Kitchen basics, ain't rocket science

After getting married, it was difficult for me to understand basics of measurement at cooking. I could never comprehend how much a cup of water to be used for measuring any ingredient, worst I didn't know the difference between teaspoon and tablespoon! 2 years down the line, it is a lot easier now. 

The underlying thought of cooking for a newly wed wife is as gruesome as it is for a 2 year old to understand maths. Though I wouldn't say in 2 years I have achieved master chef skills, am still learning and getting to know the tit bits of culinary skills.

Cooking is no rocket science and when a food illiterate like me says that then you can wonder what skills am I getting into. Jokes apart! Measurements in cooking are very simple and need no efforts to get the basics right, here am giving you a basic guide to understand these measurements at cooking.

Difference between a teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp)

A teaspoon often in recipes is written as tsp,is a small spoon commonly used to stir the contents of a cup of tea or coffee. Teaspoons with longer handles are commonly used for ice-cream and desserts.

1 tbsp – 15 ml
1 tsp – 5 ml

 Other spoon sizes include the tablespoon and the dessert spoon. Much less common is the coffee spoon, a smaller version of the teaspoon. A tablespoon is a type of spoon used for serving.

Measuring cup
Measuring cups are a very important instrument in measuring food, as most of the recipes in any cook book will call for standard cup measurement which is either UK or US cup measurement. Although there is a subtle difference between the US and the UK cup measurements it will not significantly alter the quality of the recipe.

American Measurements:

1 cup – 240 ml
1/2 cup – 120 ml
1/3 cup – 80 ml
1/4 cup – 60 ml

It is also equally necessary to get an in-depth knowledge on various quantities, for which I found this table that further simplifies your daily cooking measurements:

Hope the  table helps those who have just begun their journey in acquiring culinary skills. "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."