Why doesn't my dry measuring cups include a 3/4 cup size?

[stuck in Hartford County]

I'm fed up that my measuring cups don't include a 3/4 cup size. I have to use either 3 of my 1/4 ones, or just eyeball 1/4 less in my single cup. Does any company make a set that includes a 3/4 dry measuring cup? It won't cure cancer or provide world peace, but it would be nice to have one.

[pine time]

Never really thought about it, but I have (& use!) 3 different measuring cup sets, and I use the set most that has a 3/4 c measure as well as a 1/8 measure. Yeah, I could use 1/2 + 1/4 or 2 Tbl., but the actual cups are handy.

[Bada Bing]

For about 10 or more years I've had a stainless steel set branded "Williams Sonoma," a gift, which was (I think) a combination of a standard sizes set and a matching odd sizes set. It comprises 8 cups and includes 3/4, 2/3 and 1.5 cups. While math doesn't stump me, I find it useful simply for having extra cups to use when I'm measuring lots of wet and dry ingredients, as in cookie making.

I don't see them on the current W-S website. But maybe their stores have more stuff?

[Kagemusha]

Are people that math-challenged? 1/2c+1/4c=3/4c...

[MacGuffin]

I'm going to have to agree with you on this--I want fewer utensils, not more, and like the standard 4-piece dry measure set. And in the event 1/8 cup is needed, I head over to the spoons and use two tbsp. If nothing else, I feel arithmetically competent.
My gripe is that I wish more measuring spoon sets included a 1/3 tsp. The geniuses who manufacture sets with odd sizes include--get this--a 2/3 tsp. measure. It's not more difficult to accurately halve the amount of matter in such a spoon than to measure (and level) 1/3 tsp. twice?! "Odd" should also be "practical," no?

[Sooeygun]

"I want fewer utensils, not more"

I want fewer utensils dirty, that I have to wash, not more. (and don't care about having more utensils) I do a lot of baking and have 3 sets of measuring cups. Even with 3, while doing multiple recipes, sometimes all of one size are dirty and don't want to stop to wash. Wouldn't mind having a set with 3/4 and 2/3.

And I would say I am better than average at math.

[MacGuffin]

I'm not sure what the sentence you quoted has to do with your combined measuring cups and math ability.

[Sooeygun]

I guess you missed my first sentence after the quote, where I amended it to match my opinion. Why use a 1/2 and a 1/4 and wash both, when one 3/4 can be used?

[Kagemusha]

Surely the opportunity cost on your time isn't that high. I rest my case.

[MacGuffin]

LOL
I have to say also that washing the various components of three sets of cups strikes me as dirtying, washing, and owning more cups than I want to deal with (and somewhat to that end I spent quite a bit of money on a single set of extremely heavy one-piece stainless steel cups) but I'll allow that that's just me. I take the "dry" part of "dry measure" literally and if I really need to clean them between ingredients, I just give 'em a wipe with a paper towel and reserve possibly "wettish" ingredients like nut butter (a pain to measure in a liquids cup) for the end, after which the cup gets washed. Come to think of it, my set rarely gets washed--usually a wipe and/or a rinse suffices.

[Kagemusha]

Amen.

[NYCkaren]

I'm not math challenged and I managed without a 3/4 cup measure for most of my life. But I bought a set with 3/4 cup and 2/3 cup measures when a friend was briefly selling Tupperware several years ago and they do come in handy. It's a nesting set so taking up extra space is not a big issue.

[comestible]

I have to admit, I would like a 3/4 cup measure. For some reason, the cooking I do calls for that amount quite often. Go figure!

[arashall]

Like several other people, the odd sizes are exactly the reason why I bought "vintage" tupperware on *bay, just like the ones that my Mother has had since I was a baby. They are indestructible (except for melting), and somehow just work better than any of the many other varieties I've tried over the years. The colors that are back in style, like lime green cost a little more than the ugly 70s colors, but they all work great.

[hotheadscot]

Better homes and Gardens. about 10 bucks at Wal-Mart. Heavy Duty stainless and oval shaped. Pretty good.

[DGresh]

For christmas last year my 12 year old gave me one of those "everything" sets from walmart. It had a mess of measuring cups, a mess of measuring spoons, and some truely awful paring knives, bottle openers and ladels and things. All in a little carosel that sits on the counter. I tossed some of the stuff, separated the spoons from the little clip they were on (does anyone actually leave the spoons on a ring like that?), eventually tossed the carosel . (and hoped my son didn't notice too much) Anyway the set of cups does have the 3/4 and 2/3 and I use them a lot. So try walmart of all places.

[Davwud]

I keep mine on the clip. I lost the clip to my measuring spoons and added a clip. It just keeps them together.

Just tell your son you were washing the carousel and it fell and broke.

DT

[alanbarnes]

Eh, keep your 3/4 cup measures. I can live without 'em. But when I'm halving a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup of something? Where's the *&#^&% 1/6 cup?

[Davwud]

I just use 8 teaspoons.

LOL

DT

[DCLindsey]

I recently made a full dozen muffins, instead of 6, because I was so annoyed at halving it and having to deal with 1/6 of of this and 1/8 of that...I had converted to tablespoons but kept forgetting where I was at (was that 3 or 4? 5 or 6? argg!)

[MacGuffin]

I've done that, too, but it eventually occurred to me that I could pretty accurately eyeball what I'd already done because I knew what a tbsp.'s-worth of whatever looked like and could estimate based on that. I stopped stressing after that (and weirdly enough, stopped losing track as well).

[yayadave]

This looks like a deal.

http://www.amazon.com/MIU-13-Piece-Pl...

[doughreme]

My old Tupperware cups are some of my most worn out pieces of cooking tools. They last forever and have all of the necessary sizes. Highly recommended. I looked them up recently and I think they are now in red and a little cuter. Just happen to have a picture of them (the old ones) stored on my computer.

[Wahooty]

YES! Those are the ones! Mom's are orange. :)

[Sooeygun]

My mom's are green and my sister has the yellow ones. I found it funny going to the Tupperware site and seeing many products that my mom has are still available, just in the trendy colours of the day. That's reason some of the lids don't match the bowls colour-wise in my mom's Tupperware. She took advantage of the lifetime guarantee (do they even do that anymore?) when lids cracked and they replace them but in the updated colour.

[Wahooty]

I sympathize with your plight, stuck. My mother has a set of measuring cups (Rubbermaid, or possibly Tupperware from the one and only Tupperware party she ever purchased anything from) that she's had at least as long as she's had me. They may have been a wedding present. The 1/4 cup has a melted spot from once falling out of the top rack of the dishwasher, and they have been beaten and battered through the years, but while she has a much nicer and tougher set of metal measuring cups, she won't throw them out because the set includes a 3/4 cup measure. I can't tell you how often I find myself wishing I had one, especially when I'm always making fractions of recipes when I scale down baked goods to feed one or two. It's not like I NEED one, but I often think it would get used enough that it should be considered standard.

[stuck in Hartford County]

OK, time to come clean. I'm a math teacher. I know it's hard to believe that I don't like to mix and match fractions, but it's true- no kidding. The original Tupperware rocks! I'm embarrassed to admit that my mom has her Tupperware purchases from the early to mid 70's- especially the popsicle molds- and one is bent from the dish washer!

[Wahooty]

LOL

So. Is. My mom. I shit you not. High school math teacher, retired just a couple of years ago.

In my case, I just hate washing two measuring cups instead of one - no dishwasher in my household aside from the manual sort. ;) That, and I think my fundamental analytical chemist nature can't help but notice I'm introducing more error into my baked goods by filling the 1/4 cup 3 times. The dishwashing is probably a more relatable predicament for a normal person... :)

[Sooeygun]

I find whenever I have to use a cup more than twice to measure (3 times 1/4, 7 cups in a big recipe, etc), something will interrupt my count and minutes later, I am staring in the bowl thinking, now, did I already put in 2 or 3.

[leanneabe]

I bought a set of measuring cups from Bed Bath & Beyond: 1/4, 1/3, 2/3, 1/2, 3/4, and 1c. I know it's easy to use a combination of standard sized measuring cups, but I can't tell you how often I use the 2/3 and 3/4 and I'm so happy to have to clean only one cup. Plus, when you're measuring something messy like honey or peanut butter, it's just a pain to have to squish, scrape, and measure more than once.

I also have a set of nesting measuring spoons (Crate & Barrel maybe?) that has a 1/2 TB spoon, which is handy when I want to halve a recipe that calls for 1 TB of something, more also when a recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp. 1 scoop and we're good to go!

It's these little conveniences in life that make me happy.

[nofunlatte]

Why don't you just get an old plastic container, measure out 3/4 cup of something, mark that level, and cut off the extraneous plastic? You could do that for all of the odd measurements you need.

[Davwud]

I've never seen one that had a 3/4 cup or any other "Odd" size mentioned above. Probably because with 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 they can all be used in combination or more than once to produce any measurement with minimal size and price.
Probably also because they nest well.

DT

[stuck in Hartford County]

I agree, like I said, this isn't the biggest problem in the world. But I still would like more measuring cup size choices when I have to measure something sticky or messy like 3/4 cup molasses or something. Maybe such a vapid desire is moot in this rotten economy!

[yayadave]

TupperWare set has six - 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, & 1 cup.
In this economy it's nice to be able to pamper yourself a little so inexpensively.

[Kelli2006]

You can purchase a specialized measuring cup for sticky substances such as molasses, peanut butter and honey.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shpro...

[Davwud]

We had a Pampered Chef version of this and I hated it.

DT

[pinstripeprincess]

a really thin misting of oil will make those sticky messy things flow out so amazingly well and you shouldn't have to remist for a second measure.

[Caitlin McGrath]

For molasses, honey, etc., I use a Pyrex liquid measure, sprayed with a little oil to help it slide out (or if the recipe calls for oil, I measure that first, so what's left in the cup does the job). Since Pyrex measures have graduated markings and that stuff is liquidy, it's easy to measure however much you need, whether a "standard" gradation or not.

[MacGuffin]

Out of curiosity, why would you use a dry measuring cup for a liquid like molasses?

[stuck in Hartford County]

Thanks, I'm heading for the local cookware store today, and I'll look for the brands you suggested.

[ThreeGigs]

All-Clad makes a standard set now that includes a 2/3 cup, and an odd-sized set that includes 2/3, 3/4 and 1.5 cup sizes.

[Kelli2006]

I know that King Arthur makes a 3/4 size cup, and they also have odd sizes for measuring spoons. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/i....

You could use a 1/2 cup and then a 1/4 cup.

PS. I just checked and my Rubbermaid set has a 3/4 cup size as well.