Poll: Volume vs. Weight

[runpunkrun]

Poll #24301 Measure by Measure

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

View Respondents

When baking how do you prefer to measure your dry ingredients?

View Answers

by weight (oz, grams)
15 (55.6%)

by volume (cups, dL)
10 (37.0%)

by eyeball (whatever, it's fine)
2 (7.4%)

Comments

[unicornduke]

I voted weight but also I have some recipes that are still in cups and I've never converted them.

[runpunkrun]

Yeah, I take what they give me, but I prefer weight too. I'm slowly converting my old favorites from volume to weight.

[sporky_rat]

I'm usually a weight measurer, some recipes do have me putting it in by eyeball. (Usually spices of any sort. Cinnamon bread should be CINNAMON.)

[runpunkrun]

It's a running joke in my house that we measure vanilla extract by carefully pouring it into the recommended measuring spoon...and then let it run over the sides for a while. "Perfect," we say.

[sporky_rat]

Mmm, yes, especially the good vanilla.

[rosefox]

My mother measures vanilla extract by capfuls. What spoon? Just pour it into the cap of the extract bottle... whatever size bottle that is. And yes, let some extra go in!

[nerakrose]

in this house we don't bother with the measuring spoon...just pour it right in 😇

[sonia]

I use measuring cups, but generously, and at least try to be proportional in how much overage there is for all the ingredients. Plus yes, like runpunkrun said, it's traditional to let the vanilla extract spill over the edge of the measuring spoon.

I'm aware that baking works better with precision, but eggs, y'know? I get eggs from the farmer's market, and they're very variable.

[rose_griffes]

I like volume better just because it's what I grew up with, but honestly? I can google conversions if needed.

[rosefox]

I prefer weight, but it's difficult to find American recipes that use it.

[jesse_the_k]

I've had so much more success with baking since I started using weight, although I'm definitely an eyeball/handful when it comes to non-baking tasks.

GINGER! Any recipe that calls for less than 2 teaspoons (10ml) ginger is just toying with me.

[nerakrose]

I am all of these... I do weight, usually, but when making bread or pizza it's less about eyeballing and more about texture.

[schnikeys]

I would probably use by weight more often if I had a scale, but I don’t, so I use volume plus “whatever, just eyeball it”

[kelkyag]

Volume, because that's what I have tools for & what I'm used to, with a lot of eyeball-and-adjust for texture and taste-and-adjust (more spices!) for seasoning. But I was probably making a substitution or throwing in the whole zucchini or whatever anyway ...

[fred_mouse]

I've said volume, because a stack of the cooking I do is in volume ratios of liquid:dry, but in reality, if I'm using a recipe, it is definitely 'whatever'. And when things scale up, I want weights. So, for example, I'll do a single batch of lemon curd with volumes, but I'll do a full batch with weight.

[j00j]

Honestly depends on recipe. If it's the kind of thing I know I can get away with fudging there's stuff (salt) I'll eyeball. If I've never made it before and it's the kind of thing that's supposed to be tricky (say, macarons), weight.