To people who are familiar with both UK and US tinned food...

[sam_t]

...is a 14oz can of tomatoes the same size as a 400g can of tomatoes? In general, when US recipes give a measurement in oz for tinned food, is it fluid ounces or the dry sort?

I keep finding US recipes I want to try. I've discovered that one of my cup measures is unexpectedly a US cup rather than a UK cup, and I'm pretty sure I now understand the various ways of measuring butter (in sticks, for instance), but I'm still having a little transatlantic recipe trouble. Whose idea was it to have different sized pints?

Comments

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

.is a 14oz can of tomatoes the same size as a 400g can of tomatoes?

Yes for all practical purposes

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I dunno if this will help or not.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's handy. The main problems, though, are in the assumptions of what's 'usual' - I don't know how much is in a normal US tin of tomato purée/paste, especially as I tend to buy it in a tube, for example.

In the example of a 14oz can of chopped tomatoes, are the ounces a weight or volume measure? In the UK, oz is weight and floz (fluid ounces) are volume, but I've spotted several recipes where liquid is measured in oz. I can guess that liquid is probably being measured in a jug, but I don't know quite what to do with something a bit more solid - like tomatoes.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

ah. I understand. And that's a great question, I wish I could answer it.

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

Dunno, but US fluid ounces are different from UK ones anyway...

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I know, although they're a reasonable approximation in small quantities.

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Our standard can of tomatoes here is 14.5 fluid ounces, or 411 g.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Thank you!