Topic: tablespoon, dessert spoon, teaspoon help

[jimmy2x]

wife and i have a bloody raging row on what a tablespoon is.

i went to the cupboard and took out what she calls a dessert spoon, to me it looks same size as any common household tablespoon. she insisted that a tablespoon is bigger than this dessert spoon hence i need to put in twice as much to make 1 tablespoon.


i think she is talking nonsense, she things i always have to be right in everything.


help me out here, right or wrong.

[Malc.]

The question is a little ambiguous as any common tablespoon is a tablespoon. But you should understand that a dessert spoon is smaller than a tablespoon and that a normal table when laid would have desserts spoons at the place mat but not tablespoons.

I would suggest your wife is correct, but for measurement as we have discussed on here recently, use measuring spoons. Modern measurement for tablespoon is 15ml.

[commis]

Hi
As a rule for water, a teaspoon=5ml, desertspoon=10ml, tablespoon=15ml. Hopes this helps.

[Malc.]

Just to add insult to injury:

"A TABLE-SPOONFUL is frequently mentioned in a recipe, in the prescriptions of medical men, and also in medical, chemical, and gastronomical works. By it is generally meant and understood a measure or bulk equal to that which would be produced by half an ounce of water."

"A DESSERT-SPOONFUL is the half of a table-spoonful; that is to say, by it is meant a measure or bulk equal to a quarter of an ounce of water."

Taken from Mrs Beeton: http://www.mrsbeeton.com/04-chapter4.html

[Razor]

Hi Jimmy,

Unfortunately mate, I think your wife is correct.  What you usually have in your drawer are dessertspoons = 10ml

You may well have bigger than that, and they could measure 15ml.  But here's the thing, whilst 15ml is often regarded as the measurement for a British tablespoon, it is in fact, 17.7ml for the British tbs, 20ml for an Australian tbs, and 14.2 for a US tbs.

Confused, me too ;D

Ray

[Domi]

Just to throw my hat into the ring....a tsp = 5ml, a dessertspoon = 2 tsp and a tablespoon = 3 tsp.

When used in recipes, 1 tsp/dsp/Tbsp of dry ingredients usually means rounded as recipes should specify heaped or level if such are needed.

[Razor]

Just to throw my hat into the ring

You can throw your hat into my ring anytime ;D

So, what would be the guidelines if you were using measuring spoons Dom, I assume it would be level measurments?

BTW, I've just seen your piccy, and you look very very familiar to me (ooo shit, I've gon off topic )

Ray

[Domi]

I'd not want to wear me hat after it's been in your ring, luv....did I mention I wear a dutch cap? )

What kind of measuring spoons do you mean, Bez? the ones like those things you get in an SMA tin? never used them though I suppose you could use rounded ones of those too? I have about 15 spoons on a keyring that I spent alot on years ago....trust a bleedin' Manc to cloud the issue! pmsl ;D

BTW...you said you thought I looked familiar....'ere that wasn't you at the Hacienda, curled into a ball, ecstacy rictus spread across your face with a soup dragons hoodie and a king monkey haircut worrit? if so, I ummmm think I've still got yer wallet....though it's empty now...<shrugs> dunno where the money went, must have evaporated over the years....<whistles>....though the flourescent "penis colada" flavoured condom is still very much intact though no doubt a bit out of date....unless I got that from Pete Waterman..

[Razor]

Hahaha, no, I didn't have a King Monkey hair do, more a scruffy hippy style centre partin job really   The only hair I've got partin these days are on mi arse

Penis colada flavoured condoms eh?, classy guy, are you sure that it wasn't Del Boy? ;D

Back to the topic before I get bollocked off the "off topic police", Yeah my spoons are on a key ringy thingy, sarting with, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 & 15ml but, it also had a leveller attached on a small like, "kitchen sink plug type chain", so I always assumed that I was to level each measurement? I lost that years ago.  17.7 is the official measurment for a British tbs though, even though most ppl think of it as 15ml

I paid 20 squids for them about 15 yrs ago.

Anyway being a former frequenter of fac51, and being a dirrrrrty Manc, I tend to use very accurate scales for my weights and measurments these days

Ray

[Domi]

ah well...whoever the condom belonged to, I hope they caught summat nasty hehe pot smokers of the world unite eh? 17.7 is the imperial measurement for a tablespoon however as most level tablespoons = 15, could we say that a rounded tblsp could well be 17.7?? LOL I know we can't, but in an ideal world and all that...far too many pedants pmsl