Weight of Liquids
With the advent of accurate electronic scales it has become more common to weigh liquids for use in recipes, avoiding the need for accurate volumetric utensils. The most common liquids used in cooking are water and milk, milk weighing approximately the same as water in the low volumes used in cooking.
1 mL of water weighs 1 gram so a recipe calling for 300 mL (≈ ½ Imperial Pint) of water can simply be substituted with 300 g (≈ 10 oz.) of water.
1 fluid ounce of water weighs approximately 1 ounce so a recipe calling for a UK pint (20 fl oz) of water can be substituted with 20 oz of water.
More accurate weight equivalents become important in the large volumes used in commercial food production. To an accuracy of five significant digits, they are:
| Measure | Weight (water) at 4.0 °C (39.2 °F) |
|
|---|---|---|
| grams | ounces | |
| 1 mL | 1.0000 | 0.0353 |
| 1 fl.oz. UK | 28.413 | 1.0022 |
| 1 fl.oz. US | 29.574 | 1.0432 |
| 1 pint US | 473.18 | 16.691 |
| 1 pint UK | 568.26 | 20.045 |
| 1 litre | 1000.0 | 35.275 |
Even a home cook can use greater precision at times. Water at 4.0 °C (39.2 °F) may be volumetrically measured then weighed to determine an unknown measuring-utensil volume without the need for a density adjustment.
| Ingredient | Density (g/mL or av.oz./fl.oz.) |
|---|---|
| Sugar | 1.2 |
| Flour | 0.7 |
| Salt | 1.2 |
| Butter | 0.9 |
Read more about this topic: Cooking Weights And Measures
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