Kitchen Measurement Conversions: Cups, Tablespoons, and Metric
Nothing ruins a recipe faster than a measurement error. If you've ever tried to follow a recipe from another country or scale a dish up or down, you know how confusing kitchen measurements can be. Here's everything you need to know.
US Volume Measurements
The United States uses a system of cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons: - 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 237 mL - 1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 3 teaspoons = 15 mL - 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 mL - 1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons = 30 mL
Converting to Metric
Most of the world uses metric measurements in cooking: - 1 cup = 237 mL (often rounded to 240 mL or 250 mL) - 1 tablespoon = 15 mL - 1 teaspoon = 5 mL - 1 US gallon = 3.785 liters - 1 US quart = 946 mL - 1 US pint = 473 mL
Weight vs Volume: Why It Matters
Professional bakers measure by weight (grams), not volume (cups). This is because the same volume of different ingredients can have very different weights. For example, 1 cup of flour weighs about 125g, but 1 cup of sugar weighs about 200g, and 1 cup of butter weighs about 227g.
Common Baking Conversions by Weight
Key weights for 1 cup of common ingredients: - All-purpose flour: 125g - Granulated sugar: 200g - Brown sugar (packed): 220g - Butter: 227g - Milk: 240g - Honey: 340g - Cocoa powder: 86g
The Imperial Gallon Trap
Be careful with British recipes! The UK Imperial gallon (4.546 L) is about 20% larger than the US gallon (3.785 L). The same goes for pints, quarts, and fluid ounces. If a British recipe calls for "1 pint" of cream, that's 568 mL тАФ not the US 473 mL.
Pro Tip: Get a Kitchen Scale
Invest in a digital kitchen scale that displays both grams and ounces. It costs under $15, takes up minimal space, and makes following international recipes effortless. For volume conversions, bookmark our free converter for instant results.