Let’s hope you have a good memory! Good thing there’s no testing here, but as you continue to bake it will be easier to understand pastry recipes and learn how to convert measurements. The more you bake the more it will come naturally to you. Memorizing baking measurements help with converting ingredients on the spot when it needs to increase/decrease the recipe and for shopping purposes. For example, if a recipe calls for 16oz of milk you’ll just get a quart (32 oz) instead of a gallon (128 oz) to control costs. In general, I’ve always purchased a bit more; you never know if you spill some or need to remake a recipe from baking mishaps (guilty).
In the culinary/pastry world, recipes are written as follows:
Note: This can be extended with the European standards, but I will keep it simple with what we practice here in the states.
| Solid Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients |
| Ounces (oz) | Fluid Ounces (oz) |
| Pounds (lbs or #) | Cups (c) |
| Grams (g) | Quarts (qt) |
| Pints (pts) | |
| Gallons (gal) |
Home cook and pastry recipes are written differently. Home cook writers convert their recipes to use measuring cups and spoons/scoops for both liquid and solid ingredients. As opposed to going to baking school, measurement equipment was based on the type of ingredient, liquid or solid. Liquid ingredients (water, milk, eggs, oil) can be measured by measuring cups, but Solid ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, etc.) were ALWAYS weighed.
In baking class, we had to operate what was called a bakers scale (image) and it was just another way to comprehend the old-fashioned way of weighing ingredients. I hear some bakery shops still use it, but the easiest would be digital. With the easiness to purchase products, you can easily bake like a Pastry Chef.
The digital scale I’ve been using for years is TREE (model: KMR6000). I got it on Amazon for less than $60 and I use Pyrex for measuring cups that you can get for between $10-30. If you have a Homes Good store, it would be less than $10.
In baking school, we had to memorize what Professors would call the Gallon Man. I’ve made the printable below (don’t forget to follow my Pinterest for other printables.)
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