Straying away from the exact instructions often found within a cookbook can lead to a literal recipe for disaster.
You can get away with reinventing recipes most of the time. Using more salt or chili powder than the average person can be shrugged off as a personal choice.
However, some recipes can have specific requirements.
Miscalculating yeast when baking bread or baking powder in a cake can ruin the entire recipe. It eventually forces you to start all over again. Luckily there’s a quick fix out there.
Simply learning how to measure correctly can avoid cooking disasters.
Figuring out how many tablespoons in 1/3 cup are required for the recipe in question leads to a much better result. It is the key to success for many professional chefs around the world.
Everyone can bake a cake, but not everyone can bake a good cake. Specific measurements can get you to that level of mastery.
Tablespoon to Cup Conversion
Before understanding the number of tablespoons that go into 1/3 cup, one should figure out a general tablespoon to cup conversion.
How Many Tablespoons Are in a Cup?
It is generally agreed that 16 tablespoons go into one cup. From there onwards, the math is quite simple.
- Half cup = ½ of 16 = ½ * 16 = 8 tablespoons
- One third cup = 1/3 of 16 = 1/3 * 16 = 5.33333…. tablespoons (the answer to your question)
- One fourth cup = ¼ of 16 = ¼ * 16 = 4 tablespoons
- One eighth cup = 1/8 of 16 = 1/8 * 16 = 2 tablespoons
And so, it continues.
How Many Teaspoons in 1/3 Cup
A tablespoon-to-cup conversion guide is incomplete without the added tablespoon-to-teaspoon conversion guide. Following one general rule for the same can make your tasks easy.
Turn one of your measurements into an independent variable and all others into dependent variables.
In this case, the tablespoon is the independent variable. Thus, assuming one tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons, translating it into cup measurements should not be that hard.
If 1 tbsp = 3 tsp, and there are 16 tbsp in a cup, the amount of tsp in a cup is 16*3 = 48.
Getting the hang of it?
Let’s move on to the different kinds of measurements.
Measuring Liquids
You cannot really go wrong with liquids, as all liquids weigh the same, more or less.
However, ensure whether the recipe calls for a liquid or a softened version of some ingredients. A great example would be butter. Softened butter can act as a liquid; however, you should not turn it into a liquid to use it.
Liquids are usually measured by volume as opposed to dry ingredients, which are measured by their weights. Let’s discuss why.
Measuring Solids
Are your cookies or cakes crumbling up simply because you don’t know how many tablespoons in 1/3 cup of solid ingredients are required?
We are here to make your life easier. A great tip is to measure the solid ingredient, such as flour or baking powder, before throwing it into the mix.
Measurements and weights differ when wet or combined.
The difference between white and brown sugar or whole-wheat and all-purpose flour is worth noting. When combined, these ingredients cannot be treated differently.
This distinction can ruin your recipe. In some cases, you may get away with it, but in others, you may not get the result you were hoping for. Why is measurement important, when is it necessary, and how do some people get away with the wrong measurements?
Measuring for Baking
Baking does not need accuracy and replication at every stage of the process.
The Chemistry
Some parts of baking need the precision seen in chemistry. One wrong ingredient, measurement, or a tiny misstep, and the recipe can blow up in your face (figuratively, of course). You need to know how much yeast a recipe for bread calls for and include exactly that amount.
Baking is a lot more restrictive because once your recipe is in the oven, you cannot mess with it. Precise ingredients are required to make the dough rise, bring out that flavor, and even prevent certain things from burning.
Make sure you get your measurements right. Once your masterpiece is in the oven, you cannot check on it often. Opening the oven can lead to escaped heat which alters the rising process.
Ovens distribute heat throughout the space in a particular way. Messing up the system can mean less distributed heat getting to the center of your recipe. This is why getting the recipe right in the beginning matters quite a bit.
The Unique Touch
Other parts of baking allow you the freedom you want as a chef. Many bakers add their special touch to their recipes, for which they are popularly known. There is a reason why the smell of bread can transport you back to your mother’s cooking. She cooked in a particular way, which you love and remember.
You go to the same cookie or cupcake shop to taste the kind of treats no one else makes in that area. If baking depended on precision, all baked treats would taste the same!
Moreover, experience matters. Many years of baking can give you the insight to figure out whether loaves have risen, how much more time they need, and whether they are ready to be eaten!
Measuring for Cooking
Cooking is not as straightforward as they make it sound!
The Chemistry
Cooking, as opposed to baking, is not restricted by the need for precise brushstrokes; you can create your variations most of the time. Cooks need the tablespoon to cup ratio, too, from time to time.
Certain sauces need specific additions that balance out the acidity or alkalinity of the dish in its entirety. One missed ingredient can lead to a bland dish. Timing steaks left to sizzle on the grill or burgers that need smashing; doesn’t that sound a lot like science?
The Unique Touch
Quite like baking, cooking allows you to add your touch to the recipe. However, it is also free of any restrictions. When you are not relying on an oven, things become much easier. You can taste-test your food and add or take away ingredients when needed.
Other Kinds of Measurements
The cooking world has its own language. It has a vast vocabulary, which includes many words besides tablespoons and cups. Some of these are as follows;
- Pinch: The answer is in the name. As suggested, this is a pinch or 1/16th of a teaspoon.
- Smidgen: This amount is even more negligible than a pinch. Half of a pinch makes a smidgen.
- Dash: This is commonly used for liquids. It is twice the measurement of a pinch.
- Drop: You can measure this as a drop or like a smidgen.
Measurement Tips and Tricks
Here are some handy measurement tips for beginners;
- Make sure the quality of your measurement utensils, such as cups, is dependable. If your cup has a dent underneath, it may not lead to an accurate measurement. Moreover, make sure to not heap your cups or leave them half-empty. Scrape off the top if needed.
- Do not make use of tea or coffee cups to measure your ingredients. These are not the cup measurements that your recipes usually require.
- Use the correct kind of weighing and measuring utensils. The more accurate your measurements, the better the recipe will turn out.
- Make sure to read the cookbook carefully. For example, avoid using two small eggs if the recipe asks for large eggs. That may increase or decrease the amount by a large margin and can lead to a texture that is too moist or hard for your liking.
- If you are not getting your cookies, cupcakes, or cakes to rise the way you want, perhaps it is time to check your oven. Kitchen appliances that are outdated can often ruin your recipes, even if you are using the correct measurements.
To Sum it Up
As discussed, the answer to ‘how many tablespoons in 1/3 cup’ is quite simple. It depends and varies from material to material.
Liquids have their own ways of measurement, while solids are a world apart. At the end of the day, if you want to be a chef, you must learn the art of measurement.
Cooking is a very personal and therapeutic activity. The results are unlike any other. The moment you pull that cake out of the oven or the burger off the pan, you make the plate yours. It is your creation, and only you know the struggle it has taken to reach this mastery.
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