Measurements

*EDIT: Due to some requests, and high interest of this drawing, we are now selling an 8×10″ high quality print. It is a newer version of this original illustration. You can view the details and order it from:
Our Etsy Shop OR Our Storenvy Shop.

I decided to dust off my Prisma markers and make use of my rusty Adobe illustrator skills from my fashion design days…okay, with some help from the husband too. If you have been following this blog, you may have noticed that I like to draw.  One day, for no apparent reason at all, I felt like making a little sketch about the measurements we use for cooking and baking. Umm yeah, nerd alert. I did this mostly for me, so I could always look back at it for reference, but then I decided to share it with you. I’m constantly forgetting how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, and how many ounces are in a cup. So I wanted to make a little cheat sheet to keep things straight.

I don’t want to speak for everyone out there, but I think the main reason you find that those who bake, don’t really cook, and those who cook, don’t really bake, is because of measurements. As a cook, who had a job as a baker, I can vouch that it was rough for me to turn that switch on and off in my head. As a cook, I love the freedom to express myself with a little dash of this, and a sprinkle of that. Salt to taste, and there you have it.

As a baker, I’ve had my fair share of fiascos of yes, throwing out 80 cupcakes at once because I didn’t level out my flour, or I added too much liquid. So, my friend, bottom line, measurements are crucial when baking.

But after starting this blog, I realized how important measurements are for cooking too. Of course, I still enjoy the creative freedom to splash the vinegar and shake that container of garlic powder as I please, but now a days, I have to stop to measure things out, so I can share these recipes with you. Let me tell ya… sometimes it’s hard! On a crazy day where I just want to get food on the table, I don’t bother to measure, and unfortunately, that’s why those recipes don’t end up on this blog… even if it was a culinary delight!

That’s why I started to discipline myself and deliberately cook with a note card and pen next to me.  I’ll scribble down instructions and pull out my measuring spoons, just for you.  But really, this is a good habit to pick up.  That way, in the future when my grand kids ask me how I made my stir fry, I’ll be able to tell them exactly how.  Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who got handed down generations of family recipes, but I’m not one of them.  So I guess the tradition will start with me.

And I know the picture at the top is hard to read, so here’s the blown up version so you can see the measurements a little better, although I know it’s still pretty tiny. Hope you enjoy my little chart. It will be here for you whenever you need it. Now go bake a cake.

*EDIT: And once again, check out Our Etsy Shop OR Our Storenvy Shop if you are interested in purchasing a print.