Switched to a scale after 10 years of scooping flour

I always measured flour by scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off. Thought that was totally fine until last month my neighbor (who bakes sourdough for a living) showed me her method. She weighed out exactly 120 grams of flour and my cookies came out way more consistent than they ever have. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were just guessing the whole time?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max6d ago

Wait, you used to scoop too? Man, I was the same way. I kept telling people it didn't really matter, that flour is flour and a cup is a cup. Then my wife got me a cheap scale for Christmas and I tried it out on my banana bread recipe. First batch I weighed the flour for once turned out perfectly tall and soft instead of that dense, crumbly mess I'd been getting forever. Now I weigh everything. I feel pretty dumb for all those years of guessing.

the_paul5d ago

Are you SERIOUSLY telling me a SCALE made your banana bread better? Come on, man. People have been baking with measuring cups for generations and it worked fine. My grandma never weighed a thing in her life and her pies were legendary. You think your cheap Christmas scale suddenly unlocked some secret baking magic that your hands and eyes couldn't figure out? Half the time it's not the flour, it's your oven temp or your bananas being too ripe or not ripe enough. I've scooped flour for twenty years and my banana bread comes out perfect every time. I bet your wife just wanted you to stop leaving flour dust everywhere and the scale was her sneaky way of getting you to clean up.

harper9145d ago

The first time I used a scale for banana bread I was honestly mad it worked better. I had that same "my grandma never weighed anything" pride going on and it hurt to admit she would have used one if they were cheap back then. I think the real kicker is how consistent the texture gets when you stop guessing on flour. You ever notice how a cup of flour can vary by like 30 grams depending on how you scoop? That adds up fast. Do you still use your old measuring cups for anything or are you all in now?