Cheese Measurement Conversions

When your recipe calls for grated cheese measured in cups or grams, but the supermarket only sells the cheese you need as a wedge labeled in pounds, it can be challenging to figure out exactly how much to buy. First, take a quick look at this simple conversion table:

• 1 pound = 16 ounces
• 1 pound = 453 grams
• 1 ounce = 28 grams

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Knowing these standards can help you when buying cheese that comes packaged in Europe or other countries using the metric system. Once you know those basics, there is a general guideline to make cooking with cheese easier. Before overbuying expensive cheese remember that:

• 1/4 pound cheese = 1 cup grated
• 1/3 pound cheese = 1 1/2 cups grated
• 1/2 pound cheese = 2 cups grated

This simple conversion chart works for most cheeses, including Blue cheese and Feta, which are normally crumbled, not grated or cubed.

Parmesan cheese, however, is slightly different. One pound of this cheese equals about 4 1/2 cups grated which makes 1/4 pound come out to about 1 1/4 cups grated. The same goes for cheeses of similar texture, like Pecorino.

Coarse Versus Finely Grating

If you are measuring by weight, remember that coarsely grated cheese is much heavier than finely grated cheese. In other words, 1 cup of coarsely grated cheese will contain less cheese than 1 cup of finely grated cheese. Most well-written recipes will specify what grating size is used.

No Need to be Exact

Don't worry too much about having the exact amount of cheese in recipes calling for cup (volume) measurements—a little more or less is not going to make much of a difference. If you only had 7 ounces of cheese, it probably wouldn't negatively affect the overall outcome of a recipe calling for 1 cup (8 ounces) of shredded cheese.

But when in doubt, always buy more than you think you'll need.

Grating Your Own Cheese

Although it seems obvious and convenient to grab a bag of shredded cheese at the supermarket, grating your own is not as difficult or time-consuming as you might think. Besides, it's likely that you're paying more for grated cheese compared to the whole wedge, and that the pre-packaged shredded cheese includes additives to keep it from clumping together and becoming moldy.

A little extra effort can save you money and additives in your food.

If you use a lot of cheese and prefer to grate your own, you should consider getting a good box grater for basic cheese shredding—1 cup of shredded cheese will take under two minutes. If you use the food processor, you'll have grated cheese in 10 seconds. In addition, a Microplane (most often used for zesting) makes quick work of fine grated Parmesan cheese.

For Best Results

There are a few tricks to making grating cheese even easier and with quicker cleanup:

• Use cold cheese. Room temperature cheese will stick to the shredder and your hands.
• If you are shredding a large block of cheese, cut it in half before starting so it doesn't break apart.
• Place the grater over waxed paper to make pouring the cheese into the measuring cup clean and simple.