Food Weight/Volume Conversions: USDA

[JohnS]

We get a lot of weight/volume questions on food items, recipes, etc here. I'd like to suggest the USDA Database as a resource:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

The link takes you to the search page. The search engine is fairly clunky. Don't be too specific or you may get nothing; minor spelling variations, spaces affect it. Just as an example, it finds cornstarch but not corn starch; however, if you just enter corn, cornstarch appears in a LONG list of corn products.

Once you find what you want, submit it. It will offer you nutritional analysis for several amounts, always 100 g, and usually optional amounts including Customary volumetric measure, cups, tablespoons, etc. It will show you their weight in grams, which is the conversion. It will also give complete nutritional information. The source is information supplied by US food manufacturers, processors. It won't find odd ingredients not reasonably common in the US.

[James Irvine]

This one is a bit more friendly than the government version: foodinfo.us/Densities.aspx
You can search by entering any part of the food item, etc. Same source of info though.

[JohnS]

Thanks, James
That is more user friendly. The densities are returned on one page for each item the search engine returns. The link should be preceeded by www
www.foodinfo.us/Densities.aspx

[James Irvine]

Thanks John!

[James Irvine]

Well sir, if you’re still out there, your post motivated me to change the search method on the fooditems.us site, so that now if you enter either ‘corn starch’ or ‘cornstarch’, it works. For some reason the usda nutrient database seems to list things backwards, e.g., ‘Beans, snap, green’ instead of just ‘green beans’, etc.

So now a search for, say, 'maple syrup' will match on the usda listings of ' Syrups, maple', and 'Syrups, table blends, pancake, with 2% maple', etc.

[equity space]

nutrition.gov is another good website

[Robert Fogt]

The data on nutrition.gov simply forwards to the link in the first post.

[Robert Fogt]

I have updated the Weight to Volume Cooking conversion page to use the data from the USDA. It should be much more accurate now.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm

[RaymondBlink]

I have updated the Weight to Volume Cooking conversion page to use the data from the USDA. It should be much more accurate now.


Thank you so much for that link Robert!
As a budding amateur chef from the UK I love experimenting with a variety of international recipes from all around the world, and, although I love varying what I am making to my own preferences, I think it's quite hard to give a valid opinion on a recipe if you've had to 'guestimate' the equivilent measurements!

Big thanks from the UK! :D

[freak]

Thanks, James
That is more user friendly. The densities are returned on one page for each item the search engine returns. The link should be preceeded by www

Is it just me or the page isn't loading? :(

[JohnS]

Is it just me or the page isn't loading? :(

Don't know. The pages linked in posts #1, 3, and 8 all load for me.

[lolo2020]

Well sir, if you’re still out there, your post motivated me to change the search method on the fooditems.us site, so that now if you enter either ‘corn starch’ or ‘cornstarch’, it works. For some reason the usda nutrient database seems to list things backwards, e.g., ‘Beans, snap, green’ instead of just ‘green beans’, etc.

So now a search for, say, 'maple syrup' will match on the usda listings of ' Syrups, maple', and 'Syrups, table blends, pancake, with 2% maple', etc.

Thanks Thanks Thanks