Scales are broken... how can I measure stuff?

girlr94

My scales are broken and I'm not going to have chance to buy any more for a few days. Is there any way I can measure stuff reasonably accurately temporarily? There are some things like a 30g portion of cheese or a sweet potato that I've measured enough to estimate it by sight now, but stuff like porridge oats or yoghurt or meat I have no idea.

I definitely don't want to rely on spoonfuls, because I'm 90% certain that my 'teaspoonful' is at least twice as generous as it should be. I don't really trust myself to just guess things by sight because then I'll log them inaccurately. It'll be at least a week before I have chance to buy new scales because I'm right in the middle of exams at the moment so I don't have time to go shopping for cheap new ones.

Any suggestions?

tycho_mx

Actual measuring spoons/cups?

Those are at least standardized to a known volume. Not as good as mass due to compaction issues, but at least is better than a tablespoon of oil of unknown volume.

WalkingAlong

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=167771

Use visual cues like those listed. It's a good skill for daily life.

Good luck on your exams. Don't lose sleep over food portion estimating. A week of not weighing your oats isn't going to ruin anything.