Metric vs imperial in recipes: convert once, cook anywhere

Half the internet's best recipes are written in grams and millilitres, the other half in ounces, pounds and cups. Mixed-unit weeks are normal — a British stew next to an American casserole — and converting by hand at the stove is where mistakes happen.

The conversions that matter

• Weight: 1 oz ≈ 28 g, 1 lb ≈ 454 g. Weight converts exactly, so prefer it when a recipe offers both.
• Volume: 1 fl oz ≈ 30 ml, 1 US cup = 240 ml. Fine for liquids.
• Cups of dry ingredients don't convert cleanly. A cup of flour is ~120 g but a cup of sugar is ~200 g — density matters, so keep cups as cups unless the recipe gives weights.

Let the planner do it

A good meal planner converts display units for the whole grocery list and every recipe in one switch — grams to pounds and ounces, or the reverse — while keeping the original amounts untouched underneath, so nothing drifts after repeated conversions. Everyone in the household sees the same units, including on the shared list.