"Bobo Bonobo(R)" wrote:
>
> On Dec 3, 1:06 pm, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> > blake murphy wrote:
> > > what with the discussion of the butter bells or balls or bongos or
> > > whatever they are, i thought this product from kitchenart might be of
> > > some interest:
> >
> > > <http://www.amazon.com/KitchenArt-Buttermate-Measure-Dispense/dp/B0002...>
> >
> > > your precise pal,
> > > blake
> >
> > I'll pass. Butter is like garlic - you can never have too much - IMHO,
> > of course.
>
> I agree, except in baking. There, you need to be relatively precise.
>

Not true, of course. People have been baking perfectly good breads,
cakes, pies/tartes and pastries for centuries without ever measuring
anything precisely. Quite often I've made baked goods with the remains
of a packet of butter. It *might* have been the amount needed but was
probably a little less. Structure and taste of the final products are
always as expected. For many things the amount of sugar is reduced from
what is stated in the recipe and the amount of salt is reduced or
eliminated entirely. Stuff wtill works and still tastes excellent. No
precision there.

Given that I currently live in a very dry climate (often need more
liquid than stated) at high altitude (may need to adjust oven temp,
cooking time and occasionally add a bit more flour), following most
baked goods recipes in a 'relatively precise' manner is guaranteed to
fail often. It's easy enough to learn what textures a baking mix should
have and get there without measuring anything precisely.