George Bernard Shaw once said “England and America are two countries separated by a common language”, but the English spoken in Great Britain, the United States and other English-speaking countries, are not only separated by geography but also by many centuries of history. British English and American English certainly have many differences and while most people are aware of the spelling and pronunciation differences, they don’t actually realise how confusing the discrepancies can be in some situations. Although the American words are creeping into British usage and vice versa, people in English-speaking countries who try to follow a recipe from a different side of the world might find it a bit of a challenge, and will realize that American English and British English have quite a few differences in food and cooking terminology.
An American cookbook can also be called a cookery book in Britain, and the basic cooking equipment and terms for cooking procedures can be different. An American electric blender is a liquidizer in Britain, the cake pan can be called a cake tin, and the dough either rises or proves. The major differences between British and American recipe measurements, for example, centre around the fact that British measurements are quoted by weight, while the American ones are quoted by volume. The imperial system presently used in the United States was introduced by the British when the United States was a British colony, then in the early 1800s Britain redefined the British imperial system while the United States didn’t and continued to follow the original system in use today.
The conversion tables below are intended to be of help to those who wish to prepare the recipes in this book and are as accurate as will be needed for this purpose. We feel that baking is a form of cooking where precision of measurement and the right ingredients are really important.
Conversions:
30 grams = 1 ounce
55 grams = 2 ounces
85 grams = 3 ounces
125 grams = 4 ounces or ¼ pound
240 grams = 8 ounces or ½ pound
375 grams = 12 ounces or ¾ pound
454 grams = 16 ounces or 1 lb
600 grams = 1 ¼ lb
907 grams = 32 ounces or 2 pounds
1 kilogram (1000 grams) = 2.2 pounds/35.2 ounces
Liquid measurements for cups:
¼ cup = 60 millilitres or 2 fluid ounces
½ cup = 125 millilitres or 4 fluid ounces
¾ cup = 180 millilitres
1 cup or ½ pint = 250 millilitres or 8 fluid ounces
2 ½ quarts = 2.5 liters
4 cups = 1 litre or 1 ¾ pints
Measurements for spoons:
¼ teaspoon = 1,25 millilitres
½ teaspoon = 2 millilitres
1 teaspoon = 5 millilitres
1 tablespoon = 20 millilitres or 1 ½ fluid ounces
British and American cooking methods and temperatures are different too so take a look below at the oven temperatures and settings:
Degrees Celsius/Centigrade Degrees Fahrenheit Gas mark setting
110 225 ¼
120/130 250 ½
140 275 1
150 300 2
160/170 325 3
180 350 4
190 375 5
200/210 400 6
Below are some of the more common examples of British English-American English differences:
British English American English
Aubergine Eggplant
Bangers Sausages
Beetroot Beet
Bicarbonate of soda Baking soda
Biscuit Cookie
Cake mixture Cake batter
Caster sugar Superfine sugar
Chips French fries
Cling film Plastic wrap
Corn flour Corn starch
Courgettes Zucchini
Crisps Potato chips
Crystallised fruits Candied fruits
Demerara sugar Light brown sugar
Double cream Heavy cream
Essence Extract
Fairy cake Cupcake
Fish fingers Fish sticks
Grease proof paper Wax paper
Groundnut oil Peanut oil
Hazelnut Filbert
Icing Frosting
Icing sugar Powdered sugar
Kitchen hob/cooker Stove
Maize Corn
Maize flour Cornstarch
Minced meat Ground beef
Plain flour All-purpose flour
Porridge Oatmeal
Pudding Dessert
Raising agent Leavening agent
Rocket Arugula
Root ginger Ginger root
Single cream Light cream
Soft flour (low gluten) Pastry/cake flour
Strong flour/hard flour (high gluten) Bread flour
Sultanas Raisins
Sweets Candy
To whip or whisk To beat or whisk
To grill To broil
Whipping cream Half cream
Wholemeal Whole wheat
Digestive biscuits and Graham crackers are quite different but are both used to make crumb crusts for cheesecakes. Graham crackers are sweeter and Digestive biscuits are richer.
🙂