Measuring Brown Sugar Properly

When measuring ingredients for baking it is important that they are measured accurately. If not measured accurately it can adversely affect the end product. See the tips below for measuring other ingredients accurately.

• Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Cocoa: Lightly spoon ingredients into the cup until heaping full. Do not shake, tap, or pack the ingredient into the cup. Level the ingredient by running a straight edge along the rim of the measuring device.
• Oats, Cornmeal, Breadcrumbs, and Cereal: Pour these ingredients into the cup until it is over filled and then level the ingredients using a straight edge.
• Shredded Cheese, Rice, Coconut, Chopped Nuts, Baking Chips and Other Bulky Dry Ingredients: Spoon bulky dry ingredients into the measuring cup until full enough and then patted lightly using your fingers to level the contents. Do not pack the ingredients down.
• Shortening: Measure in the same manner as brown sugar.
• Butter or Margarine in Stick Form: In stick form these ingredients have measurements marked on their wrappers, allowing you to simply cut off the amount according to the markings on the stick.
• Liquid Ingredients: Pour into a measuring cup until it is at the desired measure. Set the measuring cup on a flat, level surface and bend down to view the measurement at eye level. Do not hold the cup up to eye level because the cup may not be level when viewing and result in an inaccurate reading. When using measuring spoons, hold the spoon flat and pour the ingredient into the spoon until even with the top rim.
• Sticky Ingredients: Lightly coat the inside of the measuring cup with vegetable oil or cooking spray. The oil will allow sticky ingredients to slide out easily. Also, using metal measuring cups or spoons that have been filled with boiling water for a few minutes will allow the sticky ingredients to pour out easily due to the heated metal.

For more information on measuring ingredients, see Measuring Tips and Techniques to make sure you know how to measure all your ingredient properly when baking to create the best product possible.