These instructions only apply to professional indexers. Member indexers can choose to ignore these rules and index every ingredient if they choose. They may also choose to just omit some of them e.g. salt and pepper.
The table below provides a measurement/quantity guideline to help you decide when to list each store-cupboard ingredient, generally 1 cup for common liquids and dry ingredients. Comparable metric and Imperial measures are also provided. Note that all measures are approximations for the purpose of determining when to list store-cupboard ingredients and are not intended to be accurate conversions for cooking purposes.
Store-cupboard ingredients in the table refer to the specified "base" ingredient, not their sub-varieties, which should always be listed in Ingredients if called for in a recipe, e.g., unless in the title, don't list red wine, but do list Marsala wine, Chianti wine, dry red wine, etc.; don't list milk, but do list goat milk, soy milk, buttermilk, etc.
| NEVER INCLUDE (unless in recipe name or an unusually large quantity*) |
|---|
| salt (table, sea, or kosher) |
| pepper (ground black) |
| baking powder |
| baking soda/bicarbonate of soda |
| cream of tartar |
| cornstarch/cornflour |
| cooking spray (regular vegetable oil/unflavored spray) |
| water (except sparkling)/ice cubes |
| *Include if significant ingredient, e.g., 1/2 c. salt in salted/brined dishes, 1/2 c. cornstarch, etc. |
| INCLUDE ONLY IF MAIN INGREDIENT (appears in recipe name or exceeds rule-of-thumb quantity below) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredient | Cups/Other | Metric | Imperial |
| butter | 1 stick - 1/2 cup | 110 g | 8 Tbs - 4oz |
| vegetable shortening/vegetable fat | 1 cup | 225 g | 8 oz |
| milk | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| all-purpose/plain flour | 1 cup | 150 g | 5 oz |
| self-rising/self-raising flour | 1 cup | 150 g | 5 oz |
| granulated/white sugar | 1 cup | 200 g | 7 oz |
| brown sugar (unspecified) | 1 cup | 180 g | 6 oz |
| light-brown sugar/dark-brown sugar | 1 cup | 180 g | 6 oz |
| confectioner’s/powdered/icing sugar | 1 cup | 150 g | 5 oz |
| vanilla extract/essence | 15 ml | 1 Tbs - ½ oz | |
| olive oil | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| vegetable oil | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| canola oil | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| red wine vinegar | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| white wine vinegar | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| Dijon mustard | 1/4 cup | 60 g | 2 oz |
| red wine (basic/unspecified) | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| white wine (basic/unspecified) | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| stock/broth (beef/chicken/vegetable) | 1 cup | 250 ml | 9 fl oz |
| white onions (whole or chopped) | 1 onion - 1/2 cup | 75 g | 2 ½ oz |
| yellow onions (whole or chopped) | 1 onion - 1/2 cup | 75 g | 2 ½ oz |
| garlic (cloves or chopped/minced) | 4 cloves | 12 g | 4 tsp – ½ oz |
| lemons or lemon juice (fresh) | 1 lemon | 60 ml | 4 Tbs – 2 fl oz |