Cooking weights and measures

Cooking weights and measures are the units and techniques used to quantify ingredients in recipes, including mass, volume, and count.

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Mass: Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. Weighing ingredients measures mass, regardless of their shape or packing.
Kitchen scale: A kitchen scale is an instrument that measures the mass of food ingredients. It gives a direct mass reading and avoids errors from ingredient packing.
Baker's percentage: Baker's percentage expresses each ingredient's mass as a percentage of the flour mass. It makes bread formulas scalable without relying on fixed batch quantities.
Volume-to-mass conversion: Volume-to-mass conversion estimates an ingredient's mass from its volume using its density. A cup is not a fixed weight; the result depends on the ingredient and how it is measured.
Volume: Volume is the amount of three-dimensional space occupied by a substance. Measuring cups and spoons quantify ingredient space rather than its mass.
Measuring cup: A measuring cup is a marked vessel used to measure liquid or dry ingredient volume. Its fill level and design determine how much volume a recipe measure represents.
Recipe conversion: Recipe conversion changes ingredient quantities or units while preserving a recipe's intended proportions. Scaling and unit changes require consistent treatment of each ingredient.
Metrication: Metrication is the adoption of the metric system in place of customary measurement systems. Recipes may mix metric weights with customary volumes, creating conversion choices.
Density: Density is mass per unit volume. It explains why equal volumes of different ingredients can have different weights.
Measuring spoon: A measuring spoon is a small standardized utensil for measuring ingredient volumes. It provides repeatable small quantities, especially for seasonings and leaveners.