Last time I provided a few healthy baker tips with a ‘lil Bake Off show laughter. In that spirit, this week I’m sharing about an American baking tool that I love, tested over the course of baking time.
Some tools can last a lifetime, so some are especially worth investing in!
And some lives last over a century, like Centenarian lives in Blue Zone regions, such as Sardinia. Actor Stanley Tucci has a Searching for Italy series since his family is from Italy, and recently aired an episode on Sardinia (and the Barbagia di Seulo subregion).
For Sardinian starters, families sometimes pass on their starters (…sourdough starters that is!). That’s a tradition…
…And mine is to pass on unique tools.
Which btw, did you also hear about Martha Stewart’s Great American Tag Sale earlier this year where she had great big giant tents of original stuff from her homes and collections?
… I would have loved to have picked through all that cookware, home decor, and then pick up a cute Grandmillennial mint vase or even her butter knife she uses 😉. That’s the scrapbooker in me. And the baker …I’m also a long-time fan admirer. Maybe you are too.
The big white tents can’t just be Great British Bake Off time that’s on these days.
I had my own bake-off time this week. 🥮
Favorite American Baking Tool On Game Day
Here’s what I do on baking day (or game day) that for me is weekends. I start out by pulling out my baking tools in the morning. If there’s a crusty trace of ingredient love from my last baking, I like to take a toothpick and do a little grooming. That’s time spent in pre-baking love without pets. 🐶🐱
And so my favorite baking tool (I actually have more than one!) is my thick Pyrex measuring glass that many American kitchens have (and probably in your cabinet too). It has proven its usefulness many times over with conversions from mL, to ounces and cups.
I use the vessel for measuring liquids in bakes. That includes oils for less spills and more thrills. If you’re thinking of investing in this kitchen tool if you don’t have one, don’t get the plastic version… get the real deal.
Type of material matters for baking tools. Of course, glass is great for dishwashers and easy cleaning, but it also has its delicate qualities like breakage (and is not so good for little young bakers).
But tools made for life like the Pyrex can sometimes survive falls to the kitchen floor. It’s like a smart phone with glass that can shatter but is pretty durable. Not like cheap made glasses that can break if say, immersed in the wrong temperature.
I also do use plastic cups and teaspoons to measure dry ingredients. The different colors inspire me and work for The Home Edit drawer type of organization.🌈
Baking Faux Pas (You Can Learn From My Mistake)
But early in my baking years, I didn’t bake often enough to practice good baking habits and organization. Sometimes I used the measuring glass (same actual one I mentioned above 😊 that has also survived moves). And sometimes I used measuring cups or whatever that was around. There was no method to the madness!
And I was a lazy baker.
That actually hasn’t changed as today I still love easy bakes! The healthy and creative came later.
Early on, my faux pas was I used the Pyrex measuring glass all wrong.
I used it for measuring ounces in baking. But Hello!… baking is actually usually in cups, grams, mL and/or teaspoons depending on the recipe if you’re using one. I was looking at the wrong measuring line where baking sometimes needs a ‘lil measured precision.
And in baking that can be a disaster or the difference between a lovely bake you want to share… or a flop where you reach for the positives like, “well, at least it tastes good!”
Digressing here 😁:
[Ok, the disasters weren’t all my fault. I was programmed to learn to read in ounces and is still commonly found in traditional cookbooks like the red and white tablecloth cover of Better Homes New Cookbook that I still reference.
It’s just not as common of a measurement for baking these days.
Back in the day, the old-fashioned hardcover cookbooks had antique or ochre yellow and burnt sienna brown (Crayola) colors… you get the point… I won’t get too Bob Ross on you here. 🎨
You did have to use your imagination on some bakes though because there weren’t many photos.
Maybe a few every chapter, but mostly all text recipes. And even The Martha Stewart Cookbook I have is all black and white like a newspaper, and with no photos. So you really have to be good at reading instructions and following them.
Today with internet and video clips it’s much easier. Rarely do you see Martha just standing around (like I did when I was on her set). 😊
She was ahead of her time.]
Back to the Point and Lessons Learned For Today
So besides adding, if you need to cut down on a measuring tool, you could eliminate the Tablespoon. It’s about 3 teaspoons and it’s a lot easier to use a small (quarter or half) teaspoon for baking soda if you use the box kind with the small opening.
Tablespoons and teaspoon measurements rarely need the precise accuracy that is needed like in measuring flour for more precise grams in multi-layered cakes
Those baking days are more intense, than when you’re rolling out pastry (or pasta) where precision isn’t as critical.
Less precision is a good opportunity to use other measuring cups that come in different sizes like quarter, third, half, and one cup. You can use the bottom to tamp out the well for the egg.
…That the Pyrex isn’t too good with, but it is good for one vessel EASY BAKES.
And easy clean up too!