2 Cup Liquid Measuring Cup

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Straight to the Bespeak

The best measuring cups are the Ballast Hocking Glass three-Piece Measuring Cup Set and OXO Practiced Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups. Both of these sets are accurate and have durable, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-read gradations.

Adding a cup of milk to a recipe sounds like shooting fish in a barrel plenty, doesn't it? Sure, pouring the liquid is simple, only when you lot assume it was actually one loving cup—that'due south where the trouble starts. Our review of measuring spoons described the fake sense of security the tools give you based on their stamped volume markings. Liquid measuring cups are no different: Clad in all sorts of official-looking lines, they can make it like shooting fish in a barrel to think that a loving cup is a cup is a cup—dump in the milk, stock, or water, and feel reassured you've followed the recipe correctly. Merely the truth is, a measuring cup isn't always accurate, and for some dwelling house cooks, it tin be a challenge to read them properly. Working with accurate cups, and knowing how to read their gradations, increases your chance of recipe success.

We evaluated 24 measuring cups, with capacities ranging from 2 ounces to four cups, to find the ones that are the most authentic and easiest to read.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Glass Liquid Measuring Cup Set: Anchor Hocking iii-Piece Glass Measuring Cups

These Ballast Hocking glass measuring cups were the nigh authentic set we tested and include 1-, 2-, and 4-cup measures. Only the smallest cup was off past more than a milliliter at full book, which is very accurate for kitchen use. The cups have durable, easy-to-read markings; a archetype shape that nests well; and spouts that are easy to cascade from.

The All-time Plastic Liquid Measuring Cup Set: OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups

If concern over weight or risk of breaking drinking glass has yous in the market for a plastic set, these lightweight OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups were the 2nd nearly accurate ones we tested. The most erroneous fellow member of the group was the 2-loving cup measure, which was off by about two teaspoons at full volume during our trials. The plastic is very clear, just the fabric is sensitive to heat, then it won't handle long stints in the microwave with fats, oils, or chocolate.

The Criteria: What Nosotros Look for in a Corking Ready of Liquid Measuring Cups

Liquid measuring cups should be accurate, durable, and have skilful cascade spouts and some level of heat resistance. We like sets that include 1-, 2-, and 4-cup sizes, which can tackle just about whatsoever kitchen task.

In choosing which sets to test, nosotros considered best-selling items from major retailers like Amazon, and cantankerous-referenced reviews from other reputable brands, like America's Test Kitchen (subscription required) and The Sweethome. What our research revealed was that, somewhere along the style, manufacturers tried turning the humble measuring cup into something more elaborate, with designs that slide or plastic builds that won't fit in the microwave. Even our winning OXOs add something new—gradations stock-still at an angle inside the cup, viewable from above—which helps y'all read the liquid's level more than easily, but non necessarily with the same carefulness equally traditional designs allow.

Accuracy is what we prize most in measuring cups, just they should as well have durable gradations that won't rub away over time. When y'all're pouring, the stream should exist easy to control and tidy, without running down the side of the cup. Nosotros too knew nosotros wanted cups that could survive the microwave's heat—you'll likely use them to warm milk, take the chill off a few tablespoons of butter, or cook congealed gravies and sauces on their style from the refrigerator to the tabular array.

We excluded the newer mode of adjustable measuring cups, because we couldn't test the durability of the sparse silicone gasket that prevents liquids from dripping out. However, we did include newer squeezable silicone measuring cups, which can help with pouring pancake concoction onto a griddle or muffin mix into prepared cups.

While there are inherent redundancies, we consider i-, 2-, and 4-cup measuring cups essential. Yeah, y'all can fill a 1-loving cup measurer four times, just that compromises accuracy, and it's less efficient. Dragging out a 4-cup measure showtime thing in the morning for viii ounces of pourover-coffee water doesn't brand a lot of sense, either. A ii-loving cup size, with markings for 2/three, ane 1/three, and 1 2/3 cups, is useful for almost jobs, but a larger, four-cup vessel is handy when you're portioning stock or h2o for soups or stews. Maxing out at about viii inches in diameter for the largest cup, when all its cups are nested, a set takes up less cabinet space than a dinner plate. Of grade, weight is another issue if you lot're buying a glass set: A 4-cup drinking glass measure weighs nigh two and a half pounds, while the same size cup in plastic is just over ten ounces.

The Testing

Test one: Accuracy

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Earlier we become into how we tested for accuracy, the most important benchmark, a quick reminder on the proper way to read a liquid measuring cup—which is, of class, an essential part of figuring out its accuracy—is in society.

The curvature formed past a substance in a measuring cup is called a meniscus, and it's created by surface tension on the top of the liquid. To read a measuring cup accurately, place information technology on a flat, stable surface, like a table or countertop. Add the liquid until it reaches but nether the gradation line yous're aiming for. Then get down at eye level with the marker, and you'll notice the liquid isn't straight—information technology sort of walks up the walls on the edges. Advisedly add more liquid until the bottom of the meniscus is level with the gradation on the cup.

To estimate accuracy in our tests, we relied on an sometime standard: water. Because a milliliter of water weighs exactly a gram, we were able to compare the weight of the water in the cups to the markings on the sides and see if they correlated. I reached out to the Weights and Measures Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and was informed that one loving cup of room-temperature water is approximately 236 grams.

We filled each cup with water, creeping up to the gradations with an eyedropper, until the bottom of the concave meniscus was at the measuring line. Nosotros tested each loving cup twice, starting time at its half volume, and so at its maximum volume. To dominion out human error, we measured each volume level 3 times and averaged those readings. Subsequently each attempt, we dumped the water onto an accurate scale and noted the weight. (Nosotros used a calibrated jeweler's scale with a resolution of 0.01 gram for the 1-cup measures, and an accurate kitchen calibration with a resolution of 0.1 gram for the 2- and four-cup measures, due to limitations in the jeweler'southward scale's max chapters.) So we compared our averages to the NIST standard to determine the accuracy of each cup.

Subsequently our trials, we cross-checked our initial measurements by reversing the process: weighing out a known volume first, then pouring that into the measuring cup to ensure that the h2o lined up with the advisable gradation.

Want to know why some recipes fail even when you follow them closely? As these tests demonstrated, it's often saboteurs like inaccurate measuring cups. A 4-loving cup measurer nosotros tested yielded more than forty milliliters extra when filled to one-half volume—that's well over an ounce. Putting that much more liquid in a pan sauce you're reducing might add but extra time. But if you're baking or cooking with rice, that kind of inaccuracy can make a real departure.

Exam 2: Durability

The take a chance of shattering a glass measuring loving cup is a concern; if y'all driblet one on the flooring, information technology will likely pause. Merely curt of that, the glass is quite durable, and accidentally chipping it confronting a pot or pan is improbable. Because the durability of the drinking glass itself isn't worth testing (it is breakable, afterwards all), our evaluation focused on the resilience of the markings.

All of the gradations on the cups we tested were made with paint applied in some form to the outside of the measuring cup. We fitted a reciprocating saw, which moves back and forth 3,000 times per minute, with a heavy-duty synthetic scouring pad that is normally used to clean grill grates. Afterward lubricating the pad with h2o, we used the saw to scrub the markings for 30 seconds, and then checked for wear. The expert news is that all the glass and most of the plastic measuring cups survived, though one lost its markings virtually entirely, earning a disqualification.

Exam 3: Staining

Lingering food stains, the testify of past recipes, aren't only cruddy—they tin also make a measuring loving cup hard to read. Nosotros heated oily and acidic love apple sauce to a simmer, then ladled it into each measuring cup and let the cups sit for 12 hours. The glass cups didn't stain at all, and neither did the plastic ones. But the flexible silicone ones, which we had found to be relatively authentic, did: A hazy pink tint was left on the walls of the loving cup, making it harder to read the gradations. While nosotros can meet using these for controlled dispensing of hot or thick ingredients, they'd never exist our primary measuring cups.

User Experience

Nosotros tested how piece of cake it was to warm dearest and remove it from the measuring cups. Similar to those of a saucier, the rounded corners on about cups tin suit a flexible spatula and brand scooping out beloved simpler. Since our testing took identify in a 75°F (24°C) kitchen, we didn't experience the same difficulty with honey that America's Exam Kitchen did (subscription required): They reported that colder temps in a kitchen are retained better by the thicker glass, making it harder for sticky ingredients to level out and pour from a glass cup compared to a plastic one. Though our testing conditions were unlike, we can see this becoming an result in colder months. The merely cups that gave united states trouble were the winning OXOs, which have angled gradations that made information technology harder to scrape the dearest out.

We too filled the measuring cups to half volume with water and heated them to a boil in the microwave, in order to determine whether the handles stayed comfortably absurd. This test also led to a couple of disqualifications: 1 innovative glass beaker blueprint had a sliding plastic collar with gradations on it that moved upwards and down, mimicking a scale's tare part. Simply it softened and deformed in the microwave before hardening again. Some other measuring cup, about viii and a quarter inches tall, wouldn't even fit in the microwave. Fortunately, all of the handles were absurd enough to grab out of the microwave, though the flexible silicone tended to get the warmest, upward to around 115°F (46°C).

How We Chose the Best Liquid Measuring Cups

Later running the measuring cups through all the above tests, and eliminating any that performed poorly, we narrowed downwardly our picks to the post-obit two sets.

The All-time Glass Liquid Measuring Cup Gear up: Ballast Hocking iii-Slice Glass Measuring Cups

What we liked: The Anchor Hocking 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup set was the nigh authentic set nosotros tested. The 1-cup measure missed the target 236 grams by a scant i.24 milliliters, which is extremely accurate by kitchen standards. Other 1-cup measures nosotros tested were slightly less authentic, with ane averaging 3.5 milliliters under what it should have been.

The 1-, two-, and 4-loving cup glass measures have a classic shape for easy nesting, and the largest cup has a narrower footprint and taller walls than other, shallower drinking glass versions, and then it takes up less space on cabinet shelves. The handles kept to a cool 89°F (32°C) during the water-humid tests; there are no restrictions on using these cups in the microwave.

The cherry-red gradations along the side of the cup are prominent, making information technology easy to read their location in relation to the lesser of the meniscus. When we poured measured amounts of h2o dorsum into each of the cups, the meniscus was closer to the gradation than information technology was in other cups, which proved that the cups were authentic in addition to existence easy to read. And while this set is heavier than plastic cups, that weight keeps the cups still on the countertop, which is handy when you're ladling hot stock or pasta water.

What we didn't like: The 2-cup marker on the 2-loving cup measure was slightly crooked, though not enough to cause trouble when cooking. Interestingly, when filled to half volumes, some of the cups slipped in accuracy: When nosotros added 472 milliliters of water (2 cups) back into the 4-loving cup measure out, the lesser of the meniscus was to a higher place the gradation.

Serious Eats / Emily Dryden

The Best Plastic Liquid Measuring Cup Set: OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cups

What we liked: There's a lot to like well-nigh the OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup prepare. The cups nest neatly and are lightweight. The 1-, 2-, and 4-loving cup measuring cups accept comfy rubber-coated handles for fantabulous command while pouring, and they stay cool correct out of the microwave. Annotation: When we originally tested these measuring cups, the ready came with iv measuring cups, which included the same sizes and a smaller 1/iv-cup version, which is handy for drizzling oils, extracts, and and so much more. The 1/4-loving cup size is no longer included in the set, however it can be purchased separately and we practice remember information technology'southward worth buying.

What nosotros didn't like: That said, heating is this Tritan plastic's weakness—literally. Boiling water is no trouble, simply oils, which take a boiling bespeak well beyond 212°F, can melt the plastic. OXO told united states of america that heating oils, fats, and ingredients like chocolate tin can likewise chemically react with the plastic and dethrone the cup.

While the plastic is articulate, the liquid forms a less pronounced meniscus compared to in a glass cup, which, for some, tin can make information technology hard to read the bottom. When we filled the 2-loving cup measure out with 472 milliliters of water, the meniscus was in line with the gradation, but during testing, we averaged over 10 milliliters over the mark—which, we believe, was due to the thinner meniscus and the less readable, short-nuance-style gradation line. This demonstrates that the cup, while authentic, needs to exist used with a slightly more attentive eye.

The well-nigh notable feature on these cups is the angled gradations, which are handy as a quick reference, equally they save y'all from having to hunker down to measure. However, that method isn't as accurate as checking the side of the cup. The gradations sit on a ledge that makes it more challenging to get out gummy ingredients, like honey.

Serioius Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Competition

Pyrex Prepware Measuring Cups: Nosotros really liked the one-cup measuring cup, but found the ii- and four-cup sizes to be more inaccurate.
OXO Good Grips 3 Piece Squeeze and Pour Silicone Measuring Cup Set up: These measuring cups were authentic plenty, but stained and their exterior got very hot afterwards a stint in the microwave.
Chef'n Adaptable Measuring Beakers: These measuring cups were consistently inaccurate and nosotros cannot recommend them.
IKEA Chalice Glass Measuring Cup with Spout: This measuring cup was inaccurate as well.
Pourfect 1, 2 and 4 Cup Beaker Set: These measuring cups scratched very easily and the larger size wouldn't fit in the microwave.
iSi Flex-It Measuring Cups: These measuring cups were too inaccurate.
Practiced Cook Clear Measuring Cup with Measurements: This measuring cup wasn't bad, but wasn't every bit authentic equally our favorite models.
Marinex Drinking glass Measuring Cup: This measuring cup was very inaccurate.
Arcuisine Glass 2C Measuring Cup: This measuring cup was also inaccurate.

FAQs

Are liquid and dry measuring cups the aforementioned?

No, liquid and dry measuring cups are non the same. Liquid measuring cups are for measuring, well, things that are liquid: H2o, goop, oil—yous get the gist. Dry out measuring cups are for measuring dry ingredients like flour and saccharide. If you use merely one type of measuring cup for all measuring tasks, y'all'll stop up with some inaccuracies. That said, if you want hassle-free, truly accurate measurements (like when baking), we recommend weighing your ingredients and using a kitchen scale.

How practice you mensurate liquid without a liquid measuring loving cup?

If you have a kitchen scale and are post-obit a recipe that notes ingredient amounts by weight (similar our chocolate chip cookie recipe), you can utilise a kitchen scale to measure liquids without having to reach for a measuring cup. We similar this scale from OXO.

What size is a liquid measuring cup?

Liquid measuring cups come up in many sizes. Our favorite liquid measuring cup set contains 1-, 2-, and four-loving cup sizes and we also like this small one/4-cup measuring cup. There are larger measuring cups out there, but we haven't tested them and cannot speak to their accuracy.