Health for life

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a division of the US Department of Homeland Security, has enlisted new security measures for airline travel as a result of the threat to several passenger flights originating from the UK this morning.

As of this morning, the TSA is now "prohibiting any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions from being carried on the airplane."¹ They advise transferring these items from carry-on to checked baggage.

Some exceptions were listed on their website:

The following items are permitted to be carried aboard the aircraft:

• Passengers traveling with infants may bring baby formula.
  
• Prescription medicine that matches the passenger’s name.
  
• Essential non-prescription medicines such as insulin are permitted.
  
  - TSA, New Security Measures

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¹ Statement By Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff Announcing A Change To The Nations Threat Level For The Aviation Sector

Photo compliments CNN.

You are browsing your blog reader for food porn and come across a gorgeous recipe that you must make immediately. Then you notice it calls for calls for 7 ounces of uncooked quinoa and 1 cup of cooked lentils. There goes your food boner.

How much quinoa does 7 ounces make? How many ounces of dried lentils cook up to make a cup? And which measuring cup is used for either of them? Even if you have a food scale, you might be at a bit of a loss.

For ages, I’ve been keeping notes about how beans, legumes, and sundry grains measure up before and after cooking. Naturally, it seems I’ve reinvented the wheel—the InterWebs are rich with resources for weight/volume conversion—but I have a digital kitchen scale and I never get tired of weighing my own lentils.

The Nitty Gritty
These approximate formulas for the most common dry goods can be used as a guide when judging how much of an item to buy or cook for a recipe. For the most accurate measurements, you will want to weigh and measure for yourself, but these will get you started.


Hopefully you’ll find this list to be a helpful resource. Print it out and stick it on the fridge for erence. But don’t let it stop you from picking up that sassy kitchen scale you’ve had your eye on. Mine is a desert island gadget, right up there with my silicone spatula and cast iron skillet. How else would I know that an almond weighs exactly a gram?

Further Reading/Resources
VegWorld: How much does a cup weigh?
Homecooking.about.com: Food Equivalents and Substitutions
Epicurious: Common Measures and Equivalents

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