There are a wide variety of measuring cups available on the market in both design and materials. For the novice cook, it may be difficult to know which cup is best for your kitchen, but for the seasoned professional it is clear that different measuring cups are needed depending on what it is you are measuring.
One of the first distinctions you will learn is that dry ingredients and liquid ingredients require in diverse types of measuring cups to get accurate measurements. When measuring dry ingredients, a set of measuring cups that come in a variety of sizes or capacities is the best choice. These are similar to measuring spoons in that you’ll have a single cup with an exact capacity for a single quantity of an ingredient. Most sets include a full cup, half cup, third cup and quarter cup size. When using measuring cups like this, the entire measuring cup can be over filled with the dry ingredients and then you level off the top with a knife or other utensil. This way you have an exact portion of the ingredient for your recipe.
When it comes to using measuring cups with liquid ingredients, the method above won’t work as there is too much potential for spills leading to inaccurate measurements. When measuring liquids, a single large measuring cup with markings for different amounts and a pour spout is best. These allow you to easily pour ingredients into a mixing bowl or other container. Liquid measuring cups come in a wide variety of sizes from a single cup to a gallon for commercial use.
Cook’s offers a variety of measuring cups in plastic, high heat material, stainless steel and aluminum.
