No one has every baking dish size and shape ever known to mankind just lying about on display in the kitchen. Just stock some standard shapes and sizes, and if a recipe writer calls for something really obscure or that you don’t have, then you can swap using these guidelines. Baking Pans by Dimension Baking…
This is a chart of typical baking pan physical dimensions, with their equivalent volume sizes. The measurements of a baking pan are determined by measuring inside the pan, from edge to edge. Depth is measured inside as well.
It’s often important to know the capacity in volume of a baking pan, so you can know if a recipe you are making will fit into it for cooking, or not. In planning, you also have to allow for spare volume, so the ingredients don’t rise or spill over the edge during cooking. Some, but…
Bimetallic-Coil Thermometers have a coil in them made of two different metals, which expand at different rates. This causes the coil also to expand, thus moving a dial.
Cans (aka tins) are metal containers (usually cylindrical but not necessarily) in which food or drink is hermetically sealed for storage over long periods of time. They come in different sizes; sometimes the size designations are used as units of measurement in recipes.
Casserole dishes are usually made of glass, cast iron, enamelled cast iron, or earthenware. They come in varying sizes and shapes, round or square or oblong. They have deep sides and close-fitting covers. There will be handles on the sides of the casserole dish, as well as a handle on the cover.
A Dry Pint Basket is a measurement of volume, used mostly for fruits and vegetables. When a dry pint is meant and it’s necessary to distinguish it from a liquid pint, usually “dry” will be stated. It does not measure weight. 1 dry pint = 1/2 dry quart 1 dry pint = 1 1/2 cups…
A Firkin is an old Unit of Measurement. It was equal to 1/4 of a barrel, which held 36 imperial gallons. Thus, a Firkin was a volume of 9 Imperial gallons (10.8 US gallons / 40.9 litres.) Language Notes Firkin possibly comes from the Dutch word “vier”, meaning “four.”
A jigger is a small cup-like measuring tool used primarily in making mixed alcoholic drinks. They are generally made of metal or glass. It can be important to use a jigger when making a mixed drink, rather than just pouring. An average mixed drink has only about 3 to 5 ounces (90 to 150 ml)…
Cooking is not an exact science. Good food can’t happen in a kitchen without the skills and talent of the cook producing it. Whenever it is reduced to a science that machines can produce without the intervention of a human, you get the kind of food that foodies love to hate — the same foodies…
A measuring cup is a demarcated vessel used to measure ingredients. The US and Canada customarily use measuring cups to measure both liquid and dry ingredients, while the rest of the world primarily uses measuring cups solely for liquid ingredients. The challenges of using cups as a measurement One of the difficulties in measuring with…
Measuring spoons are special, standardized spoons used to measure very small quantities of ingredients by volume quickly and accurately. The ingredients measured can be liquid, or dry. Unofficial instruments of measure Teaspoons and tablespoons are unofficial measurements. They are not legally defined because they aren’t used in commerce or in science, so they never seemed…
Pony is a measurement used in making cocktails. It’s equivalent to 1 ounce / 30 ml / 2 tablespoons. It’s also called a “short shot.” On jiggers with 2 measuring sides, the smaller of the measures is usually a “pony.”
“Pugnetto” is an Italian imprecise kitchen measurement. It means “a small fistful.” It is used by cooks where exact measurement is not critical. For example, a handle of fresh herb. It can also be used by people watching their calorie intake to roughly estimate food portions when eating out. A fistful (“pugnetto”) of rice would…
Refrigerator Thermometers will measure temperature ranges between a low of -40°F and a high of 60°F (-40°C and 15°C.) They can be used both for the freezer and the fridge. They need to be relatively shatterproof, as they are bound to get knocked about inside the fridge over time. They should be rustproof as well,…
Safe cooking temperatures are the minimum temperatures that you are advised to cook meat to in order to ensure that it is safe to eat. Here are some absolute base minimums that lab results have show researchers will kill nasties. Beef130°F54°CEggs140°F60°CLamb and Seafood140°F60°CPork150°F66°CPoultry and Stuffing165°F74°C The temperatures that Health Authorities give out are almost always…
Scales are used to measure food items by weight. In home kitchens, they are used to measure ingredients by weight for recipes, and commercially, they are used to measure a food item so that a buyer and seller can agree on a price for it. A good scale for home kitchen use should be able…
Thermometers © Randal OultonThermometers come in many different varieties and scales. The choice isn’t just between Fahrenheit or Celsius: some of the simpler ones are not really thermometers at all. They just show ranges — rare, medium, burnt-offering, etc. Some have mercury in them, but most are pure metal these days because it is safer…
Walms © Randal Oulton Walms is a cooking term used to track how much something has been boiled. A walm is an “surge upwards of boiling water”, when a circular “wave” of water rises from the bottom of the pot and breaks the surface in a surge. Cookbooks would give directions such as, “and so…
