GeoffM

Not necessarily a bad hing if the recipe demands accuracy. There was some survey in the UK recently which found that the average teaspoon size varied enormously! So DD or DS getting a 5ml teaspoon of medicine might have actually been getting bearly double that in some cases .

Dare I ask the volume or mass of a DD cup?

MrEmjoy

If you follow a recipe however it may be written and you're unaware that a level cup of flour can differ in weight depending on various factors, some out of your own control, then you're screwed.

traceym

If you need to be that precise measuring anything I should give up and buy it from the store!

MrEmjoy

Or just use ounces and grams.

Leslie

Well then the recipe wasn't clearly written was it?

MrEmjoy

You do try to be difficult don't you.

meauxna

And what's the problem?

Another smart American girl married her own private chef.. say hi to her from me!

meauxna

What complication is this?! If it calls for a cup of flour, I shove the measuring cup in there and get a level cup.. the weight doesn't matter.

And no using all them fancy flour types. Flour. It's what's for bread.

Nutmegger

Precisely -- and any recipe worth its salt (sorry, couldn't resist!) will say if the flour needs to be sifted before it is measured.

Bill_S

British people weigh their flour? And I thought the obsession with pot noodle was weird

meauxna

Three pages worth, <nods>.

MrEmjoy

Of course the weight matters.

You can get close, by leveling a cup, if you use the same flour all the time but it really isn't a satisfactory method if you need to be precise, which serious baking calls for, I use grams and ounces, it saves adding 'a little more this or that' which is time consuming.

To get good consistent results you can't use cups for measuring dry ingredients. I don't care what anyone says.

Leslie

That's all fine and good but what if the recipe doesn't give the weight?

Malashaan

Will do

The only real problem is her palette is very limited and I get bored of cooking the same things. Once I have my own kitchen set up I'm going to start trying her on new foods. Right now, relying on whatever kitchen space I can scavenge from my father in law doesn't lend itself to extensive culinary endeavor.

MrEmjoy

If it doesn't state, I'd either A) Stay away from the recipe or B) Just use the spoon and level method which can work if you know what you're doing and can judge the dough/batter to be of the right hydration or consistency.

Most of these recipes will most likely contain leavening agents anyway so even half an ounce either way isn't going to make a noticeable difference to the inexperienced eye.