Measuring Ingredients

If you do a lot of baking, you'll surely appreciate better organization of your ingredients for recipes. This tip also reduces the mess you make while baking.

1. When you buy flour and sugar in bulk, separate them immediately into 1-cup portions or other appropriate amounts, depending on what you use—grams, kilos, pounds, etc.
2. Store each portion in a resealable plastic bag and keep them in a cool, dry place.
3. You may like to organize your portioned bags in Tupperware or other air-tight containers, either by ingredients that will be used in the same recipe (i.e., everything needed for chocolate chip cookies), or by similar ingredients (all flour bags in one container, all sugar bags in another container, etc.).
4. The next time it comes to make your favorite recipe, just pull out the bags you need. That way you won't have to slow down to measure out the most common ingredients!

Layered mixes work kind of the same way. They are popular as gifts in my neighborhood around the holidays because they're simple and beautiful, and they let people bake your treat whenever they want it. Layered mixes are also great to keep on hand for yourself when you want to throw something together quickly or need someone else to make your favorite recipe without messing up the ingredients. You can make layered mixes in a flash—just layer all the dry ingredients in a clear glass jar, alternating between ingredients of different colors to create a nice look. Include a tag that lists other necessary ingredients and baking directions.

If you don't want to pre-measure, but you do want to cut down on the mess, another great idea is to measure all the ingredients into little bowls or plates, or measure all your ingredients directly over the sink.

If you're weighing your ingredients in a kitchen scale, put a coffee filter in the bowl of the scale before you start filling it with an ingredient. Then you can lift your measured ingredient out. You'll save yourself the trouble of washing several bowls.