Let’s be honest: cooking with cups sounds simple… until you’re standing in your kitchen, covered in flour, Googling “grams to cups” for the fifth time this week. You’re not alone—thousands of people search “100 grams to cups” on Google every single month. That’s a LOT of frustrated bakers wondering why this isn’t easier.
So how did we end up here?
Where Did “Cups” Even Come From?
The whole “cups and spoons” thing started in the US way back in the late 1800s. Before that, people measured ingredients by whatever random mug or teacup they had lying around. Recipes literally said things like “a teacup of sugar” or “a knob of butter.”
Fannie Farmer (yes, that’s her real name!) changed that in 1896 when she wrote The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. She standardized US recipes by saying a “cup” equals 8 fluid ounces. And honestly, it made sense back then—kitchen scales weren’t common, and people needed something easy to scoop with.
Fast forward to today: kitchen scales are cheap, accurate, and everywhere… but somehow, cups stuck around in American kitchens like that one friend who never knows when to leave.
Why Cups Are Still a Pain
Here’s the thing: cups measure volume, not weight. And that’s where it all goes wrong.
- A cup of flour? Depends if you scoop it, sift it, or pack it in.
- A cup of walnuts? Whole or chopped?
- A cup of butter? Do we even need to talk about the nightmare of cramming butter into a cup?
It’s no wonder your bread is perfect one day and like a brick the next.
The Takeaway
Cups were clever 150 years ago, but let’s face it: they don’t hold up today. A kitchen scale is your secret weapon for stress-free, perfect results every time.
And hey, if you’re still stuck with a recipe in cups, use grams-to-cups conversion charts—they’ll save your cookies (literally).
