All solid shortenings and butter, or butter substitutes may be measured by displacement. For example, if ½ cup of shortening is required for the recipe, fill the measuring cup with 2 ½ cups of cold water and then add solid shortening to fill to the 3 cup measure. Drain off the liquid and the correct amount remains. You can then easily lift the shortening/butter from the measuring vessel without scraping or waste.
Information taken from the 1938 The Household Searchlight Recipe Book
How to measure honey and molasses:
The easiest way to measure honey, molasses or other sticky items is to first spray the measuring cup with a light coating of oil or spray oil. The honey/ molasses will simply slide out without any clean-up or scraping involved.
