Dry Measuring Cups vs Liquid Measuring Cups: when do you employ each i? Why are in that location two kinds of measuring cups? Acquire how to measure dry ingredients, how to measure wet ingredients and the best measuring cups and spoons for every ingredient.

Measuring cups are different for a reason: wet and dry ingredients go in unlike vessels. Brand sure you know the difference and then your broiled goods turn out perfect every time.

measuring cups and spoons on counter
  1. Is there difference between Liquid and Dry Measuring Cups?
  2. What is a Dry Measuring Cup?
  3. What is a Liquid Measuring Cup?
  4. Knowing how to measure ingredients for baking is crucial to the outcome of your recipe.

Is there departure between Liquid and Dry Measuring Cups?

I've been baking and cooking my whole life and then I take measuring cups for granted. I've always had unlike sets: one for wet and 1 for dry out. To me, measuring ingredients for baking using the proper vessel is a no brainer. However, over the years of blogging and watching friends bake, I've realized that measuring ingredients isn't something that everyone learns.

While cooking can be forgiving if you use too much of an ingredient, baking is not. Baking is a scientific discipline, therefore measuring is very important. We demand to know the divergence between measuring cups, spoons and beakers and when to utilise each one.

There is a difference between different kinds of measuring cups. There are liquid measuring cups and measuring cups for dry ingredients and they should just be used for their respective items.

While both liquid and dry out measuring cups take the same volume, each kind of cup is engineered to accurately measure their respective ingredients.

What is a Dry out Measuring Cup?

A dry measuring cup (often sold in nested sets of iv cups or more) is designed to make full to the skirt with the dry ingredient. There is little worry near sloshing ingredients over the side when you're measuring flour or sugar. These cups are designed to fill and level without packing (because the only ingredient you pack is brown sugar).

What is a Liquid Measuring Cup?

A wet measuring cup, on the other hand, is designed where the measurement is below the peak of the cup. That style, you tin fill the measuring cup to the right measure without spilling while yous transfer the ingredient to your mixing bowl.

Wet measuring cups are usually sold in cup increments (1-cup or 2-loving cup measures all in one, etc) or equally beakers.

Measuring spoons are the just all-purpose measuring tool. You measure both wet and dry in measuring spoons, unless you take beakers with small measures on them.

**For a list of all my preferred measuring cups and spoons, meet the lesser of this post.**

Knowing how to measure ingredients for baking is crucial to the consequence of your recipe.

measuring cups and spoons

What is a dry measuring cup?

Dry measuring cups are used for measuring solid (dry) ingredients like flour, sugar, oats, or baking pulverisation. They're made from plastic, metallic or porcelain and are sold in sets.

The standard 4 measuring cup sizes are: 1 loving cup, ½ cup, ⅓ loving cup and ¼ loving cup. With those four cup sizes you lot tin measure dry out ingredients for whatever recipe.

How to use a dry measuring cup:

  • Spoon or scoop ingredients into the measuring loving cup. Use the dorsum of a kitchen knife or other flat surface to level off the top.
  • Exercise not pack your flour! Larn how to mensurate flour the right way.
  • Only pack ingredients if they say "packed", except for brown saccharide. Brown sugar is always measured packed unless otherwise specified.

Measuring spoons are used for wet or dry ingredients.

The only time it'south fine to mix moisture and dry out ingredient measures is when you're using a measuring spoon.

Measuring spoons are made of metal or plastic and come in sets of 5 or 6 spoons: ane tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, ¼ teaspoon and sometimes ⅛ teaspoon. They should also exist measured and leveled.

Using a scale is the almost authentic way to measure dry ingredients

Any professional person will convince y'all that you need a scale to measure dry ingredients. While this is correct, it's non logical for virtually households who have measuring cups. Nearly regular people take grown up measuring in measuring cups, not weighing their ingredients, and in America we don't utilize the metric system, so a scale can complicate things fifty-fifty more.

However, if yous desire to be precisely accurate and are using recipes that call for ounces or grams, you'll want to use a scale.

Measuring cup with milk poured in it

The all-time liquid measuring cups have a range of sizes and measuring units

A liquid measuring loving cup is designed to measuring the book of liquid needed for a recipe. Liquid measuring cups come in all sizes, materials and forms. The traditional liquid measuring cup has  ⅓ and ¼ cup marks also as ml and ounces.

Liquid measuring cups are fabricated to fill up to the mensurate line with a little bit of space above it so that y'all tin can get it from where yous're filling it to your mixing bowl without spilling.

I call up information technology'southward all-time to have a few different sizes of measuring cups (1-cup, 2-cup and a 4-cup are standard).

How to measure liquid in a measuring cup:

  • Place the measuring cup on a flat surface. Add the liquid to the desired measure.
  • Squat down to eye level with the measuring loving cup and, once the liquid stays all the same, brand sure it is at the level of the mark you want.
  • Don't hold the measuring cup to check if it'south level: if yous move your hand you won't be able to tell.
vanilla in beaker measuring cup

Beaker measuring cups can help you lot measure out smaller liquid amounts.

A newer product, these chalice measuring cups are a fun style to measure out liquids. You can get them upwards to i-cup size, but I love using the smaller sizes in place of measuring spoons for measurements less than a tablespoon. Information technology's easier to mensurate vanilla extract and transfer it to a bowl in a beaker than a measuring spoon.

These beaker measuring cups are besides overnice when you're making cocktails because yous tin easily mensurate i ounce of liquid.

Liquid measuring cups as well arrive easier to measure ounces and milliliters.

sticky measuring cups

A sticky measuring loving cup is perfect for liquids that are more solid.

There are certain moisture ingredients that are hard to measure in a traditional liquid measuring loving cup. Take peanut butter, for example: information technology's almost impossible to measure peanut butter in a liquid measuring cup and it's not really a dry ingredient…so what measuring cup do you use?

For things like peanut butter or yogurt or applesauce, you should utilise a dry measuring cup. It'south easier to measure these directly up to the top of the measuring cup and not spill it on the way to the mixing bowl. It'due south much harder to mensurate these ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and it'due south very frustrating to clean a dry measuring cup that's had peanut butter in it.

That's why a sticky measuring cup is the perfect vessel to mensurate things similar peanut butter or honey or even yogurt or sour cream. These measuring cups are similar a push-pop (remember those?) You measure your ingredients in the tube then push it out. Like shooting fish in a barrel to measure, easy to clean.

If you don't have a sticky measuring cup and need to measure corn syrup or honey or another gluey ingredient I take a tip for like shooting fish in a barrel removal:

Spray your measuring loving cup with nonstick cooking spray before measuring out a sticky ingredient like love. The gluey ingredient volition pour right out of your measuring loving cup easily!

Using the right kind of measuring cup will ensure baking success every time.

The best liquid measuring cups:

  • 1 loving cup measuring cup
  • two cup measuring loving cup
  • 4 cup measuring loving cup
  • Measuring Beakers
  • Sticky Measuring cup

The best dry measuring cups & spoons:

  • Metal
  • Plastic
collage of measuring cup photos

Choosing the right measuring cup is one of the most important things you'll do when you're baking. Make sure to use dry measuring cups for dry ingredients and liquid measuring cups for wet ingredients!

Last Updated on March nine, 2022

All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please practice not apply my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, delight re-write the recipe in your ain words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Diet information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Published on: August v, 2019