Measuring equipment

The first necessity far culinary success is to ensure that the right amounts of ingredients are used. Dry foodstuffs must be levelled off - unless heaped teaspoons or tablespoons are called for - and liquids should be viewed from eye level to ensure they reach the required depth. Spoons and measures are generally sold in both metric and imperial sizes.

• Measuring Spoons - small amounts of dry ingredients are measured in teaspoonfuls or tablespoonfuls or fractions of these. Some are double-ended with imperial at one end, metric at the other.
• Measuring Jugs - for measuring the volume of ingredients, especially liquids. The best jugs have metric and imperial markings, plus American cups.
• Scales - essential when recipes call for ingredients by weight. There are many varieties, from balance scales to digital display types. The best provide both metric and imperial weights.
• American Measuring Cups - the volume of both dry and liquid ingredients can be measured in cups and fractions - ¼, ⅓ and ½ - of a cup. Usually sold in nesting sets.