Much good food is spoiled in cooking. In order to have good results in cooking, reliable recipes should be followed accurately. Correct measurements are absolutely necessary to insure successful results.

A Few General Rules

Sift flour, meal, powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar and soda before measuring.

Mustard and baking-powder are apt to settle in the can, and therefore should be stirred to lighten before measuring.

Salt lumps easily, and the lumps should be broken before measuring.

Dry materials, such as flour, should be measured lightly with a scoop or spoon, and not packed hard into the measure.

Every household should have measuring cups, measuring tablespoons and teaspoons on hand.

All the recipes in this book call for level or flat measurements.

To measure butter, lard, or any kind of fat, pack solidly into the cup or spoon and make level with a knife. If the fat is very hard, it may be softened by leaving it in a warm place for awhile, or it may be cut into small pieces before measuring it.

To measure a spoonful of any dry material, dip the spoon into it, fill it, lift it and level it with a knife.

For a half spoonful, divide lengthwise.

For a quarter of a spoonful, divide the half crosswise.

For an eighth of a spoonful, divide the quarter diagonally.

Less than one-eighth of a teaspoonful is considered a fewgrains.

A cupful of liquid is all the cup will hold.

A teaspoonful or tablespoonful is all the spoon will hold.

Note - It will be found that a heaping teaspoonful of dry material, such as baking-powder, is the same as 4 or 5 level teaspoonfuls. Housewives who are not in the habit of using level measurements are apt to think that recipes calling or level measurements require more material than those that they have been using.

Equivalents

3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons equal ¼ cup 2 cups equal 1 pint

2 pints equal 1 quart

4 quarts equal 1 gallon

4 cups of flour equal 1 pound

4 cups entire wheat flour equal 1 lb.

3 cups (scant) cornmeal equal 1 lb. 2 2/3 cups oatmeal equal 1 pound

6 cups rolled oats equal 1 pound 4 1/3 cups rye meal equal 1 pound 2 cups rice equal 1 pound 2 cups granulated sugar equal 1

pound 2 2/3 cups brown sugar equal 1 pound

2 ¾ cups powdered sugar equal 1 lb.

3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar equal 1 lb.

2 cups milk equal 1 pound

2 cups butter equal 1 pound

2 cups finely chopped suet equal 1 lb.

2 cups chopped meat equal 1 pound

3 cups raisins equal 1 pound 4 1/3 cups of coffee equal 1 pound

2 1-7 cups pearl tapioca equal 1 lb. 1½ cups instant tapioca equal 10oz. 1½ cups minute tapioca equal 10 oz. 40 small prunes equal 1 pound

28 large prunes equal 1 pound 75 apricot pieces equal 1 pound

3 large bananas equal 1 pound