The tape measure is one of the handyperson’s tool belt essentials. Not only does it look cool and roll out satisfyingly when extended (and retract with a snap), it also happens to be filled with a bunch of efficient features that you may not know about.
In terms of precision, cooking is a spectrum. There are instances where eyeballing is sufficient — such as deglazing a pan with roughly half a cup of wine — and there are instances where accurate measurements are vital — such as in baking finicky pastry or most recipes from Serious Eats.
Though it's my job to search and discover all sorts of kitchen tips and tricks, I sometimes find that the best tips come from you in the comments section. This was the case when commenter Auntie Mumpsimus pointed out that most extract bottle caps can double as measuring spoons.
If there is one kitchen tool that can improve the quality and consistency of your cooking, it's the digital scale. Unlike measuring things by volume, weighing out your ingredients eliminates any doubt you may have about whether you're "doing it right."
Baking with friends is one of my favourite holiday activities, but cooking in someone else's home can put me slightly out of sorts. Not only are other people distracting, but I don't quite trust the measuring cups of others. Luckily, there is an elegant solution: Pre-measure your ingredients beforehand in your kitchen.
Weighing ingredients gives you the most accurate, reproducible (and tasty) results (especially in baking), but not all recipes list their measurements by mass. Luckily, King Arthur Flour has put together a handy weight chart for a wide variety of ingredients.
