Sugar
If you have left over soft brown sugar, in a dish or container, simply cover with a slice of bread, and cover with plastic wrap!! No more hard sugar !!!! Trust me it works.
Miscellaneous
Once you have made your toffee apples and the toffee is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Put HOT water into the pot and it will melt the toffee. Don't throw out your pot :)
When making meringues. add 1/2 teaspoon of baking pwd to each egg white used. The meringues will be lighter and larger... Also excellent for meringues on puddings...
Miscellaneous
Placing egg whites into the freezer for around ten minutes or so to allow them to become really cold before before whipping, results in the whites tightening up to create a firm fluffy product. Perfect for meringues or pavlova.
Miscellaneous
When a recipe calls for a spoon measurement of golden syrup or honey, pour boiling water over the spoon first. The syrup will slip off your spoon easily and the exact measurement will be added.
Sugar
Using metal measuring spoons and the golden syrup is taking forever to fall into the mixture? Heat the spoons with hot water first before dipping it into the syrup and the stuff will fall right off much easier.
Miscellaneous
Pastry or dough: Rolled chilled dough (pastry or biscuit) between two sheets of baking paper, it makes it easy to lift off and position over pie tins or to lift off biscuit shapes.
Conversion chart Cup measures
| Cup measures | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 cup plain/self raising flour | 125g (4oz) |
| 1 cup rice flour | 185g (6oz) |
| 1 cup basil leaves | 45g (1 ½oz) |
| 1 cup brown sugar | 200g (6 ½oz) |
| 1 cup white/caster sugar | 225g (7oz) |
| 1 cup cocoa powder | 80g (3oz) |
| 1 cup desiccated coconut | 75g (3oz) |
| 1 cup grated parmesan | 100g (3 ½oz) |
| 1 cup flat leaf parsley | (1 ¼oz) |
| 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs | 50g (2oz) |
| 1 cup mint leaves | (1 ¼oz) |
| 1 cup shredded rocket | 30g (1oz) |
| 1 cup sour cream | 250g (8oz) |
Conversion chart Length
| Metric | Imperial/US |
|---|---|
| 2.5cm | inch |
| 5cm | inch |
| 20cm | inches |
| 30cm | inches (1foot) |
Conversion chart Temperature
| Celsius | Fahrenheit | Gas mark |
|---|---|---|
| 100°C | 225°F | ¼ |
| 125°C | 250°F | ¼ |
| 150°C | 300°F | 2 |
| 160°C | 325°F | 3 |
| 170°C | 325°F | 3 |
| 180°C | 350°F | 4 |
| 190°C | 375°F | 5 |
| 200°C | 400°F | 6 |
| 210°C | 425°F | 7 |
| 220°C | 425°F | 7 |
| 230°C | 450°F | 8 |
| 250°C | 500°F | 9 |
Note
To convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius: subtract 32 from the °F measure then divide by 1.8.
Abbreviations
| Cup measures | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| g | gram |
| kg | kilogram |
| mm | millimetre |
| cm | centimetre |
| ml | millilitre |
| °C | degrees Celsius |
| tsp | teaspoon |
| Tbsp | Tablespoon |
Conversion chart Weight
| Metric | Imperial/US |
|---|---|
| 25g | 1oz |
| 50g | 2oz |
| 100g | 4.5oz |
| 150g | 5oz |
| 250g | 9oz |
| 450g | 16oz (1lb) |
| 1kg | 35oz |
Conversion chart Liquid
| NZ Metric | Imperial | US |
|---|---|---|
| 5ml (1 teaspoon) | ¼ fl oz | 1 teaspoon |
| 15ml (1 tablespoon) | ¼ fl oz | 1 tablespoon |
| 30ml (⅛ cup) | 1 fl oz | ⅛ cup |
| 60ml (¼ cup) | 2 fl oz | ¼ cup |
| 125ml (½ cup) | 4 fl oz | ½ cup |
| 150ml | 5 fl oz | ⅔ cup |
| 175ml | 6 fl oz | ¾ cup |
| 250ml (1 cup) | 8 fl oz | 1 cup (½ pint) |
| 300ml | 10 fl oz (½ pint) | 1 ¼ cups |
| 375ml | 12 fl oz | 1 ½ cups |
| 500ml | 16 fl oz | 2 cups (1 pint) |
| 600ml | 20 fl oz (1 pint) | 2 ½ cups |
Note
The Australian metric tablespoon measure is 20 ml.
Sugar Stage Temperature Chart
| Stage | Temperature | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Syrup | 106-112°C or 223-234°F | Syrup will form a loose thin thread. Used for sugar. |
| Soft Ball | 112-115°C or 234-240°F | Syrup will form a soft, sticky ball that can be flattened when removed from the water. Used for caramels, fudge, Italian meringues, pralines, fondant, and butter creams |
| Firm Ball | 116-120°C or 242-248°F | Syrup will form a firm but pliable, sticky ball that holds it shape briefly. Used for caramels, butter creams, nougat, marshmallows, gummies, and toffees. |
| Hard Ball | 122-130°C or 250-266°F | Syrup will form a hard, sticky ball that holds its shape. Used for caramels, nougat, divinity and toffees. |
| Soft Crack | 132-143°C or 270-290°F | Syrup will form strands that are firm yet pliable. Used for butterscotch, firm nougat, and taffy. |
| Hard Crack | 146-155°C or 295-310°F | Syrup will form threads that are stiff (brittle) and break easily. Used for brittles, toffees, glazed fruit, hard candy, pulled poured and spun sugar. |
| Caramel | 160-182°C or 320-360°F | Syrup will become transparent and will change colour, ranging from light golden brown to dark amber. Used for pralines, brittles, caramel-coated moulds, and Nougatine. |
Cake tin sizes
| Metric | Imperial/US |
|---|---|
| 2.5cm | 1 inch |
| 5cm | 2 inch |
| 20cm | 8 inches |
| 30cm | 12 inches (1foot) |
Egg sizes & weights
| Grade | Minimum Weight |
|---|---|
| Jumbo (8) | 68g |
| Large (7) | 62g |
| Standard (6) | 53g |
| Medium (5) | 44g |
| Pullet (4) | 35g |
Note
The Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand tells us egg weight can vary from about 40-80 grams per egg. These are sold by grade (4, 5, 6, 7, 8), based on a minimum size for the grade in the table below. Remember that this is not an international grading system so take this into account when trying recipes from overseas. All Chelsea recipes use size 7 eggs unless stated otherwise.
Baking temperatures and oven position
| Baking | Temperature | Heat | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meringues, pavlova | 110-140°C | low | above middle |
| Rich fruit cakes | 150-160°C | low | below middle |
| Custards, milk puddings | 150-160°C | low | below middle |
| Shortbread | 150-160°C | low | middle |
| Large and small cakes | 180-190°C | moderate | middle |
| Biscuits | 180-190°C | moderate | above middle |
| Sponges, muffins | 190-220°C | moderate - hot | above middle |
| Scones | 230-250°C | hot | above middle |
| Short pastry | 190-220°C | moderate - hot | above middle |
| Flaky pastry | 230-250°C | hot | middle |
| Puff pastry | 250°C | hot | middle |
Note
unless specifically stated, all cooking temperatures on our website are 'bake' not fan-bake. If you use the fan-bake function you will need to lower the temperature by 20°C.
