When you first start cooking and baking you are going to see the tablespoon and teaspoon abbreviation used quite often. With these abbreviations, you will find that you can cook or bake almost anything.
Understanding the common cooking abbreviations is going to help you get your recipes exact. Here is everything that you need to know about the tablespoon and teaspoon abbreviations and conversions.
Common Cooking Abbreviations
Teaspoon Abbreviation
The abbreviation for the teaspoon is going to be tsp.
You will never see this tsp abbreviation in capital letters. This is your best clue for determining the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon in a recipe.
If you can always remember that the teaspoon is smaller than the tablespoon, you will have no issues keeping track of these abbreviations.
Tablespoon Abbreviation
The abbreviation for tablespoon is going to be a capital T or Tbsp.
As you have noticed, both the T and the Tbsp are written with a capital letter T. This is to help indicate that the tablespoon is, in fact, bigger than the teaspoon from a measurement standpoint.
Although you may look at these two measurements and think that they are not all that different in size, you must consider that adding a teaspoon of chili powder compared to a tablespoon of chili powder can significantly impact the flavor of a recipe.
Cup Abbreviation
The abbreviation for a cup is going to be a capital C.
This is probably the most common cooking abbreviation and how that you are going to see referred to quite often.
Sometimes you will see a fraction in front of the letter C, and that is going to show that you should use less than a cup.
Ounce Abbreviation
The abbreviation for an ounce is oz.
Depending on where you are preparing your meal, you may see the abbreviation for ounce used quite often. An ounce is a unit of measurement that will make up a pound.
When cooking with meat or chicken, you may see the abbreviation for ounce, which is oz. Many recipes will ask for an 8oz steak or something similar.
Pint Abbreviation
The abbreviation for a pint is pt.
You will want to make sure you have the difference between a pint and a pound down. Since the pound starts with p, some people get confused when seeing the pt abbreviation. One cup is equal to a ½ pint.
Pound Abbreviation
The pound abbreviation is lb.
The abbreviation for pound is one of the more obscure kitchen abbreviations that you will find. The reason that pound is shown as lb is that it comes from an old Latin world.
The Latin word libra was a term used to describe a measurement. This weight was eventually determined to be the pound or the pound weight, and that is why the abbreviation ties back to the original word libra.
When you see pound or lb used in a recipe, it can refer to quite a few things, but it very commonly refers to meat that would need to be used in the dish.
Quart Abbreviation
The quart abbreviation is qt.
Since this is the only q word that you will come across when you are cooking, it is reasonably easy to remember this abbreviation. One quart is the same as a ¼ cup.
Cooking Conversion Chart
| Cup = | Tbs = | tsp = | Fluid Oz = | Milliliter |
| 1 C | 16 Tbs | 48 tsp | 8 oz | 237 ml |
| 3/4 C | 12 Tbs | 36 tsp | 6 oz | 177 ml |
| 2/3 C | 10 Tbs + 2 tsp | 32 tsp | 5 1/3 oz | 158 ml |
| 1/2 C | 8 Tbs | 24 tsp | 4 oz | 118 ml |
| 1/3 C | 5 Tbs + 1 tsp | 16 tsp | 2 2/3 oz | 79 ml |
| 1/4 C | 4 Tbs | 12 tsp | 2 oz | 59 ml |
| 1/6 C | 2 Tbs + 2 tsp | 8 tsp | 1 1/3 oz | 40 ml |
| 1/8 C | 2 Tbs | 6 tsp | 1 oz | 30 ml |
| 1/16 C | 1 Tbs | 3 tsp | 1/2 oz | 15 ml |
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, our conversion chart has helped you answer the questions you need for your recipe; however, here are a few other frequently asked questions about this topic.
How many teaspoons in a tablespoon?
There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon. If you are busy cooking in the kitchen and you don’t want to stop to take out another kitchen utensil, it is perfectly acceptable to use a few teaspoons to equal the tablespoon. Sometimes a few fewer dishes to wash can be helpful!
How many teaspoons in a cup?
There are 48 teaspoons in a cup. It is going to take you quite some time to fill a cup when using a teaspoon. It makes quite a bit of sense to have both measuring spoons and measuring cups in your home kitchen at all times.
How many tablespoons in a cup?
You will need 16 tablespoons to fill a cup. If you ever find yourself in a pinch and need to measure out one cup, it can be good to have these measurements in your mind.
Free Printable Conversion Chart
Click on the image to the left to print the free conversion chart instantly. No email address required.
Add this page to your cookbook or hang it up on your refrigerator or cabinet door for a quick reference sheet.
Summary
Being a chef and a cook in your home takes more than just knowing how to measure spices and blend flavors. You will have to be a bit of a mathematician as well.
Understanding, not just the abbreviations for cooking measurements but also how they convert between each other can save you a lot of time.
You will see experienced chefs who have these numbers in their mind can get through a recipe in record time. Hopefully, our info has helped you feel more confident and capable in your kitchen.