#drymeasure

           Many people we know cook, and many of those friends don’t measure. Instead, they prefer to cook by flavor. A pinch of this, a dash of that, a little more acid, a bit more wine, so on and so forth. This isn’t a bad technique—in our kitchen we make most of our salad dressings by taste alone. However, when it comes to baking, the rules are different. Baking is as much chemistry as it is art, and science requires exact measurement. For some, there’s a degree of rebellion when it comes to measurement that we don’t quite understand. The same people who ignore the assembly instructions from Ikea will say, “Measuring cups? Ha! I laugh in the face of measuring cups.”

            Then, with all manner of measurement cast aside and a high dose of confidence, they launch fill tilt into a recipe and wonder why it doesn’t come out right. We're here to set the record straight, and we need to have a moment of tough love:

If you’re just starting to cook, measuring is a requirement, not an option. Do you want to have good food? Measure, measure, measure.

Luckily good measuring technique is easy to master—easier than correcting a cookie dough gone rogue or a mutinous cake batter. Save yourself from the frustration! Good measures will become second nature.

Note:Teaspoons and tablespoons don’t count when it’s liquid vs. dry. They’re used for both.

It really is necessary to have both types of measuring cups. They’re designed specifically for the ingredients they measure. While technically one could measure a liquid in a dry measuring cup, it’s not recommended since you need to fill it to the top and it can easily slosh out of the cup, just as a dry ingredient can’t be leveled off in a liquid measuring cup. These slight inaccuracies, perhaps multiplied several times in a recipe, can greatly affect your final product.

            Dry Measures:

As their name implies, these are for dry ingredients—flour, sugar, dried fruit, etc. Follow these rules and you’ll be having greater success in your recipes across the board. Be sure to use the flat edge of a knife to scrape off the excess and make your measure level.

Flour: Do not scoop out the flour with the measuring cup itself. It compresses the flour and one ends up using too much. And too much flour=dry baked stuff=total bummer. Use a scoop or a large spoon to gently fill the measuring cup and you’ll have a more accurate measure. Also, resist the urge to tap the measuring cup on the counter to even it out—this also compresses the flour.

Shortening/Solid Fats/Peanut Butter/Mayonnaise/Sour Cream/Yogurt/Anything With This Consistency: Oddly enough, these are measured in a dry measuring cup. Liquid fats are not. Use a spatula and press your ingredient down into the cup to fill entirely—you don’t want any air pockets.

Brown Sugar: This is the only thing you are supposed to compress into a measuring cup. Pack it tight! There’s something very satisfying in having a brick of formed sugar come out—kind of like sand for a sand castle. Enjoy it.

Liquid Measures:

No exceptions to this rule. If it’s a liquid, it gets measured in a liquid measuring cup. Just make sure you get down to eye level with the measuring cup. No looking down from above—it distorts where the guide line really is and results in (you guessed it!) sad food times.