Liquid vs Dry Measures – what’s the differences?

Technically, liquid and dry measures hold the same volume, but they are each designed to measure their respective ingredients accurately.

Liquid ingredients are poured in and filled to the appropriate lines.
Dry ingredients are scooped in then levelled off.

• LIQUID AND DRY CONVERSIONS
• THE BEST WAY TO MEASURE
• TWO SYSTEMS OF MEASURING
• LIQUID AND DRY MEASURES CHART

Liquid and Dry Conversions

As you could easily spill any liquid that you measure in a dry measuring cup, it is always a good idea to use a liquid measuring cup. They have lines that measure well below the rims so there is room for the liquid to slosh without spilling.

There are two types of liquid measurings cups that you can purchase, the beaker
and the angled measuring cups. The angled measuring cups are best as you don’t need to be at eye level when you are pouring in your ingredient to read the measurement, as the measurements are written on the top and on the side.

Using liquid measuring cups for dry ingredients is also a bad idea as dry measuring cups are designed to be filled to the brim so the excess can be swept off which is difficult to do in a liquid measuring cup. Patting or shaking the cup would cause your ingredients to compact and you will be adding more than is necessary for your recipe. Ideally, the best weigh to measure your ingredients is by weight with a digital kitchen scale.

The best way to measure

Dry ingredients the best way would be by using the “dip and sweep” method whereby you use your dry measuring cup to scoop your ingredients and then using a flat edge sweep off the excess.

Liquid ingredients are best measured using a liquid measuring cup and placing it on a flat surface. Then pour the liquid in until you have reached your desired marking.

For accuracy, however,  you can’t beat using a scale that is almost foolproof.

Two systems of measuring

There are two systems used for measuring quantities – metric and imperial. In cooking the metric system uses kilograms (kg) and grams (g) for dry ingredients and litres (l) and millilitres (ml).  The imperial system uses pounds (lb) and ounces (oz) for dry ingredients and fluid ounces (fl oz), quarts (qt), and gallons (gal). While a gill in the imperial system is the equivalent of 5 fl oz (150 ml) is now mainly used to measure alcoholic spirits. 

Liquid and Dry Measures Chart

As a guide, I have included a conversion chart below. For an online calculator, however, I like to use the one from Donna Hay as it includes Australian, UK and US cups.

Click here for details on Measuring Cups and Spoons Worldwide.