Cooking Measurements & Conversions 

Having accurate cooking measurements conversions is very important if you want to try recipes from different countries.

In the United States (although they use the Imperial system of inches, feet, ounces and pounds in most situations), recipe ingredients are measured in cups and teaspoons.

In the United Kingdom (and other European countries) they're measured using the Metric system of grams, kilograms and milliliters/liters. ounces, pounds and pints.

BUT, many older recipes show ingredients in Imperial measurements such as ounces, pounds and pints.

To make matters worse, the British teaspoon or cup isn't the same as the US teaspoon or cup, and the Australian cup (dry ingredients) isn't the same as either US or UK 'cup'. So, you can see why things can get tricky!

The traditional Scottish recipes that you'll find on this site have been handed down through my family, and my Nanas' hand-written cookery book (recipe book) has Imperial measurements.

I have added both Metric and US measurements as well, to help you create 'masterpieces' no matter what part of the world you live in.

Collage of cooking and baking measuring tools

I was born in Glasgow, Scotland and have lived all over England, in Canada, and now in the United States, so I've had a fair bit of practice making those pesky conversions!

Not all of my cooking conversions have been successful first time around though, and it's so disappointing to spend time and effort on a special recipe, only to have it turn out quite differently from your hopes and expectations.

To make the whole process of cooking measurements conversions quick and easy for our you (so that you can get right to trying those tasty traditional Scottish recipes), we've put together some cooking measurements and conversion tables for you to use based on our personal experience..... 

Here are a couple more handy conversions for you.....

  • UK tablespoon = 17.7 ml = 0.6 oz
  • USA tablespoon = 14.2 ml = 0.5 oz
  • UK dessert spoon = 10 ml = 0.3 oz
  • 1 UK cup = 1.2 US cups

NOTE: The US doesn't have a 'dessert spoon', but a rough equivalent is a little over 2 US teaspoons.

Cooking Temperature Conversions

Another important part of getting your cooking conversions right is adjusting the temperature of your oven. Here's a quick guide to cooking temps for you.....

  • Gas Mark 1 is considered a 'cool' oven
  • Gas Mark 4 is 'moderate'
  • Gas Mark 6 is 'moderate - hot'
  • Gas Mark 7 is 'hot'
  • Gas Mark 9 is 'very hot'

We hope these cooking measurements conversions will help you to get all those tasty Scottish recipes coming out just right first time around.

Learn more about what foods are popular (and famous) in Scotland, visit our Scottish Food page.

Also, take a look at our Glossary of Cooking Terms which translates UK cookery terms to the closest US equivalent (it helps!).

Or if you're ready to get started on some cooking or baking, jump right over to our Scottish recipes page and take your pick! Best of Luck.

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