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]

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.]

... 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.

 

[marmalady]

Thanks for catchin' my back, Andy! Sorry for any confusion!

 

[Otter]

Personally, I hate the sift and then measure routine. You sift, and then find you either have too much or too little. Also, in my opinion, putting it back in a measure cup takes away all the beneficial aeration that the sifter added anyway.

 

[crewsk]

Otter, I usually sift over the measuring cup that way I don't have to put it back in.

 

[Otter]

Otter, I usually sift over the measuring cup that way I don't have to put it back in.

The sifter that I have throws it too wide for the measuring cup that I normally use. I just checked, however, and I have a large measuring cup I've rarely used that might work. Thanks.

 

[marmalady]

Otter, try using a small strainer instead of the big sifter.

 

[Otter]

Otter, try using a small strainer instead of the big sifter.

Thanks, that outta work too. Soon I will be The Prince of Sifted Flour. In retrospect, I guess I really had tunnel vision before.

 

[Spice1133]

All my cooking manuals say the same thing as crewsk and that's what I've always done. however withthe flour now, if it is to be sifted after measuring, usually with other dry ingredients I just wisk them all together and have never had a problem. If it is to sifted before measuring then I'll sift.

 

[Chef Wil]

Same with my 30+ year old manuals, Spice. My Mom's cookbook collection has a volume from 1903 that reads, "If an instruction reads 'sifted flour' then the cook should sift the flour into the required size vessel"

I have a sifter I received as a gift years ago. It has a cast metal body with a glass measuring cup that can be attached to the bottom. I think it came from Germany but I have never seen another one.

 

[Spice1133]

Chef Wil that sounds like the perfect solution. I've never seen anyting like that. Think I"ll go surfing and see what I can find.