Measurements

We get to constantly convert from metric to non-metric measurements or vice versa which is a pain. If we all used these it would be much easier!

I like those!

Reminds me of Rachael Ray who used to use those cooking terms, drove me nuts. Anymore, except for baking, I just use my eyes as my guide for small measurements like that. I'm at the point in cooking where I delete unneeded steps and use fewer pots and pans.

My undergrad degree is in Biology and I still tend to cook like a chemist. I'm most comfortable with recipes that give precise and explicit directions and quantities.

Regarding using fewer pots and pans, I first learned Chinese cooking from cookbooks. They all said to do a thorough mis en place when preparing for a stir-fry. And they're right. But somehow that always meant dirtying almost every bowl and measuring device in the kitchen. Then I took a Chinese cooking class. One of the first things the instructor told us was to measure the capacity of the spatula and ladle being used in the stir-fry, and to use those utensils to measure out ingredients. This can tremendously reduce the number of containers and measuring devices needed. I've noticed that professional Chinese cooks use these two utensils almost exclusively for measuring ingredients.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I actually have that set. It was given to me by a friend who appreciated that I never measured anything.