To measure dry ingredients Dry ingredients including flour, sugar and coffee are best measured by digging the spoon in the ingredient and then taking a heaped scoop full. Level off the ingredient by scraping the level edge of a knife on the top of the measuring spoon. Never be tempted to shake the spoon as this will cause the contents of the spoon to settle down and pack together, and may cause an incorrect measurement. To measure lumpy ingredients including chopped nuts or grated cheese press them very gently in the spoon until they are about even with the top of it. It's a great idea to measure all of the dry ingredients for a dish initially and then move onto the liquids. By doing this the spoons won't get as dirty and won't need to be cleaned as much between measuring each ingredient. To measure liquid ingredients Liquid ingredients such as olive oil, water and vinegar should be poured directly into the spoon up until the liquid is level with the top of the spoon. Try to get the liquid as close to the top of the spoon as practical; an accurate measurement is particularly essential for measuring water in recipes which include yeast. At times a bit more of the liquid goes into the spoon than planned so it is always recommended to measure a liquid ingredient far from the bowl it will be added to. By doing this whenever some of the liquid overflows the edge of the spoon it won't get added to the other ingredients inadvertently. To measure sticky ingredients. Honey and molasses or other tacky ingredients such as peanut butter might be difficult to work with, particularly in small quantities. Their gumminess means they refuse to budge out of the spoon. One method to get around this is to coat the interior of the spoon with a little oil - a spray out of an oil sprayer is excellent for this - then dig inside the tacky ingredient. Level the ingredient off using the straight edge of a knife. The layer of oil on the spoon will then make it fast and straightforward to get the ingredient out of the spoon; a couple of sharp knocks is all it generally takes. It's a good idea to measure the sticky ingredients in a dish last to avoid having to keep washing the spoons between ingredients. Follow these simple ideas and you will always measure the correct amounts of small quantity ingredients. The measuring spoons that I use in all my cooking are available in the measuring spoons section of Amazon.com. Simply click the link and you'll go straight to them.
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