Weights and Measures:
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Measuring — From the COOKS.COM Culinary Archive.
MEASURING
Accurate measurement is necessary to insure success in
cooking. It is best secured by using gallon, quart, and pint
measures, the half-pint cup and tablespoons and teaspoons
of standard size.
Measuring cups hold one half pint (milk measure) and
may be bought in tin, enameled, and glassware, with handle.
Some are divided on one side into quarters and on the other
into thirds; or you may find one cup in quarters and another
in thirds. They should supersede entirely the use of tea
cups, blue cups, and tumblers, which were called for in nearly
all old time recipes.
Tablespoons of the usual size are three inches long and
one and three fourths inches wide.
Teaspoons should measure two inches long and one and
one fourth inches wide.
Half-teaspoons should be in every kitchen; they are like
a teaspoon with the bowl cut through the middle from tip
to handle, with an upright edge forming a back on the line
of division. They are convenient, especially in measuring
a half teaspoon of liquid.
How to Measure. All measurements should be level.
Before measuring, sift dry materials like flour, meal, and
powdered sugar into a pan; or, to save dishes, sift on to a
piece of clean paper, usually measured with a spoon
dipped into the box — first stir them or break up lightly, then
sift on to a paper and measure without pressure when filling
the spoon.
The results of careless measurement are most objectionable
when there is an excess of salt, soda or pepper. These should
be measured with special care.
Cup Measure. Hold the cup over the pan and fill with a
spoon or scoop, even with the groove if a part of a cup is
needed, and slightly more than full for a whole cup; then with
the back of a table knife held perpendicularly scrape off
till it is level. Do not dip the cup into the material nor
shake it when filling, nor press the material in when leveling.
A Scant Cup. Measure level, then remove two tablespoons
of material.
For liquids, stand the cup in a saucer and fill by pouring in
from a pitcher or something with a lip, as much as it will hold
without running over.
To measure butter or lard, cut small portions and pack in
closely, leaving no air spaces; other solid materials like diced
vegetables, meat, fish, and bread should be filled in lightly.
Tablespoon and Teaspoon Measures. Fill by dipping the
spoon with the left hand into dry material; take up, and with
a table knife in the right hand, scrape off all that is above
the rim of the spoon. With butter, cream, molasses or other
sticky substance, do not dip in, for a portion will cling to the
under side of the spoon and if removed and used, you will
have more than the correct proportion. With liquids like
melted butter, and molasses, fill by pouring; with soft butter
and lard, fill by packing it level with a knife.
Half Teaspoon. Fill teaspoon level, divide lengthwise,
scrape out one half. One fourth teaspoon, divide the half
portion crosswise, for one eighth, divide the quarter diagonally.
Speck or Grains. This is the amount which may be taken
up on the point of a paring knife or other quarter-inch surface;
or a slight shake from the pepper box.
Weights. Scales are necessary for meat and large quantities of
fruit and vegetables; they are convenient and economical for butter
and lard, as both time and material are wasted in packing
and removing butter from a cup, and also from a tablespoon
where several measurements are to be used.
By memorizing the tables of weights and measures, and
frequent comparisons of the two, and frequent practice in
dividing by the eye, accuracy may be secured. We are
expected to learn how to divide by the eye a loaf of bread
or cake into slices of given thickness, pies into sixths, and to
serve many foods into equal portions. It is equally easy and
equally desirable to save time and labor by cutting a pound
of butter into halves, quarters, and ounces; and by practice
be able to cut off with two strokes of a knife a cube which is
equivalent to two tablespoons. It should measure about
one and one fourth inches each way.
This cutting by the eye is very quickly done with print
butter which is partly divided into quarter-pounds, sometimes
into ounces. Divide the quarter-pound in the middle each
way, and you have one ounce or two tablespoons, the measure
most frequently used.
With tub butter weigh out a pound, pack it into rectangular
shape, then divide in halves, quarters, and again into quarters,
until you have the ounce portion. Where frequent portions
of measured butter are needed daily it is well to prepare
a quantity at a time and keep them cool until needed.
Butter which is soft and watery from insufficient pressure
in the making, has less fat than that which is close-grained
and has been thoroughly worked over. Therefore, no matter
how accurately you measure the level spoon, the results will
be different with different butters.
ABBREVIATIONS
| tbsp. | stands for | tablespoon. |
| tsp. | " | teaspoon. |
| spk. | " | speck. |
| c. | " | cup. |
| h. | " | hour. |
| m. | " | minute. |
| pk. | " | peck. |
| gal. | " | gallon. |
| qt. | " | quart. |
| pt. | " | pint. |
| lb. | " | pound. |
| oz. | " | ounce. |
| fl oz. | " | fluid ounce. |
Time may be saved in writing recipes by using T for tablespoon
and small t for teaspoon. It is not necessary to use the
suffix ful in writing or in recitation. We do not say a pintful
or a quartful; why should we use it with cups of spoons?
If we say "one cup" we mean that it is full. If we wish to
designate less than that amount, we give the fractional part,
as one half, or two thirds, which means that part of a full cup.
TABLES OF MEASURES AND WEIGHTS
| 3 tsp. | = 1 tbsp. |
| 2 tbsp. | = 1 fl oz. |
| 4 tbsp. | = 1/4 c. |
| 8 tbsp. | = 1 gill. |
| 2 gill. | = 1 c. |
| 1 c. | = 1/4 qt. |
| 1 c. | = 8 fl oz. |
| 2 c. | = 1 pt. |
| 4 c. | = 1 qt. |
| 2 pt. | = 1 qt. |
| 4 qt. | = 1 gall. |
| 8 qt. | = 1 pk. |
| 4 tbsp. | = 1 wineglass. |
| 9 large eggs | = 1 lb. |
| 4 c. flour | = 1 lb. |
| 2 c. solid butter | = 1 lb. |
| 2 c. gran. sugar | = 1 lb. |
| 2 c. milk or water | = 1 lb. |
| 2 c. solid meat | = 1 lb. |
| 1 tbsp. liquid | = 1/2 oz. |
| 4 tbsp. flour | = 1 oz. |
| 2 tbsp. sugar | = 1 oz. |
| 1 gal. | = 4 qt. |
| 1 lb. | = 16 oz. |
| Cube of butter 1 1/4 inch | = 1 oz. |
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