Cooking: How To Measure Properly

If you ask any cook, professional or amateur, they will tell you that knowing how to measure dry and solid ingredients is probably the most essential skill you can bring to the kitchen.

Most cooks develop recipes by trail and error and “tolerance testing”. This process involves cooking the same dish over and over again until the measurements for the recipe are perfect.

Now you can’t fix a car without the right tools. Same goes for cooking. You must acquire certain measuring tools before you can even think of cooking those chicken wings or legs. Graduated measuring cups and measuring spoons are most important when quantifying dry ingredients. Liquid measuring cups, as the name says, are used to measure liquid ingredients like water or milk.

The following chart best describes what units of measurements these tools go by and their equivalents:

Now that you have the right equipment for the job, it’s time to measure some ingredients. The following Measurement Guide will shed light on how to determine the correct amount of common ingredients.

Sugar

This sweet ingredient is measured in a simple manner. Take the measuring spoon and scoop it into the bag or container so that it is overflowing. Then level off and remove the excess sugar by scraping it with the back of a knife.

Powdered Sugar

You measure this in exactly the same manner as with regular sugar. The only difference is that you must sift through the powdered sugar to remove all the lumps that are contained in the bag.

Brown Sugar

Unlike both powdered and regular sugar, this ingredient is not scooped up with a measuring spoon. It is actually packed into graduated measuring cups. When dropped with other ingredients, it should retain the shape of the cup.

Baking Soda and Powder

Same method of measuring as compared to sugar except the only difference is that you must vigorously stir the container that houses these ingredients so that they are not in clumps.

Flour

Just as with baking soda and powder, you must stir the container first to make sure the flour is not lumpy. Then, you take a tablespoon and scoop the contents to dump inside a measuring cup. Make sure when you dump the flour inside the measuring cup you do not shake or pack it. Level off the top edge of the measuring cup with the back of a blade or spatula. If you directly scoop the flour from the container with the measuring cup, you might receive double the amount of the correct measurement.

Shortening and Fats

Butter and margarine are measured by packing a measuring cup until there are no air spaces then leveling it off with back of spatula. I would recommend you cover the inside of the measuring cup with a non stick cooking spray so that it would be easier to clean afterwards. You can also use a displacement method to measure these ingredients. If you need a ½ cup of butter, then fill a liquid measuring cup with ½ cup of cold water first. Then add the butter until the all the contents reach 1 cup. Now just dump all of the water and you have ½ cup of butter left inside the liquid measuring cup.

Liquid Ingredients

Liquid ingredients are measured in a different manner; you have to be at eye level to measure them properly. Say you want a ½ cup of milk. Take out the liquid measuring cup and pour the milk inside the cup. Then, bend over so you are at eye level with the cup, to get an accurate measurement. Notice that all liquids in cups have a slight concave appearance. The lowest portion of the concave shape, called the meniscus, should be touching the ½ cup line.

Dry Ingredients in Spoons

Most, if not all, dry ingredients are measured in the exact same manner as sugar or baking soda. Just pick it up with the measuring spoon, then level off the excess with a straight edge. Just because the ingredients are in small doses does not mean you shouldn’t give them your full attention.

Chopped Ingredients

When you read a recipe, make sure you do exactly what it tells you. Pay attention and observe if you have to chop, dice, or mince the ingredients and whether or not you have to measure them at the beginning or after you have chopped them. Measure them by placing in a graduated measuring cup until it reaches the designated measuring line

Following this measurement guide will allow you to properly and accurately gauge the correct amounts of ingredients and develop a tasty dish for your guests, or yourself!!

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