Learning goals
- Convert US cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons to milliliters
- Scale a recipe up or down while keeping ingredient ratios
- Convert cooking temperatures between Celsius and Fahrenheit
Volume in the kitchen
US recipes often use cups, tablespoons (tbsp), and teaspoons (tsp). Metric recipes prefer milliliters and grams. Those systems meet at fixed volume factors for liquids.
A US cup is 236.588 mL (often rounded to 240 mL in casual cooking). 1 tbsp = 3 tsp = 1/16 cup in the US system.
Volume measures for flour or sugar are less precise than weighing: scooping density varies. Prefer grams for baking when a scale is available.
US spoon and cup ladder
1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp ≈ 236.59 mL
Also: 1 tbsp ≈ 14.79 mL and 1 tsp ≈ 4.93 mL. Many cooks round to 15 mL and 5 mL for everyday work.
Oven temperature
°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32
Oven settings need the full temperature formula. Example anchors: 180°C ≈ 356°F (often labeled 350°F), 200°C ≈ 392°F.
Example 1 — Cups to milliliters
Given
A recipe needs 1.5 US cups of milk. How many mL is that?
Steps
- Use 1 cup ≈ 236.59 mL.
- 1.5 × 236.59 ≈ 354.88 mL.
- Practical pour: about 355 mL (or 350 mL if your jug only marks tens).
Answer
1.5 US cups ≈ 355 mL.
Example 2 — Scaling a recipe
Given
A batter uses 2 cups flour and 3 eggs for 8 servings. Scale to 12 servings.
Steps
- Scale factor = 12 ÷ 8 = 1.5.
- Flour: 2 × 1.5 = 3 cups.
- Eggs: 3 × 1.5 = 4.5 — for whole eggs, use 4 large eggs plus about half a beaten egg, or round to 5 for a slightly richer batter.
Answer
Use 3 cups flour and about 4–5 eggs; keep the same 1.5× factor on other ingredients.
Tip: Scale liquids and dry volumes the same factor; spices may need tasting rather than strict scaling.
Example 3 — Oven °C to °F
Given
A European recipe says bake at 180°C. What Fahrenheit setting is that?
Steps
- Multiply by 9/5: 180 × 1.8 = 324.
- Add 32: 324 + 32 = 356.
- Many home ovens use the nearest common mark: 350°F.
Answer
180°C ≈ 356°F (often set to 350°F).
US cup vs metric cup
Common mistake
Treating a US cup (≈237 mL) as a metric cup (250 mL) in precise baking.
Better approach
Check which cup the recipe assumes. When unsure, convert listed mL directly or weigh ingredients.
Tablespoons vs teaspoons
Common mistake
Substituting tbsp for tsp one-for-one (a 3× overdose of salt or baking powder).
Better approach
1 tbsp = 3 tsp. Read abbreviations carefully: tsp is smaller.
Check your understanding
1.How many teaspoons are in 2 tablespoons?
Answer: 2 × 3 = 6 tsp.
2.Convert 100 mL to US cups (÷ 236.59).
Answer: ≈ 0.42 cup.
3.Convert 350°F to Celsius.
Answer: (350 − 32) × 5/9 ≈ 177°C.
Key takeaways
- US cup/spoon volumes convert to mL with fixed factors; regional cups differ.
- Scale all recipe parts by the same serving factor.
- Oven °C ↔ °F uses the full temperature formula, not a kitchen guess.
- Weigh dry baking ingredients when accuracy matters more than scoop volume.