Recipe Frustration

[snowangel]

So, the recipe calls for 2 medium tomatoes, diced and 1/2 of a medium onion.

Having been to the supermarket today, there's no way I'm buying any of the pinky/reddish Styrofoam orbs that masquerade as tomatoes in January, so I'm going to use canned.

But, just how much (either weight or volume) is "medium?"

Same goes for garlic, etc. Just what is a small clove? What about a sprig? I've had rosemary shrubs, and aspiring shrubs on which a sprig was but a paltry excuse for a sprig.

Any guidelines out there for what small and medium are?

[baroness]

I had a library book out recently (though not now!) that addressed the size of vegetables on the endpapers to cover the entire book's recipes -- perhaps one by Deborah Madison? If you are not baking, I consider size to be a matter of taste...if it were me, I'd try about 1 cup of canned tomatoes and 1/3 cup of onions (but I would use the whole onion, as I like them!).

[DesertTinker]

So, the recipe calls for 2 medium tomatoes, diced and 1/2 of a medium onion.

But, just how much (either weight or volume) is "medium?"

←

According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service What's In The Foods You Eat Search Tool

1 medium tomato is 123 grams

1 medium onion is 110 grams

Still working on the garlic and rosemary...

Edited to fix hyperlink.

Edited January 20, 2009 by Quiltguy (log)

[prasantrin]

I posted a query a year or so ago about the same thing--how many grams/cups/etc. is a ~, and someone posted a very good link with equivalents for many different ingredients.

I think I have it bookmarked as a favourite on my home computer, but in the meantime, if you check for topics I started, you might be able to find it (sorry, I'm at work or I'd do it myself).

[prasantrin]

Gourmet Sleuth does conversions for almost every single ingredient you can imagine. It's rather cumbersome, but it works for most things.

For example, type in "tomato", then choose "Vegetables and Vegetable Products" then scroll way down for "Tomato, red, ripe, raw, year round average" (or "June thru October average", or "November thru May average", depending on what you want), then next to "convert", type in 1 and choose whatever measurement you want to start with (they have small, medium, and large-sized tomatoes plus an assortment of other ones), and the measurement you're looking for (volume or weight, and it will calculate it. But wear your reading glasses if you need to because they use really tiny numbers.

Like I said, it's cumbersome, but it does it what you need it to do. But no rosemary sprig info.

This link is the one I was referring to earlier, originally posted by Steven Blaski. It says a 4"-stem of rosemary is 1/4 tsp. dried leaves.

[Becca Porter]

I think it was in a Bayless cookbook that I read: small onion 4 ounces, medium 6 ounces, large 8 ounces

I usually rely on that. I run pretty fast and loose with that sort of thing though.