Cool Tip: Placement Matters

Placement Matters
You know how one recipe will say: “1 Cup flour sifted”, and another recipe will say “1 Cup sifted flour”. Where the descriptive adjective or phrase goes makes a big difference! 1 Cup finely chopped cauliflower is very different from 1 Cup cauliflower chopped fine.

When the descriptive adjective or phrase is before the ingredient, it means that you measure after you’ve done the deed (e.g. sifted the flour or finely chopped the cauliflower). But if the descriptive adjective or phrase comes after the ingredient, you measure first, and then perform the procedure (sifting or chopping) after you’ve measured.

In the case of flour this gives you more, because sifting expands the volume, while in the case of cauliflower the procedure gives you less, because chopping finely compacts the volume.

So just remember: when you read a recipe, pay close attention to where the descriptive adjective or phrase has been inserted!

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