🍪 Lesson 2 of 20: Measuring Dry Ingredients
Cooking Lessons for Kids
Welcome back, chefs! In Lesson 1, we learned about kitchen safety and getting comfortable in the kitchen. Now it’s time to level up your cooking skills by learning something super important:
👉 How to measure dry ingredients correctly
Measuring is like using a magic formula — if you get it right, your cookies, pancakes, and cakes will turn out amazing every time!
🥄 What Are Dry Ingredients?
Dry ingredients are foods that are not liquid. You usually scoop them instead of pouring them.
Examples:
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Flour
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Sugar
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Cocoa powder
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Rice
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Baking soda & baking powder
Today, we’ll learn how to measure them the right way!
🧁 Measuring Cups vs Measuring Spoons
🥣 Measuring Cups
Used for bigger amounts like:
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1 cup
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½ cup
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⅓ cup
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¼ cup
They are usually stacked together in a set.
🥄 Measuring Spoons
Used for small amounts like:
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1 tablespoon (Tbsp)
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1 teaspoon (tsp)
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½ tsp
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¼ tsp
These are important when baking — even a tiny mistake can change the recipe!
🎯 The Golden Rule: Scoop and Level
If you remember ONE thing from today’s lesson, remember this:
⭐ Always scoop and level your dry ingredients
But what does that mean?
📏 What Is “Leveling-Off”?
Leveling-off means making the ingredient flat on top, not rounded or bumpy.
Imagine building a sandcastle — you want the top smooth and flat!
If you don’t level:
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Too much flour = dry, crumbly cookies
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Too much sugar = overly sweet desserts
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Too much cocoa = bitter treats
So yes — leveling matters A LOT!
🛠️ How to Level-Off Like a Pro
Step-by-Step:
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Scoop the ingredient into the cup or spoon
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Let it pile up a little on top
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Take the back of a knife or a straight edge
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Gently scrape across the top
✨ Done! Perfect measurement.
❌ Common Kid Mistakes (Totally Normal!)
Let’s avoid these beginner mistakes:
🚫 Shaking the cup to “fit more in”
🚫 Pressing flour down (this makes it heavy!)
🚫 Guessing instead of measuring
🚫 Using regular spoons instead of measuring spoons
Remember: Baking is science + fun!
💡 Fun Tips & Kid-Friendly Hacks
🥄 Use a Butter Knife
No fancy tools needed — a butter knife works perfectly for leveling.
🥣 Use a Bowl Underneath
Measure over a bowl so spills don’t make a mess.
Bonus: You can reuse extra ingredients!
👀 Eye-Level Check
Hold your measuring cup at eye level to see if it’s flat.
This makes you feel like a real chef 👩🍳👨🍳
🎮 Practice Time! Measuring Challenge
Let’s try measuring 3 real ingredients at home.
Ask a grown-up to help you gather these:
🥇 Practice Ingredient #1: Flour
Measure:
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1 cup flour
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Level it carefully
Why it’s tricky: Flour is fluffy and easy to over-pack!
🥈 Practice Ingredient #2: Sugar
Measure:
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½ cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (NOTE: Brown sugar is special! This ingredient needs to be “PACKED”. Press down on your brown sugar to press out the air.)
Tip: Sugar is heavier than flour, so leveling is extra important. Level brown sugar AFTER “PACKING” it.
🥉 Practice Ingredient #3: Baking Soda or Baking Powder
Measure:
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1 tablespoon baking soda or baking powder
Challenge mode: Baking soda can be clumpy — try leveling gently!
🧪 Mini Kitchen Experiment
Try this fun test:
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Measure one cup of flour without leveling
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Measure one cup with leveling
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Compare them!
You’ll see how BIG the difference is!
🧼 Clean-Up Tip
Before you finish:
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Wipe your measuring tools
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Put them back in the drawer
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High five yourself for learning a very important chef skill!
⭐ What You Learned Today
You’re officially getting better at cooking!
Today you learned:
✅ The difference between measuring cups and spoons
✅ What dry ingredients are
✅ Why leveling off is important (and how to “pack” brown sugar)
✅ How to measure like a real baker
🍰 Coming Next Lesson…
In Lesson 3, we’ll explore:
🎉 Pouring & Measuring Liquid Ingredients
(Pouring, reading lines, and avoiding spills!)
Keep practicing, chefs. Every scoop makes you stronger in the kitchen!
👩🍳👨🍳 See you in the next lesson!
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