Recent questions in Measuring & Scaling

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 4 views

Summarize the key differences and benefits of measuring ingredients by weight rather than by volume that you would emphasize to convince a fellow home cook to make the switch, especially for improved consistency and success in recipes.

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 3 views

In terms of cleanup after cooking, how can measuring by weight reduce the number of measuring utensils you need to wash, and can you give an example (like making a cake batter by adding ingredients one by one to a bowl on a scale)?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

If you accidentally added too much of an ingredient because you mis-read a volume measure (for example, you added 1 cup when the recipe said 1/2 cup), how might using a scale with a clear digital readout and tare function have prevented that mistake?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

How can understanding both weight and volume measurements make you a more adaptable cook, especially when it comes to reading different cookbooks or recipes from around the world that may use different measuring systems?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

What considerations are there when measuring non-homogeneous ingredients by volume, such as “1 cup of mixed berries” or “1 cup of sliced mushrooms,” and how does giving a weight for those help provide clarity?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 4 views

Describe how you would measure a solid ingredient like chocolate chips by volume and by weight, and which method would guarantee you have the exact amount the recipe intends (consider the varying shape of chips and air gaps when measuring by volume).

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

Why might some people feel that measuring by weight is “slower” or “more work” than measuring by volume, and what tips could help make using a scale more convenient and speedy during meal prep?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 4 views

If a recipe calls for 2 cups of an ingredient sifted and you decide to weigh it instead, what steps should you follow to ensure that the weight you use corresponds to the intended sifted volume and not a packed volume?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

How do measurement errors compound in a complex recipe with many ingredients if you’re using volume measures (for instance, being a little off for each of 10 ingredients), and why does weighing each ingredient minimize this cumulative error?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

What is one example of a recipe where ingredients are measured by weight, but the cooking vessel or method imposes a volume-related constraint (for instance, brewing coffee or beer, where you weigh ingredients but also need a certain volume of water)? How do both weight and volume considerations come into play in such a scenario?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 2 views

Why might a volumetric measurement be more intuitive for some home cooks (for instance, “a cup of rice” looks like a familiar quantity) while a weight measurement is more intuitive for others (“200 g of rice”), and how can someone get comfortable with the method they’re less used to?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

What measuring pitfalls should you be aware of if you decide to use measuring cups to portion out ingredients for a recipe that was written in weights (for example, a British recipe in grams), and how can you minimize errors in such cases?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 4 views

When adapting a recipe for a significantly different yield, why is it safer to convert volume measurements to weight and scale those, rather than scaling volume measurements directly (consider the compounding error of slight inaccuracies)?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 4 views

If you have a recipe given in baker’s percentages (flour = 100%, water = 65%, etc.), how do you use those percentages to calculate actual ingredient weights for a chosen amount of flour? For example, if you want to use 500 grams of flour at 100%, how much water is 65% of that by weight?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

What is the reason that a recipe might instruct to measure certain liquids by weight in baking (like eggs or water in a bread recipe) in order to maintain a precise ratio, and how is this related to the concept of baker’s percentages?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 6 views

How do you account for ingredients that absorb liquid when measuring? For instance, if you measured 1 cup of flour and then mixed it with water and it swelled, does that change the measurement?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

Explain why measuring 1 cup of table salt will result in a different weight than 1 cup of kosher salt, and how using a weight measurement (say, 300 grams of salt) avoids this discrepancy when following a recipe.

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

What is a scenario in candy making or brewing where measuring by weight (even for liquids) is critical, and what can go wrong if volume measurements are used instead (consider things like sugar concentration or carbonation)?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 6 views

How do you measure ingredients that come in pieces (like “1 cup of whole strawberries” or “1 cup of walnut halves”) by weight, and what are the benefits of specifying those by weight in recipes?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 5 views

Can you think of an ingredient that is commonly measured by count (like “3 eggs” or “2 cloves of garlic”) and discuss how you might translate that into weight if needed for a scaled recipe or for more precision?

0 like 0 dislike

1 answer

Recent questions in Measuring & Scaling

Categories