The Hidden iPhone Function That Makes Cooking Smarter

Reviewed by Dietitian Mandy Enright, M.S., RDN, RYT

Key Points

• The iPhone calculator has a conversion feature that can help with shopping and cooking.

• There is also a Math Notes feature in the calculator where you can write out conversion questions.

• The calculator has some limitations, like the inability to convert weight to volume or use fractions.

As a home cook, I've had to convert measurements countless times, both while shopping for ingredients and while cooking. I have a handful of facts stored away in my memory (for example, 8 liquid ounces makes up 1 cup), but I usually have to Google the conversion and then work it out in a calculator. Covered in flour, my sticky notes can be yet another mess I have to deal with, so I'm thrilled to learn there's a hidden feature on the iPhone calculator that I'd previously not been familiar with. Turns out, you can convert measurements right there in the calculator.

What to Know About the iPhone Calculator Conversion Feature

This feature can be used for multiple conversion needs, including currency, time and temperature. More importantly, for us home cooks, the iPhone calculator conversion feature can convert measurements for food, including energy, volume and weight options.

Sometimes a recipe calls for a measurement you may not be familiar with, such as grams. If you know you have a certain number of ounces of chocolate chips handy but the recipe calls for grams (and you don't have a food scale), you need to do a little math to make sure you're including the right amount. I also have some serious baker friends who only cook using weight measurements . Since most recipes aren't based on weight, they have to do conversions. If you're following a recipe that uses a different temperature scale than you're used to, such as Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, you need to convert that. Volume can be tricky, since dry ingredients and wet ingredients are slightly different. Also, if you're halving, doubling or otherwise dividing or multiplying a recipe, you'll need to do some conversions and, often, that might mean needing to use teaspoons instead of tablespoons or similar changes that you might not know off the top of your head.

How to Use the Calculator Conversion Feature on the iPhone

Fortunately, using the iPhone calculator conversion function is very simple. In the calculator app, tap the icon in the top right which looks like a calculator. Then choose "Convert" and input the two different units of measurement you're going to be using, such as grams to ounces. Next, put in your first known number. For example, maybe you have 10 grams and you need to know how much that is in ounces. Put in "10" for the grams and then see how many ounces are needed.

If you need to reverse your original calculation, choose the icon that looks like an arrow going up and an arrow going down. That will reverse the equation, which you may not need if you're looking for straight conversion.

Using the Math Notes Option

You can also convert measurements using the Math Notes option in the calculator. Again, in the calculator app, choose the calculator icon and then pick "Math Notes." Choose from previous notes or click the pen icon to start a new one. You can type in what you need to know, such as "10 grams in ounces" and then include the equal sign. You can also use the pen function and write the equation. If you write it out horizontally, like a sentence, include the equal sign and the equation will calculate. You can also write what you need vertically, like a math problem, and put a line under the equation to prompt it to calculate.

In Math Notes, anything that doesn't make sense to the operating system will be underlined in red. You can fix these by tapping the red dotted underlines and either rephrasing, so it's more clear, or correcting your error. If you've handwritten and a character is ambiguous, it'll be marked with a dotted blue line and you can fix it before recalculating. Math Notes uses standard order of operations, so review "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" as needed (that's parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction).

Pros and Cons of the iPhone Calculator Conversion Function

Overall, it's a helpful feature that you can use if you like, but there are some pros and cons of the converter function.

The Pros

• It's handy to have a converter available on your phone, which you're likely to have handy when cooking or shopping, anyway.

• You don't need to rely on memory or notes in the margins of recipes.

• You can use it for other conversions you may encounter in life, like temperature and currency, which is also helpful when traveling.

The Cons

• It will not let you convert weight, such as ounces, into cups, which is a unit of volume, which is something cooks often need to do.

• You cannot use fractions the way a recipe might. For example, you need to convert ½ cup to 0.5 cup before typing in your equation. Depending on your math, this can be quite annoying when working with smaller amounts. An eighth of a teaspoon is 0.125, which is clunky to have to type in and remember, and thirds go on indefinitely, which means you won't always have exact measurements.

• Having a paper conversion chart, a specific cooking converter app or your own memory may give you more options than the iPhone calculator.

Our Expert Take

It's very convenient that the iPhone calculator has a conversion function, and it can save you from certain errors when cooking or having to look up a conversion elsewhere, creating more steps in your process. However, it does come with some limitations. Since it can't convert weight to volume, it's not as useful as an app dedicated to cooking conversions. But you may still find the iPhone calculator conversion function helpful when you are on the go and need it to help with cooking, shopping or other scenarios, like temperature or currency.

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