Measuring Up

Our busy day-in-day-out life leaves little time to create something that looks as if it were styled by the Food Network.  I mean to say, creation takes a bit of thoughtful preparation and consideration.  Time is of the essence in the average American's schedule.  It took God 6 days to create the heavens and the earth.  I hope it doesn't take that long to make dinner.  In order expedite matters it pays to be prepared by having a stocked kitchen filled with your favorite ingredients.  Time can stand still in the kitchen when it searching the cabinet.  One can find the most interesting things when trying to finding that last ingredients or missing kitchen tools.  The frustration of not finding the needed measuring spoon or precise ingredient can cause one to abandon a meal and call for take out. 

Here are three basic equivalency charts that you may have seen.  You may have known the information noted on these charts along with your high school locker code.  I remember being tested in mandatory cooking classes in school.

 These equivalency charts found on kitchen towels and cutting boards are a great kitchen addition or to add to your "kitchen file" at home.  

The liquid and dry measures will help you to keep rolling in the kitchen and not slow you down when cooking.  If you can't find a tablespoon one can use 3 teaspoons.  When substitute measuring try and be as precise as possible.  A 4 heaping tablespoons to generate a 1/4 of a cup can measure up to 1/3 of a cup.  Note the difference between heaping and level in your recipes.  

Prepare in advance by using a one cup measure of water and add it to your favorite drinking glass.  For instance, if you know the one cup measurement  reaches the top of the blue flower then you can reach for that same glass at dinner time.