Volume vs. Weight in Baking
How Bakers at Home Should Measure Ingredients to Avoid Mishaps
Nov 12, 2008
How to use Volume Measures:
One common at home baking misstep comes during the scaling of ingredients when a volume measurement tool is used improperly. Most home cooks use nested measuring cups as volume measures. To correctly use a nested measuring cup, overfill the measure, then scrape off the excess to get a level amount. Do not press or pack down any ingredient unless the recipe explicitly says to do so, as this will throw-off the recipe ratios and wreak havoc on your final product.
Also, make sure not to use a nested cup measure to directly scoop out a dry ingredient like flour from a bag or container since the down-up motion actually packs the ingredient into the cup. Instead, make sure to use a separate utensil to scoop the ingredient, and then follow the overfill method in the appropriate measuring cup.
An Ounce is Different than a Fluid Ounce
Another often encountered problem that confuses home cooks (and many times professional chefs as well) is the difference between an ounce and a fluid ounce. The common misconception is that 1 cup of any ingredient will always weigh 8 ounces, regardless of what is being measured. The reality is that only 1 cup of water, or liquids with the same density of water (i.e. alcohol, juice, vinegar), will weigh 8 ounces without a doubt. If something other than water or the like is measured in a cup, it will indeed equal 8 fluid ounces, but it will not necessarily weigh 8 ounces.
The misunderstanding comes from not differentiating the term ounce from fluid ounce. An ounce is a measurement of weight, meaning the heaviness of a substance, which is most often found by using a scale. A fluid ounce is a volume measure derived from the amount of space required to hold a quantity of water weighing 1 ounce, which is easily measured by a graduated plastic or aluminum measuring cup.
For instance, if your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie recipe called for 1 cup of honey, and you forgot to check a weight to volume chart to figure out that 8 fluid ounces of honey actually weighs 12 ounces, you may very well end up with a rather sticky and cloyingly sweet dessert without a notion as to why.
Do Not Confuse Capital "T" and lowercase "t"
It may sound silly, but so often when reading through a recipe it's easy to misconstrue a tablespoon (T) for a teaspoon (t). While this may seem like it might not matter much, in actuality it may very well make the difference between success and failure. Three tablespoons of a very powerful ingredient, like say ground cloves, instead of three teaspoons would surely make quite a difference in the final product.
A great place to reference measurement abbreviations, conversions, and equivalents, is in the back of your favorite cook book, usually right before the index. Another good resource is The Chef's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes. 2nd ed. Arno Schmidt. John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
The Simple Fix
Being careful and exact is key when baking at home. Make sure to read each recipe keeping a keen eye out for volume measurements versus weight measurements as well as specific abbreviations. Just that little extra attention and vigilance will make all the difference in your final product.
