Teaspoon

Teaspoon

A teaspoon is a small spoon, or a spoon used in measuring, commonly used to stir the contents of a cup of tea or coffee. Teaspoons with longer handles are commonly used for ice cream. Other spoon sizes include the tablespoon and the dessert spoon. Much less common is the coffee spoon, which is a smaller version of the teaspoon. The tablespoon is a larger version of the teaspoon.

Measure of volume

In some countries, the teaspoon is also used as a unit of volume, especially in cooking recipes and pharmaceutic prescriptions. It is abbreviated in English as t. or tsp. (German and Dutch: TL, from "Teelöffel" or "Theelepel"). It is often taken to mean 5 ml; in some countries this value is even defined in law, for example in the USA in [http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr101.9.htm 21CFR101.9] (b)(5)(viii). The same definition is used in some other English-speaking countries (e.g., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom). Older definitions included1/6 U.S. fl. oz (4.93 mL) in the USA and 1/8 Imperial fl. oz (3.55 mL) in Britain.

A related unit is

:1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons (4 in Australia)

Common teaspoons for stirring drinks are not always designed to contain any standard volume. In practice, they may hold between 2.5 mL and 6 mL of liquid, so caution must be employed when using a teaspoon to measure a certain prescribed dose of a medicine. For this reason and in order to avoid dispensing errors, special measuring spoons are available that hold exactly 5 mL. The common teaspoon is always smaller than the tablespoon.

If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of a powder ingredient (salt, flour, etc.), this normally refers to an approximately levelled filling of the spoon, just like with liquids. For example, a teaspoon of salt for cooking purposes, is 5 mL or about 4.75 grams.

Some recipes also call for "heaping" (or "heaped" in British English) spoon measures. Such a "heaping/heaped teaspoon", refers to an inexact volume of the required ingredient, obtained by scooping it up with a teaspoon and not levelling it off. The amount obtained by heaping a spoon can easily vary by more than a factor of two.

ee also

*Cooking weights and measures
*Iced tea spoon
*Tablespoon

References

External links

* [http://nutrition.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=nutrition&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gourmetsleuth.com%2Fgram_calc.htm Spoons (volume) conversion to grams (weight) as used in cooking]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Teaspoon — Tea spoon (t[=e] sp[=oo]n ), n. 1. A small spoon used in stirring and sipping tea, coffee, etc., and for other purposes. [1913 Webster] 2. same as {teaspoonful}. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • teaspoon — 1680s, from TEA (Cf. tea) + SPOON (Cf. spoon) …   Etymology dictionary

  • teaspoon — ► NOUN 1) a small spoon used for adding sugar to and stirring hot drinks or for eating some foods. 2) the amount held by such a spoon, in the UK considered to be 5 millilitres when used as a measurement in cookery …   English terms dictionary

  • teaspoon — [tē′spo͞on΄] n. 1. a spoon for stirring tea, coffee, etc. and for eating some soft foods 2. a spoon used as a measuring unit in cookery, equal to about 1/ 3 of a tablespoon or about 11/ 3 fluid drams: abbrev. tsp 3. TEASPOONFUL …   English World dictionary

  • teaspoon — [[t]ti͟ːspuːn[/t]] teaspoons 1) N COUNT A teaspoon is a small spoon that you use to put sugar into tea or coffee. Drop the dough onto a baking sheet with a teaspoon. 2) N COUNT: usu N of n You can refer to an amount of food resting on a teaspoon… …   English dictionary

  • teaspoon — UK [ˈtiːˌspuːn] / US [ˈtɪˌspun] noun [countable] Word forms teaspoon : singular teaspoon plural teaspoons 1) a small spoon used for eating, for adding sugar to tea or coffee, or when cooking, for adding small amounts of a liquid or powder 2)… …   English dictionary

  • teaspoon — tea|spoon [ˈti:spu:n] n 1.) a small spoon that you use for mixing sugar into tea and coffee 2.) also teaspoonful [ˈti:spu:nful] written abbreviation tsp the amount that a teaspoon can hold, used as a unit for measuring food or liquid in cooking… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • teaspoon —    or teaspoonful (tsp or t)    1. a unit of volume used in food recipes. The U.S. teaspoon is equal to 1/3 tablespoon or 1/48 cup; this is equivalent to 1/6 fluid ounce, about 0.30 cubic inches, or approximately 4.9 milliliters. In Canada, the… …   Dictionary of units of measurement

  • teaspoon — n. a heaping; level teaspoon * * * level teaspoon a heaping …   Combinatory dictionary

  • teaspoon — tea|spoon [ ti,spun ] noun count 1. ) a small spoon used for eating, for adding sugar to tea or coffee, or when cooking, for adding small amounts of a liquid or powder 2. ) teaspoon or teaspoonful the amount of food or liquid that a teaspoon… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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