Stan: I cook a lot and rarely make precise measurements. With experience, you get a feel for things.
With herbs and spices, I measure in the palm of my hand. With eggs, I always use jumbo, regardless of the recipe's alleged requirements, although I may sometimes use two jumbos where the recipe calls for 3 medium. With omelets, which I make very frequently, having larger eggs simply means bigger omelets (mmmm!). I'd be happy to see metric only in all new cookbooks. It would mean we were that much closer to complete metrication. However, I have to admit that my personal needs don't demand that. By the way, I make great curries and great meat sauce for pasta. (That's not ego speaking, but the feedback from people who look forward to them at potlucks.) Bill ________________________________ Bill Potts Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of STANLEY DOORE Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 01:27 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:40836] RE: KitchenAid pasta attachment Looks like over 70 g, 60-70 g, and 50 -60 g would be a good compromise and round numbers easy to remember for specifying extra large (jumbo, very large) , large, and medium since difference in those offered vary all over the lot now. A few grams difference in designation shouldn't make much difference (should they?). It would closely fit the European designations for metric sizes too. How can some rational standard be instituted? Refined recipes would require precise measurement anyway. Stan Doore ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:17 PM Subject: [USMA:40835] RE: KitchenAid pasta attachment > Like I said, Bill. I played a bit dumb. > > Yes, I have the USDA specs on egg sizes (the mass of which they specify by > the dozen in ounces). Large eggs average to 56.70 g and extra large > average to 63.79 g. > > Decades ago the standard egg in a recipe was a medium egg. Now it's a > large egg. > > One recipe book I have is a delight. It's Jeffrey Hamelman's _Bread: A > Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes_ . In there, he specifies that he > means eggs of 60 g each. So, his eggs are midway between large and extra > large. He provides recipes in four formats: > format wet units dry units typical yield > U.S. lb lb 22 loaves at 1.5 lb > Metric kg kg 24 loaves at 0.68 kg > Home lb, oz cup, oz, Tbsp 2 large loaves > Baker's % % not applicable > I wish the Home format were also metric.... > > His directions are non-metric, notably in temperature specifications, but > he provides a Celsius-to-Fahrenheit conversion table (why that direction?) > in the back. > > I've also got a nice Mennonite recipe book that provides metric > equivalents in its lists of ingredients and also a temperature conversion > chart. Then of course, I have a few non-American books that provide metric > recipes. > > Jim > > Bill Potts wrote: >> Jim: >> >> For the majority of us who buy eggs in the store, "large egg" is in fact >> an >> appropriate designation, as the mass range of the customary names is >> based >> on a standard. People don't generally weigh eggs before they buy them, >> but >> go by the small, medium, large, extra large, and jumbo labeling. Thus, >> the >> recipe does, indeed, tell them what to buy. Gentleman farmers like you >> need >> to put a little chart on the side of your fridge. :) >> >> Metric countries also go by size names and don't agree with one another >> as >> to what each name means. >> >> Here's the rundown from the Wikipedia article on eggs (food). You can see >> all of this neatly formatted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food). >> >> Chicken egg sizes >> >> Chicken eggs are graded by size, for the purpose of sales. The United >> States >> Department of Agriculture grades them by weight per dozen. The most >> common >> US size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred >> to >> for recipes. The following egg masses have been calculated on the basis >> of >> the USDA grades: >> Modern Sizes (USA) Size Mass per egg Cooking Yield (Volume)[1] >> Jumbo Greater than 2.5 oz. or 71g Very Large or Extra Large (XL) Greater >> than 2.25 oz. or 64g 56 mL (4 >> tbsp) >> Large (L) Greater than 2 oz. or 57g 46 mL (3.25 tbsp) >> Medium (M) Greater than 1.75 oz. or 50g 43 mL (3 tbsp) >> Small (S) Greater than 1.5 oz. or 43g Peewee Greater than 1.25 oz. or 35g >> In Europe, modern egg sizes are defined as follows: >> Modern Sizes (Europe) Size Mass per egg >> Very Large 73g and over >> Large 63-73g >> Medium 53-63g >> Small 53g and under >> >> >> In Australia, the Australian Egg Corporation defines the following sizes >> in >> its labelling guide.[26] >> Modern Sizes (Australia) Size Mass per egg >> Jumbo 68g >> Extra Large 60g >> Large 52g >> >> In Western Australia, two additional sizes are also standardized by the >> Golden Eggs Corporation[27] >> Additional Sizes (Western Australia) Mega or XXXL 72g >> Medium 43g >> >> >> In New Zealand sizes are based on the minimum mass per egg: [28] >> Modern Sizes (New Zealand) Size Minimum mass per egg >> 8 (Jumbo) 68g >> 7 (Large) 62g >> 6 (Standard) 53g >> 5 (Medium) 44g >> 4 (Pullet) 35g >> Traditional Sizes Size Mass >> Size 0 Greater than 75g >> Size 1 70g-75g >> Size 2 65g-70g >> Size 3 60g-65g >> Size 4 55g-60g >> Size 5 50g-55g >> Size 6 45g-50g >> Size 7 less than 45g >> >> Bill >> __________________________________________________ >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On >> Behalf >> Of James Frysinger >> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 13:58 >> To: U.S. Metric Association >> Subject: [USMA:40833] KitchenAid pasta attachment >> >> A few minutes ago I sent in the following inquiry to KitchenAid using >> their >> "fill in the box" form. OK, so maybe I played it dumb just a little bit. >> I >> **was** pleased to see that they gave the extrusion lengths only in >> centimeters; not a hint of an inch (or foot or yard or statute mile) was >> to >> be seen. >> >> Jim >> >> I was full of hope when I read your instructions for use of the pasta >> maker attachment for the K5M5; you gave extrusion lengths in centimeters. >> But when I got to your basic pasta dough recipe I was lost. I cook in >> terms of metric units and weigh my dry ingredients on a scale that weighs >> to the nearest gram. I harvest my own farm-fresh eggs and weigh them (in >> grams) after washing and before refrigerating. When you call for "large >> eggs", how many grams do you reckon a "large egg" is? How many grams of >> flour is "2-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour"? I assume 15 mL for each >> tablespoon of water. >> >> > > -- > James R. Frysinger > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > (H) 931.657.3107 > (C) 931.212.0267 > >
