Measuring cups inspire thoughts on design

(re-post)

I've been wanting some measuring cups for those things that are not in containers (the containers having their very own cup - one cup in the flour, 1/2 cup in the sugar, 1/3 cup in the spelt flour, 1/4 cup in the brown sugar:  I wonder if this is a common practice) like, oh, say, raisins or water for the sugar for the hummingbird nectar or chocolate chips for brownies : the raisins and chocolate chips are in old glass mason jars.

So I have had a measuring-cup-alert in effect at church sales and thrift stores and other people's kitchens where the scope is far-reaching and limitless.

These captured the antenna immediately at the weekly church 'store' and they became my proud possessions for fifty cents.  I like them so much they are on display on the counter and are admired frequently (by me and possibly by that sea gull who continues to stare in the kitchen door)  which got me wondering about the instant and ongoing appeal.  They are unique in shape from the usual round measuring cups and this is likely part of it but it is also that they are  a good design because of this  difference - a pleasing elongation  and a worthwhile  depth for both function and form.  It's a nice green, not a 'trendy'  green.

A slight tangent here: it was very recently that I realized that the use of the word "trend" was meant as a positive thing and people were being encouraged to follow (as in " buy!") whatever was being touted as 'trendy.'  I had previously thought that trendy meant something a bunch of people were doing in a rather sheep-like way and this  was being noted, not promoted.

Do the measuring cups  'work' well?  Um,  hang on a sec and I'll go try them out:  they have been so pretty to look at,  it just now occurred to me to actually use them............

Well, they work great!  They scoop nicely and the 'squashed round'  (it's not oval enough to be called oval)  shape lets you easily and neatly  pour stuff into them.  I would make the handle a teeny bit more 'grippable'  - rounder rather than so flat - but this is not a serious drawback.  There isn't a 1/3 cup in the set and it almost looks like there never was one, they stack so nicely, the threesome.   But I will keep my eye out at the church sale next week in case 1/3 got separated.

This is what I was using to test the new measuring cups - bird seed.  The cup that lives in the container is the stainless steel prospector cup.

Or maybe it was used at the water bucket in an old one-room school house. 

It 'works' perfectly now for scooping out the bird seed in the morning and taking it out onto the deck to scatter for the juncos (who are still around perhaps because there is still frost on the roofs first thing) and sparrows and finches.  Having taken this cup out for the photo, perhaps I will leave it out on the counter for awhile as well.  I like its reflection in the mirror of the container.  I like its light sturdiness.  I like its cool demeanour.

Posted on April 04, 2008 at 04:30 AM | Permalink

I've been wanting some measuring cups for those things that are not in containers (the containers having their very own cup - one cup in the flour, 1/2 cup in the sugar, 1/3 cup in the spelt flour, 1/4 cup in the brown sugar:  I wonder if this is a common practice) like, oh, say, raisins or water for the sugar for the hummingbird nectar or chocolate chips for brownies : the raisins and chocolate chips are in old glass mason jars.

So I have had a measuring-cup-alert in effect at church sales and thrift stores and other people's kitchens where the scope is far-reaching and limitless.

These captured the antenna immediately at the weekly church 'store' and they became my proud possessions for fifty cents.  I like them so much they are on display on the counter and are admired frequently (by me and possibly by that sea gull who continues to stare in the kitchen door)  which got me wondering about the instant and ongoing appeal.  They are unique in shape from the usual round measuring cups and this is likely part of it but it is also that they are  a good design because of this  difference - a pleasing elongation  and a worthwhile  depth for both function and form.  It's a nice green, not a 'trendy'  green.

A slight tangent here: it was very recently that I realized that the use of the word "trend" was meant as a positive thing and people were being encouraged to follow (as in " buy!") whatever was being touted as 'trendy.'  I had previously thought that trendy meant something a bunch of people were doing in a rather sheep-like way and this  was being noted, not promoted.

Do the measuring cups  'work' well?  Um,  hang on a sec and I'll go try them out:  they have been so pretty to look at,  it just now occurred to me to actually use them............

Well, they work great!  They scoop nicely and the 'squashed round'  (it's not oval enough to be called oval)  shape lets you easily and neatly  pour stuff into them.  I would make the handle a teeny bit more 'grippable'  - rounder rather than so flat - but this is not a serious drawback.  There isn't a 1/3 cup in the set and it almost looks like there never was one, they stack so nicely, the threesome.   But I will keep my eye out at the church sale next week in case 1/3 got separated.

This is what I was using to test the new measuring cups - bird seed.  The cup that lives in the container is the stainless steel prospector cup.

Or maybe it was used at the water bucket in an old one-room school house. 

It 'works' perfectly now for scooping out the bird seed in the morning and taking it out onto the deck to scatter for the juncos (who are still around perhaps because there is still frost on the roofs first thing) and sparrows and finches.  Having taken this cup out for the photo, perhaps I will leave it out on the counter for awhile as well.  I like its reflection in the mirror of the container.  I like its light sturdiness.  I like its cool demeanour.