When you are a baker, you are a food scientist. Just like a scientist in a lab, we need to measure ingredients carefully and accurately. There are two kinds of measuring cups available: measuring cups for liquid ingredients such as water, and measuring cups for dry ingredients. It is important to use the correct measuring cup for the ingredient you are using. When measuring ingredients, do not measure over the mixing bowl. You could accidentally add unwanted, extra ingredients to your recipe.
Flour
- Stir the flour first. Flour can get “packed down” in the bag or canister.
- Using a spoon, fill the measuring cup with flour. Overfill the cup a little.
- Be sure you do not “pack” down the flour. You could have too much flour in your recipe if you do.
- Use the flat edge of a knife to scrape off the extra flour.
Liquids
- Place the liquid measuring cup on a flat counter or table.
- Fill to the mark for the amount of liquid you need. Bend down to check that the top of the liquid line is at the mark for the amount you need.
- Use measuring spoons to measure less than ¼ cup.
*Did you know? Cooks make more errors in measuring flour than any other ingredient. You can put as much as 50% more flour into a cup if it is packed rather than sifted or spooned.
