Making new recipes has never been easier as any and all recipes are available at our fingertips through the magic that is Google. But one thing I noticed, and that ultimately lead me to create my blog, was that as an Australian, many of the new recipes I wanted to try included ingredients and measurements that I was not familiar with.
For this reason, you will find that the recipes I publish use metric measurements and Australian language. If you are a visitor from the US, I wanted to make interpreting my recipes easier for you so I put this handy conversion guide together. It is something I wish I had when using American recipe sites as it would have saved so much time googling conversions and ingredient alternatives.
Aussie friends, bookmark this page. I guarantee it will come in handy the next time you are wanting to convert a recipe from US to AU measurements.
Use the links below to jump to the following sections:
Oven Temperatures
The oven temperatures on Eight Forest Lane are for conventional ovens unless otherwise written. If you have a fan-forced oven, decrease the temperature by 10-20 degrees or start checking your food earlier than specified.
| Celsius | Fahrenheit | |
|---|---|---|
| Very slow | 120º | 250º |
| Slow | 150º | 300º |
| Moderately slow | 160º | 325º |
| Moderate | 180º | 350º |
| Moderately hot | 190º | 375º |
| Moderately hot | 200º | 400º |
| Hot | 220º | 425º |
| Very hot | 240º | 475º |
Common Ingredients
There are many common ingredients used across the recipes on this website that are known by other names outside of Australia. Here are a few of the key ones, especially when it comes to baking!
| Australia | USA |
|---|---|
| Plain Flour | All Purpose Flour |
| Bicarbonate of Soda | Baking Soda |
| Icing Sugar Mixture* | Confectioners’ Sugar / Powdered Sugar |
| White Sugar | Granulated Sugar |
| Caster Sugar | Super-fine Sugar |
| Cornflour | Corn Starch |
| Wholemeal Flour | Whole Wheat Flour |
* The most common form of icing sugar used in Australian baking is icing sugar mixture. Which is finely powdered sugar with a small percentage of cornflour added. You can also buy pure icing sugar here however it is prone to going rock hard in the pantry which is why the mixture is generally preferred.
| Australia | USA |
|---|---|
| Rocket | Arugula |
| Spring Onions / Shallots | Scallions / Green Onions |
| Prawns | Shrimp / Jumbo Shrimp |
| Coriander | Cilantro |
| Capsicum | Bell Pepper |
| Chickpeas | Garbanzo Beans |
| Black Beans | Turtle Beans |
| Swiss Brown Mushrooms | Cremini Mushrooms |
| Zucchini | Courgette |
Measurements
One Australian measuring cup holds 250ml; one Australian metric tablespoon holds 20ml; one Australian metric teaspoon holds 5ml. The difference between one countries measuring cups is within a 2-3 teaspoon variance and will not effect the results of the recipe.
As a guide, below are the differences in cup volume in different countries.
| Country | 1 Cup |
|---|---|
| Australia | 250ml |
| New Zealand | 250ml |
| US | 240 ml |
| UK | 225ml |
Common 1 Cup Weights
Different ingredients have different weights therefore when wanting to measure 1 cup in weight, the ingredient type needs to be considered. Here are some common ingredient weights.
| Ingredient per 1 cup | Weight |
|---|---|
| Plain or Self Raising Flour | 125g |
| White or Caster Sugar | 220g |
| Brown Sugar, lightly packed | 155g |
| Icing Sugar | 155g |
| Rolled Oats | 90g |
| Butter or Margarine | 250g |
Liquid Measures
Liquids are usually measured in millilitres here in Australia, and fluid ounces in the US. But what happens when you don’t have a measuring cup that has millilitres or fluid ounces? This table takes into account regular cups as well.
| Metric | Cup | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| 30ml | 1 fl oz | |
| 60ml | ¼ cup | 2 fl oz |
| 80ml | ⅓ cup | 2 ¾ fl oz |
| 100ml | 3 ½ fl oz | |
| 125ml | ½ cup | 4 fl oz |
| 150ml | 5 fl oz | |
| 180ml | ¾ cup | 6 fl oz |
| 200ml | 7 fl oz | |
| 250ml | 1 cup | 8 ¾ fl oz |
| 310ml | 1 ¼ cups | 10 ½ fl oz |
| 375ml | 1 ½ cups | 13 fl oz |
| 430ml | 1 ¾ cups | 15 fl oz |
| 475ml | 16 fl oz | |
| 500ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz |
| 625ml | 2 ½ cups | 21 ½ fl oz |
| 750ml | 3 cups | 26 fl oz |
| 1000ml (1 litre) | 4 cups | 35 fl oz (1 ¾ pints) |