Welcome to Kitchen Queries, where the nigella.com team will answer your cooking or food related questions.  We’d love you to submit some of your recipe problems, dilemmas or queries for us to get our teeth into!

Please note, we are only able to answer questions selected for publication and aren't able to enter into personal correspondence.

• Measuring Butter

  If I am following a recipe that is using cup measurements do I just put the butter into the required cup?

  Posted by sheilajoyce. Answered on 31st Oct 2012 at 12.00

  From the nigella team:

  In the US butter can be measured in cups but measurements are often also given in "sticks". Butter is mostly sold in packages of 1/2-pound or 1-pound and within these packages the butter is split into pre-wrapped sticks weighing 1/4 pound (or 4 ounces/110g) each, which also equals 1/2 cup. The wrapping on each stick indicates tablespoon measures (8 tablespoons per stick).

  So if you are using cup measures you could pack the butter into a measuring cup or below is a ready reckoner which may help if you have scales.

  1 tablespoon butter = 1/2 ounce/15g

  1 stick butter = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 4 ounces/110g.

  2 sticks butter = 1 cup = 8 ounces/225g.

  Add Bookmark facebook twitter Print share