Cooking with Digital Scale vs. Measuring Cups

[farnfam]

Hi All,
Most of you are quite knowledgeable and experienced so, please share. How, when and why, would one use a digital scale. Do you eliminate measuring cups and spoons? I've never used one and would love to know what I've been missing. Thanks oh wise teachers/sensei, your humble servant awaits instruction.
Cis

[cjs]

I can only say - Accuracy.

Fluffing up flour (and how much fluff does it really take), scooping it in a measure cup and carefully scraping off top vs. putting a mixing bowl on the scale, taring, and measuring the amount you need (all-purpose, unsifted = 5 oz.)

that's of course, just one example - but accuracy is the main reason I use a scale whenever possible. But, I certainly hang on to my measuring cups and spoons also.

I have a list taped to the inside of one of my cupboard doors with the weight of misc. ingredients - flours, sugars, chips, nuts, etc. that I use most often.

I guess I'd have to add a bit of laziness also - you don't dirty any extra utensils. When you add each ingredient to a bowl, then you can just 'tare' the scale back to '0' and add the next ingred.

[Guest]

[cjs]

"Digital scales are best used for baking and pastry." Gotta disagree with you on this, Steve. For the home cook measuring/weighing smaller amounts than used in a professional kitchen, the digital scale is a treasure and/or a must for any ingredients.

[bjcotton]

Jean, why don't you post your chart?

We had a discussion on how much a cup of walnuts and chocolate chips was. If I recall, 1 cup of walnuts is 4 oz. and 1 cup of chocolate chips is 6 oz. I wish there was a chart that would tell us. I guess that is my next "search" to find one.

[Mare749]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I second that request!

Jean, I chuckled when I read your post. My mom used to tape notes on the inside of cupboards too, so it became natural for me to do that as well. I have a couple of conversion charts inside mine and the basic instructions for using my pasta roller.

[bjcotton]

Ask Jean what happened at her daughter's house last Christmas when taping a recipe to her cupboard. I've got all kinds of lists taped inside the cupboards and when I cook from a recipe it's taped to the outside.

[DFen911]

When it comes to measuring cups I mainly only use them for liquid measuring. Everything else I do on my scale. I do hate recipes that call for 1/2 cup packed brown sugar because it's so vague. How hard do you pack? It's why I look for recipes that call for 8 oz brown sugar instead

[Bizymomma]

So am I understanding that if a recipe calls for a cup of flour, you should use a measuring cup,...if it calls for 8 oz. of flour, you should use a scale!?#*&!@ Or are you saying if it calls for a cup of flour, you always use the scale...darn, I've even confused myself!!!

[Roxanne 21]

I relate to that, Angela----only too well, I'm afraid--watch this space though---they will straighten us out!!

I tried the scale measurement for dry goods today on fritters---can't really say there was much difference. I will do another recipe soon that I do often and try again--tough teaching an old bird new tricks--but willing, I am!!!