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The Art of Measuring Recipes: Ratios and Proportions 2

© Andrew A. Orr

Volume is used mainly to measure liquids, or fluids, since measuring a liquid is easier than weighing it. In our soup recipe, the quantities of stock and cream are expressed in volume. The pinch of herb or spice is also an expression of volume, though it is not an exact measurement and does not apply to liquid equivalent of a pinch is a dash. Volume is also used to measure portion serving finished items. For this purpose, special utensils are used. Portion scoops are used for such foods as meat and potato salads, cottage cheese, and sandwich fillings. Ladles measure out liquids such as soups, sauces, and salad dressings. Sizes of ladles and scoops vary.

Portion scoops are precisely sized for portion control. The number on each scoop indicates the number of scoops in a quart or liter. Ladles are also used for portioning. They are sized in ounces or milliliters for serving liquids such as soups and sauces.

Weight is usually used for solids, especially where exact quantities are of critical importance. Its units of measurement are pounds and ounces (grams, milligrams, and kilograms in metric). Weight is a much more precise measurement than number, because many products vary in size. Weight is also more precise than volume for solid ingredients. A cup of flour will vary in amount depending on whether it is sifted or unsifted. A cup of brown sugar will have more or less sugar according to how firmly it is packed. A quart of potatoes will be a variable amount according to how finely chopped the potatoes are. Nevertheless, a pound or a kilogram of any product is always the same amount of that product no matter how much space it occupies.

Where ratios or proportions of ingredients are of critical importance, quantities of solids are usually expressed entirely in weight. This is particularly true in baking. Even eggs and egg whites are listed in terms of pounds and ounces rather than numbers because eggs vary slightly in size.

Various kinds of scales are used to measure weight. If a container is used to hold the ingredient being weighed, the weight of the container must be subtracted from the total weight.

It is important, in working with recipes, to be thoroughly familiar with all the units of measurement. It is also important to know the equivalents of each unit in terms of the others. You will be using such information constantly.

A basic table of units of measure is given in Table 5-1.

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