Conversion and Substitution Tools

Have you ever started making something and halfway through the process, realized that you are out of a key ingredient? Or you  aren’t sure how to do conversions when reducing an amount? Following are a few resources to assist you with conversions and substitutions, as well as a few other helpful sites:

  • Google has a calculator/conversion feature built into their search functionality. To find out how many ounces four cups contain, simply type in “4 cups in ounces” to learn that it is 32, or that 100 grams converts to 3.52 ounces.
  • From spices to liquids, Cooking for Engineers has a page replete with specific ingredient substitutions.
  • Clotilde at Chocolate & Zucchini provides an excellent page of conversions and equivalents, including many volume-to-weight conversions recorded from her own experiences, from nuts and cheeses to fruits and baking dishes.
  • Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius.
  • Here is a delightful periodic table of condiments that occasionally go bad.
  • What’s On My Food? is a searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable.
  • Use this free glycemic index database to find the GI value of your favorite carbohydrate foods. (Click on the GI Database tab). You can also check the glycemic load (GL) and grams of carbohydrate per serving.
  • The Cook’s Thesaurus is a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools. Entries include pictures, descriptions, synonyms, pronunciations and suggested substitutions.
  • StillTasty, your ultimate guide on the shelf life and proper storage of all your favorite foods.