Measuring by Weight vs Volume: Why I Switched to a Scale for Baking

If you feel intimidated by the idea of measuring by weight vs volume, this read is for you. Measuring ingredients with cups, tablespoons and teaspoons might seem like the easiest method of baking. But it’s not easy to have to remake a batch of failed cookies. Keep reading if you’re struggling with the idea of “converting” to the weight system in your kitchen.

What is so Awful About Measuring by Weight?

Is measuring by weight vs volume actually as awful and complicated as it sounds?

No, it’s really not. But I used to think it would be.

I used to internally rebel at the idea that measuring ingredients by weight was the “right” way to bake. I didn’t want to convert to the “more accurate” way of measuring out ingredients partly because it sounded more complicated.

Measuring flour in grams? I’m American. grahams are a cracker in my vocabulary.

And who wants to deal with the hassle of getting out an extra bowl and zeroing a scale in lieu of just scooping some flour out of the bag with a measuring cup?

That is actually the worst method of measuring ingredients, by the way.

But I didn’t know that for a while. Despite the fact that my mom told me on multiple occasions that she had decided to start measuring her ingredients by weight for better accuracy, I just could not handle the perceived extra work and restriction of adhering to such exact standards.

Honestly, it also felt like too much of a strain on my creativity to have to weigh my ingredients. Because – cringe – I have never liked patterns, instructions or … recipes.

I know, I know. That sounds pretty strange coming from a recipe blogger. But truthfully, that is how I came to be a recipe blogger. I don’t get excited about following a recipe. But I get excited about making my own recipe! I love the creative possibilities my kitchen holds.

As a matter of fact, sometimes I create a new recipe simply because it sounds easier and more appealing than following a set of instructions, even when they are my own.

Simply put, I don’t enjoy following a strict set of rules on how to do the things I love. I love to bake. And the boundaries of perfect measurements used to sound like walls that would lock up my passion for dreaming up delicious and healthy treats.

So I simply refused and kept on creating with my imprecise measuring methods.

A Batch of Botched Cookies Opened My Eyes

But then I had to convert. And I realized why it is so much better to measure ingredients by weight vs volume. I also discovered that it is actually less hassle to measure by weight in the long run.

It all started with a batch of cookies gone wrong. I had made these particular chocolate cookies a couple of times already with great success and wasn’t sure why they had not turned out on this particular occasion. They were not as dark, decadent and fluffy as they had been the other times I made them.

I had a suspicion that they did not have enough cocoa powder, but I didn’t understand how that could be the case since I had measured everything the same as always. I had scooped the dry ingredients from their respective containers with the appropriate measuring cups in the correct order. And I was certain that I had used the correct measuring cups for each ingredient.

The next time I made the chocolate cookies, the same disaster was beginning to unfold. But this time, I caught on before they made it into the oven. Relying on my gut, I mixed in some additional cocoa powder and re-scooped the cookies onto the baking sheet.

And what do you think happened?

They turned out how they were supposed to! Dark, decadent, fluffy chocolate cookies that everyone wanted a taste of.

But why did I have different results making these cookies when I had used the exact same measurements every time?

Because ingredients can easily vary in actual amount when they are measured by volume instead of by weight.

This can be because of variances in how the ingredients are measured out. For example, I get significantly different amounts of flour in 1 cup if I scoop flour with a spoon and dump it into the measuring cup versus scooping the flour directly with the measuring cup. This is because scooping flour with a measuring cup compacts it whereas dumping it in with a spoon aerates it.

Even if you measure by scooping with a measuring cup every time, you can end up with differences in the amount of ingredients you are adding to your baked goods simply because there is so much room for variation. Depending on the amount of pressure used to scoop the ingredient with the measuring cup, you might have 150 grams or 175 grams of ingredient in your cup.

That is a pretty significant difference. And that is why measuring by weight is far more accurate – because it will be the same every time.

Measuring by Weight Can Make a Significant Difference

Coincidentally, right around the time of the botched cookie incident, I came across an article discussing the importance of measuring ingredients by weight (although I cannot find the article now). The article mentioned something that was eye-opening for me.

It said that seemingly minute differences in the amount of an ingredient in a measuring cup can make a substantial difference as the ingredient multiplies when a recipe is doubled or tripled.

Here’s what I have realized:

If you are following a cake recipe that calls for 1 cup of flour, the recipe may assume you are getting 125 grams of flour in that one cup. And let’s say you want to triple the batch to make a triple layer cake. And let’s imagine you are doing the scoop-and-dump method of measuring that has an entirely different weight than the recipe is assuming (as I always used to).

Now, let’s say that as you are scooping flour out of your bag with your measuring cup, you actually get 150 grams in your first cup, 160 grams in your second cup and 167 grams in your third cup. You now have a total of 477 grams of flour in your triple batch cake recipe.

Based on the recipe, you are supposed to have a total of 375 grams of flour in that triple batch. This means you have roughly a 27% overage of flour in your cake recipe, which can have a big impact on your final outcome!

You might finish baking that cake and think to yourself that it wasn’t a good recipe because the cake turned out dry. But in reality, you simply didn’t use an effective way of measuring your ingredients.

So that’s why I started measuring ingredients by weight. It is simply more accurate and helps prevent botched recipes. It also is not as complicated or restrictive as you might think.

How to Measure Ingredients Accurately

All you really need in order to measure ingredients by weight is a kitchen scale like this one. You can set a bowl on top and hit the “tare” function to zero the scale before adding any ingredients. Then, simply add your ingredients one at a time and hit “tare” between each ingredient to zero the scale for each new measurement.

But if you’re still not convinced to measure ingredients by weight, at least use the more accurate method of scooping ingredients with a spoon into your measuring cup. Instead of dipping a measuring cup into the bag or container to scoop, use a spoon and dump the ingredient little at a time into the measuring cup, scraping the top flat with the back of a butter knife when it’s full.

This method of measurement will get you closer to the same measurement in weight as the recipe than scooping with the measuring cup. Because, as I already mentioned, scooping with the measuring cup compacts dry ingredients while scooping with a spoon and dumping into the measuring cup aerates it.

So to scrape down the sides of this post, my first recommendation to you is to begin measuring your ingredients by weight in grams. But if you just aren’t ready to make that leap yet, my secondary recommendation is to at least scoop your dry ingredients with a spoon and dump them into the measuring cup to avoid packing them down and distorting your measurements.