Dry And Wet Measuring Cups

A dry measuring cup filled to the top with a liquid will yield a roughly correct measurement though pouring it may be messier without a spout.

Dry and wet measuring cups.

You measure both wet and dry in measuring spoons unless you have beakers with small measures on them. Liquid and dry measuring cups hold the same volume but they are specially designed to more accurately measure their respective ingredients. The dry cup varied by 23 percent while the liquid cup varied by only 10 percent. Measuring spoons are the only all purpose measuring tool.

Problems arise if you try to use cups intended for dry ingredients for wet measurements and vice versa. Dry measuring cups or measuring spoons are constructed so that ingredients can overfill the cup just a bit and then be leveled off using a straight edge like a knife or offset spatula. In contrast you measure water by filling up a spouted measuring cup until the meniscus or the lowest point of the gentle curve seen at the top of the water reaches the appropriate marking on the cup. Additionally if your recipe calls for more than one cup of a wet ingredient the chance of finding a dry measuring cup large enough to do the trick is extremely rare.

Ingredients that can be measured in these cups include flour sugar cornmeal nuts rice cheese and peanut butter. Wet ingredients such as milk water eggs if you re measuring eggs by volume or oils can technically be measured in both wet or dry measures one dry measuring cup of milk should weigh exactly the same as one wet measuring cup of milk. Wet measuring cups are usually sold in cup increments 1 cup or 2 cup measures all in one etc or as beakers. With the liquid measuring cup the indicating line is well below the rim.

Dry measuring cups are designed to measure dry ingredients like flour nuts and berries while liquid measuring cups are designed to measure liquids like water cooking oil and yogurt. They are excellent for measuring dry ingredients because they can easily be leveled off. They are usually made of plastic or metal and come in sets of four or five 1 cup 3 4 cup 1 2 cup 1 3 cup and 1 4 cup. Liquid measuring cups are usually glass or plastic with a handle.

This aspect leaves room for the inevitable sloshing around of liquids without spilling all over the floor. Measuring cups that resemble small pots. Measuring cups that look like little pitchers with a lip spout to aid. The graduated plastic jug in the middle is a wet measuring cup.