OXO 2-Cup Adjustable Measuring Cup: Push Out Sticky Ingredients

Measuring half a cup of peanut butter is only part of the job. Getting it into a mixing bowl usually means working a spoon around the cup. The OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Adjustable Measuring Cup, model 1250080, gives that transfer a different motion: turn the base and let the internal plunger move the ingredient toward the rim.

That makes it particularly appealing for peanut sauces, baking, and recipes that regularly call for sticky ingredients by volume. Its usefulness depends on how often that scraping step interrupts your cooking.

Let the plunger do the awkward transfer

The clear outer cylinder holds the ingredient above a movable plunger. OXO describes the silicone disk as a squeegee against the inside wall. As you turn the base to dispense, the plunger rises, bringing a thick portion within reach of the mixing bowl.

For peanut butter, that gives you a way to empty the deep cup without chasing the food around its interior with a spoon. Honey is another intended use: the same moving seal helps gather an ingredient that otherwise coats the sides. Some food may still need a scrape off the top.

You still need to load the cup and level dry or solid ingredients as directed. Keep a spatula nearby for filling, leveling, and guiding food into the bowl. Hold the cup above the bowl while dispensing, so the portion has somewhere to land.

Measure a quarter cup, then reset for a half

The plunger changes the measuring space, with different marked amounts up to the stated two-cup capacity. Suppose a sauce calls for a quarter cup of honey and half a cup of peanut butter. Both fractions are marked on this cup: set one amount, dispense it, then reset for the next ingredient using its appropriate scale.

That is where the adjustable design becomes useful. You can work through different volumes with one cylinder, instead of selecting a separate fixed-size measure for each fraction. It suits cooks who add each ingredient to the bowl as soon as it is measured. If you prefer to line up all your ingredients in separate cups before cooking, a single adjustable cup will not replace that arrangement.

The cup also has ounce and metric volume markings. Use the scale that matches the recipe; an ounce marking here does not tell you the ingredient's weight. Recipes specified in grams are more directly handled with a kitchen scale.

Liquids stop below the rim

OXO's instructions distinguish the “DRY/SOLIDS” scale from the “LIQUID FILL” scale. Find the desired measurement on the appropriate side, then turn the knob to the left until the silicone seal lines up with it.

For dry or solid ingredients, fill to the top and scrape away the excess to level it. For liquids, stop at the marked “LIQUID FILL” line. Filling a liquid right to the rim would ignore the manufacturer's measuring method.

Once filled, pour the contents or turn the knob to the right to dispense. A quick check of the scale and fill line before loading makes the sequence easier to follow when switching from honey to a thicker ingredient.

The sleeve comes off for washing

OXO lists the cup as dishwasher safe. WebstaurantStore recommends separating the sleeve from the body before dishwashing. This exposes the surfaces that touched sticky food, but it also means handling separate parts after use. Wash between ingredients when the next one needs a clean measure, and dry the parts as appropriate.

The listed dimensions are 3.1 by 3.1 by 6 inches. Allow cupboard space for that cylinder and its base. The purchase is easiest to justify when peanut butter, honey, or similar ingredients appear regularly in your volume-based recipes.

For a quick pour of water, a plain jug may be more convenient. For weighed ingredients, a scale lets you add directly to the bowl. Choose the OXO when transferring sticky portions is the recurring job you want help with.