The Euclid measuring cup keeps you from adding too much liquid while cooking

Ever ruin a recipe because you accidentally added too much liquid? A former Google and Facebook employee is hoping to eliminate that problem with a more accurate measuring cup.

The Euclid measuring cup is an oddly shaped tool that promises to “measure small amounts and large amounts with equal accuracy,” according to the product’s Kickstarter page.

Creator Joshua Redstone, who should know a thing or two about engineering as he holds a Ph.D. in computer science, developed a cup where the ratio of surface area to volume is the same. Currently, most measuring cups are shaped in a way that leads to error, he said, meaning that liquid measurements can be off by as much as 60 percent. 

A common problem people have with measuring cups is that liquids fluctuate in size as you add larger measurements, meaning it is difficult to know if you measure 1 cup or 1.5 cups. With Euclid, you get a clearer idea of how much fluid you’re measuring due to its narrow size.

“Let’s suppose you overshot by 1 mm,” Redstone said in a press release. “The measuring cup will then contain a thin layer of extra liquid. Its volume is 1 mm times the surface area. Your measurement error is the ratio of this extra volume to the desired volume.”

Euclid preserves the ratio of surface area to volume even as you measure higher amounts thanks to its shape, which is narrow in the bottom and wider at the top.

The one-cup measurer is dishwasher safe, BPA-free, and FDA approved.

So far, Euclid has raised more than $6,800 of a $30,000 goal on Kickstarter. It is named after Euclid of Alexandria, the Greek mathematician who is considered the founding father of geometry. Pledging $5 or more to this project will ensure you stay in the loop regarding the product’s progress, while pledging $24 or more will earn you one Euclid measuring cup. Spending $46 will get you two cups, $89 will net you four, and $210 will yield 10 cups.

The delivery estimate for Euclid is May 2018.  You can use this device to cook a number of recipes from an app that offers instructions through voice commands.