More cookbooks go digital, but popularity of paper persists

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

http://www.kitchencalculator.net/

Kitchen calculator Pro for iOS is the one that I use. It will also do weight to volume ( and vice versa) conversations using USDA data for a large number of common ingredients.

I use this conversion app too, but it's not a recipe application. I was surprised to find that most of the common recipe applications don't have an option to use metric measurements.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

http://www.kitchencalculator.net/

Kitchen calculator Pro for iOS is the one that I use. It will also do weight to volume ( and vice versa) conversations using USDA data for a large number of common ingredients.

Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm not after a conversion tool; I'm after a recipe app that works natively in metric units. I find the lack surprising, given that it's what the overwhelming majority of the world uses.

[rxmom03]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm not after a conversion tool; I'm after a recipe app that works natively in metric units. I find the lack surprising, given that it's what the overwhelming majority of the world uses.

I don't have this app, so can't say for sure--but it looks like the Joy of Cooking app in iTunes lets you pick either metric or imperial and converts all recipes to the units you pick.

Mary

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rxmom03

I don't have this app, so can't say for sure--but it looks like the Joy of Cooking app in iTunes lets you pick either metric or imperial and converts all recipes to the units you pick.

Mary

Thanks, Mary!

[5thWiggle]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm not after a conversion tool; I'm after a recipe app that works natively in metric units. I find the lack surprising, given that it's what the overwhelming majority of the world uses.

Being from Canada, I've long since learned to be schizophrenic when comes to measuments. I just convert on the fly if necessary.* Also, I'm one of those annoying cooks who hardy ever measure and just use a recipe as a framework. My wife hates trying to make one of my "recipes".


*the only conversion I find really irritating is from "gas mark X" to Celsius or Fahrenheit. What kind of temperature is Gas Mark????

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

Being from Canada, I've long since learned to be schizophrenic when comes to measuments. I just convert on the fly if necessary.* Also, I'm one of those annoying cooks who hardy ever measure and just use a recipe as a framework. My wife hates trying to make one of my "recipes".

I'm the opposite. As a scientist, if a recipe says "100g of flour", then 100g it is, not 99 or 101g .

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by meeera

Every time I get out Maggie's Harvest, I can't resist stroking the embroidered cover for a while before looking up a recipe. Definitely sensual!

Mine lack embroidery! That's the problem! I do love embroidery. I used to make cloth bookcovers for some of my books (not embroidery, I just sew them). I can imagine an embroidered one is a very special treat!

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm the opposite. As a scientist, if a recipe says "100g of flour", then 100g it is, not 99 or 101g .

I think you have to embrace the "art" side of cooking a little bit If a recipe calls for a banana, it's whatever banana you have, whether it is a 50g banana or a 75g banana.

Similarly, in a humid climate, 100g of flour may not be the same 100g as in a desert.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I think you have to embrace the "art" side of cooking a little bit If a recipe calls for a banana, it's whatever banana you have, whether it is a 50g banana or a 75g banana.

Similarly, in a humid climate, 100g of flour may not be the same 100g as in a desert.

Using a cup as a measure is a pain though, recipes for espresso and cappuccino drinkers turn out completely differently for some reason

[HarryT]

As a matter of curiosity, do people who cook in the US generally own a set of scales? I have a digital balance that I use pretty much every time I cook, but American recipes rarely if ever seem to use weights - it's all volumes.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

Being from Canada, I've long since learned to be schizophrenic when comes to measuments. I just convert on the fly if necessary.* Also, I'm one of those annoying cooks who hardy ever measure and just use a recipe as a framework. My wife hates trying to make one of my "recipes".


*the only conversion I find really irritating is from "gas mark X" to Celsius or Fahrenheit. What kind of temperature is Gas Mark????

I do use grams a lot, especially since I make lotion and soap. Grams gives me more room for slop than ounces and my kitchen scale isn't all that precise. I do use a jeweler's scale for the very small preservative measurements for the lotion.

As for my cooking and measuring, this post pretty much sums it up:
(There is an affiliate link to a book in this post because it is where I got the recipe, so if that offends, you won't want to read the post.)

http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/hob...n-improvision/

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Using a cup as a measure is a pain though, recipes for espresso and cappuccino drinkers turn out completely differently for some reason

I don't quite understand - do you mean that the serving cup is a different volume for espresso vs. cappuccino? Or do you mean that a "cup" ranges from 230-250 mL depending on which country you are in?

[RHWright]

I am wary over eBook cookbooks, simply because some of the design/proofing work on some I sampled was so shoddy.

While my e-reader had font sets that handled common measures just fine—1/2, 1/4—the book had some measures for things that just weren't handled by the font sets. Referring to print copy of the book, it was odd ones like 3/8 and 5/8 (usually tsp) that proved to be the issue.

Since then, I am wary and always sample. It's usually why I'll rely on a print copy or an online recipe site over an ebook in these cases.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As a matter of curiosity, do people who cook in the US generally own a set of scales? I have a digital balance that I use pretty much every time I cook, but American recipes rarely if ever seem to use weights - it's all volumes.

I have a digital scale. I use it to weigh out ingredients while cooking and I often use it to weigh out meal portions.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As a matter of curiosity, do people who cook in the US generally own a set of scales? I have a digital balance that I use pretty much every time I cook, but American recipes rarely if ever seem to use weights - it's all volumes.

For baking I always use my digital scale. Most baking recipes require exact measurements or you end up with problems.
For other cooking I can change things as I wish.
Apache