Cooking Conversions and Substitutions

Common kitchen conversions, ingredient notes, and practical substitutions.

Measure	Approximate equivalent	Notes
1 US tablespoon	3 teaspoons / 14.79 mL	Australian tablespoons commonly use 20 mL
1 US cup	16 tablespoons / 236.59 mL	Metric cups are commonly 250 mL
1 fluid ounce (US)	29.57 mL	Not the same as an ounce by weight
1 pound	16 ounces / 453.59 g	Mass conversion
1 stick US butter	113.4 g / 8 tablespoons	Packaging differs by country
1 cup all-purpose flour	about 120–130 g	Depends strongly on measuring method

Common substitutions

1 cup buttermilk: 1 cup milk plus about 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar; rest briefly.
1 tablespoon cornstarch: roughly 2 tablespoons flour for thickening, with different clarity and texture.
1 large egg in some baking: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water, rested until thickened.