Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?

Situation, I have been using plastic measuring spoons for years. They
are made by Echo I believe. They are flat and rectangle shaped. I use
these because they fit into my spice jars. Through the many years of
great service they have become very worn and I thought I would update
them. I cannot find these spoons anywhere but, I found some really
nice stainless steel measuring spoons that are designed to fit into
spice jars and they look really nice, BUT, they are not the same
measure as my plastic spoons.

What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.

I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
was more accurate with little success.

8 Tablespoons equals a half cup! so I used the plastic spoon to
measure 8 Tbs. of sugar into a half cup measure and it is very close
but when I do it with the metal spoons, not even close. I also tried
with teaspoons. the plastic comes very close but the metal is lacking.

I also have tried different brands of measuring cups and they do not
measure equally either. One cup with plastic does not equal one cup
with metal.

I have two sets of metal spoons, Endurance brand and William-Sonoma.
All of these spoons are made in china even the plastic.

How do I know for sure that when I put two tablespoons of sugar in a
recipe that is in fact two Tablespoons? or if a bread recipe calls for
two teaspoons of yeast that I am adding the correct amount.

I thought the United states has a weights and measure office or
something. shouldn't they be on top of these imports?

"magna" > wrote in message
...
> Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?
>

>
> How do I know for sure that when I put two tablespoons of sugar in a
> recipe that is in fact two Tablespoons? or if a bread recipe calls for
> two teaspoons of yeast that I am adding the correct amount.

The only accurate way to measure ingredients is with a decent scale. For
most recipes, spoons and cups will give acceptable results. If you really
want reliable, repeatable measurements, you should use a scale.

magna > wrote:


>I thought the United states has a weights and measure office or
>something. shouldn't they be on top of these imports?

We have NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, but they
don't regulate products.

-- Larry



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"magna" > wrote in message
...
> Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?
>
> Situation, I have been using plastic measuring spoons for years. They
> are made by Echo I believe. They are flat and rectangle shaped. I use
> these because they fit into my spice jars. Through the many years of
> great service they have become very worn and I thought I would update
> them. I cannot find these spoons anywhere but, I found some really
> nice stainless steel measuring spoons that are designed to fit into
> spice jars and they look really nice, BUT, they are not the same
> measure as my plastic spoons.
>
> What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
> into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.
>
> I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
> was more accurate with little success.
>
> 8 Tablespoons equals a half cup! so I used the plastic spoon to
> measure 8 Tbs. of sugar into a half cup measure and it is very close
> but when I do it with the metal spoons, not even close. I also tried
> with teaspoons. the plastic comes very close but the metal is lacking.
>
> I also have tried different brands of measuring cups and they do not
> measure equally either. One cup with plastic does not equal one cup
> with metal.
>
> I have two sets of metal spoons, Endurance brand and William-Sonoma.
> All of these spoons are made in china even the plastic.
>
> How do I know for sure that when I put two tablespoons of sugar in a
> recipe that is in fact two Tablespoons? or if a bread recipe calls for
> two teaspoons of yeast that I am adding the correct amount.
>
> I thought the United states has a weights and measure office or
> something. shouldn't they be on top of these imports?

Why not just bite the bullet and buy the best measuring spoons in the
industry. They are made by Cuisipro. They are accurate and will last you a
lifetime.

Fred
Foodie Forums
http://www.foodieforums.com

On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 20:04:31 -0500, "Fred" >
wrote:

>
>"magna" > wrote in message
.. .
>> Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?
>>
>> Situation, I have been using plastic measuring spoons for years. They
>> are made by Echo I believe. They are flat and rectangle shaped. I use
>> these because they fit into my spice jars. Through the many years of
>> great service they have become very worn and I thought I would update
>> them. I cannot find these spoons anywhere but, I found some really
>> nice stainless steel measuring spoons that are designed to fit into
>> spice jars and they look really nice, BUT, they are not the same
>> measure as my plastic spoons.
>>
>> What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
>> into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.
>>
>> I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
>> was more accurate with little success.
>>
>> 8 Tablespoons equals a half cup! so I used the plastic spoon to
>> measure 8 Tbs. of sugar into a half cup measure and it is very close
>> but when I do it with the metal spoons, not even close. I also tried
>> with teaspoons. the plastic comes very close but the metal is lacking.
>>
>> I also have tried different brands of measuring cups and they do not
>> measure equally either. One cup with plastic does not equal one cup
>> with metal.
>>
>> I have two sets of metal spoons, Endurance brand and William-Sonoma.
>> All of these spoons are made in china even the plastic.
>>
>> How do I know for sure that when I put two tablespoons of sugar in a
>> recipe that is in fact two Tablespoons? or if a bread recipe calls for
>> two teaspoons of yeast that I am adding the correct amount.
>>
>> I thought the United states has a weights and measure office or
>> something. shouldn't they be on top of these imports?
>
>Why not just bite the bullet and buy the best measuring spoons in the
>industry. They are made by Cuisipro. They are accurate and will last you a
>lifetime.
>
>Fred
>Foodie Forums
>http://www.foodieforums.com
>
Even easier, don't worry about these differences. It's food and not
an atomic bomb. It really will not make that big a difference. When
you're measuring herbs, spices or any flavors, go big on the ones you
like and small on the others. We will not tell.

_____
"How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for
those who are wise and of good will."
Albert Einstein
_____

Cape Cod Bob
Visit my web site at http://home.comcast.net/~bobmethelis
Delete the two "spam"s for email

"magna" > wrote in message
...
> What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
> into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.

Wow, I never thought I--a total newbie to cooking--would have something more
relevant to say than any of the previous posters!

Here goes: First, calibrate a measuring cup. Put a half-pound of water on
an accurate scale and pour it into any old jar: the result is "one cup."
Put tape on the high-water mark or mark it with a Sharpie.

Now take the jar along with a baggie of sand with you to Bed, Bath, and
Beyond (or wherever) and see if 16 "tablespoons" of sand (using whichever
set of measuring spoons appeals to you) come up to the line on your jar.
Repeat until you have spoons you like *and* that yield accurate
measurements.

Presto! Now you have spoons you can trust.

--Ray

P.S. If you don't think you can mess around with sand in your particular
store just buy all the measuring-spoon sets you like and run the experiment
at home. Then return the losers, explaining, "They're just not accurate,
and you should be ashamed to sell them!"

could it be that you have some metric spoons/cups and some US spoons/cups?
not that is solves your problem


"magna" > wrote in message
...
> Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?
>
> Situation, I have been using plastic measuring spoons for years. They
> are made by Echo I believe. They are flat and rectangle shaped. I use
> these because they fit into my spice jars. Through the many years of
> great service they have become very worn and I thought I would update
> them. I cannot find these spoons anywhere but, I found some really
> nice stainless steel measuring spoons that are designed to fit into
> spice jars and they look really nice, BUT, they are not the same
> measure as my plastic spoons.
>
> What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
> into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.
>
> I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
> was more accurate with little success.
>
> 8 Tablespoons equals a half cup! so I used the plastic spoon to
> measure 8 Tbs. of sugar into a half cup measure and it is very close
> but when I do it with the metal spoons, not even close. I also tried
> with teaspoons. the plastic comes very close but the metal is lacking.
>
> I also have tried different brands of measuring cups and they do not
> measure equally either. One cup with plastic does not equal one cup
> with metal.
>
> I have two sets of metal spoons, Endurance brand and William-Sonoma.
> All of these spoons are made in china even the plastic.
>
> How do I know for sure that when I put two tablespoons of sugar in a
> recipe that is in fact two Tablespoons? or if a bread recipe calls for
> two teaspoons of yeast that I am adding the correct amount.
>
> I thought the United states has a weights and measure office or
> something. shouldn't they be on top of these imports?

magna > wrote:
> Measuring spoons should equal in quantity to measuring cups, correct?
<snip>
> What I mean by this is the quantity in the plastic spoon when poured
> into a metal spoon overflows by quite a bit.

Did you maybe have dry mesuring spoons and now have
liquid mesuring spoons? Dry mesure is slightly larger
than liquid. See this web page, near the bottom . . .

http://www.goodcooking.com/conversions/liq_dry.htm

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
>was more accurate with little success.

When I use someone else's recipe, I figure he/she is saying
"This is how much of this particular spice I like in my dinner..."

I VERY rarely use a measuring spoon of any size.

They just aren't needed once you are comfotable in front of a stove.

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
>was more accurate with little success.

When I use someone else's recipe, I figure he/she is saying
"This is how much of this particular spice I like in my dinner..."

I VERY rarely use a measuring spoon of any size.

They just aren't needed once you are comfotable in front of a stove.

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>I did some testing with several spoons and cups to attempt to see what
>was more accurate with little success.

When I use someone else's recipe, I figure he/she is saying
"This is how much of this particular spice I like in my dinner..."

I VERY rarely use a measuring spoon of any size.

They just aren't needed once you are comfotable in front of a stove.