Editorial policy
Editorial Policy
Our numbers come from published sources, our method is stated on every page, and our mistakes get fixed — not defended.
Sources
Density figures — grams per cup, per tablespoon and per teaspoon — come from two published sources: the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central. Every tool and guide that uses a density figure names one of these sources. We do not invent densities: if an ingredient is not in our table, the tool says so instead of guessing.
Conversion factors that are exact by definition — 1 oz = 28.35 g, 1 lb = 453.59 g, 16 tablespoons = 1 cup, 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon, 1 US cup = 236.6 ml — need no source beyond the definition itself. Substitution ratios, scaling rules and pan-size volumes come from standard baking practice as documented in published baking references, and each guide explains the reasoning, not just the number.
Method: spooned and levelled
Unless a page says otherwise, every dry-ingredient weight on this site is measured spooned and levelled: the ingredient is spooned into the cup and levelled off with a straight edge, never scooped and never packed — except brown sugar, which is packed by convention, and liquids, which are poured. This matters because the most disputed number in baking — the weight of a cup of flour — is really an argument about method: 120 g spooned and levelled (King Arthur), up to 142 g scooped. We state the method so the number can be checked.
Approximation, stated honestly
Every density-based result on CookScale is labelled approximate, on the tool page, on the article page, and in the Disclaimer. Real ingredients vary with brand, humidity, storage and how a cup is filled, and no honest site can promise an exact weight for a cup of flour. When the bake matters, we tell readers to verify with a kitchen scale.
How guides are written
Each guide is written to answer the real questions a cook asks about one topic — not to pad a page with keywords. Guides are 1,200+ words, structured around the conversion or substitution itself, with the numbers, the method, the edge cases and the cases where the swap does not work. Template pages with swapped-out numbers are not acceptable: if two guides would say the same thing, they are one guide.
Corrections
If a number on any page is wrong, we want to know. Corrections sent to the Contact page are checked against the published sources, and if the correction is right, the page is fixed. We do not silently rewrite history: significant corrections are noted on the page itself. We would rather fix a page than defend it.
Commercial independence
CookScale currently contains no affiliate links and no advertising (see the Affiliate Disclosure). If either is added in future, it will be clearly labelled, and it will never affect our numbers: density figures, ratios and advice come from the published sources and from tested practice, not from any retailer or advertiser.
What we will never do
- Present an estimate as an exact measurement.
- Invent a density, a ratio or a volume we cannot source.
- Recommend a substitution without saying what changes — or that it is unsafe for an allergy without telling readers to check labels.
- Publish a guide that is a thin rewrite of another page on this site.