Why knowing cooking equivalents is a super-power

Equivalents…two items that are called by different names but are “equal” amounts. Knowing the basic ones “fluently” (read that “quick recall”) can mean SO MUCH when you’re cooking. It’s like having a super-power!

Like when the only measuring spoon you have clean is a teaspoon, and you need a tablespoon of vinegar. Or when you only have dry herbs, and the recipe calls for fresh…

“Dirty” as few measuring cups/spoons as you can

Seriously, I don’t wanna dirty every spoon in the house if I can help it! Once you know what equals what, you can figure out how to make the spoons or cups work for you. Of course you might have the fancy, sliding measuring spoons…I have a few of those, but I tend to like the smaller spoons as they fit better in the small mouths of the herb jars made these days. Here’s the main ones you need to know.

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons = ¼ cup

2 tablespoons = 1 ounce

Yep, that’s the main ones. And I’m aware that last one is a little different, but it does come in handy. The hardest part for me was remembering which one used the 3 and which used the 4! You can learn the others as well, but you could seriously just bookmark this link and have them all at your fingertips when you need them (particularly if you’re going to metric or reading recipes from places other than the USA). 

Dried herbs vs. fresh herbs

I use mostly dried herbs and spices, but I do grow some in the garden. So, I need to be able to know how to adjust for whichever one I’m using. Dried herbs are concentrated which means you’ll need less of them than fresh herbs. This one’s pretty easy.

1 part dried herbs = 3 parts fresh herbs

(And now my daughter says, “Is this the same for ginger root?” Turns out the answer is no, they’re actually not really as interchangeable as the others. Find out why here.)

What about cooked chicken

I’m building a collection of chicken salad recipes (get the lowdown on my favorite here). But often they call for 1 pound of chicken. I finally remembered and just weighed and measured chicken one time when I had a bunch cooked. Problem solved! Now I just remember…

1 pound cooked, chopped chicken = 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

And when I cook and freeze chicken in bulk, I go ahead and break it into 3 cup portions for chicken salad later…win, win!

My favorite – GARLIC!!!!

I use garlic like it’s going out of style! BUT I hate cleaning a garlic press. I buy a large jar of minced garlic and a small jar. And when the small one runs out, I refill it. That way the large jar doesn’t get opened every day and possibly go bad because of that. No chopping, no pressing, no cleaning a garlic press…super easy.

1 clove of garlic = 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Not gonna test you…

… but I do encourage you to memorize these equivalents so you can use them on the fly. I’m mystified by the fact I actually use this knowledge almost every day…who knew I would actually use math THIS way. Let me know how you’re using equivalents in the comments below!