Handy Kitchen Cheat Sheets

I decided to put together this collection of Handy Kitchen Cheat Sheets that I often refer to when making recipes. These charts are for reference only and your results may differ depending on several factors.

Jump to:

• 🌡️ Internal Cooking Temperatures
• 💭 Common Conversions
• 💭 Common Ingredient Substitution
• 🍝 Perfect Pasta
• ⏲️ General Slow Cooker Tips
• 💭 Food Storage Guidelines
• ♨️ Air Fryer Temp and Cook Times
• 🧈 How to Measure Butter
• 🍚 Rice to Water Chart

🌡️ Internal Cooking Temperatures

When cooking meat it's especially important to cook it to a safe internal temperature to reduce your risk of contracting foodborne illnesses and infections from potentially harmful bacteria. As always I strongly suggest you use a digital thermometer to check the temperature of the food you are cooking.

Food	Temperature
Ground Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160°F
Ground Turkey, Chicken	165°F
All Poultry (Breasts, Thighs, Legs, etc.)	165°F
Eggs	160°F
Fish and Shellfish	145°F
Hot Dogs	140°F
Pork Roasts, Loins and Chops	145°F
Leftovers and Casseroles	165°F

💭 Common Conversions

Cup	Fluid Oz	Tablespoon	Teaspoon	Milliliter
1 Cup	8 oz	16 Tbsp	48 tsp	237 ml
¾ Cup	6 oz	12 Tbsp	36 tsp	177 ml
⅔ Cup	5 ⅓ oz	10.6 Tbsp	32 tsp	158 ml
½ Cup	4 oz	8 Tbsp	24 tsp	118 ml
⅓ Cup	2 ⅔ oz	5.3 Tbsp	16 tsp	79 ml
¼ Cup	2 oz	4 Tbsp	12 tsp	59 ml
⅛ Cup	1 oz	2 Tbsp	6 tsp	30 ml
1/16 Cup	½ oz	1 Tbsp	3 tsp	15 ml

💭 Common Ingredient Substitution

Missing an ingredient to make a recipe and don't want to make a trip to your local grocery store? Check out some of these handy ingredient substitutions.

1 Cup Cake Flour	1 Cup All Purpose Flour minus 2 Tbsp
1 teaspoon Baking Powder	½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar + ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Honey	1 ¼ Cup Sugar + ¼ Cup Water
1 Cup Buttermilk	1 tablespoon Lemon Juice + enough milk to yield 1 Cup
1 Cup Tomato Sauce	⅓ Cup Tomato Paste + ½ cup Water
½ Cup Chopped Green Onions	½ Cup chopped Leeks or chopped Scallions
1 Cup Greek Yogurt	1 Cup Sour Cream
Goat Cheese	Cream Cheese or Mascarpone
1 Cup Beer	1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Cup Cottage Cheese	1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar	2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

🍝 Perfect Pasta

When making pasta, it's important to cook the pasta al dente to ensure to best texture possible. If you are not familiar with the term "al dente", it means cooking the pasta so it's still chewy and firm and that it will hold its shape when the sauce is added to it. This chart will give you approximate cook times based on the type of pasta you are using. When in doubt, always follow the directions on the package.

Angel Hair	1 - 2 minutes
Cannelloni	7 - 9 minutes
Fettuccine	6 - 8 minutes
Lasagna	10 - 12 minutes
Linguine	6 - 8 minutes
Macaroni	8 - 10 minutes
Manicotti	7 - 9 minutes
Pappardelle	6 - 8 minutes
Ravioli	7 - 9 minutes
Rigatoni	10 - 12 minutes
Rotelle	8 - 10 minutes
Rotini	8 - 10 minutes
Spaghetti	10 - 12 minutes
Tortellini	10 - 12 minutes
Vermicelli	4 - 6 minutes
Ziti	10 - 12 minutes

⏲️ General Slow Cooker Tips

Food	High	Low
Pot Roast	4 - 5 Hours	8 - 12 Hours
Stew	5 - 6 Hours	10 - 12 Hours
Ribs	5 - 6 Hours	8 - 9 Hours
Swiss Steak	5 - 6 Hours	10 - 12 Hours
Casserole	2 - 4 Hours	4 - 9 Hours
Rice	2 -3 Hours	5 - 9 Hours
Meatloaf	3 - 4 Hours	8 - 10 Hours
Chicken	3 - 4 Hours	7 - 10 Hours
Vegetables in liquid	1 - 3 Hours	2 - 4 Hours
Baked Potato	2 - 4 Hours	8 - 10 Hours

💭 Food Storage Guidelines

Listed in the chart below are some guidelines for keeping certain foods from spoiling in the refrigerator and freezer. It has been suggested that the ideal temperature for the refrigerator is 37°F but according to the USDA anything below 40°F is acceptable. The freezer temperature should be 0°F.

Food	Refrigerator	Freezer
Beef Steaks & Roast	3 - 4 days	6 - 12 months
Ground Beef	1 - 2 days	3 - 4 months
Veal	1 - 2 days	4 - 6 months
Pork Chops	2 - 3 days	4 - 6 months
Bacon	2 weeks	3 months
Chicken & Turkey	1 - 2 days	12 months
Fish	1 - 2 days	3 - 6 months
Hard-Boiled Eggs	5 days	n/a
Fresh Eggs in Shell	3 - 5 weeks	n/a
Cottage Cheese	1 week	2 weeks
Sour Cream	2 weeks	n/a
Yogurt	2 weeks	n/a
Butter & Margarine	2 - 4 weeks	9 months
Milk	8 - 20 days	n/a
Mustard	6 - 8 months	12 months
Mayonnaise	12 months	n/a
Bread	1 - 2 weeks	3 months

♨️ Air Fryer Temp and Cook Times

If you are lucky enough to own an Air Fryer, this chart contains the temperature and average cooking times for several popular foods. Your mileage will vary depending on the type of air fryer you have so when you are air frying meat or seafood, ALWAYS cook until you reach the minimum internal temperature. Always consult the user's manual when in doubt.

Food	Temperature	Time
Bacon	350°F	8 - 12 minutes
Burgers	350°F	8 - 19 minutes
Meatballs	400°F	7 - 10 minutes
Steak	400°F	7 - 10 minutes
Pork Chops	375°F	12 - 15 minutes
Chicken Breast	350°F	25 - 30 minutes
Chicken Thigh	400°F	25 minutes
Shrimp	375°F	8 minutes
Salmon	400°F	7 - 10 minutes
Grilled Cheese	350°F	8 - 9 minutes
Frozen French Fries	400°F	15 - 18 minutes

🧈 How to Measure Butter

Cups	Sticks	Tablespoons	Ounces	Grams
¼ Cup	½ Stick	4 Tbsp	2 oz	57 g
½ Cup	1 Stick	8 Tbsp	4 oz	113 g
1 Cup	2 Sticks	16 Tbsp	8 oz	227 g
1 ½ Cups	3 Sticks	24 Tbsp	12 oz	341 g
2 Cups	4 Sticks	32 Tbsp	16 oz	454 g

🍚 Rice to Water Chart

If you don't have a rice cooker or pressure cooker and have to make your ice the old-fashioned way in a pot, this chart should help you make perfect rice every time.

Type	Water to Rice Ratio	Cook Time	Yields
White Long Grain	2 Cups to 1 Cup	18 - 20 minutes	2 Cups
White Short Grain	1 ¼ Cups to 1 Cup	15 minutes	3 Cups
Brown Long Grain	1 ¾ Cups to 1 Cup	40 - 45 minutes	2 ½ Cups
Brown Short Grain	2 Cups to 1 Cup	50 minutes	3 Cups
Basmati	1 ½ Cups to 1 Cup	15 - 20 minutes	3 Cups
Jasmine	1 ¾ Cups to 1 Cup	15 - 20 minutes	3 Cups
Wild Rice	2 Cups to 1 Cup	45 - 50 minutes	2 ½ Cups
Quinoa	2 Cups to 1 Cup	15 minutes	3 ½ Cups

If you've ever wondered what kind of onion to use for a particular recipe check out my article on Choosing the Right Onion.