|
|
Post by Silver on Mar 5, 2022 14:49:29 GMT 1
I'm having a very difficult time with trying to equate volume measure to weight measure. For example:
1) Textbooks typically claim 106 grams to 113 grams per US Cup* for Cake Flour. I just measured our Cake flour at 136 grams per level US Cup. Error is on the order of 24%.
2) Textbooks typically claim 17 to 18 grams per level US TBSP for Iodized Morton's Table Salt. I just weighed ours at 20 grams even (to 2 decimal places) for a level US measuring tablespoon. Error is on the order of 14%.
Volume measure is amazingly imprecise. 14% more salt is a lot. If one is shooting for 27 grams of salt and goes over by 14%, they are delivering 30.8 grams.
Edit: Perhaps our cake flour might weigh closer to textbook if it was carefully sifted directly into the measuring cup. But who among us would bother with doing that? I simply scooped the cup measure into the bag of cake flour and then leveled it off and weighed it.
Edit #2: For a Metric Cup* the typical textbook weight range for Cake Flour would be 112 grams to 119.4 grams per cup.
|
|
flg
Souschef
Posts: 1,578
|
Post by flg on Mar 5, 2022 15:36:48 GMT 1
I'm having a very difficult time with trying to equate volume measure to weight measure. For example: 1) Textbooks typically claim 106 grams to 113 grams per US Cup* for Cake Flour. I just measured our Cake flour at 136 grams per level US Cup. Error is on the order of 24%. 2) Textbooks typically claim 17 to 18 grams per level US TBSP for Iodized Morton's Table Salt. I just weighed ours at 20 grams even (to 2 decimal places) for a level US measuring tablespoon. Error is on the order of 14%. Volume measure is amazingly imprecise. 14% more salt is a lot. If one is shooting for 27 grams of salt and goes over by 14%, they are delivering 30.8 grams. Edit: Perhaps our cake flour might weigh closer to textbook if it was carefully sifted directly into the measuring cup. But who among us would bother with doing that? I simply scooped the cup measure into the bag of cake flour and then leveled it off and weighed it. Edit #2: For a Metric Cup* the typical textbook weight range for Cake Flour would be 112 grams to 119.4 grams per cup. It won't be accurate that's for sure. Although I have measured some of my spices out to be within range of some of the conversion charts.
What I use volume measures for is just another way of looking to see if an idea makes sense. If you take one of Ken's recipes where he calls for a minuscule amount of an ingredient like savory into 400g flour. And you convert that, as best and wildly inaccurate as you can. You may notice that it just looks oddly out of place in volume measure. Based on deepfriednew101 theory that CHS used a base flour amount of 3.5 cups. Scale that tiny amount of spice to that amount of flour and see what volume measure the spice or herb would be.
I just setup my recipe building spreadsheet to do this and used it against my next potential cook and it helped me set some of my weight measures that I was struggling with. I paid particular attention to ones I have weighed of course.
|
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Mar 5, 2022 17:46:28 GMT 1
No two of our measuring Tablespoons deliver the same weight for the same item. When specs. are available for plastic measuring spoons they often indicate +/- 5%. That's horrible precision. And most of the time such specs will be nowhere to be found, meaning the precision could be worse.
|
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Mar 5, 2022 17:53:13 GMT 1
When you buy TSP and TBSP measures, it's rare for them to actually state 'US' or 'Metric', so that adds a measurable degree of error and/or uncertainty as well. Hopefully this is exclusively a North American problem.
As to cups, a US Cup has a volume of 236.588 CC's and a Metric Cup has a volume of 250.00 CC's.
|
|
|
|
Post by deepfriednew101 on Mar 5, 2022 18:40:20 GMT 1
Lets Get down to simple Basic JUST use the tsp and Tbsp you have and be CONSISTANCE with the same amount you put on the tsp or Tbsp.
CONSISTANCY is more important.
as a general rule your overall recipe will be in context to the amount measured in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 etc etc etc.
The recipe will come out as measurement required in equal form of the recipe also keeping in mind that the Quality of spices varies.
|
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Mar 5, 2022 20:00:16 GMT 1
Lets Get down to simple Basic JUST use the tsp and Tbsp you have and be CONSISTANCE with the same amount you put on the tsp or Tbsp. CONSISTANCY is more important. as a general rule your overall recipe will be in context to the amount measured in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 etc etc etc. The recipe will come out as measurement required in equal form of the recipe also keeping in mind that the Quality of spices varies. But my intent is for the mix I made up to be spread across us (my Wife and I) and our three adult children. There can be no volume based consistency across the bunch of us. |
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Mar 5, 2022 20:00:48 GMT 1
I have a scale, but they don't.
|
|
flg
Souschef
Posts: 1,578
|
Post by flg on Mar 5, 2022 20:17:10 GMT 1
For consistency I would stick to weight measures for sure. For validation of your recipe ideas, I personally have found a use for it.
As an example.
Using a base 3.5 cup amount of flour. Assuming this was the amount CHS used in his or someone else's home kitchen. The amount of ginger I have been considering using in my 200g recipe scales to. And as will be pointed out, roughly, sort of, close enough to 1 teaspoon. I personally like that. Could I buy that in 3.5 cups of flour he used 1 teaspoon of ginger? Sure.
And if he used volume measurements and they got converted to weights. Which makes total sense to me. Someone else also had to round, weigh and set close enough. A weight equivalent for each ingredient.
|
|
|
|
Post by deepfriednew101 on Mar 6, 2022 16:19:02 GMT 1
If you use YOUR scale and measure out the weights to scale and then use a Medicine little ML spoon or little thumb size cup. it will be as accurate as one can get
|
|
|
|
Post by deepfriednew101 on Mar 6, 2022 16:30:33 GMT 1
Medicine Measure Cup Can hold up to one ounce Suitable for dispensing both liquid and dry medications Calibrated from 1-8 drams; 1/8-1 fluid ounce; 1-2 tablespoon and 2.5-30 mL and cc. You just write your recipes to work with the line markings on what ever medicine measure cup scale you can find. EVERY PHARMACY in the world has to dispense them for FREE and if you ask a Pharmacist for some disposable ones they would be MORE then GLAD to give you them. for free or you can purchase washable ones from a Dollar Store or Amazon. MY POINT IS if its accurate enough for MEDICATIONS for infants it is accurate enough for measure spices. DO NOT get side tracked that it says Ounces or ML ETC ETC ETC just weigh your spice and pour it into the Medicine cup and make your recipe fit the Line indicators to your own weights GOOD TO GO and accurate  |
|
