!!!!
A pint is.....2 American cup measures which in the UK is.....1lb

[Brengirl]

lol Present company is always excepted.

In all the conversions I can find 1 cup is sometimes 4oz/5oz. Is it really 8oz? Is that why I am a lousy cook.

[SarzWix]

I've got a jug that you can measure dry ingredients into. It's by the company 'Tala' and is an exact replica of one my Nan used to have... As she'd have been 106 by now, I can assume it's not a new thing


Oh, and I'd like an essay for tomorrow please - 200 words on "Why Sweeping Generalisations May Get Me Into Trouble", by 10am please...

[Incy]

lol Present company is always excepted.

In all the conversions I can find 1 cup is sometimes 4oz/5oz. Is it really 8oz? Is that why I am a lousy cook.

I got my information from my Marguerite Patten cookbook. I've been using that as my bible for years having a number of recipes from various countries/ continents and it's always worked. I actually have a set of american cups. Couldn't live without them, for cake baking

[Brengirl]

I got my information from my Marguerite Patten cookbook. I've been using that as my bible for years having a number of recipes from various countries/ continents and it's always worked. I actually have a set of american cups. Couldn't live without them, for cake baking

Still confused I have a set of cups and the 1 cup of flour weighs 5oz!!

[HeyWayne]

All my cups are different sizes. I'm doomed as a chef.

[Incy]

Hang on I didn't read far enough down the scale. There are specific equivalents for different things. I'll do some quoting:
'One pint of liquid may be regarded as equal to TWO American measuring cups for all practical purposes. (American cups are standard 1/2 pint measuring cups, but the American pint is slightly smaller than the British and American 1/2 pint cups are actually equivalent to two-fiths of a British pint.)
Solid measures:
Flour: English 1lb = American 4 cups.'
It seems the recipe writer is not very exact so it could be taken as 1/lb if you consider a pint to be 2 cups.
Hope that helps Brengirl

[Bigmallly]

Use a pint glass......American of course.

[Brengirl]

Thank you so very very much Incy. That explains it all.

[Bigmallly]

Any fishing persons will already know that when you buy maggots, you buy them by the pint. I wonder if that also came from America. (Not to be used in Teacake recipe)

[Incy]

Thank you so very very much Incy. That explains it all.

My pleasure. Just spotted a typo though, the last line should read 1/2lb if you consider a pint to be 2 cups.

[smallblueplanet]

Pah! Fed up with cup measures - every one is different when you look to 'translate' it to weight, very tedious indeed. Worse I'm not sure if the original recipe uses English or US cups as they are different...

[Brengirl]

Well well well that explains it all. I did not know we had english cups. Do we also have english 'sticks' as opposed to american ones. btw I do realise that and american pint is less than an english one.

I am so sorry I started this now. Obviously so much more to learn if I can be bothered.