Today there’s lots of discussion about whether it is better to measure recipe ingredients by volume (teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, etc.) or by weight (typically grams). A hundred years ago cooks apparently wanted to go back and forth between volume and weight measures. Here’s a table from a 1917 cookbook which shows approximately how many cups (or other measures) of various ingredients were the equivalent of one pound.
A Hundred Years Ago 
When I did large batches of bread when everybody was still at home ,I did the flour by pound,much easier than measuring out all the cups, most times though it is easier to do the cup or tablespoon. Nice chart to have on hand.
Since there were more large families a hundred-years-ago, there probably was more large batch cooking back then.
As a Brit, I need this! Totally defeated by cups. However, now of course, we prefer metric ….
In the U.S., there’s been a shift in recent years in preferred ways of measuring cooking ingredients, and I know many cooks who have metric scales in their kitchens. Some recently published cookbooks list both volume and metric weights for the ingredients. It’s rare to see pounds and ounces listed in recipes.
There was a time when measures weren’t even used. I have some old family recipes that say things like “a small amount” and “simmer for awhile” or my favorite is when a step is left out because everyone would just know to do that.
It’s impressive how cooks back then could successfully interpret some of those recipes.
I laughed at Automatic Gardener’s comment. I remember those days, too. Grandma was the best for knowing what a pinch or a pound was. The inclusion of rice intrigued me. When I lived in Liberia, Philip, my houseboy, had an uncanny ability to look at a pile of rice in the market and know exactly how many cups it contained. Me? Not so much.
When putting left-overs away, I always seem to have an innate sense of which dish is just the right size. I’m not sure how I developed that skill over the years. I guess it’s just that I’ve re-dished left-overs more times than I want to think about. 🙂
Curious that powdered and confectioners sugar were so different in amounts. I tend to think of them as the same product. And it’s been a long time since rye meal has turned up on modern recipes 😄. Reminded me of my grandmother’s rule, “A pint’s a pound the world around.” Thanks, Sheryl
Like your grandmother, my mother also always said that, “A pint’s a pound the world around” – and I’m sure I said it many times to my children. Maybe it’s a central Pennsylvania phrase. 🙂
This is very interesting. I mostly think in volume but butter and meat are sold by weight so I guess we easily go back and forth.
I hadn’t thought about meat until I read your comment. You’re absolutely right – it’s usually measured in pounds and ounces.
I don’t know the difference between powdered sugar and confectioner’s sugar. Bet my grandmothers would have thought me ignorant.
Wonder what the difference is. I use the terms powdered sugar and confectioner’s sugar interchangeably.
So do I. Glad I’m not alone.
This would be very interesting for recipes that recipes a pound of this and a pound of that! I guess that chart might not work today though as some items might have changed in weight?
Maybe. . . the characteristics of many foods have changed across the years.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Very helpful!
I’m glad you liked it.
Really appreciate this chart. Thanks. I measure by weight, especially flour.
I use volume – though my daughter often uses weights. Sometimes I think that I should try measuring by weight to improve accuracy.
I have never been able to successfully follow a recipe. Anyone else????
hmm. . . I’m not sure. How do you define “successful”? if it means exactly following a recipe, I’m probably often not successful. But, it it means tweaking the recipe a bit to hopefully make it better, then I’m often successful. I see cooking as more of an art than a science.
Interesting list, can’t say I’ve ever seen a recipe call for a pound of eggs! 🙂
I guess this chart reflects the large scale cooking that was done back in the days of large families. 🙂
That’s actually handy to know! But like Marcia, I’ve never seen a recipe that called for a pound of eggs. But then again, one hundred years ago, maybe they did!
Cooking for some of the large families of yesteryear must have been an adventure. 🙂
My favorite cookbook is “Seems Like I Done it This A Way” in which the recipes were written exactly as the person spoke them. You get a lot of “…just a little milk” and one recipe even kind of trailed off as the person got distracted!
“Seems Like I Done it This A Way” sounds like a really fun cookbook.
It’s a good cookbook and a really fun read! But you have to be prepared; one of the recipes starts out “First cut out the hog’s eyes and clean the ears deeply.” Umm…I think I’ll just buy some pork.
It does sound like a fun book. I’ll have to look for it at the library, though I don’t think that I’ll be making the recipes – at least not that recipe. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome.