Review of Amco Advanced Performance Measuring Cup Set

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List Price: $20.00
Sale Price: $13.29
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Several years back I bought a set of Amco stainless steel measuring cups that look identical to how these do. I needed another set, so I bought them here, thinking they were the same.

They're not.

My original set is decently heavy (if I get a chance, I'll update this post with the difference in grams), heavy enough for even the 1/4 cup to stand freely and level on its circular base.

The handles on my original set are heavy duty and cannot be bent.

This set's 1/4 cup doesn't stand freely on its own. It tips onto its handle, and its handle can be bent.

In short, they're lower quality, but if you've never owned a set, maybe that won't bother you.

Additionally, in my opinion, these stainless steel cups are much better than the average plastic cups for baking. The handles are designed better for scooping things like flour, and I really like having the markings for when I want to use the 1 cup measurer to measure, say, a half cup. I find stainless steel is easier to clean up too and they never melt and crack in the dishwasher like I've had plastic cups do.

Meanwhile, I'm still searching for a set that's as high quality as my original Amco cups...

22.Feb.2011 Update:

As previously mentioned, I'm listing weight differences below that support my review's complaint:

Weight differences in grams for the original Amco stainless steel measuring cups I own versus this set:

Size, Original, This Set, % Reduction

1 cup, 196, 150, 23%

1/2 cup, 140, 110, 21%

1/3 cup, 114, 88, 23%

1/4 cup, 116, 76, 34%

26.Dec.2012 Update:

Hey! I found a set that is arguably as good as the first/original Amco set I bought years ago!

While shopping in the Chelsea Market in NYC, I found a set of Harold Import Co. measuring cups (Item No. 48009) and Amazon appears to sell them!

http://www.amazon.com/HIC-Brands-that-Cook-Professional/dp/B00428M7MA

Happiness!

Here's a spot comparison in grams:

Size, Amco, HIC

1 cup, 196, 188

1/2 cup, 140, 132

1/3 cup, 114, 100g

1/4 cup, 116, 108g

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If you like things with a more heavy-duty quality and feel, you probably don't want to order this from amazon. Crate and Barrel sells the exact same thing (by the product number anyways, 8440) for $20 also, but the Crate and Barrel set weighs 120 grams more than the amazon set. I actually measured it using a kitchen scale. With this said, it's really up to you whether or not you prefer something more lightweight or heavy-duty. I personally prefer a more heavy-duty feel because I am looking for something that's going to last a long time. The handles on the Amazon set do bend more easily while the one from the Crate and Barrel set does not bend at all. I'm not sure why Amco is producing products with different quality for different sellers. On the other hand, the Amazon set is still a decent buy, but I'll probably be giving it away rather than using it myself. I suppose I probably wouldn't have minded if I didn't end up going to Crate and Barrel to pick up the matching spoon set and felt the cup set they sold there.

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These are gorgeous: heavy weight, solid one-piece construction (hard to find, easy to clean), wide-bottomed stable design. They have marks on the inside to measure half of the cup.

I will be getting all of the cups and spoons!

[Update: The one-cup cup is fairly large at 4 inches, making getting into some containers difficult, and can be messy. I bake bread and find that leveling the flour requires a long, straight edge because of the size, and if I don't measure over the sink, I make a mess. I haven't found a suitable alternative, though.]

Honest reviews on Amco Advanced Performance Measuring Cup Set

I was super excited about these. Description said durable 18/10 stainless steel. Well, they arrived...either before, or in transit, nested cups rubbed against each other. Bottoms appeared to have paint rubbed off. 18/10? Stainless Steel? I don't think so. Didn't want the silver polish, paint, whatever it is, coming off and mixing with my food. Returned them, cancelled spoons, gave up and got All Clad. Some day I hope to find a well made measuring spoon and cup set Made in USA!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Amco Advanced Performance Measuring Cup Set

The following review was written on Apirl 30, 2009, but for some reaons Amazon broke the link between the product and the review, and was unable to link them back. Because many readers find the original review helpful, it is reposted here. Hope it will helpful to you as it was helpful to them:

The AMCO Advanced measuring cups and spoons are great. They are made with high quality thick 18/10 stainless steel. The steel is more than 1 mm thick, so they are heavy and sturdy. Each cup or spoon is made from a single-piece steel (no weld nor seam), so it is very easy to clean a simply wipe will do. The size/volume markings are engraved into the metal, so they will not fade. I have uploaded a picture of a 1-cup for customer image. These tools should last you a lifetime.

Comparing to typical measuring cups, these cups are shorter and wider, which allow them to balance nicely on a flat surface. The ends of the spoon handles are bended downward, so the spoons can sit nicely on a flat surface. This comes handy from time to time, more so for cooking than baking in my experience.

I feel there is a need to address some of the negative reviews here. While I agree with many of them, I do not experience some of the more detrimental ones.

I find my cups and spoons to be reasonably accurate. I used a graduating cylinder to measure the 1 cup because its filled weight exceeds the limit of the analytical balance. For the 1 cup which should equal to 236mL, I measured a volume of ~222mL. This is a -6% deviation. For the rest of the cups and spoons, I filled them with water and poured the water into a container for weight measurement. The weight is then converted back to volume via "1 gram of water = 1 mL of water". (These measurements were acquired from an analytical scale in a laboratory. These analytical scales are routinely calibrated and are more accurate than the typical kitchen scales.)

For the ½ cup (118mL), I measured a volume of 111.5mL (a -6% deviation).

For the 1/3 cup (79mL), I measured 84.8mL (+7%).

For the ¼ cup (59mL), I measured 61.8mL (+5%).

For the 1 tablespoon (15 mL), I measured 14.0mL (-7%).

For the 1 teaspoon (5mL), I measured three times and the averaged volume is 4.7mL (-6%).

For the ½ teaspoon (2.5mL), I measured 2.5mL (0%).

For the ¼ teaspoon (1.25mL), I measured 1.4mL (+12%).

Specifically, the 1 teaspoon measurement was repeated three times. The individual results were: 5.2mL, 4.5mL, and 4.3mL. This illustrates the variability introduced by a user -human error. These cups and spoons appear to be adequate for ~10% accuracy.

I find the cups and spoons have smooth surface, and did not find any rough edge or surface as mentioned by other reviewers.

Now I will confirm some of the negative reviews. Yes, these cups and spoons are heavier than any I have seen. They are about 2-3 times heavier. Due to the fact that the cups are wider, you may also have difficulty to get them into containers with small opening. This is especially so for the 1-cup, which is 3-7/8 inches wide (I have upload a customer picture of it). Because the cups are shorter and wider, the potential for measurement error is higher. Imagine you have a tall bottle and a flat bowl. If you are 1 cm off from filling up the tall bottle, the relative error will be minor. However, if you are 1 cm off from filling up the flat bowl, the relative error will be large. Since these cups are about ½ the height of other cups, the potential human error is about 2-fold higher. One may say, these cups and spoons are technically accurate, but the potential human error is magnified.

*Update on Jun 26, 2010* Everything is working fine. Nothing is broken.