Kitchen Hacks #2
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cooking versus baking…what's the difference? Technically cooking is a general term encompassing all manners of food preparation. But cooking is typically used to indicate a style that doesn't involve baking. Baking is a science that requires attention to detail and precisely measured ingredients that often have to be combined in a specific order. Recipes for baked goods frequently indicate weight in ounces (which required a small countertop scale) as well as volume (measured in your dry measuring cup). On the other hand, cooking allows on-the-fly modifications- it's much more forgiving to small variations.
Baking requires precise measurements- so you'll need a variety of dry and wet measuring utensils. If you're unfamiliar with baking, here is a quick summary of how to measure dry and wet ingredients.
What are dry measuring cups and how do I use them? These hold the exact amount of an ingredient (you fill these to the top). Either spoon the ingredients into the cup or scoop the cup into the container holding the ingredient (ie wide-mouthed containers). Fill to the top without packing, and level off the top (knife, the handle of a cooking utensil, chopstick, whatever you have). The only ingredient that gets packed is brown sugar- otherwise, unless the recipe specifically mentions packing, don't pack!
What are liquid measuring cups or beakers and how do I use them? These have graduated indicators to allow pouring an exact amount of liquid, and the top measurement is below the top of the cup (no spills when pouring).
Why can't I just use dry measuring cups for liquids? If you use a dry measuring cup for liquid, it will be very challenging to avoid spilling the ingredient when adding it to the recipe (remember, dry cups get filled to the top).
What can I measure with a measuring spoon? Fortunately, these can be used for both dry and wet (although if you have beakers with small measurements, you can also use those for measuring out liquids).
Warning about dry ingredients. If a dry ingredient is specified by weight (ounces), this cannot be converted to cups! 8 ounces of flour ≠ 8 fluid ounces of liquid, which is 1 cup of liquid. If you want a visual of the range of what 1 cup of dry ingredients can weigh, check out this extensive list.