Wondering how many oz in a cup? How many tablespoons in a cup? What about how many teaspoons in a tablespoon? What is the difference between a fluid (fl) ounce (oz) and a dry oz?
We've got you covered with our handy dandy conversion charts made just for cooking.
Liquid Measures
| 1 cup | 8 fluid ounces | 1/2 pint | 237 ml | 16 tablespoons |
| 2 cups | 16 fluid ounces | 1 pint | 473 ml | |
| 4 cups | 32 fluid ounces | 1 quart | 946 ml | |
| 2 pints | 32 fluid ounces | 1 quart | 0.946 liters | |
| 4 quarts | 128 fluid ounces | 1 gallon | 3.785 liters | |
| 8 quarts | one peck | |||
| 4 pecks | one bushel | |||
| dash | about an 1/8 teaspoon | |||
| 1 teaspoon | 1/6 fluid ounce | 5 grams | about 5 ml | |
| 1 tablespoon | 1/2 fluid ounce | 15 grams | 15 ml | 3 teaspoons |
| 2 tablespoons | 1 fluid ounce | 30 grams | 29.6 ml | 1/8 cup |
| 8 tablespoons | 4 fluid ounces | 1/4 pint | 118.5 ml | 1/2 cup |
Dry Measures
| 3 teaspoons | 1 tablespoon | 1/2 ounce | 14.3 grams | ||
| 2 tablespoons | 1/8 cup | 1 fluid ounce | 28.35 grams | ||
| 4 tablespoons | 1/4 cup | 2 fluid ounces | 56.7 grams | ||
| 5 1/3 tablespoons | 1/3 cup | 2.6 fluid ounces | 75.6 grams | ||
| 8 tablespoons | 1/2 cup | 4 ounces | 113.4 grams | 1 stick butter | |
| 12 tablespoons | 3/4 cup | 6 ounces | 0.375 pound | 170 grams | |
| 32 | tablespoons | 2 cups | 16 ounces | 1 pound | 453.6 grams |
| 64 tablespoons | 4 cups | 32 ounces | 2 pounds | 907 grams |
How to measure
The Equipment:
Graduated Measuring Cups
Measuring cups that resemble small pots. They are usually made of plastic or metal and come in sets of four or five (1 cup, 3/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and 1/4 cup). They are excellent for measuring dry ingredients because they can easily be leveled off.
Liquid Measuring Cups
Measuring cups that look like little pitchers with a lip/spout to aid in pouring. They are widely available in 1, 2, 4, and 8-cup measures. They come in glass or plastic, with the amounts indicated in cups, ounces, and milliliters. Pyrex is a good brand. The larger measures can double as mixing bowls.
Measuring Spoons
Come in sets of four or five (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon and sometimes 1/8 teaspoon).
Ingredients
Butter
Each 1/4 pound stick of margarine or butter measures 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons. In the United States, the wrapping usually has tablespoons and teaspoons clearly marked. One stick usually equals 1/2 cup. If it has not been packed that way, pack margarine or butter into measuring spoon or measuring cup and level off to measure.
Sugar
Measuring Sugar
Most sugar can be measured in a graduated measuring cup. Simply spoon it in and level off with the straight edge of a knife. Most recipes usually call for certain amounts of packed brown sugar. To measure packed brown sugar, pack sugar down lightly with back of spoon, then level off.
Measuring Flour
In most recipes, flour is supposed to be measured straight from the canister or package (the flour needs to be airy, if it seems compact, stir it in the container before measuring it). NEVER pack flour down into the measuring cup or tap it excessively. Lightly spoon flour into graduated measuring cup, and level off with straight edge of knife.
It is important to measure flour correctly in low-fat bread making because when we reduce the fat (which tenderizes it), we don't want to dramatically increase the flour (which toughens it).
Detailed flour measuring instructions
mtreasure/iStock/GettyImages When you’re
preparing dishes such as stews and casseroles, you’re allowed considerable leeway in your measurements. When baking, however, your measurements must be more precise. Baking is an exact science, and accuracy matters to achieve the chemical interactions necessary to produce the correct outcome, such as a cake that rises and puddings that set. You can use a dry measurement conversion chart, or simply learn some basic equations for translating grams to tablespoons to dry ounces. With any method,
keep in mind that measurements by volume are inherently flawed, and using a kitchen scale enhances your odds for success if you truly like to bake. Two dry tablespoons make up 1 dry ounce. To measure larger amounts of ingredients, you probably want to invest in separate utensils for dry and wet. A 1-cup dry measurement has the volume of just 1 cup, so when measuring a dry
ingredient such as flour, fill the measuring cup all the way to the top. A 1-cup wet measuring cup has more volume than a single cup, but it’s made of a clear material such as glass and has lines on the side for measuring just 1 cup. The extra space in the measuring cup is necessary; liquids slosh and can spill over the top of a vessel that’s exactly the size of the volume you’re measuring. Because dry ingredients such as sugar and flour stay put after you measure them, the extra space in a dry
measuring cup is unnecessary. You don’t need different measuring tools for dry and wet tablespoons, probably because the smallness of the unit of measurement would make it hard to see the right amount in a vessel that isn’t just the right size. You measure a tablespoon of flour with the same tablespoon that you use for a tablespoon of oil. However, you have to hold your hand steadier when you’re measuring the oil because it’s easy to lose some if your hand shakes or
if you bump into the counter. A tablespoon of flour or sugar is more forgiving when you’re measuring them because these ingredients are likely to stay put until you take a more dramatic action such as emptying them into a mixing bowl. Measuring by weight is considerably more accurate than measuring by volume if you have a decent digital scale. The smaller the unit of measurement on your scale, the more
accurate your weights will be. It’s hard to see variations of a few grams when you’re using a scale that’s calibrated in quarter-pound units, but it’s easy to see these differences on a digital scale that displays every single ounce or gram. In addition, different substances have different densities, and even the same substance can have a different density once it settles over time. You can see this phenomenon by putting a dry substance such as oats in a measurement cup and then tapping
the bottom of the cup on a table or counter a few times. The oats will settle a bit, and the volume will read less after settling than before. If you weighed the oats, you’d get the same measurement amount both before and after the settling. 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup = 2 ounces = 4 tablespoons 1/2 cup = 4 ounces = 8 tablespoons 1 cup = 8 ounces = 16 tablespoonsTip
Dry vs. Wet Measurements
Measuring by Weight vs. Measuring by Volume
Dry Measurement Chart
Using Tablespoons for Dry Measurement
It makes sense to use tablespoons for dry measurements if you’re working with smaller quantities. It’s cumbersome and time-consuming to measure 16 individual tablespoons when you really just need a cup of flour. Plus, there’s no good reason to do so unless you don’t have an actual cup measure.
Converting grams to tablespoons for dry measurements will depend on the substance you’re measuring. Grams are a measurement of weight, and peanut butter, for example, which is dense, has a different density from flour, which is fluffy. When converting grams to tablespoons for dry ingredients, it’s best to consult a grams-to-tablespoons dry measurement chart, which takes these variations into account.
References
Writer Bio
Devra Gartenstein is a self-taught professional cook who has authored two cookbooks: "The Accidental Vegan", and "Local Bounty: Seasonal Vegan Recipes". She founded Patty Pan Cooperative, Seattle's oldest farmers market concession, and teaches regular cooking classes.