Cooking Weight Converter

Understanding Kitchen Weight Measurements

Weight measurements give you something volume measurements can't—consistency. A cup of flour changes depending on how you scoop it—packed tight, spooned loosely, or sifted first. The difference can hit 30%. But 125 grams of flour? That's 125 grams every time.

Professional bakers weigh everything because small differences matter—bread might not rise right, cookies spread too thin. Weighing removes the guesswork.

Quick Reference

• 1 ounce = 28 grams
• 1 pound = 454 grams
• 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
• 1 stick butter = 113 grams = 4 ounces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour = 125 grams
• 1 cup granulated sugar = 200 grams

Why Grams Work Better Than Ounces

Grams are precise without being fussy. Ounces get awkward for small amounts—is 0.25 ounces of yeast clear to you, or would 7 grams be easier? Most professional recipes now use grams, especially anything from European bakers.

Taring Your Scale

Before weighing, put your empty bowl on the scale and press tare (or zero). The display resets. Now you can add ingredients straight to the bowl without doing subtraction. Tare again before adding each new ingredient if you're measuring multiple items into the same container.

Kitchen Scale Types

• Basic scales read to the nearest gram. Fine for flour and sugar.
• Mid-range scales (0.1g) — these handle yeast and spices better
• Jewelry scales (0.01g) are overkill for most home cooks, but useful for saffron or sourdough starters

Most kitchen scales handle 1 gram up to 5 kilograms.

Measuring Small Quantities

Standard kitchen scales aren't reliable below 5 grams. For tiny amounts, you're stuck with volumetric measures. A pinch of salt runs about 350-400 milligrams. A quarter teaspoon of instant yeast weighs roughly 0.8 grams. These approximations work for everyday cooking. Production bakeries use lab-grade balances.

You might also run into troy weight when buying saffron or edible gold leaf. Troy ounces weigh about 10% more than regular ounces—31.1 grams versus 28.3 grams. Worth asking which type the vendor means—the difference adds up on expensive ingredients.

Working with Recipes

Converting Volume to Weight

Converting cups to grams means knowing each ingredient's density. Water weighs 237 grams per cup. Flour averages 125 grams. Honey hits 340 grams for that same cup. A conversion chart helps, or you can weigh your own measured cups to see what numbers match your scooping style.

The Flour Problem

Flour is the worst offender for measurement inconsistency. Sifted all-purpose flour might weigh 115 grams per cup. The same flour scooped and packed could hit 155 grams. That's a 35% swing from the same measuring cup.

Most recipes assume the spoon-and-level method, which lands around 125 grams per cup. Weighing skips all that nonsense. 125 grams acts like 125 grams whether you scooped it, spooned it, or sifted it.

Keeping Your Scale Accurate

• Heat and humidity are bad news—store your scale away from both
• Wipe the platform with a damp cloth. Don't submerge the unit.
• Some scales let you calibrate with a test weight. Worth doing occasionally.
• Weak batteries cause readings to drift, so replace them when the low-battery warning appears

Postal Scales vs Kitchen Scales

Both show ounces and pounds, but they're built for different jobs. Postal scales care about 1-ounce increments because that's how shipping rates work. Kitchen scales need finer resolution—usually down to the gram. If you're using a postal scale to bake, anything under 2 ounces might be off enough to affect your results.