A memo of utensil weights
You will no doubt have come across this problem while cooking: after starting a recipe, when you already have some ingredients in a pan and have maybe cooked them, you need to know the weight of the pan's contents so that you can take half out, or add the same weight of sugar, for example.
28 K 4.6/5 (20 reviews)
Last modified on: May 9th 2011
A memo of utensil weights
This would be much simpler if you could just weigh the full pan, but unfortunately the weight of the pan itself would be counted by the scales and mess up the sums.
A precise example: you weigh the pan which registers 750 grams, but this 750 grams is the weight of the contents + the weight of the pan itself (which, of course, you don't know).
There are two solutions to this problem:
1) You pour the contents into another empty pan on the scales, which you set to zero (if you have adjustable or add-and-weigh scales), but this has two disadvantages: it makes more washing up for nothing and it wastes time.
2) You consult your memo of utensil weights. This is a little document which contains the weight of each of your utensils.
Going back to our earlier example, the full pan weighs 750g and it weighs 350g empty; conclusion: the contents weigh 750 – 350 = 400g! No extra washing up, just a simple subtraction which takes no more than 10 seconds.
Obviously, you need to keep this memo to hand, and of course, you need to have made it beforehand. So it's worth spending a little time weighing your utensils (pans, moulds, tins, bowls, other containers…) and noting the weight carefully for each one.
With this system, there is no need to describe or name the item and no need to write the weight again as this can be read on the photo.
So, when I need to know the weight of a utensil, just a quick glance at the photo memo and I have the answer.
See what it looks like for yourself:
It doesn't really matter what method you use, the important thing is to make a note of the weight of your utensils, and to keep it handy – you will find it very useful and the hour or so it will take you to make it will be repaid in the time and washing up saved later.
A precise example: you weigh the pan which registers 750 grams, but this 750 grams is the weight of the contents + the weight of the pan itself (which, of course, you don't know).
There are two solutions to this problem:
1) You pour the contents into another empty pan on the scales, which you set to zero (if you have adjustable or add-and-weigh scales), but this has two disadvantages: it makes more washing up for nothing and it wastes time.
2) You consult your memo of utensil weights. This is a little document which contains the weight of each of your utensils.
Going back to our earlier example, the full pan weighs 750g and it weighs 350g empty; conclusion: the contents weigh 750 – 350 = 400g! No extra washing up, just a simple subtraction which takes no more than 10 seconds.
Obviously, you need to keep this memo to hand, and of course, you need to have made it beforehand. So it's worth spending a little time weighing your utensils (pans, moulds, tins, bowls, other containers…) and noting the weight carefully for each one.
Paper memo
The simplest method is just to use a sheet of paper: one column for “name” (such as "big pan"” , "blue bowl" , "glass flan dish" …) and another column for “weight” . This is simple to do and read, and once done, it can be kept in a drawer ready for use, which could be soon.Photo memo
But with a digital camera, you can do something even quicker and easier. This is how I created my utensil memo:- I weighed the utensil
- I placed it on a wipe-clean board and wrote the weight in grams large and clear
- I photographed it, checking that both the utensil and the weight could be seen clearly
- I arranged all the photos before printing them in a convenient format
With this system, there is no need to describe or name the item and no need to write the weight again as this can be read on the photo.
So, when I need to know the weight of a utensil, just a quick glance at the photo memo and I have the answer.
See what it looks like for yourself:
It doesn't really matter what method you use, the important thing is to make a note of the weight of your utensils, and to keep it handy – you will find it very useful and the hour or so it will take you to make it will be repaid in the time and washing up saved later.
Lasts posts
Oven height
When we put a dish or cake in the oven, we naturally tend to put it on the middle shelf, and that's what we usually do. But in some cases, this position and height can be a little tricky, so let's find out why.October 8th 20257345
The importance of sieving
In recipes that use a fine powder (flour, powdered sugar, etc.), you'll often see the advice to sift before using it. To sift is to pass the powder in question through a sieve (a very fine strainer) before incorporating it into your recipe. It's often advice, but is it really useful?September 3rd 20256,5803
The grease spray
As soon as you have something in a recipe that sticks to the mold, the question always arises as to how difficult it is to remove from the mold. There's nothing more frustrating than breaking your cake when unmolding it, because part of it has stuck in the mold. The classic way to avoid this is...August 26th 20255,9905
Cake moulds
When we make a cake, or a cake of the same rectangular shape, we usually take out our usual mould and tell ourselves that the recipe is anyway "for a cake", but is it really that simple?August 25th 20256,1785
Thinning out herbs
If you need to add a long-stemmed herb (tarragon, mint, verbena, thyme, etc.) to a recipe, you'll probably only need the leaves and not the stem, so you'll need to remove the leaves. Leaf removal means keeping only the beautiful leaves, and eliminating the ugly stems and leaves, but how do you do...August 8th 20254,3485
Other pages you may also like
The art of the charlotte
In cooking, a charlotte is a delicious moulded dessert, with biscuits around the outside that have been soaked in a flavoured syrup, filled with a light cream or mousse. The charlotte is left to set in the fridge before being turned out and served in slices. It is very light and a lovely sweet...February 27th 201346 K4.3
Raising (or leavening) agents
When we want to make a dough or batter rise when baking, either in patisserie or bread-making, we need to use a raising agent or leavening agent, one of which is called leaven. In the context of baking, a raising agent is simply what "makes something rise". It is a substance which, when added to...June 16th 202156 K4.8
The first breads of humanity?
I have already told you in a previous article the beautiful story of the croissants, but do you know what it is about the bread, who "invented" it, where and when? Well, you can imagine that recent discoveries, in 2018, have profoundly changed the history of bread.February 16th 201913 K5
A stable cutting board
As soon as you have something to cut in the kitchen, the best thing to do is to use a cutting board, it protects your table or work surface, and their material is made to protect the edge of your knife, that is to say that it is soft enough, in short it is the ideal thing. But simply put on the...May 22th 20219,1445
Should I believe my oven?
Can you really trust your oven? This is an important question as we are always tempted to take the temperature indicated as gospel truth and, unfortunately, this is rarely very precise. .July 4th 201132 K4.6
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.