How to Measure Ingredients

This how-to post is for all those cooks just starting out in the kitchen.  What may seem old hat or common sense to an experienced cook, can be bewildering and lead to unhappy results for a new cook.

Flour – Without an actual sifting tool,  stir flour in it’s container with a spoon or whisk. Carefully scoop sifted flour out with a large spoon and shake it into the measuring cup. Pile the flour high in the cup and level off carefully with a straight edge. Allow extra flour to fall back into flour container.  With a sifter: have a flexible cutting board or wax paper to catch overflowing flour on container.  Fill sifter with flour, then sift into measuring cup.  Use straight edge to level off the top of the cup.  Using a sifter is truly the best way to measure the right amount of flour.

Measure liquids in glass measuring cups. The 1 cup mark is below the rim. Have your eyes even with the mark on the cup when you are measuring.

Measure dry ingredients in metal or plastic cups that come in a set of 1 cup, ½ cup, 1/3 cup and ¼ cup. Use standard measuring spoons, not the ones you use for meals. Make sure your teaspoon or tablespoon measurements of dry ingredients are right by leveling the spoonful off with the straight edge of a knife.

Measure Powdered sugar the same way you measure flour. Sift or stir powder FIRST!

Measure Brown sugar by filling cup, then pack down hard with your spoon. Add more sugar and push down till the cup is full. Level with knife. When you empty the brown sugar out, it keeps the shape of the cup.

Other dry ingredients are measured by filling and leveling off with a knife.

Shortening is packed in the cup a little at a time. Press out the air. Level off with the straight edge of a knife. Scrape it all out of the cup with a rubber scraper.

If you're just learning to cook and have questions, don't hesitate to speak up.  Home cooks are the happiest folks you could ask to help you along.