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Here, the one on the right is a really common 1dl measure (there's plastic ones that are really common too, usually come as a set of measuring scoops ranging from 5ml to 1dl) and the one on the left is also used a lot but its 2dl, I tend to use that kind more for liquid and the other kind of dry. It is a lot of scooping though for big recipes but really simple, especially if you use a big container for flour, sugar etc so you don't have to bother with pouring the stuff into the measure.
Here is what they look like in the US. The metal one is used to scoop dry stuff like flour. The Glass one for liquids. The largest dry one is 250ML and each is a different size:1 cup,1/2,1/3 and 1/4(60 ML) is the smallest. Some have an 2/3 cup too. In the US you scoop then take a knife or other flat item across the top to level it. Since each cup is a different size you can scoop from one ingredient to the next with a "clean cup" provided the two ingrediants are not messured in the same size cup. They are kept together on a ring(if you can't see that in the image) but you can seperate them if you want. If you want to get lazy you skip the leveling part esp. for an item like sugar.
The Glass one ofcourse has markings in ml, fl, and cups because sometimes with liquids esp. if the liquid amount does not corespond to a cup marking they will tend ml or fl. The dry ones in the image have ml markings should for some reason you need it but because it is US customary cups thoose volumes don't fit into tens(i.e. 1000, 100, 10). Usualy the dry messure cups don't have ml marking . The glass one reads cups and fl on one side and ml on the other.
So its pretty much the same except you Americans have less scooping to do
Yeah that is the advantage to not being metric in the kitchen. Other advantages come in package sizes. Butter comes in a 1 pound block made up of 4 sticks each stick marked in tablespoons. Each stick equals half a cup of butter. Depending on how many cups/tablespoons I need or pounds I can select the amount. Need 4 tablespoons of butter pick a stick of it and cut it. Need 1/2 a pound use two sticks. Need 1 pound use all 4. No need to fiddle with 454 grams dived 4 ways sub dived other ways.
There are some brands of Chocolate that come in 1 oz squares, need 8 oz just drop 8 in. Need 7.5 oz cut one square in half with a knife (and they are molded in such a way that you can do this.).
A more recent innovation is with shorting (one brand) being in a small pre-marked tub. It is tad more expensive than from the container but handy esp. if you only use shorting for baking and not for things that use a lot like frying.
Cream Cheese also comes in 1 pound blocks and some brands have division of where 1/2 cup or tablespoon would be.
Recipes are proportional and English measures love proportional stuff.
It works pretty well for recipes, you don't often use just one tablespoon of butter and its very easy to estimate the right amount for amounts in between the 50s (10g, 20g, 25g etc) which is all you need for metric recipes.
For non metric the amounts would usually range from 2 tablespoons(30g) to 6 tablespoons(90g) since each stick has up to 8 tablespoons(i.e. 1/2 cup). Once over 6 they tend to call for it by sticks or cups(ie 1 1/4 cup of butter about 141grams) would mean 2 sticks and the 3rd stick cut in half at the 4 tablespoon mark. Not much esitmation needed as the tablespoons will be on the mark.
Another advantage is that since you are going by volume not mass tablespoon can apply on mulitple products with ease i.e. 1 tablespoon shorting would be 13g another non ten amount.
For non metric the amounts would usually range from 2 tablespoons(30g) to 6 tablespoons(90g) since each stick has up to 8 tablespoons(i.e. 1/2 cup). Once over 6 they tend to call for it by sticks or cups(ie 1 1/4 cup of butter) would mean 2 sticks and the 3rd stick cut in half at the 4 tablespoon mark. Not much esitmation needed as the tablespoons will be on the mark.
Another advantage is that since you are going by volume not mass tablespoon can apply on mulitple products with ease i.e. 1 tablespoon shorting would be 13g another non ten amount.
Well that explains why American recipes use tablespoons of butter like that, was wondering, always annoys me when I'm converting an American recipe (don't mind cups as most measuring jugs have cup markings on them too) but lots of tablespoons are just annoying. I just imagined people scooping tablespoons out of a tub of butter.
I think its pretty clear that the imperial system works fine for cooking for people used to that system and so does the metric system for people used to that.
Ah that is a lot of flour to be scooping.... 100ml equals less than half a us cup...Very few reciepes for things like cake or bread only need that volume of flour usually they need 2-5 cups of flour. They must favor really small cakes, breads ect. there. Also do you have a picture of it cause I doubt that a single 100ML messure could work for everything(i.e. would expect it to be like measuring cups with divisions there of.).
I'd think that would increase the 'error factor' by quite a bit if you needed say 4 cups. Each scoop can be off a little and the more scoops the more chance. My ex used to make fresh bread and used a scale since its so critical and the difference between a loaf of bread and a hockypuck sometimes, and moisture in the air if its moist can throw it off considerably.
I recently bought new measuring cups and spoons... finally found metal ones. One cup, half cup, third cup and quarter cup. For those who use it enough to matter, you can get larger measuring cups.
If I can remember correctly, when I was in grammar school we were starting to learn it, then it was abolished for some reason very shrotly.
If you study sciences in college it is all metric. My friend who studies electrical engineering is so used to metric measurements now that he cannot understand fahrenheit, celsius is more intuitive for him. He is not an immigrant or anything, born in the US. I keep telling him that's when you know you study waaaay too much.
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