Weighing in "cups"

earlnabby

ritzvin wrote: »

pinuplove wrote: »

EddieKingsley wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

EddieKingsley wrote: »

IMHO the site should regulate the available measuring systems so that the information on the site is meaningful. How big is the measuring cup? Does a cup of x weigh the same as a cup of y? And so on. Sometimes there seem to be 10 of these nonsense "cup" entries for 1 usable entry. What's the point of sharing information that can't be used by others?

I take it you're not from the US...a measuring cup is a standard tool in the US. Yes, weight is more accurate, but many labels in the US use cups as a unit of measure and since the database is populated by users looking at the food label, then there will obviously be entries with "cups"

Here is what measuring cups look like...

...em that's 4 measuring cups? You're right I'm not from the US.

Yes. Standard sizes in a set are 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup. They are designed for dry ingredient measurements. We have different cups for measuring wet. Most every kitchen has a set of both.

..and most sets also have 1/8 c as well.

Historically, most recipes & food measurements are in volume... Weight scales weren't exactly commonplace. They're cheap now, but most people (unless they are dieters or perhaps fudge/wine makers/etc) still don't have them in their house.

I make my own "lotions and potions" so I have 2, one that weighs to the closest gram but can weigh up to 11 kg (25 lb) and one that weighs to the tenth of a gram. I started using grams because my test batches were always 100 grams so I could calculate ingredient percentages easily for large batches. When I started weighing my food, it was so much easier to keep the scales in grams and convert in my head if needed.

Now that I am fostering kittens, I even weigh them in grams. Newborns only gain a few grams per day and it is so much easier to check their progress. I am known as the "gram lady" at the shelter.

Fun fact: measurements used in cooking were first standardized by Fannie Farmer, the director of the Boston Cooking School and author of the first US cookbook using standardized measurements.

ritzvin

I do mine in grams when measuring for calories (and am at home).
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And- of course, since we are speaking about rice, there is also the 1 gou/180 mL/0.75c measuring cups that typically come with rice cookers.
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Personally, I would love more entries in cubic inches and centimeters for rectangular (or cylindrical) party food. Cheese isn't too bad (typical party cheese - cheddar/colby- at least has a pretty consistent and known density so I can convert). But sheet cake is a pain. I had some birthday cake yesterday - even a cup measurement would have been so useful versus "1 slice" or "100 g" or "1/Xth of cake" (with no statement of cake size) when trying to log some generic supermarket brand frosted vanilla sheet cake without a scale.

DoubleUbea

nutmegoreo wrote: »

I could use a fifth.

As a non-drinker, this took me too long to catch.