Used a couple of US recipes recently and most of the ingredients are in cups, or spoons, not by weight. This is a nightmare to convert. Do Americans not own scales or something? What’s the reason for measuring everything by volume?
Used a couple of US recipes recently and most of the ingredients are in cups, or spoons, not by weight. This is a nightmare to convert. Do Americans not own scales or something? What’s the reason for measuring everything by volume?
So many in the comments are talking about volume being more convenient but I find it so much more convenient to put a bowl on a scale, tare it, measure, and set it aside. Sure that’s more steps than using a cup, but when I have to fumble with a cup, a 1/3rd cup, a teaspoon, a 1/2 teaspoon and a tablespoon, all for a single recipe, especially one where dry and wet ingredients are being measured, a pain in the ass. So many little dishes that I may or may not need to rinse and dry between ingredients that call for the same measurement.
For the record I’m an American. I will sometimes ditch a recipe when I see it calls for volumetric measurements.
Removed by mod
It weighs a cup
Removed by mod
Although with things like spices, there’s no point in measuring them anyway. Spices are almost always added to taste, so it’s easier to think in terms of ‘x hand movements with the container’.
And yes, I have actually weighed 8oz of water. Well, not specifically 8oz, but I’ve certainly weighed out water to ± a couple grams for a recipe. If a recipe is specific about contents, why would I not measure it out?
Removed by mod
You don’t need to weight water if you don’t use a measurement system from the dark ages.
Removed by mod
Now imagine doing this before cheap digital scales were available. Cheap analog kitchen scales were utter garbage – inaccurate, wobbly, bulky, and sometimes impossible to tare – but cheap measuring cups and spoons generally work very nearly as well as expensive ones.
It’s a lot easier for me to scoop 1/2 teaspoon of two spices, one tablespoon of another, and 2 teaspoons of a fourth than to measure 1.8 grams of one, 2.2 grams of one, 5.2 grams of one, and 3.8 grams of a fourth. The scoops I can put in the container and level off the top using the same container. The other way, I have to gently sprinkle or slowly scoop and sprinkle so it doesn’t go over the required amount.
Way faster for me to scoop, level, dump.
Oh my god, rinsing a few dishes. How will you ever recover.