Where to Find a Table of Metric Equivalents

Question: Recently we returned from Europe, where I bought a couple of cookbooks and copied several recipes. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try out any of them because I can’t find a table of equivalents from grams to ounces or cups. I would appreciate it if you could give me this information.

Answer: One gram is equal to .032 ounces, or there are 28.35 grams in an ounce. More complete information on metric conversion can be found in “Joy of Cooking” (Bobbs-Merrill: 1986, $16.95) by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Both fluid volume and mass (weight) equivalents are given, along with approximate oven temperature conversions.

Q: One of the recipes you ran recently called for 1 (8-ounce) carton whipping cream. Is this the same as whipped topping? Also, some recipes I have seen call for heavy cream. Can you clarify all these different products.

A: It can get confusing but these definitions, written with assistance from the American Dairy Assn. and California Dairy Council, should help:

Whipping cream or heavy cream--cream that contains 36% or more butterfat.

Light whipping cream--cream that contains 30% to 36% butterfat.

Light cream, coffee cream or table cream--cream that contains 18% to 30% butterfat.

Half and half--a mixture of milk and cream containing 10.5% to 18% butterfat.

Whipped topping--non-dairy products that may be whipped and frozen or packaged for home preparation.

Cream in aerosol cans--packed under pressure so it whips when released from the can. These products may contain sugar, stabilizers and/or emulsifiers.

Non-dairy topping in aerosol cans--packed under pressure so it whips when released from the can. These products may contain sugar, stabilizers and/or emulsifiers.

Q: Can you tell me where to find Boboli? It’s a pizza-type bread to which you can add your own topping ingredients.

A: You’re right, it makes an excellent crust for pizza and is also delicious just warmed and served as a bread accompaniment to meals. Boboli is available at Fedco Foods, Gelson’s Markets, Hughes Markets, Irvine Ranch Farmers Markets and in service delicatessens at Lucky Stores, Inc. and Safeway Stores, Inc. Harvest Ranch Markets in San Diego county also carry the product.

Q: Someone gave us some hickory chips for the outdoor grill. How do you use them?

A: The chips should be soaked in water for 30 to 60 minutes, then drained just before using. When cooking with charcoal, sprinkle 1 to 2 cups of chips over the hot coals right before the food is grilled.

For gas grills, place about 2 cups of the soaked chips in the center of a foil rectangle. Bring the shorter edges together over the chips and fold down to form a cylinder, leaving the ends open. Place this log on top of the heated lava rocks and smoke will flow from the log and circulate inside the grill during cooking.