Flour measurements

[marmalady]

The topic on melted butter measurements reminded me of another confusing item when measuring flour - if the recipe says:

1 cup flour, sifted

-----then you measure the flour, then sift it; but, if the recipe says

1 cup sifted flour

--------you first sift the flour, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup to get the amount you need.

Ahhh, those tricky recipe writers!

[Haggis]

They are exactly the same thing. Measure out the needed amount of flour, then sift it.

[crewsk]

Haggis, I've always heard it do it like marmaladay has described. Because if it calls for 1 cup sifted flour & you measure it then sift it, you will not have the right amount of flour because sifting fluffs (for lack of a better term)the flour.

OK, along these lines but with a diffrent ingredient. When a recipe calls for 1 cup chopped nuts you should chop first then measure. If it calls for 1 cup nuts, chopped, you measure then chop. Is that right? I always have a hard time remembering these things for some reason & it's pretty simple if you think about it for a minute or two(which I rarely do ).

[RPCookin]

Originally Posted by crewsk

Haggis, I've always heard it do it like marmaladay has described. Because if it calls for 1 cup sifted flour & you measure it then sift it, you will not have the right amount of flour because sifting fluffs (for lack of a better term)the flour.

OK, along these lines but with a diffrent ingredient. When a recipe calls for 1 cup chopped nuts you should chop first then measure. If it calls for 1 cup nuts, chopped, you measure then chop. Is that right? I always have a hard time remembering these things for some reason & it's pretty simple if you think about it for a minute or two(which I rarely do ).

Of course, that is always assuming that whoever recorded the recipe was using the same logic as you are. I contend that this is not always the case.

[crewsk]

Very true RP!

[crewsk]

Here is a link that describes what I was trying to say earlier much better than I ever could. Just scroll down the page to Flour.

http://www.thedailyrecipe.com/howtom.html

[AllenOK]

This is why, in most professional kitchens, ingredients for baking formulations are measured by weight, not volume.

I try to weigh a lot of my ingredients, then record the weight on the recipe.

[Otter]

To me "one cup of sifted flour" is not the same as "one cup of flour, sifted." I don't mind sifting flour, but I don't appreciate having to measure it after sifting.

[marmalady]

There are 'standards' for cookbook and recipe writing, which state the flour formula; if you're going by a recipe in a major cookbook, you can probably be fairly assured that it means what it says - ie, 1 cup sifted flour means measuring after sifting, and 1 cup flour, sifted, means sift before measuring.


You are abolsutely right about the weights instead of cups, but unfortunately that's not what most home cooks go by!

There was a study done once by some cooking instructors; each of them was told to measure out 1 cup of flour by their usual method, then each cup was weighted; the differences in quantity varied by as much as 3-4 ounces!

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by marmalady

... and 1 cup flour, sifted, means sift before measuring...

Marm:

I think the second half of your instruction is twisted. Shouldn't it be, 1 cup of flour, sifted mean sift AFTER measuring.