3 ms·

For recipes, I prefer to use approximate round figures when talking in terms of metric and American customary. So, 1 fl oz is 30 ml, a pound of flour is 450 g,

by ibejoeb 11mo ago

For recipes, I prefer to use approximate round figures when talking in terms of metric and American customary. So, 1 fl oz is 30 ml, a pound of flour is 450 g, etc. These are much easier to measure, scale, and remember. There are very few contexts where minute differences matter, and I don't think you're going to find a material crossover figure between those that want recipe help and those that are working on the kind of stuff where it matters.

chrysoprace 11mo ago
That works for some recipes, but for bread precise is better. I'm astonished when I read bread recipes that casually ask for 2 cups of flour (which could be wildly different amounts).
- bigstrat2003 11mo ago
  You don't need to get that precise to make bread. I've made bread successfully all the time with volume measurements, it's not like the recipes are that finicky.
  - mlyle 11mo ago
    You can be wildly off in baking and produce an edible, enjoyable product. Especially if you have a sense of how to adjust the consistency of what you're mixing and can adjust baking times. But-- if you use weight measurements and attend to precision, you'll have to adjust a lot less and you'll come much closer to the best possible output.
  - chrysoprace 11mo ago
    It's not that you can't, it's just that it's harder to get consistent results. Switching to weight measurements is the first advice I give to any friends who are struggling with making bread.
- valleyer 11mo ago
  Looking through your comments, your spelling indicates you might be from a Commonwealth country, which means you might not be familiar with the fact that a "cup" is a standardized measurement in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)#Customary_cup https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)#Customary_cup
  - zahlman 11mo ago
    Sure, but in practice people don't use measuring cups all that precisely a lot of the time. Specifying a weight forces people to bust out the scale and pay attention.
  - chrysoprace 11mo ago
    Yes but it's a measure of _volume_, whereas flour is best measured by _weight_. Any volume measurement of flour can vary wildly depending on many factors, such as how densely packed it is. King Arthur Flour have a short video[0] demonstrating the wildly different weight measurements from measuring a "cup" (the same cup size across samples). Measuring liquids by volume is totally fine because you generally won't get a large difference between two different cups of water (although I still generally measure that by weight as a personal preference). [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU
    - parliament32 11mo ago
      Absolutely, which is why you need an ingredient weight chart. There are print versions, but personally I have this link bookmarked and it comes out every time I bake: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-cha...
      - chrysoprace 11mo ago
        But that doesn't work. The chart states that 1 cup of 00 flour is 116g which is simply not true. It _might_ be 116g, but it could also be 200g (!). Volume measurement is simply not suitable for baking. For things like sauces or marinades, you use a much smaller amount, and approximate is generally fine.

by ibejoeb 11mo ago

chrysoprace 11mo ago

That works for some recipes, but for bread precise is better. I'm astonished when I read bread recipes that casually ask for 2 cups of flour (which could be wildly different amounts).

bigstrat2003 11mo ago
You don't need to get that precise to make bread. I've made bread successfully all the time with volume measurements, it's not like the recipes are that finicky.
- mlyle 11mo ago
  You can be wildly off in baking and produce an edible, enjoyable product. Especially if you have a sense of how to adjust the consistency of what you're mixing and can adjust baking times. But-- if you use weight measurements and attend to precision, you'll have to adjust a lot less and you'll come much closer to the best possible output.
- chrysoprace 11mo ago
  It's not that you can't, it's just that it's harder to get consistent results. Switching to weight measurements is the first advice I give to any friends who are struggling with making bread.
valleyer 11mo ago
Looking through your comments, your spelling indicates you might be from a Commonwealth country, which means you might not be familiar with the fact that a "cup" is a standardized measurement in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)#Customary_cup https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)#Customary_cup
- zahlman 11mo ago
  Sure, but in practice people don't use measuring cups all that precisely a lot of the time. Specifying a weight forces people to bust out the scale and pay attention.
- chrysoprace 11mo ago
  Yes but it's a measure of _volume_, whereas flour is best measured by _weight_. Any volume measurement of flour can vary wildly depending on many factors, such as how densely packed it is. King Arthur Flour have a short video[0] demonstrating the wildly different weight measurements from measuring a "cup" (the same cup size across samples). Measuring liquids by volume is totally fine because you generally won't get a large difference between two different cups of water (although I still generally measure that by weight as a personal preference). [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU
  - parliament32 11mo ago
    Absolutely, which is why you need an ingredient weight chart. There are print versions, but personally I have this link bookmarked and it comes out every time I bake: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-cha...
    - chrysoprace 11mo ago
      But that doesn't work. The chart states that 1 cup of 00 flour is 116g which is simply not true. It _might_ be 116g, but it could also be 200g (!). Volume measurement is simply not suitable for baking. For things like sauces or marinades, you use a much smaller amount, and approximate is generally fine.