# Cooking Temperature Scales **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785 "2012-12-02T20:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/1 "2012-12-02T20:25:57Z")
Foreign dopers, which scale are your ovens set to? Cookbooks? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/2 "2012-12-02T20:30:41Z")
foreign compared to who? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/3 "2012-12-02T20:38:56Z")
šŸ˜ƒšŸ˜ƒ Good point. Fahrenheit in the U.S. recipes measure in teaspoons, tablespoons, cups. A pinch is another dry ingredient measurement. šŸ˜ƒ > [@johnpost](#): > > foreign compared to who? ---
**Author:** ![Puzzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@Puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Puzzler)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/4 "2012-12-02T20:56:47Z")
Israel: Celsius Teaspoons, tablespoons, cups Litters Grams, Kilograms ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/5 "2012-12-02T21:04:39Z")
Australia: Celsius. Older ovens had both C and F scales, but not those made in the last decade or two. Recipes are measured in metric cups, teaspoons, and a definition of tablespoon thatā€™s not used anywhere else in the world (20ml, vs ~15ml elsewhere). ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/6 "2012-12-03T12:34:10Z")
Switzerland: Temperatures: Celsius Volumes: L, dl, ml Weight(Mass): Kg, g ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/7 "2012-12-03T15:21:55Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > foreign compared to who? Considering that this message board is based in the US, itā€™s fair to assume that the OP meant ā€œforeign to the US.ā€ And as an American, I usually see Fahrenheit obviously, but sometimes read recipes in cookbooks from the UK, where apparently they use ā€œ[gas mark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_Mark).ā€ ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/8 "2012-12-03T15:32:33Z")
Foreign means not from the US. I thought everyone knew that. Donā€™t they teach anything in those foreign schools? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/9 "2012-12-03T16:26:12Z")
I guess this anecdotally makes me an ugly american. The naturalization process is complete (Taiwan-born. American naturalized). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/10 "2012-12-03T16:43:24Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Foreign dopers, which scale are your ovens set to? Cookbooks? The old stoves in Budapest (which I invariably had in the three flats I lived in) had two settingss: I and II. [One of these guys](http://img11.aprod.hu/images_aprodhu/4448450_1_644x461_regi-3-rozsas-gaztuzhely-egyeb-telepules_rev002.jpg).) But the settings were analog, so you could dial in a flame in between the two. But those are pretty old ones. The more standard ones just had Celsius temps on it. The good thing about learning to cook on an oven with two settings is learning to trust your instincts and not be so fussy about temperatures. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/11 "2012-12-03T17:10:57Z")
UK. Oven: Celsius Liquid ingredients : ml or litres dry or solid ingredients : grammes Small amounts in teaspoons, tablespoons, pinches I have measuring cups, scales that can operate in Imperial, jugs graduated in pints, quarts, fluid ounces, but I avoid them if the recipe can be found in metric. Recipes specifying cups or ā€˜sticksā€™ of butter make me stabby. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/12 "2012-12-03T17:19:07Z")
They make me stabby as well, and I live in the US. But, when I cook, I want to cook well, and I want reliable specifications. Yes, yes, I lived in a lab for years on end. heh heh heh ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/13 "2012-12-03T18:33:20Z")
Norway! Oven: Degrees Celsius Liquids: deciliters or liters Dry ingredients: deciliters, liters, grams or kg Small amounts: tablespoons, teaspoons, ā€œspice measuresā€, ā€œthe tip of a knifeā€ or ā€œto tasteā€ ---
**Author:** ![Hairy\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecc23a/32.png) [@Hairy\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hairy_Bob)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/14 "2012-12-03T20:23:21Z")
UK, oven set in Celsius, most recipe books from the last decade just give temps in C or gas mark, weights in g or kg and volumes in ml or l. I still have a few old cookbooks that give temps in F and C, weights in pounds and ounces and volumes in fluid ounces or pints, as well as the metric equivalents. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/15 "2012-12-03T20:25:58Z")
> [@Puzzler](#): > > Israel: > ā€¦ > Litters :eek: I thought that rumor was just about the Chinese and Koreans. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/16 "2012-12-03T23:02:10Z")
Japan, all metric. The only thing which isnā€™t strictly metric is that recipes will use teaspoon and tablespoons (called a ā€œlarge measureā€ and a ā€œsmall measureā€) for small amounts rather than just grams. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-temperature-scales/642785/17 "2012-12-04T00:19:07Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > :eek: I thought that rumor was just about the Chinese and Koreans. In a frying pan, brown one litter of meat ā€¦