Many cookbooks nowadays quote both metric and non-metric measurements, but there are still pitfalls to watch out for. For example, a US teaspoon is almost 40% bigger than a UK equivalent. Two fifths of a teaspon might not sound like a lot but it can have a massive impact on your cooking, particularly if you're baking.
If you regularly need to refer to cooking conversions, we've prepared a list of useful kitchen conversions for cooking here which you can print off or bookmark to refer to later
The simplest way you can help yourself when it comes to measuring in the kitchen is to get yourself some measuring cups and jugs and a decent set of scales. It's well worth a small investment in the right cooking equipment as these tools will never wear out, they're going to get a lot of use over a lifetime, and they're going to make a lot of difference to your food. If you'd like some suggestions, these measuring jugs and spoons are good quality and well worth a look:
Cooking utensils - Measuring cups and spoons:
Progressive International 19 piece measuring set
This 19 piece set is particularly useful as it covers fractions of cups, teaspoons and tablespoons (which saves a lot of hassle if you're trying to measure 1/32 of a teaspoon or 1/3 of a cup):
Debbie Meyer magnetic measuring spoons
This 11 piece set also has fractional teaspoons, cups and tablespoons but in a smaller range:
Cooking tools - Kitchen Scales:
EatSmart precision digital silver
This set of scales has a clear display, a big platform that mixing bowls will fit on and it can weigh up to 15lb (6.8 Kg) in Ounces, Pounds, grams and Kilograms
Cookbooks:
We've tried to come up with some recipe books which you might not have heard of, hopefully you will find these as useful as we do:
Delia's complete cookery course
Delia Smith is a phenomenon in Great Britain who is almost unheard of elsewhere. She has sold 21 million books in the UK (enough to give 1 book to every British household) Her demonstration of how to fry and boil eggs properly saw sales climb by 54 million. She's a big deal because her cookbooks are reliable, uncomplicated and unfussy. This book starts at the complete beginner level with how to boil an egg and moves on through the world of cooking. This has been described as the 'only cookery book you'll ever need' and in Britain it was voted the best recipe book ever published.
New Laurel's kitchen vegetarian nutrition
For anyone looking for ideas for vegetarion meals, this book contains more than 500 recipes and also covers nutrition and has sections on cooking for pregnant moms, kids and athletes
Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache
The book that proves it is possible to have your cake and eat it; it contains the healthiest cake recipes you'll ever see as the main ingredients are vegetables. It sounds crazy but the results are incredible - from the victoria sponge with grated potato to the Forbidden Chocolate Brownies made mostly from beetroot. It's a great book if you've got a sweet tooth but don't want to pile on the pounds; it's also particularly useful if you're catering for people who don't eat wheat, or are trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables!
