Kitchen Tip: Make Baking Easier by Leaving Measuring Cups in theContainers

Nearly two years ago, the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast suggested keeping measuring cups in containers holding items that regularly need to be measured. It was a total AHA! moment for me. I think I might have put measuring cups in my flour and sugar containers that day, and I've kept them there ever since.

In fact, in my flour container, I keep two measuring cups - a half cup measure and a quarter cup measure - along with one wooden chopstick. Depending on how much flour I need, I use one cup to spoon flour into the other, and the chopstick to level the top.


I've also been known to leave measuring cups in my cocoa, sucanat, and brown sugar containers. This tip has saved me from so much dish washing!


P.S. I love the OXO Pop containers - they're light, which is important when the items they're holding are heavy, and clear, which means you can see what's inside and how much is left. The large containers hold about four pounds of flour or sugar. I think you can get a whole five-pound bag in there, but the top of the ingredient would be so close to the top of the container that it would be difficult to measure. The container with brown sugar is the Progressive Brown Sugar Keeper, which has a terracotta disc that retains some moisture - it's not perfect, but it does pretty well. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, so thank you if you use those links!)