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Baking is an art of precision. Changing ingredient proportions in a recipe can significantly alter the outcome. Imagine trying to bake a light, fluffy cake and ending up with something more like a dense bread loaf, or an overly sweet omelet. If you are not creating your own recipes but following the trusted ones, why should you even think of it? Because the way you measure ingredients is also critical. Have you ever followed a recipe for a moist cake only to end up with a dry one, and couldn’t figure out why? It could be due to a poorly written recipe or you simply measured the flour wrong.
Why should you stop using measuring cups?
All measuring cups are not the same
I know, using cups as a measuring unit is easy and simple, especially when you are used to that. But how do you know what kind of cup the recipe author used? What a cup means differs depending on the part of the world and even on the manufacturer.
While a metric 250 ml cup seems to be the most common, if you are following a Japanese or Korean recipe, a cup most likely means 200 ml. If you have an old British recipe, they usually use imperial cups, which are 284 ml. The US has two standards: 240 or 236 ml. How confused are you already? While a few milliliters might not be a big difference, the gap between 200 and 284 ml is quite significant!
To confuse you even more, let’s compare two different brands of measuring cups I happen to have in my kitchen. Cup no. 1 is labeled as 236 ml., while cup no. 2 doesn’t have an exact volume label, but its gradation suggests that it should hold a volume somewhere between 230 and 240 ml. So both of these cups are American standard, but even visually it’s quite obvious that they are different in volume.
It’s easy to verify the volumes using scales: 1 ml of water weighs 1 g. But before starting this test, let’s check if my scale is precise enough with a 200 g weight:
It’s perfect! So let’s fill the cup no. 1 with water and weigh it.
And surprise surprise, it’s ~250 g, which means 250 ml volume instead of 236 ml!
Now, let’s check the cup no. 2.
This one is actually ~214 ml. Does it even fit into any known standard?
So it does not matter which cup I would use to measure ingredients for my bakes, all my measurements are doomed to be off from the start.
You can measure differently with the very same cup
Let’s consider a scenario where a recipe specifies that a cup is equal to 240 ml. If you have a measuring cup that holds exactly 240 ml, you are all set, right? When measuring liquids, you are indeed fine. However, when it comes to dry ingredients, it’s a different story. Depending on how you fill the cup, you can end up with a different weight for the same volume, especially when it comes to flour. Whether you scoop and level off the heap with a knife or spatula, scoop and shake the cup to level, or fill the cup with a spoon and slightly pack the flour, the results can vary. You are not supposed to press and pack dry ingredients when measuring with cups, but sometimes you can do it accidentally.
Scooped and leveled with a spatula
Scooped and shaken to level
Filled with a spoon and leveled with a spatula
Filled with a spoon and shaken to level
To summarize everything said above: measuring cups are not exact measuring units, even if there is one mythical way to fill them with dry ingredients correctly. And there is one simple solution for this confusion – a kitchen scale.
Why should you use a kitchen scale to measure baking ingredients?
Weight units are precise
While a cup may not always be the same as another cup, a gram is consistently a gram. Ever wondered why professional bakers weigh everything? Because it’s simply a precise way of measuring ingredients!
Weighing ingredients significantly increases the possibility that you will be able to recreate the recipe I developed on the other side of the world. That your cake will be as tasty as my recipe intended it to be. Whether you’re in a different continent or hemisphere, 100 grams of flour, sugar, or milk will always weigh 100 grams.
Might the kitchen scale be off and show you the wrong weight? It certainly can. The good news is that you can usually calibrate the scale, but can you adjust the size of your cup?
Most classic recipe proportions are based on weight, not volume
If you have ever made chocolate ganache, most likely the recipe specified the proportions of chocolate and heavy cream, 1:1 for example. This means you should use 100 g of chocolate and 100 g of cream, but absolutely not a cup of cream and a cup of chocolate. The same applies to meringues and the proportion of egg whites and sugar. So with a kitchen scale, you are simply a lot better equipped to bake any recipe and alter the proportions of it.
Using kitchen scale is much more simple
This one might sound subjective, but hear me out. Instead of having ten measuring cups, you only need one kitchen scale and you can weigh all of the ingredients with it, from flour to liquids. Sometimes you can even weigh all recipe ingredients using only two bowls. Less stuff, less fuss, fewer cups to wash later.
The only complication with kitchen scale is that you need to have one.
How to choose a kitchen scale?
If I convinced you that you should get yourself a kitchen scale, here are a few things you should consider when choosing one.
Accuracy
You’re purchasing a kitchen scale to measure ingredients accurately, so it must be precise. How can you ensure that? Simply check if the model has a calibration function and comes with a calibration weight.
Capacity
Most kitchen scales can weigh up to 5 kg, which is sufficient for most home bakers. However, if you frequently bake large batches, you should consider getting a scale with a higher maximum capacity. Also, remember to factor in the weight of bowls and containers you will use to weigh your ingredients.
Size and Readability
You will place large mixing bowls on your scale, so the platform must be large enough to ensure accurate measurements. Additionally, the bowl should not block the screen displaying weight readings.
Ability to clean
Kitchen scales will get splashed with food products, you will have to clean them, so make sure you choose scales that can be cleaned easily. A removable platform is a good feature or the scale should at least be waterproof.
Price
I wouldn’t recommend opting for the cheapest model, but there’s no need to go for the fanciest one either. You can certainly find something that meets all your requirements at a reasonable price.
What about measuring spoons?
A spoon is also a volume-based measuring tool, just like a cup, and measuring spoons also vary widely. Should you stop using them too? The main difference is that spoons measure small amounts of ingredients, like spice or baking powder. If you are not perfectly precise with them, well… Nothing bad will happen. You might have more or less cinnamon taste in your cake, but it will not sink because of that. Also, weighing very small amounts with a kitchen scale can be complicated because not every scale can measure less than 5 g truly precisely. While you can still weigh baking powder, you will also be fine measuring it with a teaspoon. Just be sure to use a dedicated measuring spoon, not any teaspoon from your drawer, and remember that 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon means a full but leveled one, no heaps are allowed.
. . .
At this point, it should not be surprising that all my recipes are based on weight. Plus spoons for small amounts. I test recipes using grams and convert them to ounces later. If you are used to measuring with cups and are determined to continue doing so, this will not cause the end of the world and your cakes might still be ok. I also have a notebook full of old recipes where ingredients are measured by all sorts of strange units from cups to packs (!!!), and I somehow used to bake following them. But the difference between me then and me now is that nowadays me is a lot better baker.
