Growing up in The Netherlands, I was raised with grams, milliliters, millimiters, centimeters, and nothing even closely resembled cups, yards, or inches.

In the Netherlands, and in most of the rest of the world, one uses the metric system for measurements, and the only thing that is the same is a pinch. The U.S. uses the imperial measurement system, and relating this back to cooking, this method is fine for many recipes, though it is not precise.

Does it really matter what one uses as a standard for measuring?

I am here to tell you that it absolutely does!

For example, when you make bread, different types of flour have a different weight per cup due to a difference in density. This even changes for liquids, hence a cup of oil has a different weight than a cup of water. If you are not precise with your measurement in grams, it can yield a super dense bread, or flavorless, or it has so big that one is left to wonder where the bread is.

Because of these differences, where it really matters, it is important to use metric measurements for recipes. When you measure in grams, you measure by actual weight which ensures that one achieves consistent results every single time.

I have tried over and over again to cook with cups and handfulls and teaspoons tablespoons etc., yet I find myself reverting back to my original metric system.

Actually, what I find myself doing is that when I prepare a recipe that was listed in cups, I use the cups system, though I jot down the measurements to go with it instead, because it allows me to make adjustments to the recipe in grams to really figure out the best amounts for a particular recipe. One can be left with a completely different recipe or texture when the amounts are off in your recipe.

Really what I am trying to tell everyone is that in order to achieve the most consistent results, then the most fool proof method is to work with grams and milliliters.

My rule of thumb is to only use the standard measurements for things where a little more or a little less does not matter.

As a suggestion, get yourself a digital kitchen scale. These will upgrade the way you cook, and they will earn their money back in no time!