Category
Dairy
Dairy products (milk, cream, yogurt, cheese) have different fat and water percentages. Volume hides these differences; weight keeps sauces, batters, and doughs consistent.
Source: USDA FDC - dairy search
Mascarpone cheese mascarpone Milk powder (nonfat dry) milk powder Milk, 2% milk 2 percent Milk, Buttermilk, Dried milk buttermilk dried Milk, Buttermilk, Fluid, Cultured, Lowfat milk buttermilk fluid cultured lowfat Milk, Canned, Condensed, Sweetened milk canned condensed sweetened Milk, skim milk skim Monterey Jack cheese, shredded cheese monterey jack shredded Mozzarella cheese, shredded cheese mozzarella shredded
Page 1 of 1
Cluster composition
This category covers 57 ingredients. The dominant attribute clusters are dairy variants (fat-driven density) and chopped or sliced produce. 2 ingredients sit in a different cluster and behave outside the typical pattern.
- dairy variants (fat-driven density) — 44 ingredients
- chopped or sliced produce — 11 ingredients
- dry_powder — 2 ingredients
Notable exceptions
FAQ
Does fat percentage matter? Yes. A cup of heavy cream is heavier than milk; swapping without weight alters richness and texture.
Primer
These category tables convert volume to mass using ingredient-specific densities. Use weight for precision; volume varies with packing, cut, and temperature.
Methodology
- Density references are summarized from U.S. government sources (USDA FoodData Central, USDA FNDDS) and lab-standard data when available.
- Conversions keep higher-precision intermediates and round to practical kitchen values.
- Default volume is the US cup unless a page explicitly uses metric or UK standards.
Unit standards
- Mass: grams (g).
- Volume: mL, US cup, tbsp, tsp.
- Assumed temperature: room temperature unless stated otherwise.
Examples and edge cases
- Whole vs. skim milk differ in solids and density (USDA FDC).
- Yogurt varies by fat and straining level (USDA FDC).
- Cheese type and moisture change grams per cup (USDA FDC).
Last updated: 2026-08-31