Recent questions in Measuring & Scaling

by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 7 views

What is a scenario in baking where measuring by volume could lead to a failure but measuring by weight would likely succeed? (Think of something like delicate French macarons, or an angel food cake, where precision is critical.)

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

If a friend gave you a family recipe with all ingredients listed in grams and you only have measuring cups and spoons, what steps could you take to follow the recipe accurately without immediately buying a kitchen scale?

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

How would you measure out 100 grams of flour using only a measuring cup if you had no scale, and what technique or approximate conversion would you use to get as close as possible?

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by cookwithfem (602k points) in Weight vs. Volume asked Jun 11 7 views

On the other hand, what are ingredients or situations for which measuring by weight might be unnecessarily complicated or no better than volume (for example, measuring water for a soup, or a tablespoon of vinegar in a dressing), and why is volume perfectly fine in those cases?

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

What are some ingredients for which volume measurement is particularly unreliable due to piece size or air gaps (for instance, chopped nuts, whole strawberries, chocolate chunks), and why is weighing those ingredients a better option?

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

How does using your senses (like taste, sight, and touch) sometimes trump strict weight measurements in cooking, and can you give an example where being overly precise by weight might not actually yield a better result because of natural ingredient variability (for instance, the pungency of garlic cloves or the sweetness of fruit)?

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

If a recipe calls for 5 grams of black pepper, but another version calls for 1 teaspoon of black pepper, would using exactly 5 grams vs. 1 level teaspoon potentially taste different? How do factors like grind size and pepper freshness mean that even weight can’t fully guarantee identical flavor?

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

Why might one recipe call for “4 large onions, diced (about 6 cups)” in one country and another recipe call for “1 kg onions” for a similar dish, and what are the implications of each approach in terms of precision, waste (partial onions), and ease for the cook?

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

How much variation was found in an experiment between a finely diced and a roughly chopped volume of onions (both measured as, say, 6 cups) in terms of weight, and what does that tell you about the precision of volume measurements for irregular ingredients?

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

Why can volume measurements lead to a “false sense of precision” for certain ingredients like chopped vegetables or spices, according to some chefs, and how might blindly using weight in those cases also be misleading?

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

What are the pros and cons of weighing ingredients directly in your mixing bowl as you add them (using the tare function between additions) versus measuring them individually in cups or spoons and then combining?

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

How do you approach measuring ingredients for which there is no volume measure given at all (for example, a bread recipe that lists everything in grams)? What tools do you need, and how do you ensure you measure those weights correctly if you’re not used to it?

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

If a UK recipe calls for 1 liter of water and an American recipe calls for 4 cups of water, are these two quantities the same or different, and how can you verify the conversion to be sure you’re adding the right amount?

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

What are some useful conversion equivalents (such as 1 cup = 240 mL, 1 tablespoon = 15 mL, 1 ounce = 28.35 g, etc.) that help when you need to switch between volume and weight measurements in the kitchen?

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

Why is it important for a recipe to specify “fluid ounces” versus “ounces” when listing an ingredient, and what confusion can arise if a recipe simply says “8 oz of X” without indicating volume or weight?

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

How can a scale assist in measuring ingredients that are messy or sticky (like peanut butter, shortening, or golden syrup) more cleanly than using measuring cups, and what is the process for doing so?

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

What kinds of kitchen tasks become easier once you start measuring by weight? Can you give an example of a situation where weighing ingredients might save time or improve accuracy compared to measuring by volume?

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

How do differences in temperature (e.g., an ingredient being hot, cold, or melted) or form (packed vs. loose) affect volume measurements, and are weight measurements impacted by these factors in the same way?

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

Can you think of a scenario where measuring an ingredient by volume is actually more practical or just as accurate as measuring by weight? (Consider something like a tablespoon of honey or a cup of coarsely chopped vegetables, and the trade-offs involved.)

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

Why might a recipe developer choose to list a certain ingredient in grams (for example, 5 grams of yeast) instead of a teaspoon measurement, and what does this imply about the ingredient’s role or sensitivity in the recipe?

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