I love American cook books. Not just because they are a Pandora’s Box brimful of new found foods and recipe ideas, but also because of the measuring system they use. In the US there is no need for large, awkward, hard-to-store weighing scales, instead they are replaced by shiny stainless steel, pocket-sized measuring cups and spoons. In the words of Alanis Morrissette “Isn’t It Ironic?” considering the roomy cupboards I have in my American kitchen compared to the doll-sized cupboards of my victorian kitchen back in the UK.
I find the cup and spoon system so much simpler and faster to use. However, if you don’t own a set of measuring cups and spoons it’s frustrating to have to convert each ingredient to an equivalent measure. Then, just as you have conquered your scales and are ready to pop your culinary masterpiece into the oven, appears the added question, exactly what temperature should you heat the oven to? So, in answer to your frustrations, I have created these handy guides to convert cups, spoons and other cooking American-isms to UK friendly equivalents (and vice versa) in a flash.
Arugula & Rocket 
