A "Spoons" problem (measuring spoons), Buyer beware!

[Spoons]

In the picture bellow, you'll notice an oval-shaped and a squarish-shaped measuring spoons sets. I got the squarish one today because I wanted a second set. it didn't take me time to notice some obvious size differences. So I put it to the test.

It so happens that the oval-shaped set contains about 1.5 more volume than the squarish set. So which set measures correctly? this is a huge difference! I measured each set into a regular 1/4 tsp (from a regular kitchen set) and the squarish set fits perfectly. So now the "kitchen set" and the "squarish set" match up, leaving out the "oval set".

When making cheese, you encounter all sorts of problems, but you learn from them. This kind of problem really ticks me off in the wrong way. The company that made those spoons only had 1 job to do... ONE JOB! and they failed miserably.

This probably explains why I only press my goudas 3.5 hours instead of 5-8 hours or cheddar my cheddars for 45 minutes instead of 1:30 hours.

Careful how you buy your measuring spoons.

End rant...

[scasnerkay]

Wow!
That is similar to me using a syringe for drawing up rennet, and finally realizing that the long blunt needle portion of the syringe held 0.2 ml. Doesn't seem like much, but enough to make a fair amount of difference on the flocculation time. Now I just measure up 2.8 ml of rennet rather than3, knowing that is what I actually have.

[ArnaudForestier]

Susan, I've always used a pipette for rennet, but only recently moved to syringes as it's just a bit easier and quicker.  I used to be a corpsman, but that is a seriously long-life ago...but don't syringes account for that blunt portion? (in fact, it occurs to me, as you purge the needle of air, don't they account for a fill all the way out to the needle-tip?)

[scasnerkay]

The blunt needle I am using is 3 inches long. I could have used a much shorter one. So there is no way for a syringe to account for what length needle I am using...

[ArnaudForestier]

Ah, gotcha, Susan.

[MooKit]

Now don't that just make you so mad?  I usually don't use measuring spoons on most things but in cases where precision is needed then those spoons just dumb it up so badly.  You did the right thing of comparing the volumes and had you another spoon you could use it too for good measure.  Where did you get them from?  Even from the image I can just tell it is greater.

[Tiarella]

Hey Spoons, has this trauma made you consider changing your forum name?   

[OzzieCheese]

I get my mini measures from here

http://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/measuringspoons.html

Cheers

[Boofer]

Where did you get them from?

You can try TheCheesemaker. He's very reliable and reasonable.

-Boofer-

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Well, you really got me wondering. I have a set of these which I use all the time, so I thought that I'd better check them. The results were very interesting.
Mine came with a "Mad Millie" cheesemaking kit and the instruction booklet gives approximate teaspoon equivalents. The claimed values and my measured values are shown below.
   Claimed (tsp)   Measured (tsp)
Tad           1/4              1/6
Dash     1/8              1/12
Pinch           1/16              1/14
Smidgen   1/32              1/44
Drop           1/40              1/86
I measured them against a 1 tsp measure and, because I wasn't sure how accurate the 1 tsp measure is, checked that against an electronic balance. (It came up fairly well.)
I'm glad I tested them. I'll probably still use them but in future I'll know what I'm measuring.
To be fair to the manufacturer, these are probably made as a novelty item and not intended to give any sort of accurate measurement.

[Boofer]

Drop           1/40              1/86

I'm curious how you arrived at your measurements. 1/86 tsp?

For a recent cheese make, I decided I wanted 1/64 tsp of a culture. Not having a 1/64 tsp spoon, I half-filled my 1/32 tsp spoon. Close enough.

Perhaps we need to granulate/parse out to the gram.

If we step back and consider cheesemakers through history...they most likely did not have tiny measuring devices such as these spoons, but instead relied on truly a pinch of this and a dash of that. I believe if you establish a measurement system in your kitchen/underground dairy laboratory that works for you, then the perceived nth degree accuracy of these spoons is more or less irrelevant.

Just sayin'.

-Boofer-

[Spoons]

If we step back and consider cheesemakers through history...they most likely did not have tiny measuring devices such as these spoons, but instead relied on truly a pinch of this and a dash of that. I believe if you establish a measurement system in your kitchen/underground dairy laboratory that works for you, then the perceived nth degree accuracy of these spoons is more or less irrelevant.

I doubt the cheese makers back then had the consistency the cheese industry has today. They also most likely didn't have the dehydrated fancy stuff we have access. What we have is very concentrated and doesn't take much for 4 gallons. A tiny mistake can go a long way in this case. They mostly made 30 + gallon makes. So even if they were a bit off, its no biggy.

BTW, I bought my "crappy" spoons at a local over-priced restaurant/kitchen store.

I bought the "good" spoons at Artisan Geek. I find that I really like Yoav's store and quick shipping.

Hey Spoons, has this trauma made you consider changing your forum name?   

Haha, I was wondering if someone would catch on to that 

[janij]

This is very good to know.  I have the squarish set myself and use it all the time in my cheesemaking!

[Andrew Marshallsay]

I'm curious how you arrived at your measurements. 1/86 tsp?

Quite simple really: I counted out how many of the "drop" spoonfuls were needed to fill a 1 tsp measuring spoon. 86.

[awakephd]

Keep in mind that measuring using any sort of measuring spoon is inherently inexact. Do you fill the spoon just to the crest? Just brimming over? Level it off with a knife -- but that scrapes off a bit more than just level with the rim. For dry ingredients, should they be packed, or just loosely scooped? This is why, in science, you measure using very sensitive scales, rather than by volume.

This is also part of why recipes often don't "translate" exactly from one person to the next. "I follow my mom's chocolate cake recipe, but it never quite comes out like hers" -- that sort of thing.

I'd say this is why, for each of us, we have to learn our own tendencies and develop our own tweaked recipes. The way I measure, and the equipment I use, here's how much works for me ...