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OT (sort of): Pepper weight......

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GenesGrill
GenesGrill Posts: 308
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I recently got a recipe from a restaurant for catfish batter but need some help in converting over to a correct (and smaller) ratio. The recipe is 1 gallon flour, 2 1/2 pounds pepper, and 1/2 cup salt. I have no earthly idea how much volume 2 1/2 pounds of pepper is.....maybe a pint or a quart? Thanks for any help...
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Comments

  • GenesGrill
    GenesGrill Posts: 308
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    RE: This recipe is for salt and pepper catfish and I nned to reduce it down...
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  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
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    A pint is a pound the world around. ;)
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  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
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    Holy cow that's a lot of pepper!! You sure they weren't pulling your leg?? :blink:
    This recipe calls for:
    128 oz flour (1 gallon)
    40 oz pepper (2.5 lbs)
    8 oz salt (.5 lb)

    Quick math for a smaller batch:
    16oz flour
    5 oz pepper
    1 oz salt

    even smaller: 4 oz flour (1/2 cup)
    1.25 oz pepper(2 Tablespoons + a little)
    .25 oz salt (less than a teaspoon)

    This recipe does not appear logical to me. I wish you the best trying to duplicate it. Simple ingredients, but I do believe they gave you incorrect ratios. :S
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    LC...I think there may be an error in your calculation.

    You use 128oz in a gallon (which is correct when measuring liquids), but does a gallon of flour weigh 128oz.?

    I don't know the answer, but does the fluid capacity equal the weight in ounces?
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  • GenesGrill
    GenesGrill Posts: 308
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    Actually, it is correct. It's a local dish in central North Carolina (salt and pepper catfish) with lots of pepper. The pepper "mellows out" some when cooked sort of like garlic does.......it's actually not real spicy as it sounds once cooked. Thanks for the figures!!
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  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
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    Fidel...I expected this post. :laugh: A simple mathmatical conversion was the quickest way to try to help somebody with a question. If you would like to convert volumes, weights, and variable factors such as packed flour or sifted, or flour that has been exposed to humidity versus straight out of the bag, or the other hundred or so variables we can imagine, knock yourself out. :laugh: :silly:
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    I just weighed 1/2 cup of black peppercorns. 2.35oz. No idea what GROUND pepper weighs. :)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
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    Hint...ground weighs a whole lot more!! :laugh: I think they were pulling his leg (not that restaurants EVER do that!! :whistle: )
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    I know. But there's NO WAY I'm gonna grind up a bunch just to I can weigh it. :P

    The only time I use pre-ground pepper is when I'm making my butt rub. Happen to be out at the moment.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
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    In my chemistry class; A pound of pepper, ground pepper and a pound of lead and a pound of feathers still weighed a pound, just the volume changes. did I miss something sleeping in class???
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    We weren't talking about a POUND of pepper. We were talking about 1/2 CUP of pepper. Peppercorns vs ground. :)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    I agree with you on the variables. My point is that a fluid ounce is not the same thing as an ounce of weight. One is a measure of volume while the other is a measure of mass.

    A volumetric ounce of lead doesn't weigh an ounce, nor does a volumetric ounce of goose down.

    A "cup" of flour can weigh as little as 3 ounces or as much as 6-7 ounces depending on the type of flour and whether it is sifted or firmly packed.

    I'm not trying to challenge your knowledge here, I just think that it is misleading to state that a volumetric 128 ounces can convert into 128 ounces in weight.
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  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
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    Rod,

    I just weighed 2 quarts of flour and it was 2 pounds and 5.5 ozs.

    So then if I had a gallon of the stuff (4 qts), it should weigh 4 lbs 11 ozs.

    So, no a gallon of flower isn't 128 ozs. thad be about 8 pounds :)

    good thing I was bored :pinch:
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  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
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    Fidel: I must concur, it is not proper to equate mass measurements and volume measurements as the same. I simply applied a mathematical approach to somebody’s question, to allow a place to start. I will defer all conversion questions to you in the future, so you can explain all variables involved so you can further confuse the issue. :laugh: The question sat unanswered for almost an hour and a quarter. I simply gave the decency of a reply to give the poster a place to start. The main point I tried to make to begin with, is I believe the recipe is flawed from the get go. We gotta get Stike back in here to get you some more entertainment. :blink: :whistle:
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  • Boilermaker Ben
    Boilermaker Ben Posts: 1,956
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    Do you think you could just tell by sight how much pepper is in it? Unless they're using white pepper, you should be able to see the pepper in the batter. Just start with flour and add pepper until it looks right. Fry up a piece, and if it doesn't taste right, add more pepper (or add less next time). It's just a batter, doesn't need to be exact. The fun thing about expermenting with recipes is getting to eat the results


    ...unless it becomes an experiment that will live in infamy. When my sister was a teen, she decided she was going to make dinner for everyone. She made a baked spaghetti recipe, that called for 1 1/4 teaspoons of pepper...she misread the 11/4 tsp, and added eleven teaspoons of pepper. When made correctly, it's actually quite good, but we still call it "pepper spaghetti".
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  • jeffinsgf
    jeffinsgf Posts: 1,259
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    That only works for liquids. If it floats in water, a pint of it won't weigh a pound.
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    So, this is just a seasoned flour that will be used for dredging (or in a paper sack for shaking) the fillets in before frying?

    The problem I've had with seasoned flours is that you need a pretty large amount of flour to start with, it must be seasoned pretty heavily because the flour really buffers the flavors, and there is always a lot that has to be thrown away.

    I tend to directly season the fish, let is sit a few minutes, then dredge in flour. This requires much less seasonings. I like a small amount of a cornmeal "fish fry" mix in the flour too.
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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