Two questions for the readers!
Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Usually I answer Q&A submissions, but sometimes I get questions I'm not really well equipped to answer, and I've got two of those today.
Help me out!
I am wondering if you know of a good way to refresh the marks on a glass measuring cup. I have a quart sized glass one that is in good shape, except that I can barely read the markings. I hate to get a new one since this one is still usable, but on the other hand, it isn't really usable if I can't tell how much I have in there... Are there markers or paints that would stay on glass?
Thanks,
~Grace
(image from a post on Smitten Kitchen about this same issue)
This is a timely question because one of my measuring cups is almost completely marker-less at this point and I'd better take care of it soon if I want to know where the markings even go!
I think your best bet would be a glass paint marker, such as this one. I believe you have to bake the item once you've marked it in order to set the paint, but that should be no problem for a glass measuring cup.
To make this project more financially sensible, I'd print out a coupon from A.C. Moore or Michael's so you can get 40% off your paint marker.
I recently made yogurt for the first time using your directions. It came out so thick and smooth and wonderful (which really is wonderful b/c my 9 month old eats the stuff like it's nobody's business and that ain't cheap).
It made me feel like I could venture out into the world of other homemade-dairy-ish things and I found a recipe online for cottage cheese. I made it and it tasted like cottage cheese the 1st day, then the 2nd day it some how turned into this super stuck-together gel-y monster curd that wouldn't break apart. Did I do something wrong? or does home-made cottage cheese only last 1 day? Any advice you could give would be wonderful.
P.S. Oh, I forgot to add what I did: I brought ½ gal of whole milk to 120 degrees, added ½ cup vinegar, stirred for about a minute while it separated, strained the curds/when through a cheese cloth, then rinsed the curds with cold water and added salt.
Hmm. I've never made cottage cheese before, but the method you're describing sounds more like the ricotta-ish cheese recipes I've seen online.
I did a little poking around, and it looks like more serious recipes for cottage cheese use rennet to make the curds. Maybe that makes a difference?
Hopefully some of my readers have tried both the rennet and rennet-less versions and can give you some advice.
(By the way, I'm so glad your yogurt turned out well!)
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Alrighty, readers! Any experience with glass markers or cottage-cheese making?
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Joshua's 52 Project post: Bones
Supposedly, a Sharpie marker that is baked on will be permanent as well. I have seen a bunch of projects on Pinterest that show how to do that on a ceramic mug. Would be worth a try if you have a sharpie lying around, but I have worked with glass paint before and it is pretty easy. But I don't know if they will stand up to the dishwasher for a long time.
Good luck!
A regular Sharpie marker is not going to be permanent. If I'm going to a potluck with a covered dish, I write my name on the bottom of the casserole dish with a Sharpie before I bake my dish. After the potluck, I scrub it off because I don't want my name scribbled on the bottom for daily use. 🙂
I have first hand experience with a mug that had sharpie baked on coming off rather quickly, even when hand washed. I also had a mug from Starbucks that came with a marker that you could use to decorate it then bake it. That one stood the test of time. So I would say that you need to go with a product that is meant to be used on glass.
I tend to be a skeptic, but doesn't it seem like a bunch of as-seen-on-Pinterest projects don't actually work? A shame, really.
Hi Kristen! Just wondering if you have a blog of your favorite read-alouds for your kiddos - I have a 5, 3.5, and 1 y/o and they all love to read, but I haven't done a lot of chapter books (for attention span's sake). Do you (your children) have any absolute favorites? Or did you create a list out there somewhere that I missed and can't find?
I would want the marks on my measuring cup to be accurate, and if the lines are completely faded, it's going to be hard to get an accurate line. I would look at places like Marshall's or Ross to get a good deal on a new one. The markers for glass aren't that inexpensive themselves.
I thought of the accuracy issue, too. Probably the only way to get a really accurate line is to progressively fill it while on a scale, translate the weight to volume, and mark it while the water is in it.
Thanks! I have a glass 2 cup measuring container in the same condition. I cant throw it out!!! I have just been using it to heat butter or other small amounts of things but would love to be able to actually use it as a measuring cup again. Will try the Sharpie method first since I have one of those!
Not a straight answer, but one day a couple years ago, I picked up two containers of on-sale cottage cheese, and a lovely sweet old man pushing the cart for his wife told me there was nothing in the case as good as homemade cottage cheese. (It seemed it was not his wife who made it.) I asked him how to do it, and he told me he knew it had rennet tabs, but he didn't know the process from there. So I'm betting rennet is the way to go. 🙂
I've had some success with fabric paint on my glass measuring cup. (On mine, there are lines etched into the glass, so accuracy isn't an issue -- it's just too hard for me to see the lines because they're not in color, they're just indentations).
At any rate, I use fabric paint to mark the lines more visibly. This paint comes off eventually, but I've found it survives many washes in the dishwasher -- better than permanent marker, at least! (I also use fabric paint to mark mugs with my kids' names, so during summer we can use the same mug for water all day long and not have to do a ton of dishes).
There are Sharpie paint pens that I think are supposed to do much better after being baked on. If you need help marking accurately, you can just use a set of measuring cups filled with water to "graduate" the lines you need.
I had a yogurt making disaster this past weekend that resulted in the loss of a half gallon of milk. Total bummer, but what can you do? I'm going to need to try to get that going again tonight or there will be no homemade yogurt this week!
Whoa whoa whoa, ladies and gentlemen, before you throw out your measuring cup because you're concerned about accuracy, it's still fixable!!! Have a second measuring cup? Or can you borrow one? Then measure out the amounts, pour it into the faded cup, then mark your lines. Remember that water climbs up the sides a bit like a mild valley (thanks Chem101 for teaching me ONE thing), so mark your lines on the bottom of "valley", with your cup level on a flat surface. It'd take some time, but if you have a beloved cup, don't throw it away needlessly. I have no advice on what to use for making your markings, though. Good luck!
I agree do your best to save them. Please try your best not to create more waste. Let’s call the Pyrex manufacturer and get a repair process from them.
I would figure out the measurements, and then tape off thin lines to do nail polish.
You already have it on hand, so it would be a free way to fix the issue.
First, for the glass measuring cup, etching it would be the most permanent but a lot more expensive. You'll have to put it on a scale, add water to the desired amount and accurately make a mark to use for the basis of etching it and then go through that hassle.
Personally, the time and effort is not worth $4 to me (which is what Pyrex costs at my local grocery store - which less than the big box stores for some reason.)
Also, cottage cheese never lasts very long in my house but that's because I eat it. It's delicious on chips (especially Doritos!)
I used to make cottage cheese occasionally, that never happened to me. I wonder if adding milk and stirring vigorously would fix the problem?
No idea on the cottage cheese. I can't eat dairy. :/
BUT, on the measuring cup, you're better off just replacing it. The time and hassle of trying to re-do the lines isn't worth it. You can either donate the old one, throw it away (EEK!), OR repurpose it. We use ours for different things. The 1c gets used for warming syrups and pouring them on, melting butter, transferring liquids from one container to another, and things like that. The bigger 2c gets used for making small mixes like scrambling eggs, egg drop soup, warming soup, making icing, etc. Things where I don't need a hard measurement. But we also use them for paint! When you are done, you have a spout to put it back into it's container. 😀 There are times when saving is a great thing -- then there are times when the saving just isn't worth it! This is one of those times where you're better off buying a new one and moving the other one on to something else. 🙂
I had this issue a while ago and i tried the sharpie route and didn't work. Luckily i then found an old-fashioned measuring cup where the measurements are marked by the contours of the glass cup, so no issue ever again for disappearing lines. So, I vote for scouring your nearest thrift store for this type. We used the line-less one for a while for pouring sauces, but then saw that I didn't need that many pitchers, so gave it away to someone I know who was happy to use it as such for other things.
I just counted. At present, I have SEVEN measuring cups in my cupboard, from one to eight cups. Can you guess that I love me some glass measuring cups? Two of them are losing their markings rapidly. I use them for mixing when measuring is not an issue. Beating or separating eggs, for example. This way I use my "good" ones when the numbers matter and my "bad" ones when they don't. Now, the provenance of my collection is another story. I'm a fan of estate sales. I have a list of things I'm always on the lookout for and measuring cups are on that list. This way I always have a good supply for which I paid very little money. Except my biggest one (<3), which was a gift from my sister.
Diane, I also have 7 glass measuring cups, and there are times they are all in use! (much like my 2 sets of dry measuring cups and 2 sets of measuring spoons, and all all 5 of my silicone spatulas).
Has anyone else seen a difference by brand? I have some really old Pyrex that still has good markings, and some fairly new Anchor that is quickly fading away. Has anyone had this problem with newer Pyrex? If not I might replace the Anchor cups with Pyrex.
Hmmm.... that's a good question! I think I'm going to have to go and check mine because I'm darn sure I have both!
Ok, just went and looked and it appears I have both brands and both are fairly old and holding up well. So... I guess I have nothing to add. But I'm going to check back to see if others have some input! 😀
Interestingly enough, the one that's fading is my one and only Anchor Hocking measuring cup. Hmm.
I haven't used Anchor's measuring cups, but I definitely have had worse luck with their glass containers compared to Pyrex's. The plastic lids are *way* worse (all broken, now replaced with Pyrex ones), and I've had 1 or 2 of the Anchor ones break on me, which hasn't happened with the Pyrex ones at all. I'm not normally such a brand loyalist, but I am cheap, and don't like buying things twice. 🙂
I have one of each brand and haven't had trouble with the markings on either. However, the Pyrex one drives us crazy because the spout is not curved enough or something and it won't pour properly. So aggravating!
I don't have a firm answer for the cheese question (it's been far too long since I made any), but if I had to guess, I'd say you should use more vinegar next time - slimy cheese is usually indicative that the cheese isn't acidic enough (I'm not an expert; your mileage may vary...).
If no one else has better suggestions (or you don't want to use more vinegar), you could always try asking http://www.curd-nerd.com - they have a troubleshooting page where they'll answer questions, you just need to be clear about what you did. . .
Cottage cheese is somewhat like ricotta and it is called paneer in India.
Here is a recipe for making paneer that might clarify - http://www.rakskitchen.net/2012/07/how-to-make-paneer-homemade-paneer.html
I have heard that in order to use a Sharpie to make permanent marks you need to use an oil-based pen, then bake it. The regular sharpie will wash off but the oil-based it supposed to be permanent. And from personal experience Anchor dishes definitely wear out faster than pyrex. I am still using my parents pyrex with no trouble reading the markings
I bought some Anchor Hocking glass storage containers, and the plastic lids on those cracked while my Pyrex lids kept on going. Maybe Anchor Hocking is just a little inferior all around?
FYI for anyone buying new glass measuring cups....I had read in an organic housecleaning book to not but your measuring cups in the dishwasher because it will blast off the markings. I have always hand-washed mine and they still look new after almost 9 years (both Anchor and Pyrex brands).
I know this is an old thread, but I do the same thing as Amanda--hand wash. I also do this with some coffee cups with red markings on them. I have a "From Texas with Love" mug with a red heart hanging from the horn of a Texas Longhorn and some other mugs where the red started fading, so I hand wash them, too. Older dishwashers that required dishes to be rinsed, almost clean before putting in the dishwasher were probably easier on the markings. New dishwashers can "blast" food off, and markings, too, eventually!
The measuring cup issue- I happen to have a hand held glass engraving tool, but I'm far away.
There must be some workshops around somewhere, where they have got tools like that. Shoe repair? The guys, who make copies of keys? I would know where to look to in Europe, but I don't know about U.S.A.
Just an idea.
My measuring cups survived the dishwasher intact for years. Suddenly, the numbers are being sandblasted off. Are the heavy-duty detergent packets causing this (I recently switched to them), or are the markings are measuring cups inferior to what they used to be?
Like the person above I need to remark a plastic measuring cup. Permanent marker Keats comes off. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you
Pamela S Zeman
https://bartoncraftbarn.com/etched-glass-tutorial/
I skipped the cricket & vinal work, and recreated the lines using painters tape and an Exacto knife.
Where there are no lines to follow, use a kitchen scale with fl oz to ensure accuracy.
I want to use my Cricut to relabel my anchor hocking measuring cup but I cannot find a svg . Going to try my hand at making one.