Does anyone use the rectangular Norpro measuring spoons? They are grossly inaccurate!

H

heather_in_sf

Well-known member
My mom and I measured out a tablespoon of sugar today, and found out Norpro is really inaccurate, off by 3 grams per tablespoon....

I got so irked I wrote a blog post about it today.

We have been having such problems with dessert making since Christmas when mOm got the measuring spoons. Now we know WHY!!

Better do a little measuring in your kitchen and see what you come up with.

http://heatherinsf.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/not-measuring-up/

 
Heather, I wonder if that calculation is right......

You said your standard conversion states that 1 tablespoon = 14.235 grams. If so, then 16 tablespoons (1 cup) equals 227.76 grams, or 8.034 ounces.

However, when I weigh my sugar, 1 cup = 7 ounces.

Using a 7 oz cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon should only weigh .4375 ounces, or 12.4029 grams, which is closer to your norpro than the old aluminum.

(I used google to do the conversion - type in "8 ounces in grams" in the google search box, and it returns the conversion. I love that tool!!!)

Since the weight of 1 cup of dry ingredients vary, water might have been a better test, making sure to account for the meniscus thingies.

That being said, I think I'll go measure sugar in my spoons too.

Regardless of my outcomes, the difference between your mom's spoons are significant! The original recipe was probably developed by someone who had the same type of spoons as your mom's old ones.

Doesn't it just make you crazy?!? I would have assumed, like you, that measuring tools are accurate. Whoever thought you'd have to check its accuracy??

 
Okay, here are my results....

I have two sets of spoons, one regular one, and one elongated spice set.

The smallest unit of measurement on my scale is 1 gram.

For the regular set:
1 tablespoon sugar = 12 grams
1 tablespoon water = 15 grams

For the spice set:
1 tablespoon sugar = 11 to 12 grams*
1 tablespoon water = 14 to 15 grams*

*The reading fluctuates between the two numbers, I usually take that to mean that it's somewhere in between.

When I measured the sugar, I overfilled the spoon, then leveled it off with a knife.

When I measured the water, I filled a small cup with water, and dipped the spoon in, so that it was as full as it could possibly be.

This was a fun experiment!

 
Part of the problem with your calculations...

is that the measuring spoons are used for volume measurements, not weight!

1 Tablespoon is 15 ml, or 1/16 of a cup, which is 240 ml.
The weights of identical volumes of ingredients can vary quite a bit.

This is one reason using a scale for measuring baking ingredients is recommended.

I grant you that sets of measuring spoons can vary greatly, but you should use volume as a gauge, not weight.

 
This is fascinating. I have 4 sets of spoons. Now I wonder if this type of thing extends to...

..measuring CUPS as well??!!!??

I really made my head hurt when I remembered the two batches of Almond Butter Crunch that didn't turn our well last Christmas. I don't even want to think about what this might do to candy making!

Michael

 
I agree that measuring spoons are intended to measure volume and not weight.

That's the exact reason why I used two separate ingredients, sugar and water, to prove that the gram weights will indeed be different.

I used ingredients with known weights - 1 cup of water weighs 8 oz, and 1 cup of sugar weighs 7 oz. Divide both of those by 16 to get the respective weights of 1 tablespoon.

Sugar is the easiest ingredient to use as the control, it always measures the same, as long as you level it off. Unlike flour, where the weight will vary depending on how much you pack the spoon or the cup. Flour can weigh anywhere from 4 to 5 ounces, depending on how you put it into the cup. Even water can differ, since it depends on how you account for the meniscus (see link).

Using the scale made it easier to quantify the difference between the two spoons. The smallest unit of weight measurement is 1 gram. The smallest unit of volume measurement is 1/4 teaspoon.

I do use my scale for all of my baking, but I still need the measuring spoons for the small ingredients.

But that still doesn't guarantee success when trying a new recipe. It depends on what tools the recipe developer used!

I keep a conversion chart on my flour container. I converted the various cup sizes (1 cup, 1 1/3 cup, 1 1/2 cups, 2 cups, etc) to weights. I used 4.5 oz per cup as my conversion factor.

However, if I use certain sources of recipes, that conversion doesn't work, and I need to use 5 oz as my conversion factor. (Better Homes and Gardens appears to use 5 oz cups of flour.) So now I keep both sets of conversions on the flour container.

If you buy a new baking book, it'll usually tell you the method they use to measure flour - "dip and sweep", "scoop and sweep", "spoon lightly into cup and sweep", etc.

But if it's a recipe that your grandma got from her neighbor's cousin, you'll have to figure out what method they used for measuring flour to guarantee success, no matter how accurate your scale is!

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrylabexperiments/qt/meniscus.htm

 
Somewhat, according to CI. They tested several that were inaccurate, including Allclad. They liked

Amco for accuracy and ease of use. The inaccuracies sound small, 3-6%. However,6% of a cup is close to one tablespoon. I don't know if that could affect buttercrunch, but in another article about not completely scraping out measuring cups, CI said it can make a noticeable difference for something like measuring butter for pound cake or molasses for cookies.

They found the spoons they tested to be accurate but liked the Cuisipro the best. Unfortunately, the Norpro wasn't on the list of tested spoons.

I'm a stickler for measuring, but I grew up around women who rarely measured anything. But that's a whole different story.

 
I have been using rectangular measuring spoons for years & haven't noticed bad end products so I

immediately went to measure salt to compare the 1 Tbsp stainless steel rectangular to my old aluminum Tbsp and BIG DIFFERENCE. My rectangular Tbsp is an Endurance which is made in China, and it's quite a bit smaller than my aluminum Tbsp. Also my round RSVP brand is also smaller than the old alum. one. Now the round Amoco stainless steel (made in USA) is equivalent to my ancient aluminum! Good grief. I never would have thought to compare the capacities of different brands of Tbsps! Scientific husband (physics major) said they should be the same without weighing. Unbelievable! Thanks for the 'heads up'! I will revert to my OLD tried & true aluminum set that I've had since Day 1. I also will look up the CI comparison testing. You learn something new every day from this site.
PS: I do NOT own the Norpro measuring spoons.

 
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