# Do the English all have scales in their kitchens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558 "2013-04-13T01:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/21 "2013-04-13T09:37:50Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > American butter comes in quarter pound sticks wrapped in waxed paper. The paper is marked with lines dividing each stick into eight tablespoons. Sixteen tablespoons = two sticks = one cup. Butter wrappers in the UK are (not universally, but very often) similarly marked in multiples of 50g dividing a 250g block. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/22 "2013-04-13T09:39:01Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Yes, yes we do, at least those of us who cook. They usually come as a set of nested cups with handles that go from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. Same with smaller measures, from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Or one of these [Pyrex](http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/pyrex-prepware-2-cup-measuring-cup?ID=333153&cm_mmc=Google_DMA_Home_Bed%26Bath_PLA-_-PLA+Home+Brands+-+Bedding+Bath_PLA+-+Bedding+Bath+-+Ship99-_-23663049990_-_-_mkwid_atJ5NgRL_23663049990%7C-%7CatJ5NgRL) glass ones or even a glass tumbler [like this](http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/17470/11_2007/399865.jpg). I personally wouldn’t say every American who cooks has measuring cups in the kitchen–I only have the Pyrex glass and have gone years without a formal measuring cup of any sort–but most probably do. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/23 "2013-04-13T09:59:42Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Yes, yes we do, at least those of us who cook. They usually come as a set of nested cups with handles that go from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. Same with smaller measures, from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. > > One of my original questions was how do you handle weighing things like a bread starter, which is sticky and hard to handle. It’s pretty easy to scoop out a cup of starter, but to get 473 grams? > [@pulykamell](#): > > Or one of these [Pyrex](http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/pyrex-prepware-2-cup-measuring-cup?ID=333153&cm_mmc=Google_DMA_Home_Bed%26Bath_PLA-_-PLA+Home+Brands+-+Bedding+Bath_PLA+-+Bedding+Bath+-+Ship99-_-23663049990_-_-_mkwid_atJ5NgRL_23663049990%7C-%7CatJ5NgRL) glass ones or even a glass tumbler [like this](http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/17470/11_2007/399865.jpg). I personally wouldn’t say every American who cooks has measuring cups in the kitchen–I only have the Pyrex glass and have gone years without a formal measuring cup of any sort–but most probably do. My Home Ec teacher said that the nested measuring cups were for measuring dry items, like flour and sugar. You were supposed to sift the flour onto a sheet of wax paper, then gently spoon it into a measuring cup until it was slightly overful. Then you take a table knife and draw the straight edge across the cup, leveling the flour and knocking the excess back onto the wax paper. Same with white sugar, except you don’t sift it. Brown sugar should be packed. Wet ingredients, like water or milk, were measured in the glass measuring cups. You put the liquid into the cup, and held it up at eye level to determine the true measurement. To measure something like butter, if you didn’t use the markings on the wrapper…if you needed a quarter cup of butter (or shortening, let’s say), you’d put 3/4 cup of water in a liquid measuring cup, and add butter or shortening and push it down so that it was submerged. You kept adding the fat until the combination hit the cup mark. Then drain off the water. I have a couple of sets of nesting cups, and a couple of the liquid measuring cups, too. The liquid measuring cups came in a set, as well, with a one cup, two cup, and eight cup capacity. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/24 "2013-04-13T10:06:06Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Yes, yes we do, at least those of us who cook. They usually come as a set of nested cups with handles that go from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. Same with smaller measures, from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. > > One of my original questions was how do you handle weighing things like a bread starter, which is sticky and hard to handle. It’s pretty easy to scoop out a cup of starter, but to get 473 grams? And some of us have both liquid and dry measures. Well, I will confess I also have scales but rarely use them. Though when I make bread I use an old [McDonalds mug](http://images.replacements.com/images/images5/china/C/mcdonalds_flintstones_mug_no_box_P0000332061S0001T2.jpg). I know that 1 mug of proofing temp water with an equal amount of dry yeast and sugar let proof needs 3 of the same cups of flour and a short palm of salt with a rough tablespoon of olive oil, and everything else is by feel. But then again I have been making the same bread recipe since about 1970 and can and probably have made it in my sleep. I have actually made it without any measuring items at all while camping. \ as was pointed out some things need to be laboratory exact and other things you can sort of wing if you are familiar with the product. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/25 "2013-04-13T10:37:05Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > It’s pretty easy to scoop out a cup of starter, but to get 473 grams? You would never encounter 473g in an original metric recipe. That is just a thoughtless conversion of two cups to grams based on the density of water. In a native recipe or a better conversion it would be 500g or perhaps 450g, but that’s already pushing it. And of course in practice the expected precision wouldn’t be all that high, even compared to what you can easily achieve using normal kitchen scales. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/26 "2013-04-13T11:38:38Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > as was pointed out some things need to be laboratory exact There’s very few recipes that require that level of precision. People often say “cooking is an art, baking is a science,” but even most baking has plenty of wiggle room. If you know what a dough is supposed to feel like, and get it in that ballpark, you’re fine. The biggest revelation for me with doughs of all types was to trust my instinct and senses and if something seems too stiff, I add water (or other liquid). If it’s too wet, flour. Of course, that requires you knowing what the dough should feel like to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/27 "2013-04-13T12:35:08Z")
As an American who bakes professionally a lot of my work is done by weights, rather than measures, because it would take too long to measure out the volumes of things I need. But on smaller recipes I sometimes measure. Some of the recipes I use by weighing were originally in measures, but I weighed ingredients and scaled them up. I do use metric for liquid measures, it’s easier to reduce/enlarge amounts using metric. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/28 "2013-04-13T12:53:42Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Do Americans all have measuring cups in their kitchens? If you’re an American who cooks, yes, you do. A set of dry measuring cups can be had for $1 at a dollar store, and measuring spoons for the same price. A measuring cup for liquids costs more, but you could probably find a plastic one for less than $3 if you’re not fussy. Even my favorite glass one that has ounces on both sides (I’m left-handed so this is important) was less than $10. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/29 "2013-04-13T13:02:04Z")
For sticky ingredients (peanut butter, tahini, honey) when I’m measuring by volume, I use a “plunger-style” adjustable measuring cup - [example here](http://www.oxo.com/p-1240-2-cup-adjustable-measuring-cup.aspx). I have two, in 1-cup and 2-cup maximum volumes. Set the cup to the volume you want, pour/scrape in the ingredient, then invert over your mixing bowl and push down on the plunger. It scrapes the sides of the cup, and you can clean off what little may remain on the end of the flat plunger with a knife or spatula. (American here, and I own a g/oz kitchen scale accurate to the gram and holding up to 10 lbs, two sets of dry volume cups (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 c), two Pyrex wet-volume 1 c measuring cups, a Pyrex 8 c measuring cup, two sets of measuring spoons (1/8 tsp to 1 tbsp), and the aforementioned adjustable measuring cups. I prefer cooking by weight in baking just so there’s less guesswork.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/30 "2013-04-13T13:53:22Z")
I don’t know if this is true universally, but when I was growing up, before there were tubs, butter came in blocks, wrapped in grease paper that was [marked with divisions](http://www.dairyworks.co.nz/assets/Rolling-Meadow-Butter.jpg) that represented common measures for cooking, so that you just had to cut down the line in the paper to get 250grams or whatever it was. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/31 "2013-04-13T14:16:35Z")
it is a seafaring nation that like fish. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/32 "2013-04-13T14:38:20Z")
In a lot of European kitchens you will find a large conical measure calibrated by weight with scales for various ingredients. So even when the recipe gives weights, it is not uncommon that they actually get cooked by volume. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/33 "2013-04-13T15:27:57Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > For sticky ingredients (peanut butter, tahini, honey) when I’m measuring by volume, I use a “plunger-style” adjustable measuring cup - [example here](http://www.oxo.com/p-1240-2-cup-adjustable-measuring-cup.aspx). I have two, in 1-cup and 2-cup maximum volumes. Set the cup to the volume you want, pour/scrape in the ingredient, then invert over your mixing bowl and push down on the plunger. It scrapes the sides of the cup, and you can clean off what little may remain on the end of the flat plunger with a knife or spatula. > > (American here, and I own a g/oz kitchen scale accurate to the gram and holding up to 10 lbs, two sets of dry volume cups (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 c), two Pyrex wet-volume 1 c measuring cups, a Pyrex 8 c measuring cup, two sets of measuring spoons (1/8 tsp to 1 tbsp), and the aforementioned adjustable measuring cups. I prefer cooking by weight in baking just so there’s less guesswork.) These kind of sticky ingredients are generally done by the tablespoon in Britain. On another note how are eggs sized in the US and do recipes usually specify the size? Over here they are small, medium, large and extra large. Recipes assume medium or specify. Eta extra large are uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/34 "2013-04-13T15:29:08Z")
Replied to self instead of editing. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/35 "2013-04-13T16:07:14Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > On another note how are eggs sized in the US and do recipes usually specify the size? Over here they are small, medium, large and extra large. Recipes assume medium or specify. > > Eta extra large are uncommon. I’m pretty sure they’re the same here, though I can’t say I recall seeing small. (Checking the Cook’s Illustrated website, I see the US sizes are actually jumbo, extra-large, large, medium, small, and peewee, and that the smallest two aren’t usually carried in stores but are used commercially.) I’ve only seen large eggs called for in recipes, especially baking. Sizing (again, from Cook’s Illustrated): Medium 1.75 ounces Large 2.00 ounces Extra-Large 2.25 ounces Jumbo 2.50 ounces Edit: And yes, sticky things are usually measured in tablespoons but if you need, say, a lot of peanut butter for a recipe, it can be more convenient to just scrape it once into a big cup measure instead of a bunch of times into spoons, and then let it do the scraping-out of the container itself. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/36 "2013-04-13T16:08:36Z")
We have both. American recipes are usually designed to be used with measuring cups. The recipes we get from Germany almost always need the scale. I was just easier to buy a scale here than to constantly have to sit down with a calculator and do math in order to make a German cake recipe. Don’t quote me, but I believe one recipe we have from Germany calls for equal weights of eggs, butter, flour and sugar. Trust me when I say it is far easier (and much faster) to make that recipe with a real scale than trying to calculate weight of all of them individually in measuring cups - especially when, say, the combined eggs alone weigh 343 grams. ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/37 "2013-04-13T16:22:36Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I understand that baking is more science than cooking is, but is it necessary to be this accurate? The issue isn’t really that you need to be as precise as a chemistry lab with +/0.01gm margins of error. The problem with baking is that a pound of flour can be compressed and packed into 2 cups, or it can be sifted/aerated to fill nearly 5cups. Your recipe then has an amount of butter or liquid that is in proportion to that pound of flour, but those are easier to measure since butter comes in a one pound block, and liquid is easy to pour. So when you scoop out 3 cups of flour, how much have you actually used? The result is that you may find a recipe worked great 3 days in a row, and then suddenly stops working at all. And as others have mentioned, most recipes designed for weights are set up to be in easy increments like 450gm. So people that use balance scales simply plop a 450gm mass on one side, then add flour to the other side until it balances which is remarkably fast, and actually easier than trying to do the “measure and swipe with a knife” 5 times. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/38 "2013-04-13T18:22:12Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I’m pretty sure they’re the same here, though I can’t say I recall seeing small. (Checking the Cook’s Illustrated website, I see the US sizes are actually jumbo, extra-large, large, medium, small, and peewee, and that the smallest two aren’t usually carried in stores but are used commercially.) I’ve only seen large eggs called for in recipes, especially baking. > > Sizing (again, from Cook’s Illustrated): > Medium 1.75 ounces > Large 2.00 ounces > Extra-Large 2.25 ounces > Jumbo 2.50 ounces > > Edit: And yes, sticky things are usually measured in tablespoons but if you need, say, a lot of peanut butter for a recipe, it can be more convenient to just scrape it once into a big cup measure instead of a bunch of times into spoons, and then let it do the scraping-out of the container itself. Looking at this [egg guide](http://www.egginfo.co.uk/basic/egg-sizes) I would say that our small is your medium, our medium your large etc. I shall refrain from drawing any conclusions from this 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/39 "2013-04-13T19:06:39Z")
I’m American, and I have a scale and measuring cups and measuring spoons in my kitchen. Haven’t used much of any of them since my kid was born. (I don’t cook any more; I just prepare food.) > [@kittenblue](#): > > I know all the “by weight” people are really insistent that their method is just so much better, and I understand the method of it, but every time I try to do it, I end up having to weigh each ingredient separately I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying here. What’s wrong with weighing everything separately? When you measure by volume, you measure 1/4 cup of sugar and dump it into the mixing bowl, measure a cup of flour and dump it into the bowl, measure 1/3 cup of something else and dump it into the bowl. Why not do the same thing with the scale? (I’m not saying you have to, of course. Feel free to cook/bake however you want. I’m just trying to understand what your complaint is.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558/40 "2013-04-13T19:12:13Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > (I’m not saying you have to, of course. Feel free to cook/bake however you want. I’m just trying to understand what your complaint is.) Yeah, there’s no reason to have to do it in one bowl, zeroing out along the way. If you prefer to do it separately, do it separately. I just find it easier just to do it all in one bowl, as my scale has a button you hit that zeroes it out, so it’s really easy to do. So, if I’m making a 75% hydration dough for pizza (which is going to be a wetter dough), I put, say, 500 g of flour, hit the “tare” button that resets it to zero, then put in 500\*0.75=375g of water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-english-all-have-scales-in-their-kitchens/655558.md?page=3)