How much melon is "3/4 cup"? 1 melon? Half a melon? In the UK we don't measure things in cups and I need to know how much to buy

Sarah
  • Posted by: Sarah
  • June 5, 2014
  • 4936 views
  • 10 Comments
Purslane Salad
Recipe question for: Purslane Salad

10 Comments

Maedl June 6, 2014
I have always thought that a measurement like 3/4 cup melon is silly. Who on earth would measure like that?! Use your own judgment on the quantity--getting the precise amount is not critical to the recipe in a salad, so use what looks pleasing to the eye and tempting to the tastebuds.
 
linzarella June 6, 2014
Yes, I agree! At the time I wrote this recipe, I don't think I realized it was possible to upload a recipe without specifying an exact amount, but I just want to go on the record stating that it does not matter in the least how much melon you use.
 
Maedl June 6, 2014
I have always thought that a measurement like 3/4 cup melon is silly. Who on earth would measure like that?! Use your own judgment on the quantity--getting the precise amount is not critical to the recipe in a salad, so use what looks pleasing to the eye and tempting to the tastebuds.
 
bigpan June 5, 2014
This is like "how long is a piece of string"?
Melons, of course, come in different sizes, so cut some up...the amount you can hold in your two cupped hands is probably enough.
 
smslaw June 5, 2014
You need about a farthing's worth of melon. At least that's what I paid about a fortnight ago.
 
Susan W. June 5, 2014
You know, because it's all I've known, I tend to eyeball and estimate. For example, one half a large onion is about one cup. I do have a scale that has a grams setting, but I don't use it much. We Americans are quite inaccurate. :) I would buy a whole melon and eyeball the measurement and snack on the rest.
 
Susan W. June 5, 2014
That's a tough one because converting cup to grams depends on how you cut the melon. According to gourmetsleuth.com, one cup of cubed cantaloupe melon weighs 177 grams. So, 3/4 cup would be about 132 grams. Way less than 1/2 a melon unless it's teeny.
 
Sarah June 5, 2014
That's a really good point. But how do you work it out in the US? If a recipe like this calls for a cup amount of melon, how much melon would you buy? Or would you err on the side of caution, buy a big one and eat the rest?! :-)
 
linzarella June 5, 2014
Half a melon should be just fine. I could be more precise, but I'm in the US and I don't measure things by, well, whatever you measure them by there in the UK. But you could always google "3/4 cup = how many grams?" or whatever measurement it is you want to use.
 
Sarah June 5, 2014
Thanks! We'd usually measure things by weight (volume is only for liquids), but a melon is not something I'd ever buy by weight, so wanted an estimation in more "melon-y" terms...
 
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