How do you measure brown sugar?

• A. Lightly spooned into a cup
• B. Packed into a measuring cup
• C. Sifted and fluffed into the cup
• D. Dissolved in water before measuring

Answer: (B)

Brown sugar should be packed into the measuring cup. Its moisture makes it cling and form air pockets, so packing compresses it to fill the true volume the recipe intends. If you lightly spoon it in, you leave gaps and the cup ends up containing less sugar than it should, which can throw off sweetness and moisture in a dish. Sifting and fluffing would add air and create an even looser measure, again underestimating the amount. Dissolving it in water before measuring changes it from a solid dry ingredient to a liquid, so you wouldn’t be measuring the same thing at all. Packing gives you the accurate amount the recipe expects.