Guest wrote:Hello -
We run a bakery in the UK, making traditional american bakery goods ...
so we do lots of converting!
I have noticed that there is considerable variation from one expert to another as to exactly how to convert between volume and mass for various ingredients. A 'standard mass' of a cup of sugar, or flour, or baking powder does not seem to exist...
Does anyone know if there are any standard measures?
I doubt there could be some standard mass for a particular volume of a cooking ingredient. The conversion from volume to mass depend on the density of the ingredient, that can differ very much.
The density is influenced not only by the structure of the substance (the size of the fractions, the flavor, etc.), but also on its conditions (in particular its humidity).
That's why any mass/volume conversions can only give average approximate results. Actual mass of a particular cup of sugar may vary.