Measuring cups

Stephanie is wondering how to measure a cup of cereal and is confused by ounces versus cups. Specifically, how does she measure a cup of raisin bran? Shouldn’t a cup of raisin bran equal 8 ounces?

Unfortunately English uses the word “ounce” to mean two different units of measure (volume and weight) and the fact you are measuring a dry ingredient makes the use of the word even more confusing.

Although we often talk about liquid measurements and dry measurements, in cooking - a cup is a cup whether liquid or dry. It’s a measurement of volume, not weight. So the quick answer to your question is to pour raisin bran into a 1-cup measuring cup and use that amount. A 1-cup measuring cup holds 8 ounces, by volume, of dry ingredients.

But recipes do talk about liquid versus dry measuring cups. In both cases - a dry versus liquid measuring cup holds 8 ounces of volume. This is not a weight measure. In this case, the cups themselves that are different. A “dry” measuring cup holds exactly what it says: a cup, a half cup, or a third cup. This allows you to measure a dry ingredient precisely by over-filling the cup and then using a knife to scrape off the excess. A liquid measuring cup allows for the inevitable slop in measuring a liquid. These are made of glass or plastic and have a pouring spout.

When baking, recipes often (and should!) indicate ingredient measurements by weight, instead of volume. Your instinct for raisin bran (you are probably baking) was good but not the recipes intention. In your case, the recipes asks for a cup, so you a cup. For your information, a cup of raising bran probably weighs around 3 or 4 ounces.

Hope we’ve helped you! Thanks for writing to ChefsLine@5 Stephanie.

~ Chef Kevin