Measuring, scaling and costing
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US words and measures (stove, cups, °F); the UK version uses hob, grams and gas marks. · UK version of this page
Weigh and measure accurately, scale a recipe for more or fewer people, and work out what it costs.
Weighing and measuring
- Put the bowl on the kitchen scale and press the zero (tare) button before you add the food.
- Read a liquid measuring cup at eye level, on a flat surface.
- Measuring spoons are level, not heaped: 1 tablespoon = 15 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml.
- In US recipes 1 cup is about 240 ml. Spoon flour into the cup and level it off – do not pack it down.
Scaling a recipe
To change how many people a recipe serves, find the amount for one person, then multiply. A recipe for 4 that uses 200 g of flour needs 50 g per person, so 6 people need 300 g. Round eggs up to whole eggs, and taste as you go with salt and spices.
Lesson and quiz
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions graded by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.
Put it into practice
- Rainbow fruit cupsA no-cook treat of fruit in rainbow layers with yogurt – perfect for first knife skills.
- Overnight oatsA no-cook breakfast you make the night before: weigh, measure, grate and mix.
- Fresh tomato salsaA bright, no-cook dip that teaches dicing, the bridge hold and the claw grip.
- HummusA smooth chickpea dip – and a real example of an allergen (sesame in tahini).