Britsh and American Equivilents
Common British and American cooking product (ingredient) equivalences
American to British Recipe Terms
Some common American ingredient terminology translated into the equivalent British term.
| American Term | British Term |
|---|---|
| all-purpose flour | plain flour |
| bacon | streaky bacon |
| bread flour | strong flour |
| broil | grill (with oven) |
| broiling | grilling (with oven) |
| casserole | bake |
| Canadian bacon | bacon |
| dark brown sugar | demerara sugar |
| eggplant | aubergine |
| flour | plain flour |
| graham crackers | digestive biscuits |
| granulated sugar (or just sugar) | castor sugar |
| karo syrup (corn syrup) | golden syrup |
| half and half | single cream |
| ham | gammon |
| heavy cream | double cream |
| light cream | single cream |
| molasses | treacle |
| navy beans | haricot beans |
| pie cherries | Morello cherries |
| pumpkin pie spice | mixed spice |
| seedless raisins | sultanas |
| semi-sweet chocolate | dark cooking chocolate |
| tomato paste | tomato puree |
| turnips | swedes |
| whipping cream | double cream |
| zucchini | courgette |
British to American Terms
Some common British ingredient terminology translated into the equivalent American term.
| British Term | American Term |
|---|---|
| aubergine | eggplant |
| bacon | ham or Canadian Bacon |
| castor sugar | superfine granulated sugar |
| courgette | zucchini |
| dark cooking chocolate | semi-sweet chocolate |
| demerara sugar | dark brown sugar |
| digestive biscuits | graham crackers |
| double cream | whipping cream, heavy cream |
| gammon | ham |
| golden syrup | light karo syrup (corn syrup) |
| grill | broil (with oven) |
| grilling | broiling (with oven) |
| haricot beans | navy beans |
| mixed spice | substitute pumpkin pie spice |
| Morello cherries | pie cherries |
| plain flour | all-purpose flour |
| single cream | light cream |
| strong flour | bread flour |
| sultanas | seedless light raisins |
| treacle | molasses |
| tomato puree | tomato paste |
| streaky bacon | bacon |
| swedes | turnips |
Comments
over 4 years ago
You are mistaken posting that seedless raisins =sultanas. The American equivalent of sultanas are sold as "golden raisins." They are, I believe made from green grapes rather than red or purple grapes.
over 4 years ago
You are correct about sultanas being dried white grapes. In England sultanas are smaller than than regular raisins. They are also a bit sweeter. Great for baking.AZZ
over 4 years ago
incorrect on British term for Swede, American equivalent turnip. NOT SO
American equivalent is rutabaga
over 4 years ago
Golden syrup is not same as corn syrup! You can sometimes get away with substituting one for the other, but you best not count on it.
about 4 years ago
Castor sugar is actually baking sugar, which is a finer particle size than regular granulated sugar. Or bar sugar (from what I’ve read - I’ve only used baking sugar)
also called superfine can sugar. dominos distributes it everywhere in U.S.
almost 3 years ago
about 3 years ago
You should really re-do this list. It’s filled with inaccuracies.
True
Kingswood, Australia
6 months ago
about 3 years ago
What is musqvarna sugar
this looks like a bad typo. sounds like muscovado sugar. you can substitute homemade brown sugar: 1 tbsp molasses to 1 cup granulated sugar. it'll come close, mores than turbinado sugar.
almost 3 years ago
almost 3 years ago
What is the American equivalent to cornflour in the UK?
i use corn starch when the brits say cornflour.
almost 3 years ago
almost 3 years ago
i agree with all the inaccuracies posted in comments. also missing: sweet paste. what is it called in U.S?
By "sweet paste" I think you mean Pâte Sucrée (French term), a superior sweet crisp pastry made with warm sugar and softened butter creamed together, egg yolks beaten in, sifted flour folded in, chilled before rolling out (unlike short pastry which is more common in UK, made with cold hands and cold ingredients). In UK it is sometimes called "sugar crust/sweet pastry" but is not common among home cooks and is uncommon in shop-bought confectionery.
I am English but descended from Swiss French Maître Pâtissier (which we do not have in England).
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
almost 3 years ago
i use corn starch when the brits say cornflour.
almost 3 years ago
this looks like a bad typo. sounds like muscovado sugar. you can substitute homemade brown sugar: 1 tbsp molasses to 1 cup granulated sugar. it'll come close, mores than turbinado sugar.
almost 3 years ago
also called superfine can sugar. dominos distributes it everywhere in U.S.
almost 3 years ago
Came across a British recipe and it calls for single sugar? Do you know what this is thanks
No I am not familiar with the term. In UK granulated sugar is coarse crystals we put in our tea, caster sugar is fine crystals for shaking over fruit (from a caster) or doughnuts and used in baking, icing sugar is powdered sugar used for making icing (frosting) and sometimes dusted over cakes and pastries. Cube sugar we also put in our tea if posh, using sugar tongs.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
over 2 years ago
Is superfine sugar the American version of icing sugar
Icing sugar equals confectioners sugar, in the USA.
You could make your own by processing regular table sugar in a food processor until it is like a dust. It's sugar taken down to it's smallest particle.
, United States
about 2 months ago
over 2 years ago
Icing suger is American powdered sugar
over 2 years ago
What does it mean when it says shortening?
I know what shortening is in USA but not what it's called in the UK. It's a solid, neutral-flavored fat often used in piecrust, cookies, or in frying. It often used to be partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, but since we've learned that is unhealthy, it's often palm oil now. You can substitute lard (rendered pork fat) also.
over 2 years ago
over 2 years ago
there is no such thing as single sugar in England. From a Brit. Also sultanas are much bigger and sweeter that raisins. Which is what there is here in .the States
over 2 years ago
I know what shortening is in USA but not what it's called in the UK. It's a solid, neutral-flavored fat often used in piecrust, cookies, or in frying. It often used to be partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, but since we've learned that is unhealthy, it's often palm oil now. You can substitute lard (rendered pork fat) also.
Lard
Macungie, United States
4 months ago
I would use lard for the pastry of a meat pie. It is always used for the special pastry of a pork pie which is hot-water crust.
For a sweet pastry I would normally use butter, but you can get solid cooking fats (trade names e.g. Stork which is a yellow vegetable fat to substitute for butter, or Trex which is a white vegetable fat to substitute for lard.
Lard is refined from pork fat and is clean white with no meat residue or taste. It has a very high smoking point so does not degrade in high temperature work such as fried steak, or baked yorkshire puddings. It is not often used in the trade as it is more expensive than vegetable oil, and some religions exclude it.
For high-quality patisserie, chilled unsalted sweetcream butter is used, which is not widely retailed as it is basically cream and will not keep.
BTW I don't know why my location says Leighton Buzzard. I am on the South Coast.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
over 2 years ago
What is maze in England?
A maze is a hedge formed into a complex shape so you can walk into it and get lost, it will take some time to find your way out.
Maize, however, is the agricultural term for sweetcorn.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
London, United Kingdom
about 2 years ago
I thin shortening is called lard in the UK
Ephrata, United States
almost 2 years ago
REDO THE LIST
London, United Kingdom
almost 2 years ago
Shortening sounds like lard - generally pork (or beef in some places) fat which makes piecrusts.
This is not the same as vegetable oil or palm oil, as it is not plant based.
I agree with everyone about sultanas. Maybe they are thinking of currants? I would need to find someone who likes dried fruit to answer that for sure.
Icing sugar I think is either confectioners sugar or powdered sugar in the usa.
Turnips and swedes are completely different (although to be fair they are both root vegetables) I agree that it's probably rutabaga in the USA. I think turnips are more white, as opposed to swede which is a yellowy/orange colour.
Not all bacon is called streaky bacon here! We have back bacon, streaky bacon, bacon joints (although to be fair that's very similar if not identical to, gammon joints), smoky bacon, bacon lardons etc. I prefer back bacon as there's less fat for the way we cook our bacon, although crispy american bacon is lovely.
Ham here is very diverse also... although yes what you call "a ham" is a gammon joint, or what we call gammon steaks the usa probably call ham steaks.
London, United Kingdom
almost 2 years ago
For the usa lunch meat is accepted for pretty much all deli meat options. Here, luncheon meat is a very specific type of ham/deli meat so if you ask for lunch meat here you'll get that. Or maybe Spam. You would not get offered salt beef, honey roast ham, breaded ham, corned beef, sliced chicken etc.
What you call grilled cheese we call a cheese toasty. Or a Welsh Rarebit depending upon how it's prepared.
What you call pudding is absolutely not what you would get in the UK. Pudding here is similar to cake (think sticky toffee pudding) but it is made with suet. Likewise if you were to have a meat pie here (or pie as we would say) that would be made with regular pastry, but a steak and kidney pudding etc would be made with suet. Both of these would be steamed instead of baked in the oven.
I think it's not demerera which would be your dark brown sugar - demerara is more golden brown and has a distinctive smell. Whereas brown sugar is indeed brown and there are other types of sugar which are darker still.
TL;DR - this page needs a LOT of corrections.
Lynnwood, United States
over 1 year ago
Oh dear. So many problems here.
Hove, United Kingdom
over 1 year ago
We have both swede and turnip in the UK, they are different veg!
Swede is Rutabaga in USA
Macungie, United States
4 months ago
Monroe, United States
over 1 year ago
What is the American equivalent to Cream hardener. It was used in making a frosting like filling in a recipe I found. It called for 2 packets of cream hardener
Istanbul, Turkey
over 1 year ago
Shortening in the UK is Lard, you can also get vegetable shortening for example white flora, used in baking when you want a short pastry, like short crust pastry
12 months ago
Too many errors to be useful unfortunately.
London, United Kingdom
7 months ago
So America has no SR Flour, just 2 types both of which are the same?
America has self rising flour, all purpose ( plain flour), cake flour, bread flour, and a variety of other flours like almond flour, corn meal ( corn flour here is corn starch), and whole wheat flour. It used to be hard to find self rising flour outside of the American South years ago but it is nationwide now.
, United States
6 months ago
, United States
6 months ago
America has self rising flour, all purpose ( plain flour), cake flour, bread flour, and a variety of other flours like almond flour, corn meal ( corn flour here is corn starch), and whole wheat flour. It used to be hard to find self rising flour outside of the American South years ago but it is nationwide now.
Kingswood, Australia
6 months ago
True
Glasgow, United Kingdom
6 months ago
Who gives a fig about ingredients from a third world country like the USA? Their diets are awful, they are all the size of small planets and are riddled with heart disease and high cholesterol.
If they aren't shot, often as children, by white supremacists or die through easily dealt with conditions due to having no free health system they generally explode through over eating by the age of 35.
Tw@.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
Macungie, United States
4 months ago
Lard
Macungie, United States
4 months ago
Swede is Rutabaga in USA
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
By "sweet paste" I think you mean Pâte Sucrée (French term), a superior sweet crisp pastry made with warm sugar and softened butter creamed together, egg yolks beaten in, sifted flour folded in, chilled before rolling out (unlike short pastry which is more common in UK, made with cold hands and cold ingredients). In UK it is sometimes called "sugar crust/sweet pastry" but is not common among home cooks and is uncommon in shop-bought confectionery.
I am English but descended from Swiss French Maître Pâtissier (which we do not have in England).
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
No I am not familiar with the term. In UK granulated sugar is coarse crystals we put in our tea, caster sugar is fine crystals for shaking over fruit (from a caster) or doughnuts and used in baking, icing sugar is powdered sugar used for making icing (frosting) and sometimes dusted over cakes and pastries. Cube sugar we also put in our tea if posh, using sugar tongs.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
I would use lard for the pastry of a meat pie. It is always used for the special pastry of a pork pie which is hot-water crust.
For a sweet pastry I would normally use butter, but you can get solid cooking fats (trade names e.g. Stork which is a yellow vegetable fat to substitute for butter, or Trex which is a white vegetable fat to substitute for lard.
Lard is refined from pork fat and is clean white with no meat residue or taste. It has a very high smoking point so does not degrade in high temperature work such as fried steak, or baked yorkshire puddings. It is not often used in the trade as it is more expensive than vegetable oil, and some religions exclude it.
For high-quality patisserie, chilled unsalted sweetcream butter is used, which is not widely retailed as it is basically cream and will not keep.
BTW I don't know why my location says Leighton Buzzard. I am on the South Coast.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
Tw@.
Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
3 months ago
A maze is a hedge formed into a complex shape so you can walk into it and get lost, it will take some time to find your way out.
Maize, however, is the agricultural term for sweetcorn.
, United Kingdom
3 months ago
Can some one tell me what a case of sugar is in grams??
Fort Worth, United States
2 months ago
Can anyone tell me what hot candy syrup is equivalent to in the US? Have seen it in a recipe and am not sure what it is referring to. Wondering if it is either hot fudge sauce or Hersheys chocolate syrup because was used in a chocolate recipe.
, United States
about 2 months ago
Icing sugar equals confectioners sugar, in the USA.
You could make your own by processing regular table sugar in a food processor until it is like a dust. It's sugar taken down to it's smallest particle.
London, United Kingdom
17 days ago
Swede and turnip are different veg. How annoying