Measuring cup

Measuring Cup

A measuring cup is a kitchen utensil used primarily to measure the volume of liquid or bulk solid cooking ingredients such as flour and sugar. The cup will usually have a scale marked in cups and fractions of a cup, and often with fluid measure and weight of a selection of dry foodstuffs.

History

The invention of the measuring cup dates back to ancient civilizations where they used various items to measure quantities. The modern day measuring cup was standardized in the 19th century, primarily in the United States and United Kingdom, where cooks began to use standardized cups to measure ingredients instead of weight.

Types

There are several types of measuring cups used around the world, including the U.S. customary, the Imperial, and metric measuring cups. Each type has its own units of measure. For example, a U.S. customary cup is 236.6 milliliters, an Imperial cup is 284 milliliters, and a metric cup is 250 milliliters.

Usage

Measuring cups are used in cooking and baking to measure out the correct amount of ingredients. They are essential for recipes that require precise measurements. It's important to note that measuring cups used for dry ingredients and those used for liquid ingredients are not interchangeable due to the difference in volume.

See also

• Kitchen scale
• Measuring spoon
• Cooking weights and measures