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Kitchen 3-5 / Week 02 / Wednesday
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Week 02 · Measure Up

Wednesday

Kitchen Lab: Measure like a cook
// Cups, spoons and fractions
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Kitchen Lab: Measure Like a Cook

Bennie scoops oats into a cup. They make a big hill on top!

"Is that one cup?" Ferris asks. "What do you notice about the top?"

Lizzy pours water into the liquid cup and peeks from above. "Is it at the line?"

Riley crouches down by the counter. "Here is a hint," he says. "Get your eyes level with the line."

Two cook tricks

Trick 1: Level off dry food. Scrape the extra off the top with a straight edge.

A clean craft stick or the handle of a spoon works well.

Trick 2: Put the liquid cup on a flat counter. Bend down so your eyes are level with the line.

  • Dry oats or rice
  • A 1/2 dry measuring cup
  • A liquid measuring cup
  • Water
  • A clean craft stick or spoon handle
  • Two clear glasses the same size
  • A towel for spills
Safety first
Work on a clean counter.
Wipe up spills right away so nobody slips.
This lab uses no heat and nothing sharp.
  1. Scoop oats into the 1/2 cup so they make a hill. Pour them into glass 1.
  2. Scoop again. This time, level off the top with the stick. Pour into glass 2.
  3. Compare the two glasses. Which has more?
  4. Set the liquid cup on the counter. Pour water to the 1/2 cup line.
  5. Bend down and check the line at eye level. Add or pour out a little.
  6. Pour the oats back into their box. Pour the water into a plant!
TestWhat I saw
Glass 1: hill of oats
Glass 2: leveled oats
Water from above
Water at eye level

Copy this table on paper. Fill it in as you test.

MAKE A PREDICTION
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Before you test, predict. Which glass will have more oats?

What the test shows

The hill of oats was more than 1/2 cup. Leveling makes it exact.

From above, water can look higher or lower than it is.

At eye level, you can see if it really reaches the line.

COOK TRICKS CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
How do you measure dry oats exactly?
Where should your eyes be when you read a liquid cup?
Where should the liquid cup sit?
What we learnedTrue or false?
A hill of oats is more than the cup size.?
You read a liquid cup from way above it.?
A straight edge helps you level off.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEExact amounts help a recipe turn out the same every time.
What do you scrape off the top of a dry cup? Type one word.
WHY THIS EXERCISELeveling off the extra gives an exact amount.

Lab complete, cook! Tomorrow you learn spoon math and read our snack mix card.

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