New-fangled digital measuring cup actually improves upon the original
By Laura June 
posted August 6th 2009 3:31AM
posted August 6th 2009 3:31AM
Now, there may not be a whole lot to this one -- it's simply a measuring cup with a backlit LCD on the handle that tells you the exact volume of the liquid you're measuring -- but it's a step forward in the culinary world, where it still feels like it's 1917 a lot of the time. The Smart Measure -- which started out as a concept on Yanko Design and has been picked up for distribution by kitchen giant Taylor -- boasts a bunch of preset measurements for ingredients in common recipes, and it can also do conversions for you, as well. There's no word on pricing, but we're expecting to see it hit shelves this fall.
I've always wanted something like this
I've always wanted someone like you.
that was @ blueangel
stupid comment system i know i pressed reply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren
what a whore
If the whole thing isn't dishwasher safe, then the time saved will quickly be wasted on disassembling and reassembling. Not to mention the inevitable changing of the battery. Great idea, but a little too early along in development for this early adopter.
It looks like the red part unclips from the jug. The battery is probably one of those watch batteries. Good idea, but as you say, needs some refinement.
How about using a thermocouple to generate the electricity for it, as soon as you've put something hot in there?
Or what about using a miniature Stirling engine in the handle to drive a small generator to power it?
I'm pretty certain they invented waterproofing a while back. I don't think it would fare well in the microwave, though...
While this would help, having too much technology in the kitchen will make everyones dishes taste the same I think.
Neither man nor machine can match my PPM finesse in the kitchen!
LOLWUT?
How does this thing work? From the pic, it looks like possibly the contents are allowed to flow into the handle, but that would be a cleaning nightmare. Also, would this work for flour and sugar?
My educated guess:
It doesnt measure the volume but weight.
In other words it has a scale built to the bottom and display calibrated to show the volume of water by the weight.
I'm not so sure about that. Liquids have different specific gravities - thus different weight, no?
Perhaps it uses conduction in some way?
You have to use the buttons to select different kinds of liquids. Then the device weights as you pour in the liquid and displays the calculated volume.
This seems like an over complication when you could just read the volume from the markings on the side of the cup. Why would you need this? And of course cleaning and maintenance are more complex, too. I have a pyrex measuring cup with markings that are not so hard to read and can survive lots of trips through the dishwasher.
Now does it measure by the demarcations on the side of the cup, or by some electronic doohickey so that it doesn't have to be level and still to accurately measure?
It's things like this that make humans stupid! Before you know people won't know how to use a ruler.
do you know how to use a slide ruler? Cool!
is exact measurement that critical???? maybe in a meth lab.....but a kitchen??
You're assuming that this thing is more accurate than reading the markings on the side of a measuring cup just because it has a digital display. I bet it isn't. An accurate measurement requires a good sensor and a product like this is very unlikely to have that. There are plenty of crappy products that have digital readouts, but no accuracy. Cheap bathroom scales come to mind.
you can't microwave it, and it looks like the buttons will get all gooey. i'll stick with a simple, easy-to-clean measuring cup. if i need to convert, google has my back.
also, i don't think it'll be durable enough to withstand the cleaning required to remove the mold and fungus growing on it after sitting in my sink for a month or two.
I agree 100% with you, we really do not need this.
go great with my Krups toaster with LCD countdown, digital themometer, zojirushi induction rice cooker, and digital kitchen scale! now if i could just get an internet fridge...my digital kitchen will be almost complete!
I may like my tech but when it comes to the kitchen I like my equipment to be traditional (for example, I hate microwaves with a fiery passion) so this certainly isn't something that I would buy, particularly since the measurements are already marked on the side.
Wait, isn't there where I'd wrap my hand to lift the damn thing when filling with, for instance, water from a tap?
This just proves that engineers really can cook.
Love it!
Looks like this thing measures the weight of the liquid and then converts to volume using a density lookup. Seems a bit annoying to have to change modes for, say, chicken broth, if that's what you're measuring. I would be a bit more impressed if it had a digital thermometer to account for temperature changing the density.
The OXO measuring ups are still better - you can read them from the top. This design still forces your to look from the side.
oh god no. that just makes more corners that are hard to clean, and a harder job of scraping out the residue that sticks to the sides.
Could this measure one's jizz load? (If one was curious?)
CHANGE THE BATTERY SOON.
pretty neat!
How does it meausre my love?
My digital measuring cup is empty.
We meet again...
To me, this makes about as much sense as putting a web browsing device on the door of a refrigerator. Totally stupid.
Are there actually people out there who can't just look at the side of the measuring cup and see what the liquid level lines up with?
A simple glass measuring cup = easy to use, easy to wash, no batteries, cheap to replace, no crevices for bacteria to grow, and just as accurate (if not more).
I love gadgets, but not everything needs a frickin digital display on it!
Does it factor in atmospheric pressure? Otherwise this will be despetive at heights other than sea level. Not that regular messuring cups are any better.
It always irritated me that recipes use volume instead of weight anyway. If everything was measured in weight, all you would need is a decent scale (with tare) and a bowl and you can do all of your measuring right there. No need for a billion types and sizes of measuring cups and spoons. And it'd be more accurate (ever try to get an exact cup of something like shortening?).
And the stupidification of the human population continues. Really is it that hard to look at a marked line on the side of a cup to know how much liquid you have? Judge was a prophet, Idiocracy is here.