Recently @RTcastMichael and I have really gotten into the Great British Baking Show. He really likes it (won't actively admit it, so I'm outing him here) and I really like to get inspired and make my own bakes.
But, I also found out that the recipes for what they're actually making ON the show also exist online - and in books (the books are what I want, but online will start). The books are way more comprehensive and have a CRAP TON of recipes broken out per season.
Oh man, what's this? Link to the recipe in question I'm wanting to try out, the Apricot Couronne from Season 2?
BUT - the recipes are written in British measurements. I attempted to use an online converter and receive gibberish that looks like this:
I was attempting to convert what 5 grams of salt is in American. Luckily, I can round with this one and be like, "Oh okay, roughly like 1 teaspoon of salt."
Others, I'm not so lucky.
Surely there are bakers or Brits on here that have a little experience with translating recipes... Do you have any tips on this? Or should I seriously go out and buy a scale and learn how to measure things in grams?
Comments (22)
Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular
9 months ago
cooking by weight is better than cooking by volume.
BTW, have you ever watched Cutthroat Kitchen? I would watch an RT series where you, Michael and anyone else compete in a cooking comp like that.
+1 Funny
Chelsea RT Community Manager
9 months ago
Cutthroat Kitchen? No, I haven't - never heard of it either. Where would one find such a series such as that?
Oh trust me - I really want us to have a cooking show of some sort!
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Priest NonSequitur OCC Consular
9 months ago
Its on the Food Network. Alton Brown hosts it.
There are 4 contestants, and at the beginning of the contest they are given $25K. Alton Brown announces the dish they have to cook. They have 30 seconds in a pantry to get the items they need to cook the dish, and then they return to their stations. Then the fun begins. He has several "auctions" where the contestants can bid to 'win' using the money they have been given. These sabotages go against the other contestants. Say I win a "you can only cook using a tiki torch" I can give that to you and you lose the ability to use any stoves. They can get really REALLY evil. After each round is complete, a judge tastes each dish and at the end picks his favorite
1. if it looks good
2. if it tastes good
3. if it reminds you of whatever it is.
Rinse and repeat until one person is left...and they can only keep the money they have not used to buy sabotages.
OOH. I just thought: Michael, Geoff, Joel (make him), and Burnie compete, with Hannah Hart judging.
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Jalnor
9 months ago
We usually use a scale to weigh it, since converting between volume and mass is not recommended ;-)
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laurenedensor RTXL Guardian '18
9 months ago
Give in and buy a scale! Also I'm coming to RTX Austin in the summer from the UK and can give you some books that I can drop off at gift collection!! I'll probably only be able to bring 2 or 3 though! <3
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StryfeRyder
9 months ago
I should probably just give in and buy a scale. I end up making batches that are like 1.5x or 2.3x the normal size just to get some weird measurement to come out into something I can readily measure.
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funhausjet
9 months ago
Perhaps a scale to measure out the grams?
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RTcastMichael RT Broadcast guy
9 months ago
YOU OUTED ME!!! THIS IS BETRAYAL OF THE HIGHEST
+7 Funny
Xuelder Some Sort of Art Boi
9 months ago
TOP 10 ANIME BETRAYALS!
+3 Funny
Xuelder Some Sort of Art Boi
9 months ago
When I look at the site it gives everything in oz as well as grams, which is easy for me to convert. Also I assume 5 grams of salt is a dash of salt. 8oz = 1 cup.
Furthermore:
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Chelsea RT Community Manager
9 months ago
So what it appears I need to do is buy a scale.. FINE, I'll make it easy on myself.
I HAVE 26 YEARS OF BAKING XP WITHOUT ONE. UGH. RE-LEARNING IS HARD.
+5 Funny
Fly Keeper of Blades
9 months ago
Sell out!
Do it the old-fashioned American way by winging it.
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Chelsea RT Community Manager
9 months ago
+1 Funny
asurmen
9 months ago
This is the conversion site I use for pretty much everything: http://www.onlineconversion.co...
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Steffie AH Social
9 months ago
I know everyone here already said but seriously, when baking a kitchen scale is your bff.
+1 Ditto
Lamkia
9 months ago
Honestly, a digital kitchen scale will solve everything. With it you can measure both imperial and metric units, and it really isn't expensive at all and it's incredibly easy. There isn't a learning process to measure in grams with a digital scale.
And then in terms of buying ingredients, after using it for cooking for a while, you have a good idea of how much to buy at the store and eye ball it without having to carefully convert.
+1 Ditto
TopherBeadle Freelancer to my Core
9 months ago
Baking is a relatively precise science. Working by volume is not reccomended. Cheap electronic scales. Worth every penny!
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Gildarts That Guy
9 months ago
Just google the measurement you have to the measure ment you want (gram to lb). Google has a converter that will give you the output units. Just pick a unit that matches the tool you have.
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Gildarts That Guy
9 months ago
You can also convert dry measurements to liquid and vice versa if needed.
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THEJamesKirk Lover of Cheesecake
9 months ago
Truthfully, from my experience and that of my Mum who has baked for 45 years, it's actually just worth learning how to measure things in grams. I can appreciate that it's frustrating but this is one area where British-American translation gets far too complicated.
Glad you two are enjoying the Bake Off though! It's a firm favourite of our family too!
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borisof007 HR Manager, Engineering
9 months ago
Unfortunately all I do is convert things as I go. As silly as it sounds - using your voice activated features on your phone is pretty handy while cooking if you're doing conversions on the fly. The commercials are over the top but shit if it doesn't actually work
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Birdville
9 months ago
Measuring things in which density can vary is a better way to go. Going by volume can really change the end result in baking. You can get a kitchen scale for not much money and they really help with those thing that require precision.
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