I have tried for the better part of an hour to get all of the following Abbreviations and Conversions into a neater format but alas, this is the best I can do for the moment. If you would prefer to a neater version plus lots of other handy information, please send me an email to mandy@frielinghaus.co.za and I will forward you The Complete Cook Book Kitchen Guide.
Abbreviations
| c/C | cup |
| t/tsp | teaspoon |
| T/tbsp/Tbs | tablespoon |
| D/dstsp | dessertspoon |
| ˚C | degrees Celsius |
| ˚F | degrees Fahrenheit |
| g/gr | gram |
| kg | kilogram |
| l/L | litre |
| lb | pound |
| ml | millilitre |
| oz | ounce |
| fl oz | fluid ounce |
| pkt | packet |
Conversions
Temperature conversions
| Fahrenheit Degrees |
Celsius Degrees |
Gas Mark |
Oven Term |
| 200 | 100 | 1/8 | Very Low |
| 225 | 110 | 1/4 | Very Low |
| 250 | 120 | 1/2 | Very Low |
| 275 | 140 | 1 | Low |
| 300 | 150 | 2 | Low |
| 325 | 160 | 3 | Low |
| 350 | 180 | 4 | Moderate |
| 375 | 190 | 5 | Moderate |
| 400 | 200 | 6 | Moderate |
| 425 | 220 | 7 | High |
| 450 | 230 | 8 | High |
| 475 | 240 | 9 | High |
| 500 | 260 | 10 | Very High |
Measuring conversions
| Spoons | Millilitres | Cups | Millilitres | |
| 1/8 tsp | 1ml | 1/8 cup | 30ml | |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.25ml | 1/4 cup | 60ml | |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5ml | 1/3 cup | 80ml | |
| 1 tsp | 5ml | 1/2 cup | 125ml | |
| 2tsp | 10ml | 2/3 cup | 170ml | |
| 3tsp | 15ml | 3/4 cup | 190ml | |
| 1D | 10ml | 1 cup | 250ml | |
| 1T | 15ml | 2 cups | 500ml | |
| 2T | 30ml | 3 cups | 750ml | |
| 3T | 45ml | 4 cups | 1 litre | |
| 4T | 60ml | |||
Cake tin size conversions
| Inches | Millimetres | Centimetres |
| 5in | 125mm | 12.5cm |
| 6in | 150mm | 15cm |
| 7in | 180mm | 18cm |
| 8in | 200mm | 20cm |
| 9in | 230mm | 23cm |
| 10in | 250mm | 25cm |
| 11in | 280mm | 28cm |
| 12in | 300mm | 30cm |
Square tin to round cake tin conversions
| Square Tin | Round Tin |
| 13cm or 130mm (5 inch) | 15cm or 150mm (6 inch) |
| 12.5cm or 125mm (5inch) | 18cm or 180mm (7 inch) |
| 18cm or 180mm (7 inch) | 20cm or 200mm (8 inch) |
| 20cm or 200mm (8 inch) | 23cm or 230mm (9 inch) |
| 23cm or 230mm (9 inch) | 25cm or 250mm (11 inch) |
| 25.5cm or 255mm(10inch) | 28cm or 280mm (11 inch) |
| 28cm or 280mm (11inch) | 30cm or 300mm (12 inch) |
Microwave oven conversions
Microwave recipes generally give terms based on a 700W to a 750W microwave oven.
The times below are given in minutes and seconds using 100% power.
| 1000W | 850W | 750W | 650W | 550W | 450W |
| 00:40 | 00:45 | 00:50 | 01:00 | 01:10 | 01:25 |
| 01:20 | 01:30 | 01:45 | 02:00 | 02:20 | 02:55 |
| 01:55 | 02:15 | 02:35 | 03:00 | 03:30 | 04:20 |
| 02:35 | 03:05 | 03:30 | 04:00 | 04:45 | 05:45 |
| 03:15 | 03:50 | 04:20 | 05:00 | 05:55 | 07:15 |
| 03:55 | 04:35 | 05:10 | 06:00 | 07:05 | 08:40 |
| 04:35 | 05:20 | 06:05 | 07:00 | 08:15 | 10:05 |
| 05:10 | 06:05 | 06:55 | 08:00 | 09:25 | 11:35 |
| 05:50 | 06:50 | 07:50 | 09:00 | 10:40 | 13:00 |
| 06:30 | 07:40 | 08:40 | 10:00 | 11:50 | 14:25 |
| 09:45 | 11:30 | 13:00 | 15:00 | 17:45 | 21:40 |
| 13:00 | 15:15 | 17:20 | 20:00 | 23:40 | 28:55 |
Ingredient conversions
Flour
1 cup (250ml) = 100g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 8g
Sugar
1 cup (250ml) = 200g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 15g
Icing Sugar
1 cup (250ml) = 100g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 8g
Butter & Margarine
1 cup (250ml) = 200g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 15g
Crumbs
1 cup (250ml) = 50g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 4g
Rice
1 cup (250ml) = 210g
1 tablespoon (15ml) = 16g
Substituting ingredients
| 15ml cornflour / maizena | 30ml cake flour |
| 250ml self raising flour | 250ml cake flour + 5ml baking powder |
| 5ml cream of tartar | 10ml lemon juice or vinegar |
| 230g butter | 220ml cooking oil |
| 250ml melted butter | 250ml cooking oil |
| 250ml sugar | 200ml golden syrup or honey |
| 250ml sour milk | 250ml milk + 20ml lemon juice or vinegar |
| 250ml yoghurt | 250ml buttermilk or sour cream |
| 15ml fresh herbs | 5ml dried herbs |
| 5ml dry mustard powder | 15ml prepared mustard |
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By: Cindy on April 20, 2011
at 09:43
Replied.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 20, 2011
at 09:59
This is a wonderful useful post Mandy, I’m going to copy it out & post it inside my pantry., I’m always dashing over to the computer to convert something. Many thanks
By: Anna Johnston on April 20, 2011
at 10:28
Thanks Anna. If it does not print very nicely, please send me and email and I will mail you a copy of everything.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 20, 2011
at 10:44
That microwave conversion is handy
By: rsmacaalay on April 20, 2011
at 10:48
Great, glad you found it useful.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 20, 2011
at 11:06
these are so helpful and I often refer to my own recipe book for what I did! Thank you for these xxx
By: Tandy on April 20, 2011
at 11:12
Glad you liked them.
Bon voyage – have lots of fun. 
By: thecompletecookbook on April 20, 2011
at 11:27
Mandy, thanks! Those are so helpful!
By: Angie's Recipes on April 20, 2011
at 12:20
Always nice to have a quick reference guide.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 20, 2011
at 12:50
I’ve just printed these and pasted them on my refrigerator
By: Tes on April 20, 2011
at 17:32
That’s great Tes. So pleased that you found the info helpful.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 21, 2011
at 07:19
What a great reference!
By: Laura on April 20, 2011
at 22:44
Thanks Laura. I hope I haven’t missed anything.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 21, 2011
at 07:20
Very handy. Thanks Mandy!
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on April 21, 2011
at 02:42
Thanks Brydie. It’s always nice having a quick reference guide.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 21, 2011
at 07:20
What a handy conversion list! I’m definitely bookmarking this for future reference.
By: Marisa on April 21, 2011
at 11:16
Thanks for stopping by Marisa.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 21, 2011
at 11:33
I dont think I will ever figure Fahrenheit out or how to spell it without computer help, nice one on the substitutes and cup to grams
By: Barton on April 23, 2011
at 12:16
Hi Barton, welcome and thanks for stopping by. Glad you found the conversions helpful.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 23, 2011
at 12:26
thanks so much for the handy reference tool, Mandy. bookmarked!
By: yumyumyummers on April 27, 2011
at 08:05
Glad you found it useful. It’s great having everything in one place to refer to.
By: thecompletecookbook on April 27, 2011
at 08:30
I always wanted to thank you for this post… I know where to go when I need this info!
By: Nami @ Just One Cookbook on May 4, 2011
at 12:36
You are very welcome Nami, I am so pleased you can make use of it.
By: thecompletecookbook on May 4, 2011
at 12:50
Wow, so much work, well done for doing this post!! This will be so useful, thank you, Mandy!
By: Fired Up Cooking SA on May 4, 2011
at 22:18
Thanks Linda. It’s great having a reference all in one place.
By: thecompletecookbook on May 5, 2011
at 08:30