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Weighing and measuring
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| Weighing and measuring are two fundamental operations required for a recipe to turn out well, and they can be done in many ways. Those used to the USA methods, for example, will know that most ingredients are measured in terms of volume or mass (recipes usually refer to "cups"); in Italy and other countries quantities are usually expressed more accurately in terms of weight: only for liquid ingredient we may sometimes refer to spoons or teaspoons. |
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| 1. |
Up until not so long ago, recipes were not really very precise, and often referred to the different ingredients using terms such as "a little bit", "a handful", and today we may sometimes see the term "to taste", which often refers to ingredients with particularly strong flavours, such as pepper or other spices.
The essential tools in a well-organised kitchen are therefore scales, and, much easier for measuring liquids, graduated jugs and cups. For smaller quantities, a complete set of measuring spoons is very useful, and stops you from continually having to wash up the same spoon every time you measure sticky or oily ingredients.
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| 2. |
When choosing measuring jugs and tools, transparent ones are preferable, as it is much easier to judge the level of liquid at a quick glance; tall thin cups and jugs allow for more accurate measuring: being thinner the contents are pushed upwards and the notches printed on the side of the container are further apart and clearer, which leads to more precise measuring. Jugs are generally made in shatterproof polypropylene, which is easy to clean and heat-resistant; Pyrex jugs are however also available, and are useful for handling small quantities of boiling liquids. Large jugs are useful for blending mixtures that then need to be poured in set quantities, such as batter.
Finally, as far as scales are concerned, spring or electronic versions are preferable, as they are easier to use than weighted pan scales when measuring small quantities. For those on an eternal diet, precision scales are available and measure even minimal quantities in a precise manner.
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| 3. |
While scales and measuring tools allow for the precision of a master chef when preparing your recipes, and are particularly useful for beginners, we cannot deny that weighing and measuring every single ingredient requires time and working methods that do not really match the demands of everyday, speedy cooking; it is not always possible to work with a fully organised work surface, with all tools in order, visible and accessible. Many ingredients, particularly when preparing simple, uncomplicated dishes, like most sauces for example, can be measured very effectively without using precision tools, but working simply with cups, spoons, teaspoons, and - why not? - hands. The following table shows the quantities of the most commonly used ingredients, and should be consulted bearing in mind the following recommendation: what matters most for a successful recipe is the proportion of the ingredients; so use the same cup and the same spoons when measuring ingredients for a single recipe.
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| 4. |
Generally speaking, a teacup corresponds to three coffee cups (about ¼ litre), and a dessertspoon is about three teaspoons (16 teaspoons = 1 cup); 1 soup bowl is about 1/3 litre. 1 level dessertspoon is equal to: 15g solid butter (while a "knob" is usually about 20g); 15g of cream; 10g of oil; 5g grated Parmigiano Reggiano; 5g breadcrumbs; 5g of white flour. 1 teacup is equal to: 115g flour or ground walnuts; 150g breadcrumbs; 230g butter; 1dl milk or wine. ½ teacup holds around 50g salted capers or 25g chopped parsley (25g of parsley leaves is on the other hand around a cup and ½). Using your hands, without getting anything dirty you can measure other kinds of ingredients even more easily, remembering that 25 olives in brine, drained, make about 100g; a cube of butter about two fingers each side is about 30g, and 100g spaghetti is roughly half of the amount that fits into the circle formed by joining the thumb and index finger of one hand.
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| 5. |
Recipes are often imprecise, referring to generic weights and measures, particularly with vegetables: small, medium, large; a couple of pointers may also be useful here, remembering that a medium tomato weighs around 100g, a medium onion around 50g; a medium potato also weighs around 100g, while a large one weighs 140 or 150g. Finally, 1 kg of unshelled peas will give you about 400g of peas, and from 1 kg of leaf spinach you will get about 400g of boiled spinach.
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