Basil Pesto: why 224 g per cup is wrong
King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart publishes 224 g (7.9 oz) per US cup of basil pesto. This site rejects that figure and publishes 248 g (8.7 oz) instead, from Classico Traditional Basil Pesto (producer label) (density 1.0482 g/mL, matching the composition of the substance). The reason:
0.947 g/mL is lighter than any jarred pesto can be. Pesto is oil carrying basil, cheese, nuts and salt; even the oiliest one USDA lists (Mezzetta, 50% fat) works out from its composition to about 1.01 g/mL, the refrigerated kind (38% fat) to about 1.05, and every label that weighs a quarter cup gives 60-63 g. Two tablespoons are one fluid ounce, and 28 g is one weight ounce: the fluid ounce read as a weight ounce, the same mistake as King Arthur's 227 g cup of water.
The arithmetic
| Source | 1 cup | Density | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart | 224 g7.9 oz | 0.9468 g/mL | Rejected on physics |
| Classico Traditional Basil Pesto (producer label) | 248 g8.7 oz | 1.0482 g/mL | Published here |
The published figure and its sources
The full sourcing for basil pesto, including every accepted and rejected figure, the state or filling method behind each, and the physics or standards reasoning applied, is on the ingredient page.
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