Of je nu bakt of kookt, vaak is het nodig om je ingrediënten vooraf te wegen, zodat alle verhoudingen in het gerecht kloppen. Is je weegschaal kapot of moet de batterij vervangen worden? Dan moet je op zoek naar een alternatieve methode om te meten!
1. Use a measuring cup
Een goed alternatief voor een keukenweegschaal is de maatbeker. Hoewel een maatbeker iets minder precies is dan een weegschaal, is het een snelle manier om de juiste hoeveelheid van een hoop ingrediënten af te wegen. Sommige maatbekers hebben alleen streepjes voor vloeistoffen, maar er zijn ook voldoende exemplaren waarmee je allerlei andere ingrediënten ‘weegt’, zoals rijst, bloem en suiker.
2. Measuring with tablespoons
No measuring cup to hand either? Then use an item that everyone has in the kitchen, namely the tablespoon. Weighing with a tablespoon is a little trickier, because a full spoon has a different value with each ingredient. For instance, a tablespoon with milk is about 15 grams, while with sugar it is 12 grams, with flour 10 grams and with honey 20 grams. For example, if you need 200 grams of flour for baking, calculate that this is 20 tablespoons. The disadvantage of weighing with tablespoons is that it is slightly less accurate.
3. Measuring with teaspoons
For some ingredients, it is easier to weigh with a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon because you generally need smaller quantities. For example, a teaspoon of liquid is roughly equivalent to 5 millilitres, for water as well as milk and oil. A teaspoon of butter or flour equals about 3 grams, while sugar is 4 grams and salt is 2 grams. Note here that this is a standard teaspoon; not every spoon is exactly the same size, which obviously changes the weight.
4. Baking using cups
In the United States, people widely weigh with cups, a measure that is especially popular for baking. However, you can use cups not only for baking, but also, for example, to weigh out a quantity of rice. A classic coffee cup has a capacity of 125 millilitres. This fits exactly 120 grams of sugar or 80 grams of flour. Weighing with cups only works if you know the exact content of the cup. Besides a standard coffee cup, you can also buy special cups designed for weighing.
5. Using your hands
Don’t have any of the above items on hand? Then you always have your hands! Of course, this is the least accurate way of weighing, as a handful is a different amount for everyone. For example, a handful of rice is 45 grams on average and a handful of flour is about 30 grams. We do not recommend this method unless you have no other options, as it is not really accurate.