"measuring" news and stories

I don't know about you, but I dread measuring sticky ingredients. Here are a few tips on making measuring less dreadful.

Everyone's been there. You're going along, assembling the ingredients for your cake, and...your heart sinks. You don't have any baking powder! Frantically, you toss things aside in the fridge, desperate for any crumbs of the stuff...but you find nothing.

Don't panic - just substitute. (Well, you can still panic if it will make you feel better, but it's really not necessary). Instead, just use 1/4 tsp. soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, or 1/4 teaspoon soda plus 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk.
And speaking of which, what do you do if you're out of buttermilk?

Here are some of the substitutions I've found most helpful.

• Instead of one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to slightly less than one cup of milk.
  
• Instead of 1 cup of cake flour, try 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• Instead of 1 tsp. dried leaf herbs, try 1/4 tsp. powdered herbs
• Instead of 1 cup of honey, use 1/ 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup of liquid
• Instead of 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, use 2 Tbsp. flour or 1 1/3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca.
  

What substitutions have you used in a pinch?

Don't worry - I wasn't cooking up any blue food when I took this picture. I simply colored some water with blue dye so that you could get a clear idea of how the OXO Angled Measuring Cups work . The plastic cups have and angled side that allows volumes to be read from above - so there is no need to lower yourself down to counter-level just to see if you've poured enough milk for your cake. They also have a convenient pouring spout, a comfortable, insulated handle and come in a wide range of sizes.

In addition to some of the larger sizes, I also have a 1/4 cup angled measure, which is perfect for up to 4 tablespoons of liquid. It is perfect for measuring those small amounts when a recipe calls for them, and not many of the more traditional measuring cups seem able to handle such a small volume, making it invaluable in my kitchen.

When you're baking for love, you need to have lots of heart(s). Why not add your measuring cups into the mix? I can't possibly think of anything but romance and sugar when I bake with these. I found them in the dollar section at Target - yes, $1! It's a delicious sweet silliness that's entirely worth the space on your gadget hooks.

I think the market for these is people who love odd kitchen tools and people who are, at least occasionally, too lazy to use two separate measuring cups when cooking. This really unusual set of Odd-Sized Measuring Cups measure 2/3 cup, ¾ cup and 1½ cups, conveniently eliminating the need to do any math the next time you are doing any baking. I'm sure that I would use them if I had a set, particularly because these are very common measurements, but I am not sure that I would buy them for myself. If they were a gift, though....