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Measuring accurately is probably the most important cooking skill in the kitchen.
Home Economists in test kitchens spend many hours testing recipes with varying measurements in a process called 'tolerance testing'.
A recipe must perform well even though the ingredient amounts are slightly changed; if it fails, it is not published.
Use this video and the information provided below to complete the worksheets provided in class.
Dry Measuring Cups
Dry Measuring Cups
Use for dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, butter, grated cheese, chopped vegetables, etc.
Level the top of the measure with a straight edge.
Common sizes of dry measures range from ¼ cup (60 mL) to 1 cup (250 mL)
Liquid/Wet Measure Cup
Liquid/Wet Measure Cup
Use for liquid ingredients such as milk, oil, juice, etc.
NEVER use with dry ingredients!
Check the measurement on a flat surface at eye level to verify the correct amount of ingredient.
Common sizes of liquid measures are 1 cup (250 mL, 2 cups (500 mL), and 4 cups (1000 mL)
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Spoons
Use for small amounts of liquid or dry ingredients, such as spices, herbs, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, etc.
Hold over a separate bowl when measuring to avoid excess amounts in your recipe.
Common sizes of measuring spoons range from
¼ teaspoon (1 mL) to 1 Tablespoon (15 mL)
Common Abbreviations:
tsp = teaspoon, t.
tbsp = tablespoon, T.
c = cup,
oz = ounce
L= litre
mL= millilitre
pt = pint
qt = quart
gal = gallon
lb = pound
g= gram
kg= kilogram
Measuring Common Ingredients
Click on the images below to learn how to correctly measure the most common ingredients.
Flour
Stir flour in the storage container or bag.
Using a large spoon, lightly spoon flour from the container into the measuring cup.
Do not shake the cup and do not pack the flour.
Using the back of a knife or flat blade spatula, level off the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup.
Don't use the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container. You can end up with 150% of the correct measurement if you do this!
Baking Powder & Soda
Stir in the container
Use the measuring spoon, lightly scoop out of the container
Use a knife to level off even with the top edge of the measuring spoon
Brown Sugar
This needs to be packed into the measuring cup.
The sugar should retain the shape of the cup when it is dropped into the other ingredients.
Shortening & Solid Fats
Butter and margarine have measuring amounts marked on the sides of the paper wrapping.
One quarter pound stick of butter or margarine equals 1/2 cup.
Liquid Ingredients
Liquids need to be measured at eye level.
Put the measuring cup on a flat surface.
Pour the liquid into the cup to the correct measuring mark.
Then bend over so you are on the same level with the measuring marks. The liquid should be right at the mark, not above or below.
Liquid Ingredients in Spoons
Make sure that you don't measure small amounts of liquid ingredients over the mixing bowl. It's just too easy to spill, and you don't want 2 teaspoons of almond extract when the recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon!
Chopped Ingredients
Pay close attention to whether or not an ingredient is to be chopped, diced or minced, and whether they are measured before chopping or after.
Then the foods are placed in the measuring cup so the top is level with the surface.
Eggs
Use a separate bowl to crack your eggs.
Crack the shell on the side of the bowl and then open the egg into the bowl
Make sure you do a visual inspection and take out any pieces of shell that may have gotten into your bowl.
Add your egg into your other ingredients as specified
WASH YOUR HANDS!
Watch this video to learn how to cleanly crack an egg.
REMEMBER!
When you bake cookies, cakes, breads, pie crusts,and candies, measuring accurately is really critical to the success of the recipe.
When you are cooking casseroles, soups, stir fries, and meats, you can vary amounts more and the end result will still be good.
CONVERSION FACTOR
The first thing you need to do is calculate your conversion factor, which is a number you're going to use to convert (change) ingredient amounts.
There's a tiny bit of math involved, but it's OK to use a calculator
To find your conversion factor, divide the desired number of servings by the original number of servings. The resulting number is your conversion factor. Here's the formula:
Desired servings / Original servings = conversion factor
For example, converting a recipe with 10-portions down to six portions involves two steps:
Divide 6 (desired servings) by 10 (original servings), which gives you a conversion factor of 0.6
Multiply each ingredient amount by 0.6
Example: 3 cups flour x 0.6 = 1 & 4/5 cups of flour
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