measuring by weight

[Val]

I have read in many places that you should measure baking ingredients by weight. All my recipes have ingredients listed by volume. What is the best way to convert volume for things like flour (do all types weigh the same), rice, sugar, and other typical bread making ingredients?

[bjcotton]

Val measuring by weight is the most accurate way to go in baking. If the recipe calls for 1 cup, the standard weight of 1 cup is 8 ounces. Not all flours weigh the same, but 8 ounces is 8 ounces. Some are finer so you would get more in a 1 cup measure than the coarser ones. One cup by volume differs greatly, for instance, 1 cup of kosher salt would contain less salt than 1 cup of table salt.

Hope that helps.

[cjs]

Val, I hate to differ from Billy, but...

The only ingredients where 8 oz. = 1 cup is milk, eggs, water - these are set in stone

1 cup of flour - unsifted is 5 oz.
1 cup of honey - 12 oz.

some ingredients by a fluke of nature (??? ) also weigh 8 oz/1 cup.

It's best when to convert, to check the ingredient yourself.

Where's Denise, she's just recently learning this and could probably answer this better than I.

[bjcotton]

If you didn't differ with me Jean, how would I ever learn anything? Just keep right on differing!

[cjs]

"Just keep right on differing! " - then kick those ingrates out of your kitchen and make the best gravy of your little ole life!!!

[DFen911]

Lol Jean was reading this post and thinking Hey we had to learn this in PCA I and they were very adament that we get
straight.

Volume is the space that is filled when measuring. So 1 cup of milk is not 8 ounces by weight, but it fills the volume space of the 8 ounce cup.

Weight is the physical weight of the item. So 8 ounces of flour is 8 ounces of flour.

So let's go back to volume. As Jean stated 1 cup of sifted flour is 5 ounces. Because it only takes that amount to
fill the dimensions of the 8 ounce container the rest is filled with air.

In baking you'll get much better results if you use the weight measure. To go one more metric measuring is best.

Hope that helps

[Old Bay]

THAT'S WHY i DON'T BAKE. It's alchemy. My wife did learn today that if you chop real chocolate into pieces and want it melted--melt only 2/3--stir in the rest off heat--quick tempering.