Sometimes when you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen for the family, a measuring cup comes up among the missing- leaving you desperately searching through the drawer or cupboards- or staring at the measuring spoons and quickly doing some math in your head. Here are some simple measuring equivalents charts that will take the effort out of baking so you can reduce your recipe or double it with ease.
Measuring Equivalents
Essentially- this is precisely how many tablespoons or teaspoons are in each measuring cup size. If you happen to be missing a measuring cup, you can use the equivalent measure in tablespoons (or teaspoons). For Example: 1 cup EQUALS (or is the same as) 16 Tablespoons.
1 How to Cut a Recipe in Half (1/2)
2 How to Cut a Recipe in Thirds (1/3)
3 Common Measurement Equivalents
4 Convert Common Measurements to Tablespoons and Teaspoons
5 Oven Temperature Equivalents
Reducing a Recipe in Half
Occasionally you may find yourself need to cut a recipe in half. Perhaps it’s a big family recipe or a potluck recipe that feeds 6 or 8 and you don’t need those extra servings- these measurements are how to reduce the recipe to half.
Example: Half of 1/3 of a cup equals 2 tablespoons PLUS 2 teaspoons.
Reducing a Recipe into One-Third
There are occasions we’ve frequently encountered where we’d like to cut a recipe by 1/3. This one is particularly effective for the mix recipes area of our site.
Many of our make ahead mixes create 6-12 servings. If you happen to be trying one for the first time, you may prefer to make a smaller version to test it out and see if your family likes it or not.
Common Measurement Equivalents to Remember
Additionally, when attempting to divide or reduce recipes it helps to remember the following:
16 Tbs = 1 Cup
1 Cup = 8 Fluid Ounces
1 Fluid Ounce = 2 Tablespoons
1 pound = 16 Ounces
1 Pint = 2 Cups
2 Pints = 1 Quart
1 Quart = 4 Cups = 32 Ounces
2 Quarts = 8 Cups = 1/2 Gallon = 64 Ounces
4 Quarts = 16 Cups = 1 Gallon = 128 Ounces
1 Stick of Butter = 8 tbs = 1/2 cup
1 Medium Egg = 3 Tablespoons; to easily divide it, beat the raw egg in a bowl and measure out 1 Tablespoon
How to Convert Measurements to Tablespoons (Tbs) and Teaspoons (tsp)
- 1 cup = 16 Tbs
- Half of 1 cup = 8 Tbs
- 3/4 cup = 12 Tbs
- Half of 3/4 cup = 6 Tbs
- 1/2 cup = 8 Tbs
- Half of 1/2 cup = 4 Tbs
- 1/3 cup = 5 Tbs+ 1 tsp
- Half of 1/3 cup = 2 Tbs+ 2 tsp
- 1/4 cup = 4 Tbs
- Half of 1/4 cup = 2 Tbs
- 1/8 cup = 2 Tbs
- Half of 1/8 cup = 1 Tbs
- 1/2 Tbs= 1-1/2 tsp
In our own kitchen, since our sons both enjoy cooking, I transformed the inside of my kitchen cupboard doors into chalkboards and have several of the equivalents written there as a handy reference if needed as a reminder!
Oven Temperature Equivalents
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
Gas Mark |
Description |
225° |
110° |
1/4 |
Cool |
250° |
130° |
1/2 |
Warm |
275° |
140° |
1 |
Very low |
300° |
150° |
2 |
|
325° |
170° |
3 |
low |
350° |
180° |
4 |
Moderate |
375°° |
190° |
5 |
|
400° |
200° |
6 |
Moderately hot |
425° |
220° |
7 |
Fairly hot |
450° |
230° |
8 |
Hot |
475° |
240° |
9 |
Extremely hot |
500° |
250° |
10 |
Extremely hot |
Additionally, there are times when old school recipes call for an ingredient that may not have ever even heard of, such as Oleo, which is actually butter. Here are the most common “Use This For That” for ingredients in American/USA based recipes, and use this one for foreign-based recipes.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. I’ll be printing out both sheets and taping them inside the cupboard doors for my wife. Since our kids moved (they’re grown, we didn’t kick them out or anything), my wife still thinks she’s feeding an army. Maybe this will help her cut the recipes down.
and yeah, I know, I could do the cooking myself. I’m not knocking her skills in the kitchen, I’m just saying eating the same thing for a week because she cooked enough for 8 people is getting old.
I’m not that great at making recipes well, but now that I know the tricks to cutting them in half or thirds- now I can make better meals! Since I live alone and don’t have a signficant other, I usually eat cereal. I like the idea of cutting recipes in half or thirds, not sure why I hadn’t thought if it before. Thanks!
Printed this out and laminated it for the kitchen—it’s now our go-to for baking lessons. My 9-year-old just told his dad ‘1/3 cup is 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon,’ and I’ve never been prouder. 😂
I used to guess and pray, but this chart’s a lifesaver. No more Googling ‘how many tablespoons in 1/4 cup’ while elbow-deep in cookie dough. Printed and slapped it on the fridge like the kitchen MVP it is.