· Built around the Recipe converter calculator
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The recipe converter takes a recipe written for American cups, ounces and Fahrenheit and rewrites it for a South African kitchen, line by line, without changing anything else. This guide walks through one recipe, explains each part of the result and says where the converter stops on purpose. For why the conversion matters at all, see why US recipes fail in South African kitchens on this blog.
Try it here
This copy of the converter has Show grams switched on. Paste any US recipe over the example.
Checked against a published example
- 1 US cup = 236.588 ml, 1 oz = 28.3495 g - NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C. The converter gives 532 ml for 2 1/4 cups (2.25 x 236.588 = 532.3) and 227 g for 8 oz (8 x 28.3495 = 226.8).
- (F - 32) x 5/9 = C, so 350°F = 176.7°C - the converter shows 180°C, rounded to the nearest 10°C as oven dials are marked.
No calculator needed a fix for this post.
Step 1: paste the recipe as it is
- Copy the ingredient list and the method from the website or e-book and paste it into the box. One item a line, exactly as written.
- Fractions work in any form: 1 1/2, 1/2, ½, ¾ and ranges like 2-3 tbsp.
- Lines with nothing to convert pass straight through - "2 large eggs" stays "2 large eggs".
Step 2: read the side-by-side table
The example recipe converts like this:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour becomes 532 ml (about 2 1/4 SA cups less 2 tbsp).
- 1 tsp baking soda becomes 1 tsp (5 ml) - spoons stay spoons.
- 1 stick butter becomes 113 g.
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar becomes 177 ml (about 3/4 SA cup less 1 tbsp).
- 8 oz cream cheese becomes 227 g.
- Bake at 350°F in a 9x13-inch pan becomes 180°C (gas 4) in a 23 x 33 cm pan.
Changed lines are highlighted. Under the table, each conversion has its own row with the rule it used - "US cup 236.6 ml - a South African cup is 250 ml", "1 oz = 28.35 g (weight)" - so you can check the working.
Step 3: decide on Show grams
- Off (the default): cups stay as ml. That is exact - measure with a jug, or use the SA cup equivalent shown.
- On: flour, sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar, butter and rice also get typical grams - 120 g a US cup of flour, 198 g white sugar, 213 g packed brown sugar, 113 g icing sugar, 227 g butter, 198 g raw rice (King Arthur Baking).
- Why only six: those weights are well established. For anything else, the cups to grams converter lists more ingredients - but a weight from a cup is always an estimate.
What the converter leaves alone
- Tablespoons and teaspoons - a US tablespoon is 14.8 ml, ours 15 ml. It adds the ml for reference but you use the same spoon.
- Ingredient names - baking soda is still baking soda. Our bicarbonate of soda is the same thing.
- Fan ovens - temperatures are for a conventional oven. Drop about 20°C for fan, or see the Celsius to Fahrenheit converter for the exact working.
- A plain "oz" of a liquid converts as weight, with a note giving the fluid-ounce ml - "8 oz milk" is almost always 8 fl oz, 237 ml.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44 (2024), Appendix C - General Tables of Units of Measurement: cup, fluid ounce, ounce and pound.
- King Arthur Baking, Ingredient Weight Chart: grams per cup for flour, sugars, butter and rice.
Calculators used in this post
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