Comments: It's like someone has done all the shopping for you. Technically this is three sets (measuring cups and two sets of measuring spoons) with one small addition (a 1.5-quart bowl), but sold as one collection, so you won't have to shop for measures for a long, long time (unless you start losing pieces).

The measuring cups (1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/4 cup, and 1/8 cup) and the standard spoons (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, and 1/8 teaspoon) are particularly sturdy. Drop them on the floor and you'll probably hurt the floor more than the cup or spoon. The 3-spoon set of dash, smidgen, and pinch are more substantial than many measuring spoons, but we doubt they'll see much heavy duty action, anyway. The solid stainless steel mixing bowl measures from one-half through one to one-and-a-half in either quarts (2 cups, 4 cups, and 6 cups) or liters.

The spoons are shiny on both sides of the handle and the outside of the bowl, with a matte finish inside. We don’t know if this is meaningful in the rarefied world of measuring, but it looks and feels cool.

Stainless steel rings connect both sets of spoons, as well as the measuring cups, which you'll want to ditch immediately. The cups are simply too heavy to be used effectively when linked to each other.

If you are furnishing a kitchen from scratch – or know someone else who is – this set will provide a great head start and keep you (them) measuring for many years.