Before you run to your garbage and start chucking out all of your measuring cups, hear me out.
Measuring cups are not all it’s cracked up to be.
In fact, it could be the reason your bakes continue to flop, without you even knowing it.
Let’s take a deep dive into using measuring cups for baking and how to measure dry ingredients using a kitchen scale instead.
Using a kitchen scale for baking is more accurate
Have you ever baked the same exact recipe with very different results?
I sure have!
While not all recipes are as sensitive as others, it is very possible to have a big whopping flop after just baking a beautiful masterpiece with the same exact ingredients!
In most cases, it is because you measured the ingredients wrong!
Did you know that if you measured a cup of flour ten times you would most likely have ten different weights in grams?
This is because all manufacturers or even the same manufacturers with different styled cups all have a slightly different capacity size inside of the cups.
Isn’t that crazy?!
You may be thinking a cup is a cup, but no, my friend.
Those few extra grams of flour may be the very reason why your cookies are dry or why your bread is as hard as a brick. Yeowsers!
Instead, I would like to offer that using a kitchen scale.
When you use a digital scale for baking you know that 100 grams of flour is 100 grams of flour. There is no wiggle room. It simply is what it is.
Measuring baking ingredients by weight is quicker
Do you know the proper way to measure dry ingredients, like flour, is to scoop the flour into a measuring cup and then use the flat side of a knife or other flat tool to level off the top of the cup?
It usually takes me about 4-5 big scoops of flour to fill up a 1 cup measuring cup. Then, I have to level it off before transferring the flour to my mixing bowl. Now, say I need to use 4 cups of flour to bake some bread.
You can see how that will start to add some time to my baking process.
If I use a kitchen scale to measure by weight, all I need to do is pour the flour into a bowl until it reaches the correct weight, and then transfer the flour to my mixing bowl. See?! Easy peasy!
While I love baking, I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen if I don’t have to. If I have the weight of the ingredients listed in the recipe I will always choose to weigh the ingredients rather than measure everything out with measuring cups.
How do you measure sticky ingredients?
Have you measured out sticky ingredients like honey or molasses, just to have half of the honey stick on the bottom and sides of the cup?
Then, you have to use a small spatula (if you even have one) to dig out the honey from the cup. What a pain!
There are two things you can do to avoid this sticky disaster.
The first thing you can do is spray your measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray and the honey will slide right out when you tip the measuring cup upside-down.
But, an even easier step to avoid this sticky mess is to measure the honey by weight directly into the mixing bowl.
Seriously, it can’t get any easier than this!
A bakers scale cuts down on dishes!
If you are anything like me, you hate washing dishes, I hate dishes so much I will often adjust the recipe so that I can measure things to avoid dirtying the cup with a wet ingredient before a dry ingredient so I don’t have to wash it in between.
I also have a couple of sets of measuring cups and spoons so that I don’t have to interrupt what I am doing to wash the cups or spoons.
But, if I were to use my, digital kitchen scale for baking, I would be able to cut out all of those dishes!
It’s so nice to only have to wash the mixing bowl, spatula, and pan.
I mean, now I can go watch the Bachelor or binge-watch old episodes of Friends. Doesn’t that sound infinitely better than washing dishes?!
Conclusion
Okay, so maybe measuring baking ingredients isn’t what you thought it would be.
Now that you know what to use instead, you’re golden! Just follow my tips above and you’ll be just fine.
If you liked this post, you’ll love the Total Beginner’s Guide to Baking.
In the Total Beginner’s Guide to Baking, I break down all the things that you should know to be a better baker.
After reading through the Total Beginner’s Guide to Baking you will know how to accurately measure any ingredient (I break it down into detail for you!)
There’s also an article with tips on how to read through recipes. The guide really sets you on the right foot before you even start baking anything.
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