Tablespoon: Difference between revisions
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|[[Teaspoon]] (tsp.)}}]] | |[[Teaspoon]] (tsp.)}}]] | ||
A '''tablespoon''' (tbsp., Tbsp., Tb., or T.) is a large [[spoon]]. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving | A '''tablespoon''' (tbsp., Tbsp., Tb., or T.) is a large [[spoon]]. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving.<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/196806 The Oxford English Dictionary Third edition, December 2008, entry at tablespoon]{{subscription required}}</ref> In some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating. | ||
By extension, the term is also used as a [[Cooking measures|cooking measure]] of [[volume]]. In this capacity, it is most commonly abbreviated ''tbsp.'' or ''Tbsp.'' and occasionally referred to as a '''tablespoonful''' to distinguish it from the utensil. The unit of measurement varies by region: a [[United States customary units|United States liquid]] tablespoon is approximately 14.8 mL | By extension, the term is also used as a [[Cooking measures|cooking measure]] of [[volume]]. In this capacity, it is most commonly abbreviated ''tbsp.'' or ''Tbsp.'' and occasionally referred to as a '''tablespoonful''' to distinguish it from the utensil. The unit of measurement varies by region: a [[United States customary units|United States liquid]] tablespoon is approximately 14.8 mL, exactly {{frac|1|2}} US fluid ounce; about 0.52 imperial fluid ounce. A British tablespoon is approximately 14.2 mL, exactly {{frac|1|2}} imperial fluid ounce; about 0.48 US fluid ounce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.firsthealthmag.com/how-many-tablespoons-in-a-cup-easy-conversions/|title=How Many Tablespoons in a Cup - Easy Conversions|website=First Health Mag|date=28 April 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-29|archive-date=2016-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503064905/http://www.firsthealthmag.com/how-many-tablespoons-in-a-cup-easy-conversions/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
An international metric tablespoon is exactly 15 mL, about 0.53 imperial fluid ounce or 0.51 US fluid ounce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.firsthealthmag.com/how-many-tablespoons-in-a-cup-easy-conversions/|title=How Many Tablespoons in a Cup - Easy Conversions|website=First Health Mag|date=28 April 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-29|archive-date=2016-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503064905/http://www.firsthealthmag.com/how-many-tablespoons-in-a-cup-easy-conversions/|url-status=dead}}</ref> An Australian metric tablespoon is 20 mL, about 0.7 imperial fluid ounce or 0.68 US fluid ounce.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chuck Smothermon|title=Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEThthG9dsUC&dq=tablespoon+australia&pg=PA416|access-date=9 January 2015|year=2002|publisher=Meredith Books|page=416|isbn=9780696215469}}</ref> The capacity of the utensil, as opposed to the measurement, is defined by neither law nor custom but only by preferences, and may or may not significantly approximate the measurement. | |||
== Dining == | == Dining == | ||
Before about 1700, it was customary for Europeans to bring their own spoons to the table.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Spoons were carried as personal property in much the same way as people today carry wallets, key rings, etc. From about 1700 the [[place setting]] became popular, and with it the "table-spoon" (hyphenated), "table-fork" and "table-knife". Around the same time the [[Teaspoon|tea-spoon]] and [[Dessert spoon|dessert-spoon]] first appeared | Before about 1700, it was customary for Europeans to bring their own spoons to the table.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Spoons were carried as personal property in much the same way as people today carry wallets, key rings, etc. From about 1700 the [[place setting]] became popular, and with it the "table-spoon" (hyphenated), "table-fork" and "table-knife". Around the same time the [[Teaspoon|tea-spoon]] and [[Dessert spoon|dessert-spoon]] first appeared. The table-spoon was reserved for eating [[soup]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Simon|last=Moore|title=Spoons 1650–1930|date=1987|publisher=Shire Publications|page=12}}</ref> The 18th century witnessed a proliferation of different sorts of spoons, including the [[Mustard spoon|mustard-spoon]], [[Salt spoon|salt-spoon]], [[Coffee spoon|coffee-spoon]], and [[Soup spoon|soup-spoon]]. | ||
In the late 19th century UK, the dessert-spoon and soup-spoon began to displace the table-spoon as the primary implement for eating from a bowl, at which point the name "table-spoon" took on a secondary meaning as a much larger [[serving spoon]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} | In the late 19th century UK, the dessert-spoon and soup-spoon began to displace the table-spoon as the primary implement for eating from a bowl, at which point the name "table-spoon" took on a secondary meaning as a much larger [[serving spoon]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} In 1928, when the first edition of the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] was published, "tablespoon", which by then was no longer hyphenated, still had two definitions in the UK: the original definition (eating spoon) and the new definition (serving spoon). | ||
[[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian era]] tablespoons used in the UK are often 25 mL | [[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian era]] tablespoons used in the UK are often 25 mL, about 0.88 imperial fluid ounce or 0.85 US fluid ounce, or sometimes larger. They are used only for preparing and serving food, not as part of a place-setting. Common tablespoons intended for use as [[cutlery]], called [[dessert spoon]]s in the UK, where a tablespoon is always a serving spoon, usually hold 7–14 mL, about 0.25–0.49 imperial fluid ounce or 0.24–0.47 US fluid ounce,<ref>{{cite journal | ||
|title=Syrup of ipecac dosing ... How much is a tablespoonful? | |title=Syrup of ipecac dosing ... How much is a tablespoonful? | ||
|author=Dean BS, Krenzelok EP | |author=Dean BS, Krenzelok EP | ||
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===Naming=== | ===Naming=== | ||
In recipes, an abbreviation like ''tbsp.'' is usually used to refer to a tablespoon, to differentiate it from the smaller teaspoon (''tsp.''). Some authors | In recipes, an abbreviation like ''tbsp.'' is usually used to refer to a tablespoon, to differentiate it from the smaller teaspoon (''tsp.''). Some authors capitalize the abbreviation, as ''Tbsp.'', while leaving ''tsp.'' in lower case, to emphasize that the larger tablespoon, rather than the smaller teaspoon, is wanted. The tablespoon abbreviation is sometimes abbreviated to ''Tb.'' or ''T''. | ||
===Traditional definitions=== | ===Traditional definitions=== | ||
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====International metric==== | ====International metric==== | ||
An international metric tablespoon is exactly equal to 15 mL.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last = Cardarelli |first = François |year = 2003 |title = Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures |publisher = Springer |isbn = 978-1-4471-1122-1 |location = London, UK |pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616/page/n67 44] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616 |url-access=limited }}</ref> It is the equivalence of 1{{sfrac|1|2}} [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]] or 3 [[Teaspoon# | An international metric tablespoon is exactly equal to 15 mL.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last = Cardarelli |first = François |year = 2003 |title = Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures |publisher = Springer |isbn = 978-1-4471-1122-1 |location = London, UK |pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616/page/n67 44] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616 |url-access=limited }}</ref> It is the equivalence of 1{{sfrac|1|2}} [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]] or 3 [[Teaspoon#Metric teaspoon|metric teaspoons]]. | ||
{| | {| | ||
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====Australian metric==== | ====Australian metric==== | ||
The Australian metric tablespoon is different from that of the rest of the world. The Australian official definition of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.taste.com.au/healthy/articles/weights-measurement-charts/vnepuhic|title=Weights & measurement charts|website=Taste|language=en-AU|access-date=2023-04-23}}</ref> | The Australian metric tablespoon is different from that of the rest of the world. The Australian official definition of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.taste.com.au/healthy/articles/weights-measurement-charts/vnepuhic|title=Weights & measurement charts|website=Taste|date=11 April 2007 |language=en-AU|access-date=2023-04-23}}</ref> | ||
::{| | ::{| | ||
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====United Kingdom==== | ====United Kingdom==== | ||
In the UK, 1 tablespoon is traditionally 4 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|British imperial fluid drachms]]<ref>[https://www.victorianschool.co.uk/ebooks/enquire%20within/10766-h/10766-h.htm#p665 Paragraph 665], page 119, ''Enquire Within Upon Everything'' (1894)</ref> ({{sfrac|1|2}} British imperial fluid ounce). | In the UK, 1 tablespoon is traditionally 4 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|British imperial fluid drachms]]<ref>[https://www.victorianschool.co.uk/ebooks/enquire%20within/10766-h/10766-h.htm#p665 Paragraph 665], page 119, ''Enquire Within Upon Everything'' (1894)</ref> [newer source needed]({{sfrac|1|2}} British imperial fluid ounce). | ||
{| | {| | ||
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|1 US customary tablespoon ||= 4 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|US fluid drams]] | |1 US customary tablespoon ||= 4 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|US fluid drams]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|||= 2 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]] | |||= 1{{sfrac|1|2}} [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|||= 3 [[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]] | |||= 3 [[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]] | ||
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|} | |} | ||
In nutrition labeling in the U.S., a tablespoon is defined as 15 mL<ref name="us">{{cite report |title=21 [[Code of Federal Regulations|CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)]] |section-url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr101.9.htm |section=101.9(b)(5)(viii) |publisher=U.S. [[Government Printing Office]] }}</ref> | In nutrition labeling in the U.S., a tablespoon is defined as 15 mL,<ref name="us">{{cite report |title=21 [[Code of Federal Regulations|CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)]] |section-url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr101.9.htm |section=101.9(b)(5)(viii) |publisher=U.S. [[Government Printing Office]] }}</ref> about 4.22 British imperial fluid drachms (0.53 British imperial fluid ounce) or 4.06 US customary fluid drams, 0.51 US customary fluid ounce. | ||
===Dry measure=== | ===Dry measure=== | ||
Latest revision as of 00:20, 27 September 2025
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed
A tablespoon (tbsp., Tbsp., Tb., or T.) is a large spoon. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving.[1] In some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating.
By extension, the term is also used as a cooking measure of volume. In this capacity, it is most commonly abbreviated tbsp. or Tbsp. and occasionally referred to as a tablespoonful to distinguish it from the utensil. The unit of measurement varies by region: a United States liquid tablespoon is approximately 14.8 mL, exactly <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />1⁄2 US fluid ounce; about 0.52 imperial fluid ounce. A British tablespoon is approximately 14.2 mL, exactly <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />1⁄2 imperial fluid ounce; about 0.48 US fluid ounce.[2]
An international metric tablespoon is exactly 15 mL, about 0.53 imperial fluid ounce or 0.51 US fluid ounce.[3] An Australian metric tablespoon is 20 mL, about 0.7 imperial fluid ounce or 0.68 US fluid ounce.[4] The capacity of the utensil, as opposed to the measurement, is defined by neither law nor custom but only by preferences, and may or may not significantly approximate the measurement.
Dining
Before about 1700, it was customary for Europeans to bring their own spoons to the table.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Spoons were carried as personal property in much the same way as people today carry wallets, key rings, etc. From about 1700 the place setting became popular, and with it the "table-spoon" (hyphenated), "table-fork" and "table-knife". Around the same time the tea-spoon and dessert-spoon first appeared. The table-spoon was reserved for eating soup.[5] The 18th century witnessed a proliferation of different sorts of spoons, including the mustard-spoon, salt-spoon, coffee-spoon, and soup-spoon.
In the late 19th century UK, the dessert-spoon and soup-spoon began to displace the table-spoon as the primary implement for eating from a bowl, at which point the name "table-spoon" took on a secondary meaning as a much larger serving spoon.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 1928, when the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published, "tablespoon", which by then was no longer hyphenated, still had two definitions in the UK: the original definition (eating spoon) and the new definition (serving spoon).
Victorian and Edwardian era tablespoons used in the UK are often 25 mL, about 0.88 imperial fluid ounce or 0.85 US fluid ounce, or sometimes larger. They are used only for preparing and serving food, not as part of a place-setting. Common tablespoons intended for use as cutlery, called dessert spoons in the UK, where a tablespoon is always a serving spoon, usually hold 7–14 mL, about 0.25–0.49 imperial fluid ounce or 0.24–0.47 US fluid ounce,[6] considerably less than some tablespoons used for serving.
Culinary measure
Naming
In recipes, an abbreviation like tbsp. is usually used to refer to a tablespoon, to differentiate it from the smaller teaspoon (tsp.). Some authors capitalize the abbreviation, as Tbsp., while leaving tsp. in lower case, to emphasize that the larger tablespoon, rather than the smaller teaspoon, is wanted. The tablespoon abbreviation is sometimes abbreviated to Tb. or T.
Traditional definitions
In most places, one tablespoon equals three teaspoons. In Australia and the UK, one tablespoon equals four teaspoons.
International metric
An international metric tablespoon is exactly equal to 15 mL.[7] It is the equivalence of 1Template:Sfrac metric dessert spoons or 3 metric teaspoons.
| 1 international metric tablespoon | = | 15 | mL |
| = | Template:Sfrac | Australian metric tablespoon | |
| = | 1Template:Sfrac | metric dessert spoons | |
| = | 3 | metric teaspoons | |
| ≈ | 4.22 | British imperial fluid drachm | |
| ≈ | 0.53 | British imperial fluid ounce | |
| ≈ | 1.06 | UK tablespoons | |
| ≈ | 2.11 | UK dessert spoons | |
| ≈ | 4.22 | UK teaspoons | |
| ≈ | 8.45 | UK salt spoons | |
| ≈ | 16.89 | UK pinches (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 253.41 | UK drops (liquids only) | |
| ≈ | 4.06 | US customary fluid drams | |
| ≈ | 0.51 | US customary fluid ounce | |
| ≈ | 1.01 | US customary tablespoons | |
| ≈ | 1.52 | US customary dessert spoons | |
| ≈ | 3.04 | US customary teaspoons | |
| ≈ | 6.09 | US customary coffee spoons | |
| ≈ | 12.17 | US customary salt spoons | |
| ≈ | 24.35 | US customary dashes (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 48.69 | US customary pinches (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 97.39 | US customary smidgens (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 292.16 | US customary drops (liquids only) |
Australian metric
The Australian metric tablespoon is different from that of the rest of the world. The Australian official definition of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:[8]
1 Australian metric tablespoon = 20 mL = 1Template:Sfrac international metric tablespoons = 2 metric dessert spoons, 1 metric dessert spoon = 10 mL each = 4 metric teaspoons, 1 metric teaspoon = 5 mL each ≈ 5.63 British imperial fluid drachms ≈ 0.7 British imperial fluid ounce ≈ 1.41 UK tablespoons ≈ 2.82 UK dessert spoons ≈ 4.12 UK teaspoons ≈ 11.26 UK salt spoons ≈ 22.52 UK pinches (solids only) ≈ 337.87 UK drops (liquids only) ≈ 5.41 US customary fluid drams ≈ 0.67 US customary fluid ounce ≈ 1.35 US customary tablespoons ≈ 2.03 US customary dessert spoons ≈ 4.06 US customary teaspoons ≈ 4.06 US customary coffee spoons ≈ 16.23 US customary salt spoons ≈ 32.46 US customary dashes (solids only) ≈ 64.92 US customary pinches (solids only) ≈ 129.85 US customary smidgens (solids only) ≈ 389.54 US customary drops (liquids only)
This definition was promulgated by the Metric Conversion Board in the 1970s, as part of the country’s metrication process.[9] There is not a distinct Australian metric dessert spoon or metric teaspoon.
United Kingdom
In the UK, 1 tablespoon is traditionally 4 British imperial fluid drachms[10] [newer source needed](Template:Sfrac British imperial fluid ounce).
| 1 UK tablespoon | = | 4 | British imperial fluid drachms |
| = | 2 | UK dessert spoons | |
| = | 4 | UK teaspoons | |
| = | 8 | UK salt spoons | |
| = | 16 | UK pinches (solids only) | |
| = | 240 | UK drops (liquids only) | |
| = | Template:Sfrac | British imperial fluid ounce | |
| ≈ | 3.84 | US customary fluid drams | |
| ≈ | 0.48 | US customary fluid ounce | |
| ≈ | 0.96 | US customary tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 1.44 | US customary dessert spoons | |
| ≈ | 2.88 | US customary teaspoons | |
| ≈ | 5.76 | US customary coffee spoons | |
| ≈ | 11.53 | US customary salt spoons | |
| ≈ | 23.06 | US customary dashes (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 46.12 | US customary pinches (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 92.23 | US customary smidgens (solids only) | |
| ≈ | 276.70 | US customary drops (liquids only) | |
| ≈ | 14.207 | millilitres | |
| ≈ | 0.95 | international metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0.71 | Australian metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 1.42 | metric dessert spoons | |
| ≈ | 2.84 | metric teaspoons |
United States
The traditional U.S. interpretation of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:[11]
1 US customary tablespoon = 4 US fluid drams = 1Template:Sfrac US customary dessert spoons = 3 US customary teaspoons = 6 US customary coffee spoons = 12 US customary salt spoons = 24 US customary dashes (solids only) = 48 US customary pinches (solids only) = 96 US customary smidgens (solids only) = 288 US customary drops (liquids only) = Template:Sfrac US fluid ounce ≈ 4.16 British imperial fluid drachms ≈ 0.52 British imperial fluid ounce ≈ 1.04 UK tablespoons ≈ 2.08 UK dessert spoons ≈ 4.16 UK teaspoons ≈ 8.33 UK salt spoons ≈ 16.65 UK pinches (solids only) ≈ 249.8 UK drops (liquids only) ≈ 14.8 mL[12] ≈ 0.99 international metric tablespoon ≈ 0.74 Australian metric tablespoon ≈ 1.48 metric dessert spoons ≈ 2.96 metric teaspoons
In nutrition labeling in the U.S., a tablespoon is defined as 15 mL,[13] about 4.22 British imperial fluid drachms (0.53 British imperial fluid ounce) or 4.06 US customary fluid drams, 0.51 US customary fluid ounce.
Dry measure
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For dry ingredients, if a recipe calls for a level tablespoon, the usual meaning without further qualification, is measured by filling the spoon and scraping it level. In contrast, a heaped, heaping, or rounded spoonful is not leveled off, and includes a heap above the spoon. The exact volume of a heaped tablespoon depends somewhat on the shape and curvature of the measuring spoon being used and largely upon the physical properties of the substance being measured, and so is not a precise unit of measurement. If neither a rounded nor a level tablespoon is specified, a level tablespoon is used, just as a cup of flour is a level cup unless otherwise specified.
Apothecary measure
In the 18th century, the table-spoon became an unofficial unit of the apothecaries' system of measures, equal to 4 drams (Template:Sfrac fl oz, 14.8 mL). It was more commonly known by the Latin name cochleare majus (abbreviated cochl. maj.) or, in apothecaries' notation, f℥ss or f℥ß (fluid ℥, i.e. ounce, semis, one-half).[14][15][16]
See also
References
External links
Template:Imperial units Template:United States Customary Units
- ↑ The Oxford English Dictionary Third edition, December 2008, entry at tablespoonTemplate:Subscription required
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- ↑ Paragraph 665, page 119, Enquire Within Upon Everything (1894)
- ↑ Template:Cite report
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The reference indicates the exact conversion to cubic metres, which has been converted to 14.78676478125 ml here for convenience. - ↑ Template:Cite report
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