Measuring in US cups when baking

[fiamma]

Sorry, this is just to satisfy a curiosity of mine. I am from the UK and have always had problems with the US system of measuring in cups. Especially with the Internet now, when many recipes featured use cups rather than the UK system of weighing everything. Now with a little patience I have got my head around measuring flour, sugar and liquids like water, soya milk or stock. But how do you measure something which is neither dry or completely liquid, like peanut butter or margarine?

[Mr Flibble]

Stuff it in. Stupid system isn't it?

[fiamma]

It is stupid. Especially as you then have to scrape it all out again

[absentmindedfan]

I have some US measuring cups and I find it simpler. This is mostly because they're steel and can go in the dishwasher, but my Mum's ancient scales are a pain in the butt to wash-up

[fiamma]

I have these digital scales that you can put anything on top to hold your ingredients (plate, bowl etc.) then you press a button to zero it, so it's a breeze to weigh things. I guess it's just whatever system you're used to; I just find it odd to have to squash peanut butter into a cup to get the right quantity

[moonshadow]

pack it in and scrape it out. it's how we were taught in cooking class back in california.

i have to say that i do prefer weighing ingredients!!! especially things like flour.

i have american and british cookbooks and american measuring cups and measuring spoons and british scales and measuring spoons.

i would love to have a digital scale!!!!

i keep thinking that i'll measure common things like flour and margarine and peanut butter and then weigh them... i really should.

[Tigerlily]

I I just find it odd to have to squash peanut butter into a cup to get the right quantity

Hehehe, and I find it odd to spoon it out on a scale.

[fiamma]

i would love to have a digital scale!!!!

They're not too expensive, if I recall. If you love baking, it might be worth the investment.

i keep thinking that i'll measure common things like flour and margarine and peanut butter and then weigh them... i really should.

Yeah, me too. Just another one of those things I never quite seem to get around to doing...

[Simon]

I was wondering about this the other day. I have a american cook book that says to use a cup of broccoli in a recipe. Now I really don't get that. Do I have to chop the broccoli up first so I can cram it in the cup or just ram a sprig of broccoli in there. It's madness I tell you!

[Cherry]

Absolutely

[Limey]

I was wondering about this the other day. I have a american cook book that says to use a cup of broccoli in a recipe. Now I really don't get that. Do I have to chop the broccoli up first so I can cram it in the cup or just ram a sprig of broccoli in there. It's madness I tell you!

I wonder the same thing and I'm American. I never know what they mean!
Also, it is ridiculous to pack something in, only to scrape it back out. We do have these special measuring cups, though, specifically for that sort of thing. You pack the stuff in and then push the bottom up so it comes falling out. Sort of.

[Klutz]

For things like that, I estimate. I don't like to get my cups all gooey if I don't have to and generally all I need to to is take a big glob of whatever out and eye it and the cup and I can make a very good guess if I should get more glob or put some back.

[Wildflower]

If you put some oil in your measuring cups, things like syrup and peanutbutter come out a little easier.

Also, like for margarine, it tells you that 1/2 the tub = 1 cup, etc.

Like a jar of peanutbutter, that is probably 2 cups or 1 3/4 cups. You can tell by looking on the packaging, as those are measured in cups as well.

I have to say, I think it is weird to measure allthough it must be more accurate. How do you cook when camping? You can't bring a scale with?

You don't measure it all on a scale, right? you use measuring spoons for liquids surely!

[fiamma]

I have to say, I think it is weird to measure allthough it must be more accurate. How do you cook when camping? You can't bring a scale with?

You don't measure it all on a scale, right? you use measuring spoons for liquids surely!

Good tips there Wildflower. Though I don't generally make peanut butter cookies when I go camping When I camp (rarely) anything I make I go by guesswork, i never make things where precise measures are crucial.

[Mr Flibble]

How do you cook when camping? You can't bring a scale with?

There's plenty of small digital scales available. I have a cute little one like this that cost about £40 to buy but has been used practically every day for the past 4 years.

It is possible to get scales where you select sugar, flour etc and then can weigh in cups, but I couldn't find any that look shiny enough when I was buying mine

[tofufish]

You can tell by looking on the packaging, as those are measured in cups as well.

I've never found that... in the UK it is just measured in grams/kilos.

I have to say, I think it is weird to measure allthough it must be more accurate.

You don't measure it all on a scale, right? you use measuring spoons for liquids surely!

It is more accurate, my mum always says how the American method of using cups "Is a bit hit and miss". Yeah, I use measuring spoons. Larger amounts of liquids in a measuring jug, and scales for flour and sugar and stuff.

Apparently, as long as you use the same size cup, it doesn't matter what cup you use. Is that right? Only problem with that is when you have a recipe that has a certain amount of... baking powder for instance, that obviously goes with the NORMAL cup measurement, so if you used a tiddly cup it would have way too much baking powder. Savvy?

[fiamma]

Apparently, as long as you use the same size cup, it doesn't matter what cup you use. Is that right?

If all the ingredients in the recipe are expressed in cups then, yes, you're right. Like for a dressing - 2 cups balsamic vinegar and 1 cup olive oil is like 2 parts balsamic vinegar to one part oil. It's easy to change or halve/double quantities too. The problem, as you say, is when they start adding teaspoons and things... I'll stick to my scales when I can! The site "allrecipes" has a handy little converter where you can convert the US measurements to metric. Although its starting measurements are obviously American, so some of the metric equivalents get very weird... 2g of basil instead of a teaspoon, and things like that...

[Wildflower]

I've never found that... in the UK it is just measured in grams/kilos.

Oh, sorry, i meant here in the US. So, when you look at the label and see that a jar of peanutbutter is 2 cups, and your recipe needs one, you just use half the jar therefore eliminating the need to measure at all via cup or scale.

[Wildflower]

There's plenty of small digital scales available. I have a cute little one like this that cost about £40 to buy but has been used practically every day for the past 4 years.

It is possible to get scales where you select sugar, flour etc and then can weigh in cups, but I couldn't find any that look shiny enough when I was buying mine

Wow that scale is pretty!