Tips for Measuring Syrupy Liquids and Oils
You know what happens every time you measure a thick liquid or butter- you end up with half of the damn stuff still on your measuring cup, so you're likely not using the correct measurements. Unless you're willing to get out a spatula and scrape out that remaining eighth of a cup, you just have to either pour in another quick dollop of the liquid (or another spoonful of butter), or hope for the best. Here are some better tips to measure your thick liquids and butter better and get them correctly into your recipes.
If you grease your measuring cups and spoons before you fill them with thicker liquids, such as molasses, corn syrup, honey, or condensed milk, the syrupy liquids just plain won't stick. My grandma used to take a napkin with butter on it and wipe out the inside of her measuring cups before measuring out thick pie filling and jams. The syrups plop right out into the mixing bowl, no problem!
If you are measuring butter and you want to make sure you get all that butter into the mixing bowl without melting it first, try this tip: if the recipe calls for a cup of butter, take a 2 cup measuring cup and fill it to the one cup line with water. Then fill it to the 2 cup line with butter. Pour out the water and you are left with one cup of butter! My sister does this, and the butter just plops completely into the bowl, no wondering necessary. For easier baking with butter, why not just go with the sticks of butter? For me, anyhow, this is the best route to go, since the butter sticks are measured out for mixing and baking on the side. No guesswork required.
note: for just simple oil adding, like a tablespoon or so, remember this cool tip I learned from a coworker- the lid to your cooking oil or olive oil holds a tablespoon in volume. Just like laundry detergent caps hold a cup of detergent and juice mixes usually come with a lid that holds the proper mixing required for easy measuring, the cooking oil lids are the same way. A level lid full of oil is a tablespoon- keeps you from having to break out that spoon and wonder.
Sources:
personal experience
tips from family members and friends
If you grease your measuring cups and spoons before you fill them with thicker liquids, such as molasses, corn syrup, honey, or condensed milk, the syrupy liquids just plain won't stick. My grandma used to take a napkin with butter on it and wipe out the inside of her measuring cups before measuring out thick pie filling and jams. The syrups plop right out into the mixing bowl, no problem!
If you are measuring butter and you want to make sure you get all that butter into the mixing bowl without melting it first, try this tip: if the recipe calls for a cup of butter, take a 2 cup measuring cup and fill it to the one cup line with water. Then fill it to the 2 cup line with butter. Pour out the water and you are left with one cup of butter! My sister does this, and the butter just plops completely into the bowl, no wondering necessary. For easier baking with butter, why not just go with the sticks of butter? For me, anyhow, this is the best route to go, since the butter sticks are measured out for mixing and baking on the side. No guesswork required.
note: for just simple oil adding, like a tablespoon or so, remember this cool tip I learned from a coworker- the lid to your cooking oil or olive oil holds a tablespoon in volume. Just like laundry detergent caps hold a cup of detergent and juice mixes usually come with a lid that holds the proper mixing required for easy measuring, the cooking oil lids are the same way. A level lid full of oil is a tablespoon- keeps you from having to break out that spoon and wonder.
Sources:
personal experience
tips from family members and friends
Published by Abby Willow
See my blog: thehomemadeplace.blogspot.com :) I LOVE to make life easier either via laughter, new ways of doing things, or sharing knowledge I just stumble into (and trust me, it's STUMBLING, y'all...) View profile
- Measuring Liquids and Dry GoodsThe number of servings or dosages listed on the outside of a product don't always meet those standards when you use the product.
- Pampered Chef Measure-all Cup: Baker's DelightThe measure-all cup is a wonderful kitchen gadget when it comes to measuring messy solid ingredients.
- Kitchen Scale Makes for Easier CookingCooking from U.S. recipes usually requires measuring out multiple cups of ingredients. This process is time-consuming, messy, and less than precise. Find out how to cook and bake better using a kitchen scale to measur...
- New Cooking Oil for KFC.... And We're All Supposed to Lose Weight NowKentucky Fried Chicken recently announced it will begin cooking with a more healthy cooking oil, but does this really do anything to change the fact that most Americans don't eat right in general?
Woman Injects Cooking Oil into Her FaceHang Mioku found a plastic surgeon who agreed to give her lessons to self-inject herself with the silicone and sent her home. After running out of the silicone substance, Hang d...
- Review: Williams-Sonoma Multicolored Collapsible Measuring Cups
- Anchor Two-Cup Glass Measuring Cup Review
- Pyrex Measuring Cups 1 Quart Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups to Help Your Kids Count
- Herb Ideas - Make and Bottle Your Own Herb Butter Seasoning
- The Best Measuring Cups Around Pyrex
- Imperial Brown Sugar; The Convenience of Pre-Packaged One-Cup Servings
2 Comments
Post a CommentThanks for the tips.
Good tips. I have a Metric Wonder Cup I picked up at a garage sale. You can find it online; I checked and saw it on Amazon for less than 10 bucks. It basically pushes the ingredients up from the bottom and works great for sticky things like peanut butter.