The Best Measuring Cups | Reviews by Wirecutter
Top pick
This design classic is one of the most durable glass cups we’ve found. The Pyrex’s markings are more legible than those on other glass cups we tested, and it cleans up better than plastic versions.
The Pyrex Prepware 2-Cup Measuring Cup is our long-standing favorite liquid measuring cup. It’s well designed, with easy-to-read markings, a good pour spout that minimizes drips, an L-shaped handle that allows it to nest inside other cups, and a wide, short profile that gives you space to mix ingredients. Made from shatter-resistant tempered glass, it’s one of the more durable liquid cups we’ve found, and it won’t retain stains or smells like plastic cups do. The Pyrex’s classic design, which hasn’t changed much since 1941, has earned this cup a place in nearly every kitchen we’ve been in. You can even find Julia Child’s Pyrex cups in the National Museum of American History.
It’s clearly marked. Pyrex’s bold red markings make reading measurements easy. One side shows US cup and ounce markings, and the reverse side has a metric scale in milliliters. Many of the other cups we tested opted for shorter measurement lines centered on the face of the cup, but we found that the staggered arrangement on the Pyrex was easier to read without being too crowded.
It doesn’t stain or hold onto odors. Unlike plastic or silicone cups, the Pyrex cup won’t retain smells or stain over time.
It’s a cinch to clean. We didn’t have much trouble cleaning any of the cups we tested, but oil tends to cling more to plastic than to glass, making the Pyrex easier to hand-wash.
It pours easily. Its heft, compared with lighter plastic or glass models, actually made the Pyrex a bit easier to pour from, especially in a thin stream. Drips are minimal, which is particularly nice when you’re measuring multiple ingredients in succession while cooking.
It’s easier to store. We prefer the Pyrex’s L-shaped handle — as opposed to cups with loop handles — because it allows you to nest the cup inside a bowl or another Pyrex cup. (In addition to the 2-cup size, you can also get the Pyrex in 1-cup, 4-cup, and 8-cup sizes, all of which stack nicely together.) This helps it take up less space in the cupboard and allows you to easily store tools like measuring cups and mixing bowls together.
It’s well designed. The Pyrex’s wider footprint makes this cup more versatile overall. The wider dimensions enabled us to whip and mix ingredients in it more easily than we could in taller, narrower cups, such as those from Cambro and Rubbermaid Commercial Products.
It’s durable. Pyrex cups are made of tempered soda-lime glass, which is more impact-resistant than other types of glass. Although it’s not totally shatter-proof, the Pyrex has a good chance of surviving if you drop it on the floor or bang it against the kitchen sink.
Tempered glass is also more resistant to thermal shock (which causes glass to shatter when it’s subjected to extreme temperature changes) than regular soda-lime glass is. Borosilicate glass (which some other cups, such as older Pyrex cups, are made of) has even better thermal-shock resistance, but it’s otherwise not as durable.
For the day-to-day use and abuse a liquid measuring cup goes through, we prefer tempered glass.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s not perfectly accurate. One cup of water in the Pyrex cup averaged 256 grams, 20 grams more than the test standard. But considering the inherently inaccurate nature of measuring cups, we were willing to overlook that.
It’s not perfectly accurate. One cup of water in the Pyrex cup averaged 256 grams, 20 grams more than the test standard. But considering the inherently inaccurate nature of measuring cups, we were willing to overlook that.
The painted-on measurement markings may fade over time. We’ve noticed this starting to happen on the Pyrex cup we’ve been using for years in our test kitchen. But we think the bold red markings can remain legible longer than the finer markings on some other cups we looked at. You can also help prevent fading by hand-washing the cup with a soft sponge. We’ve noticed this starting to happen on the Pyrex cup we’ve been using for years in our test kitchen. But we think the bold red markings can remain legible longer than the finer markings on some other cups we looked at. You can also help prevent fading by hand-washing the cup with a soft sponge.
