Basic Recipe Measurement Guidelines
Rules of thumb for the creative cook. Following recipes that someone else has developed is a lot of fun, but conjuring up food formulations of your own can be even more exciting . . . though sometimes disastrous.
To keep the excitement of accomplishment as high as possible — and the drag of disaster as low as reasonably can be expected — keep the following general rules of thumb in mind the next time you’re tempted to experiment.
1 cup of liquid to 1 cup of flour for pour batters.
1 cup of liquid to 2 cups of flour for drop batters.
1 cup of liquid to 3 cups of flour for dough.
1/3 to 2 or more cakes of compressed yeast softened in 1/2 cup of water to 2 cups of liquid (1/3 yeast cake to 2 cups of liquid is used in bread mixed at night, 1 cake or more can be added to bread mixed in the morning, according to the time available for rising. By using several yeast cakes to 2 cups of liquid, bread may be baked in three or four hours from time of mixing).
1/2 cup of liquid yeast to 2 cups of liquid.
1 teaspoon of soda and 3-1/2 level teaspoons of cream of tartar to 4 cups of flour.
2 teaspoons of baking powder to 1 cup of flour, when eggs are not used.
1 teaspoon of soda to 2 cups of thick sour milk.
1 teaspoon of soda to 1 cup of molasses.
1/4 teaspoon of salt to 4 cups of milk for custards.
1/4 teaspoon of salt to I cup, or 1 teaspoon to 4 cups, of sauce or soup.
I teaspoon of flavoring extract to 4 cups of custard, or cream.
1 tablespoon of flavoring extract to 4 cups of mixture to be frozen.
2/3 cup, or less, of sugar to 4 cups of milk for custards, etc.
1 cup sugar to 4 cups milk or cream for ice cream.
4 eggs to 4 cups milk for plain cup custard.
6 to 8 eggs to 4 cups milk for molded custards.
1/4 package (or half an ounce) of gelatin to 2 cups (scant) of liquid.
3 cups water, or milk, or stock, to 1 cup rice.
1 cup of cooked meat or fish cut in cubes to 3/4-1 cup of sauce.
Meat from 3-1/2-pound chicken equals about 2 cups (or 1 pound).
Read more about helpful homesteading tips: MOTHER’s Bi-Monthly Almanac: Star Chart, Old-Fashioned Window Refrigerator and a Homemade Quilt Block.
