Kitchen Essentials
How to Measure Dry and Liquid Ingredients Accurately
This guide covers technique — how to fill and level cups and spoons for dry and liquid ingredients — and which cup and tablespoon your recipe means. If you are choosing between double-ended magnetic spoons and a set, see our separate guide on wet and dry spoons.
Short answer
Spoon dry ingredients into the cup and level them with a straight edge without packing; pour liquids on a level surface and read at eye level. Also check which cup your recipe uses: a US customary cup is 236.588 mL, a metric cup is 250 mL, and US nutrition labels use 240 mL. A US tablespoon is 14.787 mL; a metric tablespoon is 15 mL.
- US customary cup = 236.588 mL (NIST SP 811).
- Metric cup = 250 mL (used in Australia, Canada and elsewhere).
- US nutrition labeling cup = 240 mL.
- US tablespoon = 14.787 mL; metric tablespoon = 15 mL; US teaspoon = 4.929 mL; metric teaspoon = 5 mL.
Which cup and spoon does your recipe use?
- "Cup" is not one size. A US customary cup is 236.588 mL (NIST conversion factor: 1 cup = 2.365882 × 10⁻⁴ m³). A metric cup is 250 mL. US nutrition labels round to 240 mL.
- Spoons differ too: a US tablespoon is 14.787 mL and a US teaspoon 4.929 mL, while metric spoons are 15 mL and 5 mL.
- For most home cooking the difference is small, but for baking it can add up over several cups. Use the units the recipe was written in, or weigh ingredients when the recipe gives grams.
Measuring dry ingredients
- Stir or fluff flour and cocoa before measuring. Spoon it into the cup rather than scooping, which packs it and adds weight.
- Level the top with a straight edge. Pack only when a recipe says so, as with brown sugar.
Measuring liquids
- Set the measure on a level surface and fill to the line or the brim, then check at eye level.
- Use separate measures for dry and wet ingredients in the same recipe so powders don't clump.
About the 8-piece set
- The listing describes 430 stainless steel bowls with acacia wood handles, with sizes from 1 cup to 1/4 teaspoon marked in cups/spoons and mL. Check which mL values are stamped on your set, since sets differ between US and metric sizes.
- Hand wash, avoid soaking the wood, and dry straight away.
Both are used. A US customary cup is 236.588 mL, a metric cup is 250 mL, and US nutrition labels use 240 mL. Follow the system your recipe was written in.
A US tablespoon is 14.787 mL and a metric tablespoon is 15 mL. A US teaspoon is 4.929 mL; a metric teaspoon is 5 mL.
Typically 1, 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon.
Yes. Use separate pieces for wet and dry in the same recipe, and level dry ingredients with a straight edge.