My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
here is a simple yet easy way to do it.

Most Pie Crust recipes call for 1/2 cup of shortening. If you don't
have a measuring cup, or you are just trying to save a little time,
you can take a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it to the 1/2 cup line
with COLD water, then you can spoon in your shortening, butter, or
margerine until the water level reaches the 1 cup line. This will give
you the 1/2 of shortening, butter or margerine that you need for your
recipe. Just remember to use COLD water as warm water will melt what
ever it is you are trying to measure.

I use this method everytime I bake as it is faster and cuts down on
the dirty dishes I have when I am through baking. Try it and let me
know what YOU think.

Check out my Blog at: http://oldfashioncooking.blogspot.com

On May 22, 2:09*pm, weaver > wrote:
> My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
> the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
> here is a simple yet easy way to do it.
>
> Most Pie Crust recipes call for 1/2 cup of shortening. If you don't
> have a measuring cup, or you are just trying to save a little time,
> you can take a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it to the 1/2 cup line
> with COLD water, then you can spoon in your shortening, butter, or
> margerine until the water level reaches the 1 cup line. This will give
> you the 1/2 of shortening, butter or margerine that you need for your
> recipe. Just remember to use COLD water as warm water will melt what
> ever it is you are trying to measure.
>
> I use this method everytime I bake as it is faster and cuts down on
> the dirty dishes I have when I am through baking. Try it and let me
> know what YOU think.
>
> Check out my Blog at:http://oldfashioncooking.blogspot.com

This is called the water displacement method. I remember learning it
in home ec class in the mid-80's. Still works!

An oldie but a goodie.

However it makes me think about the difficulty of measuring solid
ingredients in cups. I've always had problems when looking at American
recipes. When I lived in England we didn't use cups for measuring (just
weights or quantities) and in Australia cups are only used for non solid
things (flour, liquids etc). No doubt there's a rational explanation!

"weaver" > wrote in message
...
> My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
> the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
> here is a simple yet easy way to do it.
>
> Most Pie Crust recipes call for 1/2 cup of shortening. If you don't
> have a measuring cup, or you are just trying to save a little time,
> you can take a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it to the 1/2 cup line
> with COLD water, then you can spoon in your shortening, butter, or
> margerine until the water level reaches the 1 cup line. This will give
> you the 1/2 of shortening, butter or margerine that you need for your
> recipe. Just remember to use COLD water as warm water will melt what
> ever it is you are trying to measure.
>
> I use this method everytime I bake as it is faster and cuts down on
> the dirty dishes I have when I am through baking. Try it and let me
> know what YOU think.
>
> Check out my Blog at: http://oldfashioncooking.blogspot.com

On Thu 22 May 2008 10:09:32a, weaver told us...

> My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
> the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
> here is a simple yet easy way to do it.

I used to do that occasionally before I had a scale. I find the scale
simpler and less messy. I just put a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the
scale and spoon the solid shortening onto it. 1/2 cup of shortening equals 4
oz. advp. In other words, ounce for ounce. Easy.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Friday, 05(V)/23(XXIII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
2dys 15hrs 10mins
-------------------------------------------
I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether
my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of
meeting me is another matter.
-------------------------------------------

On May 23, 10:53*am, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:
> On Thu 22 May 2008 10:09:32a, weaver told us...
>
> > My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
> > the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
> > here is a simple yet easy way to do it.
>
> I used to do that occasionally before I had a scale. *I find the scale
> simpler and less messy. *I just put a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the
> scale and spoon the solid shortening onto it. *1/2 cup of shortening equals 4
> oz. advp. *In other words, ounce for ounce. Easy.
>
> --
> * * * * * * *Wayne Boatwright * * * * * *
> -------------------------------------------
> * * *Friday, 05(V)/23(XXIII)/08(MMVIII)
> -------------------------------------------
> * * * * Countdown till Memorial Day * * * *
> * * * * * * 2dys 15hrs 10mins * * * * * *
> -------------------------------------------
> * *I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether *
> * my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of *
> * * * *meeting me is another matter. * * *
> -------------------------------------------

I also use a scale but without the plastic: I put my mixing bowl on
the scale, "tare it" or zero it out, then add the shortening by weight
(1T=12 or 14 gm, for example). It is accurate and there is only one
messy scraper to wash. I LOVE my digital scale!

On Sun 25 May 2008 06:36:37p, told us...

> On May 23, 10:53*am, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>> On Thu 22 May 2008 10:09:32a, weaver told us...
>>
>> > My Aunt taught me this trick many years ago. If you ever need to get
>> > the right amount of Shortening for say...Your home made Pie Crust,
>> > here is a simple yet easy way to do it.
>>
>> I used to do that occasionally before I had a scale. *I find the scale
>> simpler and less messy. *I just put a piece of plastic wrap on the top o
>> f the scale and spoon the solid shortening onto it. *1/2 cup of
>> shortening equ als 4 oz. advp. *In other words, ounce for ounce. Easy.
>>
>> --
>> * * * * * * *Wayne Boatwright * * * * * *
>> -------------------------------------------
>> * * *Friday, 05(V)/23(XXIII)/08(MMVIII)
>> -------------------------------------------
>> * * * * Countdown till Memorial Day * * * *
>> * * * * * * 2dys 15hrs 10mins * * * * * *
>> -------------------------------------------
>> * *I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether *
>> * my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of *
>> * * * *meeting me is another matter. * * *
>> -------------------------------------------
>
> I also use a scale but without the plastic: I put my mixing bowl on
> the scale, "tare it" or zero it out, then add the shortening by weight
> (1T=12 or 14 gm, for example). It is accurate and there is only one
> messy scraper to wash. I LOVE my digital scale!
>

My scale is quite small, although will weight up to 15 lbs. Unfortunately,
a mixing bowl sitting on top prevents me from seeing the readout.
Otherwise, I'd use the bowl.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 05(V)/25(XXV)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
3hrs 55mins
-------------------------------------------
If it's not actually on fire, it's a
software problem.
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright > wrote in
6.120:

> My scale is quite small, although will weight up to 15 lbs.
> Unfortunately, a mixing bowl sitting on top prevents me from seeing
> the readout. Otherwise, I'd use the bowl.

OXO makes an 11# max scale that has a pull out display for those
situations.

On Mon, 26 May 2008 17:32:52 GMT, "M. Halbrook" >
wrote:


>OXO makes an 11# max scale that has a pull out display for those
>situations.

That is a nice looking scale. I think I saw it in Fine Cooking.
Unfortunately, I still have an old one and use a clear glass bowl so I
can see the read out. My food processor bowl still fits on the weight
table, and I use that the most for weighing.

On Mon 26 May 2008 10:32:52a, M. Halbrook told us...

> Wayne Boatwright > wrote in
> 6.120:
>
>> My scale is quite small, although will weight up to 15 lbs.
>> Unfortunately, a mixing bowl sitting on top prevents me from seeing
>> the readout. Otherwise, I'd use the bowl.
>
> OXO makes an 11# max scale that has a pull out display for those
> situations.
>
>

Hey, that would be nice, but I don't really need another scale. This one
is fairly new.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Monday, 05(V)/26(XXVI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Today is: Memorial Day
-------------------------------------------
Cats - by Ann Gora
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> I used to do that occasionally before I had a scale. I find the scale
> simpler and less messy. I just put a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the
> scale and spoon the solid shortening onto it. 1/2 cup of shortening equals 4
> oz. advp. In other words, ounce for ounce. Easy.

oh, wow, I need to get a kitchen scale. I never thought of this, and it
is BRILLIANT!!!