How does the unit of measurement, cups, work?

Question

OK, it's not as ridiculously stupid question as it sounds as I'm well aware of how a cup works.

I ask in regards to the unit of measurement. Being British I'm use to a system of weighing ingredients for recipes and I am constantly put out by "cups" as a unit of measurement. I must be doing something wrong because despite the tools at my disposal I seem to get it wrong despite being a good baker.
So is it a packed measurement or do you allow for gaps in your ingredients? For example, there is less in a cup of cubed butter then a packed cup. Same with fruits, do you chop and then measure or do you measure the whole then chop? 

This British Baker would really like to know!

RoyS · Accepted Answer

Here's a chart that shows the comparable measurements for AU, UK and US baking terms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_weights_and_measures
If you're using US recipes, dry ingredients are spooned loosely into a dry measure cup, then leveled off with a knife (exception being brown sugar, which is packed). Cubed or chopped ingredients are not packed, just filled to the top of the measuring cup. Fruits and nuts are chopped first, then measured.

? · Answer

Cups (as in a length for baking) includes 8 oz.. It additionally includes sixteen tablespoons or 40 8 teaspoons of liquid. One cup is likewise a million/2 pint, a million/4 quart or a million/sixteen gallon. This help?

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How does the unit of measurement, cups, work?

2 Answers