Sizes of Cans, as in No. 2 Tomatoes

Question: I have an old recipe that calls for a “number two” can of tomatoes. I have no idea what size that is--can you help?

Answer: “Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (Bobbs-Merrill: $16.95) includes the following information on can sizes:

Can Sizes Contents Approx. Cups 5-ounce 5 ounces 5/8 8-ounce 8 ounces 1 Picnic 10 1/2 to 12 ounces 1 12-ounce 12 ounces 1 1/2 No. 300 14 to 16 ounces 1 3/4 No. 303 16 to 17 ounces 2 No. 2 1 pound, 4 ounces or 2 1/2 1 pint, 2 fluid ounces No. 2 1/2 1 pound, 13 ounces 3 1/2 No. 3 46 ounces 5 3/4

Q: A year or so ago I read in The Times’ Food Section that there was a difference between shrimp and scampi. Please clarify this for me, as I have gotten into many arguments regarding the term scampi.

A: You have an excellent memory. The following information by staff writer Minnie Bernardino appeared in the Jan. 31, 1985, Times Food Section:

“Often mistakenly applied to large shrimp, scampi is the name assigned to the tail of any deep-water, thick-shelled member of the lobster family. It is also know as Dublin Bay prawn, Norway lobster, French langoustine , Italian scampi or Caribbean lobsterette. The crustacean has some of the physical traits of lobster and shrimp. Scampi is also frequently used as a name of a shrimp dish with a buttery lemon-garlic sauce.

“Prawn is the North American term for large shrimp varieties. Originating in England, the word prawn is still used in India, Hong Kong and some European countries to describe shrimp, even with smaller-size species. It was the French and Italians who made the distinction between shrimp and prawn, using prawn for large varieties.”

Q: In this column on Dec. 26, 1986, you answered a query about the nutritional properties of feta cheese. After reading the information, and for absolutely no reason, I decided to compare values with a publication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The difference in values was incredible. I certainly do not know which is correct, but this substantial variation makes one wonder.

A: Thank you for catching our mistake. We inadvertently ran the figures for 100 grams of feta cheese, rather than 28 grams, or one ounce. The correct figures for one ounce of the cheese are: 75 calories, four grams protein, one gram carbohydrate, six grams fat, 316 milligrams sodium and 18 milligrams potassium.