In article , sf says...
http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

Vote now!

Thanks go to Terry (P'rfesser) for sending in this survey




A "weighing scale" as opposed to what other kind of scale?


Yes, I have a "weighing scale" and use it regularly. I do not, however,
have a singing scale, a swimming scale, or a C-minor scale.

--
Peter Aitken

Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
sf wrote:

On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:55:27 +0200, Giusi wrote:


I don't think that follows.

Of course it does - if you're an American.

Weighing is more accurate, always. If you
need to scale a recipe up or down, weighing outdoes measuring every
time.

I am not a scientist and don't pretend to be one, so I don't need to
weigh food and don't have any desire to begin. The only time I've
ever weighed food was to get an idea of portion control for a diet...
IOW what x oz of something looked like. After I got the general idea,
I stopped weighing food and the scale went on the top shelf to gather
dust until it was thrown out.

So, for me:
Weighing food as portion control while dieting is a possibility
Weighing food just to cook - never.

Baking requires accuracy and recipes from any professional source are
pretty much always by weight.

Baking doesn't *require* that degree of accuracy. Recipes from professional
sources generally make way too much for the home cook. Not many people have
an oven large enough to make a full sheet cake.

Recipes from professional sources measured by weight are easily scaled
both up and down.


It's possible to bake a cake or bread without even using measuring cups and
spoons!!! I know, a rather shocking statement. My Great Grandmother did it
for around 80 years though. I use measuring cups and spoons because I have
to use something to get the ingredients out of the canister/container and I
have them.

Possible, but often with inconsistent results and most likely not with
acceptable results on the first attempt at a given recipe.

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Baking requires accuracy and recipes from any professional source are
pretty much always by weight.

Baking doesn't *require* that degree of accuracy. Recipes from
professional
sources generally make way too much for the home cook. Not many people
have
an oven large enough to make a full sheet cake.

Recipes from professional sources measured by weight are easily scaled
both up and down.


It's possible to bake a cake or bread without even using measuring cups
and
spoons!!! I know, a rather shocking statement. My Great Grandmother did
it
for around 80 years though. I use measuring cups and spoons because I
have
to use something to get the ingredients out of the canister/container and
I
have them.

Possible, but often with inconsistent results and most likely not with
acceptable results on the first attempt at a given recipe.

So you're saying that people couldn't turn out great cakes and breads if
they didn't have scales? I'll bet my Great Grandmother and millions of
others would tell you you're full of it. I doubt anyone of my
GGrandmother's generation had a scale at home. Most of them didn't even
have accurate measuring cups and spoons. You don't need them though, a cake
or biscuits or pie crust or bread are all a matter of proportion anyway.
And it does *not* have to be exact. But of course if you had actually
learned to cook instead of learning to make recipes you'd know all of this.


Ms P

Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Baking requires accuracy and recipes from any professional source are
pretty much always by weight.

Baking doesn't *require* that degree of accuracy. Recipes from
professional
sources generally make way too much for the home cook. Not many people
have
an oven large enough to make a full sheet cake.

Recipes from professional sources measured by weight are easily scaled
both up and down.


It's possible to bake a cake or bread without even using measuring cups
and
spoons!!! I know, a rather shocking statement. My Great Grandmother did
it
for around 80 years though. I use measuring cups and spoons because I
have
to use something to get the ingredients out of the canister/container and
I
have them.

Possible, but often with inconsistent results and most likely not with
acceptable results on the first attempt at a given recipe.

So you're saying that people couldn't turn out great cakes and breads if
they didn't have scales? I'll bet my Great Grandmother and millions of
others would tell you you're full of it.

That's not what I said, and you're full of it.

Without scales or other standardized measuring devices like measuring
cups baking was a trial and error process. When someone told you a new
recipe they would include measurements is some obscure terms which if
you were lucky was something you were familiar with. On the first
attempt at that recipe you would attempt to get the measurements correct
and you probably got an edible result, but you would remember what
needed to be adjusted next time.

With standardized measurements you will most likely get the measurements
correct the first time. When measuring by weight you are even more
likely to get it correct and for a professional baker consistency is
important.

I doubt anyone of my
GGrandmother's generation had a scale at home. Most of them didn't even
have accurate measuring cups and spoons. You don't need them though, a cake
or biscuits or pie crust or bread are all a matter of proportion anyway.
And it does *not* have to be exact. But of course if you had actually
learned to cook instead of learning to make recipes you'd know all of this.

Biscuits, pie crust and bread are far more tolerant of measurement
errors than cakes are.

Suggest you get the CIA book "Baking and Pastry, Mastering the Art and
Craft" (about $40 on Amazon) and learn something yourself. You will
learn about many techniques where your seat of the pants measurement
methods will fall flat, often literally.

Pete C.

sf wrote:
On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:55:27 +0200, Giusi wrote:


Weighing is more accurate, always. If you
need to scale a recipe up or down, weighing outdoes measuring every time.

I am not a scientist and don't pretend to be one, so I don't need to
weigh food and don't have any desire to begin. The only time I've
ever weighed food was to get an idea of portion control for a diet...
IOW what x oz of something looked like. After I got the general idea,
I stopped weighing food and the scale went on the top shelf to gather
dust until it was thrown out.

So, for me:
Weighing food as portion control while dieting is a possibility
Weighing food just to cook - never.

That is your experience. Mine is different. Scientist? Hmmm.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Ms P wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message


So you're saying that people couldn't turn out great cakes and breads if
they didn't have scales? I'll bet my Great Grandmother and millions of
others would tell you you're full of it. I doubt anyone of my
GGrandmother's generation had a scale at home. Most of them didn't even
have accurate measuring cups and spoons. You don't need them though, a
cake or biscuits or pie crust or bread are all a matter of proportion
anyway. And it does *not* have to be exact. But of course if you had
actually learned to cook instead of learning to make recipes you'd know
all of this.


Ms P

Actually most of them did. People buy them in antique shops all the
time. Jam: fruit weight, sugar weight, time to cook.
Etc. The whole cups and spoons measures were come up with in the 30s
when magazines became nationally interesting so they could publish
recipes that everyone across the country could make rather than have
people guess what the size of a walnut was and how big was their coffee
cup vs someone else's. They took a while to catch on, too.

And a lot of people made very simple and very shabby food back then,
too. Maybe your Grandma was a superb baker, maybe not. There were
always both kinds, but not many people had a way to compare since eating
out was rare other than at churches, etc.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Jun 8, 10:18?am, sf wrote:
On Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:55:27 +0200, Giusi wrote:
sf wrote:
On Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:53:56 +0200, Chatty Cathy
wrote:

http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

Thanks go to Terry (P'rfesser) for sending in this survey

Looking at the results today.... I'm guessing a lot of Americans are
on diets. I don't think the "scales" would tip so heavily in favor of
weighing food if that wasn't the case because I don't think we have
enough OW (Other World) participants to tip them like that.

So a follow up survey could be about the reason why people use food
scales. PS: I don't invent surveys, I just expand them (in my mind).

I don't think that follows.

Of course it does - if you're an American.

Weighing is more accurate, always. If you
need to scale a recipe up or down, weighing outdoes measuring every time.

I am not a scientist and don't pretend to be one, so I don't need to
weigh food and don't have any desire to begin. The only time I've
ever weighed food was to get an idea of portion control for a diet...
IOW what x oz of something looked like. After I got the general idea,
I stopped weighing food and the scale went on the top shelf to gather
dust until it was thrown out.

So, for me:
Weighing food as portion control while dieting is a possibility
Weighing food just to cook - never.

I weigh food all the time but never for dieting. I buy quite a few
dried items in bulk, so if I want to cook a pound of pasta, beans,
buckwheat groats, whatever, or if I need say two pounds of flour I use
my scale. The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.

I also find many other uses at home for an accurate kitchen scale that
have nothing to do with food, has saved me many trips to the post
office. And I use a scale in my hobbies, for counting small parts
like buttons and ascertaining if I have the proper amount of cordage
for a macrame project. I think every home needs a scale, and it
needn't be expensive.

All you really need: http://tinyurl.com/33ca6g

And says free shipping...

http://www.amazon.com/Salter-11-Poun...324705&sr=8-11


Sheldon

In article . com,
Sheldon wrote:

The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.

You weigh burger meat out?

I use a 1 cup measuring cup to portion them out for freezing.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
In article . com,
Sheldon wrote:

The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.

You weigh burger meat out?

I use a 1 cup measuring cup to portion them out for freezing.


I weigh out 5 ounces of meat for each burger, for the same reasons.

Bob

On Jun 8, 7:56 am, "Pete C." wrote:

Baking requires accuracy and recipes from any professional source are
pretty much always by weight.

Sure if you make it in mass quantities, you're not going to bother
with cups and teaspoons of anything, but I'm not baking for the troops
or a business and my home baking turns out just fine anyway. It's not
brain surgery, it's just baking.

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article . com,
Sheldon wrote:

The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.

You weigh burger meat out?

I use a 1 cup measuring cup to portion them out for freezing.


I weigh out 5 ounces of meat for each burger, for the same reasons.

Bob

5 oz.???

Why so small?

By using a 1 cup measuring cup, it pretty much consistently comes out to
8 oz. per patty. I weighed it when I first started doing it and it
works, and saves time.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article . com,
Sheldon wrote:

The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.
You weigh burger meat out?

I use a 1 cup measuring cup to portion them out for freezing.

I weigh out 5 ounces of meat for each burger, for the same reasons.

Bob

5 oz.???

Why so small?



That's what size we like. I use 80% to 85% lean meat, and I quickly
cook them to about "medium". They don't shrink very much. If you're
hungry, take two! (there's plenty)

Best regards,
Bob

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article . com,
Sheldon wrote:

The only time I weigh for portion control is when I make
burgers, but mostly for consistant size but not for dieting, I don't
think my 10 ounce burgers qualify for dieting.
You weigh burger meat out?

I use a 1 cup measuring cup to portion them out for freezing.

I weigh out 5 ounces of meat for each burger, for the same reasons.

Bob

5 oz.???

Why so small?



That's what size we like. I use 80% to 85% lean meat, and I quickly
cook them to about "medium". They don't shrink very much. If you're
hungry, take two! (there's plenty)

Best regards,
Bob

Ah. Got it. :-)

The whole quarter pounder thing.

I prefer them a bit leaner too.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On Fri, 8 Jun 2007 11:59:38 -0400, Peter A
wrote:

In article , sf says...
http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

Vote now!

Thanks go to Terry (P'rfesser) for sending in this survey




A "weighing scale" as opposed to what other kind of scale?


Yes, I have a "weighing scale" and use it regularly. I do not, however,
have a singing scale, a swimming scale, or a C-minor scale.

i heard you had scales on your body.

your pal,
blake