1. Korean cup (200 ml) vs US cup (240 ml)
Korean cookbooks and blogs typically treat "1 cup" as 200 ml (the standard Korean measuring cup). US recipes use 240 ml. That is a ~20% difference — enough to matter in baking.
- Following a Korean recipe verbatim: this site's default (200 ml) is correct.
- Following a US baking blog: prefer grams on a scale when possible.
- When unsure, trust the density table on the home page.
2. Tablespoon and teaspoon precision
- 1 tbsp = 15 ml = 3 tsp — the same in Korean, US, and EU standards.
- A regular dinner spoon holds ~10–12 ml, which is smaller than a measuring tablespoon. Use measuring spoons for accuracy.
- For dry goods (flour, chili powder), level the spoon with a straight edge for consistency.
3. Cook time and temperature when scaling
Ingredients scale linearly, but cooking time does not.
- 2x scale (e.g. 4→8 servings): keep temperature, extend time by 10–20%. Use a larger pan.
- 0.5x scale (e.g. 4→2 servings): keep temperature, shorten time by 10–20%. Use a smaller pan.
- For baked goods, when pan thickness changes, bake time changes non-linearly. For cakes and loaves, prefer keeping the same pan and adjusting time only.
4. Fraction rounding
When scaling produces an odd value like 1.33 cups, this tool snaps to a friendly fraction (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4) when close enough. Otherwise the decimal is shown.
5. When precision matters
- Baking: grams are ~30% more accurate than cups for flour and sugar.
- Marinades & sauces: soy-to-vinegar ratio defines the flavor. After 2x scale, always taste and adjust.
- Meat marinade: absorption plateaus, so at 10x scale increase marinade only ~1.5x rather than 10x, then adjust by taste.
6. When to use a kitchen scale
A $10–30 digital scale measures to 0.1 g. If you bake regularly or log nutrition, a scale pays off very quickly.