Scoop, Level, Weigh: How to Measure Ingredients

Why measuring makes a difference

A cake recipe is a team effort between its ingredients. Too much flour can change the texture; too little baking powder can change the rise. Measuring helps the ingredients work together, and it makes it easier to repeat something delicious.

Start by reading the ingredient name, the number and the unit. Grams, written as g, tell you a mass to weigh. Millilitres, written as ml, tell you a volume. Those are different measurements: a spoonful of one ingredient will not necessarily weigh the same as a spoonful of another.

Set up your measuring station

Wash and dry your hands, then place the scales on a firm, flat surface. Keep the ingredients close enough to reach comfortably. Use clean, dry utensils so that flour does not stick to a wet spoon. Ask your adult to check any allergy information before you begin.

Measure only what you need for your recipe. If you are practising with flour, keep it contained in the bowl and avoid making clouds of flour dust. Save tasting for the finished, properly cooked food.

Weigh with digital scales

1. Switch on the scales and select grams if the recipe uses g. Put your empty bowl on the weighing platform.
2. Press the zero or tare button. The display should return to 0 even though the bowl is still there. You have told the scales to ignore the bowl's mass.
3. Spoon the ingredient into the bowl. Start with larger spoonfuls, then use small amounts as you approach the target. Stop touching the bowl while you read the number.
4. If you add too much of a single ingredient, take a little out with a clean spoon. Once different ingredients are mixed together, you cannot accurately fix the measurement by removing a spoonful.
5. Check the number with your adult. If the recipe allows ingredients to be weighed into the same bowl, press tare again before adding the next one. Keep track of which ingredient you have already added.

Measure small amounts with spoons

1. Choose the measuring spoon named in the recipe. A metric teaspoon is 5 ml and a metric tablespoon is 15 ml. Cutlery from the drawer varies in size, so use labelled measuring spoons.
2. Fill the spoon over a spare bowl or plate. For a level measure, gently sweep a straight edge across the rim so that the ingredient is flat, not piled into a hill.
3. Add the measured ingredient to your mixing bowl. Do not press it down unless the recipe specifically asks for a packed measure.

Three mistakes you can catch

• The scales include the bowl: tare them before adding the ingredient, or start again with a fresh empty bowl if you are unsure.
• The unit is wrong: check for g rather than oz. Ask an adult before attempting a conversion.
• The spoon is heaped: level it if the recipe asks for a level measure. A big mound can be much more than the recipe needs.

Read the recipe's clues

Words such as level, heaped, packed and sifted are instructions, not decorations. Follow the recipe's wording, and use its gram measurements where supplied. When you finish, close ingredient packets and clean the work surface. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw flour.