Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [measurements]

Determining the quantity of an ingredient needed for a recipe. Particularly useful for understanding obscure terminology, converting between different standards, or interpreting historical recipes.

171 questions
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How do I get something sticky like honey or Golden Syrup off measuring spoons or measuring cups? Is there a better way?

When I put honey in a spoon or measuring cup, the residue stays and it’s hard to get all of it out. How do I make it all come out? Is there a way to measure honey without leaving honey on a spoon?
ushna saeed
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How much juice is in a lemon?

A lot of recipes call for the "juice of a lemon". I keep a bottle of lemon juice in the fridge as this is easier, cheaper and more convenient than buying lemons all the time but my problem is I never know how much juice should come out of a lemon.…
Bluebelle
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Why are baking measurements such nice round numbers?

I've heard over and over that when it comes to baking, measurements cannot be ignored, and you need to be very precise. This question covers how precise a measurement of flour should be, for example. But if getting your baking just right requires…
Tesserex
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What to look for in a kitchen scale

I'm thinking of buying a modern, probably electronic kitchen scale, to replace my really ancient mechanical one. I'm located in Bombay, India. I'm wondering what considerations should inform my decision. Possible points include: Should the scale be…
Faheem Mitha
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13 answers

What's the size of the plastic cup that came with my rice cooker?

I have a cheap-o rice cooker that works fine for me. It came with a plastic cup to measure 1, 2 or 3 "plastic cup" units of rice. Water is added to match the '1', '2' or '3' mark in the cooker bowl. It was great until the cup vanished. Now how…
DarenW
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Which measuring scale should I buy?

I am trying to buy a measuring scale so that I can stop using cups and start measuring by weight. I’m personally not sure which to buy. Here are two options: Can some experienced bakers out there tell me which would be more convenient (in terms of…
Alpha
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Is a "cup" on a coffee maker always 6 oz? Is this a standard in the US?

Our coffee maker instructions often refer to a "cup" of coffee. These cups are whats marked on the side of the coffee maker showing how much water is in the reservoir. The instructions never define what a "cup" actually equates to. It appears to…
Doug T.
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How do I convert between the various measurements?

I found a recipe that's using one or more measurements that I don't recognize. How can I convert it to a unit that I use locally? Alternative question template: (to improve searchability): How can I convert an Imperial weight or volume measurement…
forefinger
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Why are foods often packaged in weird measurements?

Whilst shopping I have noticed quite a number of products having very weird measurements. for example my jar of peanut butter is 127g, but I can't spot a pattern here. Is this just a random part of production, or is there some reasoning behind this?
Terry
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Cups v. weighing scales - is there an historical explanation?

Broadly speaking UK recipes will specify amounts by weight (lbs/ounces or metric), whereas American recipes will specify amounts by volume (cups). Is there an explanation for how the two different approaches arose in the first place? I'm not talking…
Tea Drinker
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How much is a knob of butter?

I was reading a question here on Food and Cooking and no one seemed to know how much it is. I tried to Google convert it to cups but no dice. So how much is it?
QueueHammer
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How much yeast is in a "package"?

Our Better Homes and Gardens cookbook calls for "1 package active dry yeast" in its pizza recipe, which is less than helpful, since we keep a container of bulk yeast in the freezer. What is the standard volume (e.g. in teaspoons) of yeast in a…
Edward Brey
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What job is the fat doing when I prepare bread dough, and what to expect if I use the wrong amount?

I've been baking bread for years and no longer really measure the ingredients. But I'm no expert on the science of what I'm doing. I add fat (lard) because I've always added fat. What job does the fat do? And if I have long been using too little or…
Tea Drinker
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Do I need to sift flour that is labeled sifted?

Is there really an advantage to sifting flour that I bought that was labeled 'sifted'?
cgp
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Recipe calls for a heaping teaspoon of a liquid ingredient

I'm looking at a recipe for chickpeas (garbanzo beans) roasted in a spice mix, which looks yummy, but I'm confused by some items in the ingredients list. I'm happy with this: 1 heaping teaspoon curry powder I simply take my 5ml measuring spoon,…
AakashM
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