a few tips on measurement

one fourth, Eduardo Mueses | CC BY-ND

while i often like to eyeball all my ingredients, it’s important to get your measurements correct when following a new recipe or when you are halving/doubling a recipe. i’ve compiled a few tips that will help you accurately measure ingredients for all of your holiday cooking. enjoy!

• there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.
• there are 4 tablespoons in a 1/4 cup.
• when grinding fresh cinnamon, i find 1 stick is usually equal to about 1 teaspoon.
• when measuring something sticky like peanut butter or marshmallow fluff, coat the measuring cup with some non-stick cooking spray before you fill it up.  this helps it slide right out and saves you from wasting what’s left in the measuring cup.
• brown sugar is most always packed into the measuring cup, unless the recipe specifically states against it.
• there are 8 liquid ounces to a cup.  a standard can – of something like pumpkin, cranberry sauce, beans or veggie broth – is 15 oz so you can get just barely 2 cups out of it.  the larger cans are 32 oz so they will yield 4 even cups.