BBC Good Food

1-20 of 34 comments

• Beverleydavis

  5 March 2008, 1:24PM

  Beverleydavis

  You change if you want to; many of us are happy with what we were taught. Please, keep the double listing, it makes so many people happy and causes no inconvenience for anyone else. I learnt both at school in the 1980's. I now use both; when discussing recipes with my grandmother (the finest resource I know), I need imperial. When speaking to my children I try and ensure that they know both. Its part of their heritage as well. One thing will always be simpler in imperial - a three egg sponge - 6oz of flour, sugar and fat.

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• bronte

  5 March 2008, 2:00PM

  bronte

  I'm going to have to say it Mary, but you should be running for cover. Just because you find metric easier, doesn't mean to say everyone else does. Why is the dual system wasteful and a battle? Is it really that time consuming to use both ways? I don't think so. I was taught the imperial way at school in the 1960's and have happilly used it ever since and find it very easy. Why should I change? A change to metric might be convenient for you, but I for one and probably many others, would find it very, very inconvenient. I'd be really disappointed if Good Food went completely metric and didn't think of us imperialites!

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• Mineke

  5 March 2008, 2:32PM

  Mineke

  Why would you use imperial? Why would you want to? I'm from a different (totaly metric) country and I can't think of a reason why imperial would be more easy, or better. Doesn't imperial only have sentimental value? (running for cover, Mary could you make al little room for me?)

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• JANET

  5 March 2008, 2:49PM

  JANET

  I'm a scientist and strangely enough I use metric at work and imperial at home - must be my age!

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• Holly

  5 March 2008, 2:57PM

  Holly

  I grew up using imperial at home and metric at school (in the mid/late 80's), I did most of my cooking at home so favoured pounds and ounces as it's what I was most used to. Now I don't mind, as but I think it's important to remember that some people do, especially the older generations, the ones who enjoy cooking - but still need a recipe. I don't understand why people mind seeing both metric and imperial side by side? I tend to use imperial for baking and metric for other cooking. It's habit now, stemming from cooking cakes with my mum at home and more savoury foods at school.

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• JOYCE

  5 March 2008, 5:09PM

  JOYCE

  I use imperial measures - maybe its an age thing - but i never did get the hang of metric, so please keep both measurements in. Thank you.

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• Wraithlady

  5 March 2008, 7:42PM

  Wraithlady

  To reply to Mineke's query, why would I want to use imperial? Quite simple - so that I can easily halve the ingredients of a recipe. 99% of recipes seem to 'feed 4' and I cook for 2. That's why. And to Mary - most people who use imperial would weigh 1 lb of flour to 8 oz fat, to make pastry. It's called common sense, and a darn sight easier to quarter than your metric example - you may have scales capable of measuring 72.5 grams, the vast majority of people do not. And, no, I'm not claiming my pension yet, I'm 39 and what is more, grew up in a country which used metric. I just prefer imperial. Is that such a dreadful concept?

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• abbeyfoods

  5 March 2008, 8:11PM

  abbeyfoods

  It seems to me that it is high time we put a stop to this dual system. Our children have been taught metric only and if we are to support them to cook at home we should be using a system that is known to them. Mixing the two systems can cause problems and I know from teaching young people that this is confusing. Metrification has been around for a long time, we should embrace it fully.

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• bronte

  5 March 2008, 8:19PM

  bronte

  Confused children? I don't think so. My Children use metric and are quite happy and tolerant with the dual system. The two systems aren't mixed, but quite separate. I have no problem with those who prefer the metric system, but it's imperial for me. Let's keep both.

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• D. Vader

  6 March 2008, 8:20AM

  D. Vader

  Wouldn't it be great if we all went back to using farthings and florins, guineas and groats?

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• Juno

  6 March 2008, 12:50PM

  Juno

  I think we should keep both. I learned imperial measurements but now use both when cooking. I also use recipes handed down through the family which have measurements only I can understand such as the recipe for my grandmother's white soda bread which contains "enough bread soda to fit in the palm of your hand"! Cooking is about experimentation after all. Let's not get too po faced about it. By the way, I would have thought Darth Vader would have used a different weights and measures system out there in a galaxy far far away.

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• Mary Cadogan

  6 March 2008, 1:23PM

  Mary Cadogan

  I'm loving all your comments so keep them coming as it's a really worthwhile debate. Of course I too cook from my mums Imperial recipes and love browsing through old cookbooks for ideas and inspiration. I just would like to see all future recipes written in metric so we can get used to it and maybe start to even enjoy working with it. I would like to reassure you that Good Food magazine has no plans to change their dual measurement policy so you can all relax and do what is most comfortable for you.

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• Claire1968

  7 March 2008, 5:52PM

  Claire1968

  Normally all of my cookbooks are Imperial, alot are in cups because I moved to America 10 years ago and of course cook books are in cups/lbs which is convenient. I could recommend that Good Food have cups added to their recipes because I have the Magazine delivered here. My son who is 2 1/2 will learn how to measure in cups/lbs. Who knows perhaps Good Food will start to add cups in their recipes, alot easier then Imperial and so much quicker to measure out dry ingredients.

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• igglepiggle

  7 March 2008, 7:03PM

  igglepiggle

  I use imperial and will continue to do so...we didn`t get asked if we wanted to change. When I`m in the butchers on a saturday morning whilst queuing I don`t hear any body ask for their meat by metric...lets keep it that way why should we always conform to everyone else in the world..

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• Carol

  7 March 2008, 7:49PM

  Carol

  When I was at school it was all Imperial and now I use both, the only problems I have is when I have to convert an Imperial recipe to metric for someone who only uses metric (both my daughter for instance!). It has taken me a long time to understand metric but I am at last getting the hang of it (I am 60 this year). We love France and the recipes in the last house we rented there in the Charente were all in metric so I had to use my brain a little and it actually worked. Like my French, I have to practice hard!!!! My husband still converts our money back to £sd so I am all in favour of going onto the Euro but is that showing a "red rag to the bull" I wonder?

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• fiona

  8 March 2008, 9:15AM

  fiona

  "Oh Mary what have you done?" I bet this is one of the most replied to blogs!! I'm afraid i'm with Beverleydavis, Holly and Wraithlady - whats wrong with both - anyway don't you live in France now anyway!! I don't shop in metric - I go to into an old fashioned thing called a butchers and I ask for a 1lb of this or that and he converts it for me. When I buy veg etc - I buy three or four of a thing not 500g or whatever. You've opened a large kettle of worms here!!

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• kipperelli

  8 March 2008, 10:46AM

  kipperelli

  I still use imperial when cooking but mainly because my recently acquired kitchen scales are easier to read in imperial, they have each ounce marked clearly. Whereas the grammes are callibrated in 20 gramme steps and recipes often call for 375g or 25 g etc not easy to guestimate with tiny litte 20g marks.

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• Icemaiden

  8 March 2008, 3:15PM

  Icemaiden

  I'm with Claire1968 - using cups is sooo much easier! Most of my Australian cookbooks are in cups as well, even though they have fully converted to metric. However Metric v Imperial - digital scales make it easy to measure up 375g I find - but I sympathise with those who want both. Me - so long as the recipe works I am not too bothered.

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• El's recipes

  9 March 2008, 12:49PM

  El's recipes

  When we moved here to Holland, I was 10 so I learned the metric way here at school. I have no objection to cookbooks with both in though. I think in so many years time there won't be a need. most of us will have grown up with metric and won't know what imperial is. England is part of Europe after all.

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• lecram16

  10 March 2008, 1:50PM

  lecram16

  Here's a froggy speaking. I use decimals because i know only that and I've learn it at school . I remeber it was a great victory of the french revolution in the past . But there is a counterweight of history . I am a target shooter still using british system for reloading ammunitions because most datas and recipes are written in english.

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