Pages 1072 and 1073 of Joy of Cooking

Credit: Michael Kraus

The tattered red ribbon bookmark is always tucked between these pages of my old copy of Joy of Cooking, seventh edition. That's where you'll find the Tables of Equivalents and Conversions, and they may just be the most useful two pages of culinary information ever put into print. The more I cook, the more I rely on them: for doubling recipes, converting metric measurements, switching from dry ingredients to wet ones—for almost anything that requires me to adapt, improvise, and invent in the kitchen. —Steven Horn, Beverly Hills, Michigan