Food Units

 

Food Measuring Units Used in the U.S.

In the United States, the metric system is really only used in science.  For everyday quantities around the house, such as measuring quantities of food, the following units are used:

For Volume:

Unit  Approximate Equivalent in the Metric System Example of a common measurement with such a volume
1 Cup 250 ml 1 mustard glass, a bowl of cereal, soup or rice.
0.5 Cups  125 ml 1 plastic yogurt cup
1 Tablespoon 15 ml 1 soup spoon (cuiller à soupe)
1 Teaspoon 5 ml 1 sugar spoon (cuiller à café)

(See the bottom of this page for a photo of different measuring cups & spoons.)

For Mass & Weight:

Unit  Equivalent in the Metric System Example of a common food with such a volume
1 Pound (lb.) 0.45 kg
(just under 500 g)		 "Une livre" - a few apples or other fruit of similar mass.
0.5 Pounds about 220 g A full big plate of rice.
0.25 Pounds about 110 g A large beef steak, a cup of any vegetable or fruit.
1 Ounce (oz.) 28.35 g
(approx 30 g)		 1 typical serving of cheese such as camembert, or 6 or 7 grapes.

To visualize the units of volume better, here is a photo of some measuring cups and spoons.  

A 2.5 cups, B 1 cup, C 0.5 cups, D 1 tablespoon, E 1 teaspoon.

Notice that D and E have 2 different types of spoons with the same volume.

 

 

 

 

Please contact me if you have questions or
comments about
 anything on this 
page.

© A.W. Damon 2011

 

Last modification: 2011-03-01

Hit Counter