# Roberval Balance -  useful in baking?



## emma (Apr 15, 2002)

Could someone help me?
Is a Roberval balance useful in pastry and for which recipe please? 
Thank you for your help.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 15, 2002)

This is why I cook and not bake!!!! I have no idea - maybe someone else will!!


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## Norma (Apr 15, 2002)

*Roberval Balance*

This is what I found:
Gilles Roberval
 In 1669 he invented the Roberval balance which is now almost universally used for weighing scales of the balance type. In some recipes, ingredients are measured by weight.....so I guess his invention could be said to be used in cooking/baking.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 15, 2002)

Norma,

That's all I could really find out too.  I guess technically you could say it would be used for dry ingredients versus liquid ingredients.  But why this particular TYPE of scale would be used versus all the other scales I've ever used for dry ingredients I'll never know.


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## tinwoman (Apr 17, 2002)

what i know about baking/pastries and weighing is that the professional pastry chefs almost universally weigh their flour as opposed to measuring it in cups.  this is because flour reacts so sensitively to the moisture content of the air.  weighing it produces more even results in the pastries.  this is especially true with yeast breads.  i hope this helps.


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## BradTheDog (Apr 17, 2002)

*Re: cookware*

it really depends on how serious of a baker you are.  For all the baking I do as part of my catering I measure everything by weight as it will provide consistent results when it is most critical.  However for most of my off the cuff baking at home I use a measuring cup and call it good.  It also is not really important to have a counter balance scale if you do this, I use a polder digital counter top variety, but if you want balance and can afford a good one go ahead and knock yourself out.





			
				emma said:
			
		

> Could someone help me?
> Is a Roberval balance useful in pastry and for which recipe please?
> Thank you for your help.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 17, 2002)

Hi tinwoman and bradthedog!

Thanks for your input.  I was really stuck as to the type of scale that was in question in this thread.  

I too use a scale for some of my dry ingredients.  I have a question for either one of you since you both apparently "bake".  If a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour does that usually equate to 8 oz. on the scale or should I just measure 1 cup.  I take a fork and "fluff" up my flour, then I carefully scoop it out so as not to compact it, then I level it off in my 1 cup measure.  Is this the best way or should I just measure 8 oz. ???

Thanks for answering a question I've had for a long time.


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## BradTheDog (Apr 17, 2002)

meausre it as 8 ounces on the scale as 8 ounces will be always be 8 ounces regardless of volume.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 17, 2002)

OK, I'm going to pester you now - 

But, 1 cup of something isn't always equal to 8 oz.  1 cup of flour weighs roughly 5 1/2 ounces.  See?  This is why I don't bake!!! LOL  It drives me nuts!


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## BradTheDog (Apr 17, 2002)

you simply need to know how to read a scale to get this right.  If a recipe calls for for 16 ounces of flour 8 ounces of sugar and 1/8 of an ounce of salt you simply put flour in the bowl untilt eh scale reads 16 ounces add sugar until the scale reads 24 and salt until it says you have added another 1/8 ounce.  Of course most of us who do this professionally measure in metric so this much easier on us than those who insist on using ounces and pounds


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## kitchenelf (Apr 17, 2002)

LOL - I got the scale thing down pat....trust me.  I used to cook professionally myself - key word here is COOK not BAKE.  So, I am officially not going to worry about what I was trying to ask.  But if I bake you a cake from scratch - don't eat it!!!! 

Thanks for all your help though.  Stick around - we need you for those baking issues!


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## Norma (Apr 17, 2002)

*Scales*

Most American recipe books for "home baking" use cup measurements. My British cookbooks use metric....but luckily, I do have one Brit cookbook that has the metric/imperial measurement, and the American. In all the baking recipes....FOUR oz is one cup ....for flour that is.......for butter, it's 8 oz = cup.....go figure!?!??!?!


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## BradTheDog (Apr 17, 2002)

*Re: Scales*

this is why metric recipes are better designed they don't try and confuse the less diliginet with ounces in weight and fluid ounces. 1 cup of all purpose flour is roughly 4 ounces by weight and 8 fluid ounces but one cup of butter is 8 ounces in terms of weight and fluid ounces.  Metric recipes will have both things listed only as grams or in terms of volume of liquids mililiters.



			
				Norma said:
			
		

> Most American recipe books for "home baking" use cup measurements. My British cookbooks use metric....but luckily, I do have one Brit cookbook that has the metric/imperial measurement, and the American. In all the baking recipes....FOUR oz is one cup ....for flour that is.......for butter, it's 8 oz = cup.....go figure!?!??!?!


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## kitchenelf (Apr 18, 2002)

Norma,

You cleared up what was in my mind - whew    hahaha
like THAT would be a hard job!!!

I think the very least we could do would be to switch to using liquid measurements AND dry measurements in recipes if we aren't going to switch to metric.  I remember having to learn metric in elementary school because EVERYTHING was going to be metric by the time we were adults!!  I've been an adult for........well.............a couple years anyway.  At least we could do that much!!!


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## tinwoman (Apr 18, 2002)

so so so complicated!  my general rule when baking is to follow the measurements of the recipe; if it measures everything in pounds/ounces or metric weights, use that.  if it measures everything in cups/teaspoons, use those.  it's so much easier that way i think.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 18, 2002)

I'm just going to stick with cooking - it's not near as serious as baking.  I did make my own hamburger buns last week - they were really good!  I'll just bake non-serious stuff!!


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## Norma (Apr 18, 2002)

*scales*

LOL, tinwoman...I mean I'm REALLY lucky....the recipe book actully has ingredient measurement listing in metric/imperial AND American in print. I don't have to CALCULATE anything. 
Elf, yes, baking is the most complicated form of cooking......but when you're really angry at someone or something....there is NOTHING better than punching around a lump of dough! I baked a LOT of bread when I was married to my EX.......make pies and cakes now...pies and cakes must be done with gentle care and  love!! LOL!


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## kitchenelf (Apr 18, 2002)

hahahaha - when at the restaurant, if I had been in court that day I left the pounding of the chicken and veal to someone else - I re-killed a chicken breast one time and everyone was standing around watching me and I didn't even know it.  When I finally looked up someone said - "Been to court today?"  Well, I felt better!!!!


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## Finally (Apr 23, 2002)

*Scales that measure Liquids*

Due to a miriad of occurances I had to source a new scale  . . . 
I decided I had best shop-by-phone before driving all over the place trying to find a scale suitable to my purposes. I called more than a few stores and, ready for this . . . quite a few 'sales people' told me that the scale(s) they were checking (for me) would alternate between grams and fluid ounces .  
I did question a few of these sales people, and they did confirm to me that the scale(s) would change between fluid ounces and grams, or grams and fluid ounces - even when I asked how a scale could measure a liquid ? ? ?
Don't you just love enthusiasm?
Finally,
David


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## BradTheDog (Apr 23, 2002)

most sales people in kitchewares or gourmet sections (and quite a few gouremt kitchenware stores) are simple minimum wage peons who know nothing beyond what the label says.


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## Finally (Apr 23, 2002)

*Verified and Validated*

BTD: I guess that means I cannot put the new scale beside my talking frog in the side show?
Finally,
David


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## Norma (Apr 23, 2002)

*cookware*

Brad, you are totally right! One of my first jobs when I was quite young ( MAYBE legal to vote ) was at a gourmet cookware shop, in a chain of three stores. Of the 20 "assistants" that worked for the chain, only two of us ( me and a retired Air Force Colonel, who was a gourmet cook) knew the difference between a "muffin pan" and a madeline pan....we won't even talk about scales!! One of our "assistants" called a timbale case iron a cookie cutter...


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## BradTheDog (Apr 23, 2002)

I may be able to fix one store though, I have tenatively been offered a job at a soon to open bed bath and beyond as a cookware department manager.  if i decide to take the job i have control over who i hire for the department.


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## Norma (Apr 23, 2002)

*cookware*

Good luck Brad! That would be a real treat...to walk into a nice shop, and get knowledgable help! I remember a trip to a Williams Sonoma ...where you'd think you'd get expert service...and the assistant had NO idea what any of the "gadgets" were for! The old "if we have it, it would be over there somewhere"...which translates to "I wouldn't know a butter curler if I saw one".


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