Measure with confidence: a first guide for little chefs

A good recipe starts before the mixing bowl. Measuring carefully helps you follow the recipe as it was written, whether you are making pancakes, biscuits or a favourite family cake.

Illustrated guide: zero the bowl on kitchen scales, add ingredients to the recipe weight, read a jug at eye level and level a measuring spoon.
A quick visual guide. Follow the detailed steps below with a grown-up nearby.

Skill to practise: weighing in grams, measuring liquids in millilitres and using a level measuring spoon. Allow about 10 minutes for a first practice.

Set up your little chef station

You need digital kitchen scales, a bowl, a clear measuring jug, measuring spoons, a spoon for adding ingredients and a clean, flat work surface. An adult should choose suitable ingredients, check allergies and stay nearby. Wash hands before you begin.

1. Weigh dry ingredients

  1. Check the unit. If the recipe says grams, set the scales to g. Keep the scales on a firm, level surface.
  2. Zero the bowl. Put the empty bowl on the scales, then press zero or tare. The display should read 0 g; now the scales will count the ingredient, not the bowl.
  3. Add a little at a time. Use a spoon rather than tipping a whole bag. Slow down as you approach the number in the recipe.
  4. Check before mixing. If you add too much, remove a little while it is still separate from the other ingredients. Wait for the display to settle.

Useful habit: for a first attempt, weigh each ingredient into a separate bowl. It makes a measuring mistake easier to correct.

2. Read a measuring jug

  1. Find the millilitre scale and the mark you need. Do not confuse millilitres with another scale on the jug.
  2. Stand the jug on the work surface. Pour slowly, then let the liquid settle.
  3. Look at the level straight on, with your eyes level with the mark. Ask an adult to help you see it safely; do not climb onto the worktop.
  4. Add a little more or pour a little out until the liquid reaches the correct line.

Grams measure weight and millilitres measure volume. Use the unit the recipe asks for; the same volume of two different ingredients does not necessarily weigh the same.

3. Use a level measuring spoon

Use a marked measuring spoon, rather than a teaspoon from the cutlery drawer. Spoon in the ingredient, then sweep a straight, blunt edge across the top so it is flat. Do this over a spare bowl. A level spoon is different from a heaped one; follow the wording in your recipe.

A quick practice

Measure 100 ml of cold water into the jug, pour it into a bowl and try again. Then practise finding 50 g and 100 g on the scales using an ingredient already needed for your recipe. Compare the target with the display before you move on.

If something goes wrong

  • The number keeps changing: check that nothing touches the bowl and that the scales are on a firm surface.
  • You forgot to zero: start again with an empty bowl and the ingredient still separate.
  • You cannot find the exact jug mark: ask an adult to help you read the smaller divisions, or use a more suitable measuring tool.

Before you taste: flour and mixtures containing raw flour are not ready to eat. Follow the recipe and packet cooking instructions, and wash hands and equipment after handling them.

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