My measuring cup doesn't have a grams marker.

I wanted to get this out of the way before I started posting recipes and the inevitable frustration sets in for the home viewer that the measurements are in a different language and there are no subtitles. All of the recipes posted here are going to use metric measurements. I'm not doing this because I get a sick giggle out of frustrating homemakers and there snazzy William-Sonoma measuring cups or because I'm too lazy to convert my recipes, but because working in weights makes better food (ounces will work as well, but the math is trickier to do in your head). No professional baker or pastry chef you will ever come across uses measuring cups for the simple reason that they are less accurate and therefore less likely to turn out consistent and delicious food. If you are really interested in improving yourself as a cook, especially a pastry cook, one of the most valuable pieces of equipment you can buy is a scale. Nothing fancy is needed. A digital scale that reads in grams and ounces as cheap as you can find it will do you wonders. Where can you find such a marvel of modern technology? For sure at a pricey cookery store like Sur la Table, definately with a hefty S&H charge online, or most likely with a little searching at your local Walmart/Macy's/large department store with a home section. However, in the sprite of openess and understanding I am including below a list of some important conversions as well as some weight to volume conversions for commonly used ingredients. I do want to stress that these ARE NOT exact conversions. The only way to be truly accurate is to drop the cups and pony up for a scale. Done lecturing, hope these are helpful.

The Basics
Fluid cup = 8 ounces
1 pound = 16 ounces
2 cups = 1 pound (FOR WATER ONLY)
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 gram = 1 mililiter (FOR WATER ONLY)
1 kilogram = 1 liter (FOR WATER ONLY)
1 pound = 454 grams

Common Foods (All equal to 1 cup)
Butter: 225 grams
Cornstarch : 120 gram
Flour: 121 grams
Cornsyrup: 330 grams
Honey: 340 grams
Milk: 245 grams
Oil: 210 grams
Shortening: 191 grams
Sour Cream: 242 grams
Sugar: 200 grams
Water: 236 grams