Teaspoon formulas and stickies

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
199,143
Messages
2,786,946
Members
99,822
Latest member
Radioman
Recent bookmarks
0

gone

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
5,504
Location
gone
Format
Medium Format
While a gram may be a gram, the 60's taught us that volume is different. You can put your preferred, powdered substance on a counter top and chop it up w/ the edge of a knife until it appears almost twice it's original volume. It won't look the same as when you started, but it will weigh the same.

I saw this done once on an old A-Team TV rerun. If I ever saw it done in person, and I didn't, then I was sleeping at the time.
 
Last edited:

MattKing

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
53,201
Location
Delta, BC Canada
Format
Medium Format
If I ever saw it done in person, and I didn't, then I was sleeping at the time.

It was probably baby powder anyways :whistling:

FWIW, teaspoon formulas are most likely to be successful when all the ingredients in a recipe can be appropriately measured in something between 1 - 5 teaspoons. In other words, if everything is used in a size where measuring it with a teaspoon makes practical sense.
If instead 1/10 of a teaspoon is needed for one ingredient, and twelve teaspoons are needed for another, it isn't a good choice.
 

BobUK

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2021
Messages
521
Location
England, UK
Format
Medium Format
One needs to use US Standard Teaspoons and not just any "teaspoon" grabbed out of the drawer. There is a difference.

I wonder if US Standard Teaspoons are any different in size to UK teaspoons?

I know that the US Gallon is larger than the UK Gallon, but that is a bit of a falsehood.

The US Gallon is actually the English Queen Anne wine gallon. Deliberately made a little larger than the standard English gallon to allow for seepage and evaporation of the wine from the wooden barrel. That way the customer actually receives the full volume they ordered and paid for.
In the whisky trade this loss through the wood to the atmosphere is quaintly called The Angels Share.
I believe the alcohol revenue men/women make an allowance in duty to be paid for the lost wine or spirit.

So, does anyone know if there is a difference between US and UK Teaspoons?
 
OP
OP
eli griggs

eli griggs

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
3,856
Location
NC
Format
Multi Format
I wonder if US Standard Teaspoons are any different in size to UK teaspoons?

I know that the US Gallon is larger than the UK Gallon, but that is a bit of a falsehood.

The US Gallon is actually the English Queen Anne wine gallon. Deliberately made a little larger than the standard English gallon to allow for seepage and evaporation of the wine from the wooden barrel. That way the customer actually receives the full volume they ordered and paid for.
In the whisky trade this loss through the wood to the atmosphere is quaintly called The Angels Share.
I believe the alcohol revenue men/women make an allowance in duty to be paid for the lost wine or spirit.

So, does anyone know if there is a difference between US and UK Teaspoons?

Thanks for the informative history lesson; it's nice to know.
 

MattKing

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
53,201
Location
Delta, BC Canada
Format
Medium Format
I know that the US Gallon is larger than the UK Gallon, but that is a bit of a falsehood.

The so called Imperial gallon which I grew up with in Canada is 160 British ounces - certainly larger than the US version.
 

BobUK

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2021
Messages
521
Location
England, UK
Format
Medium Format
So the same car would get more miles to the gallon in Canada than when driven in the USA?


That's a car salesman's conundrum.🤨
 

ic-racer

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
16,560
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
I use little spoons like these. It is no big deal to measure their volume and use that for whatever calculation one needs. In this case I did the math ahead of time and labeled them with the amount of water needed.
DSC_0300.JPG
 

MattKing

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
53,201
Location
Delta, BC Canada
Format
Medium Format
So the same car would get more miles to the gallon in Canada than when driven in the USA?


That's a car salesman's conundrum.🤨

Back then.
Nowadays "mileage" seems to be expressed in how many litres are needed to drive 100 kilometres - which actually is more useful, but still doesn't resonate.
I used to have 1/2 imperial gallon (80 ounce) glass carboys for some of my chemicals. Boy were they heavy!
 

Sirius Glass

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
50,411
Location
Southern California
Format
Multi Format
I wonder if US Standard Teaspoons are any different in size to UK teaspoons?

I know that the US Gallon is larger than the UK Gallon, but that is a bit of a falsehood.

The US Gallon is actually the English Queen Anne wine gallon. Deliberately made a little larger than the standard English gallon to allow for seepage and evaporation of the wine from the wooden barrel. That way the customer actually receives the full volume they ordered and paid for.
In the whisky trade this loss through the wood to the atmosphere is quaintly called The Angels Share.
I believe the alcohol revenue men/women make an allowance in duty to be paid for the lost wine or spirit.

So, does anyone know if there is a difference between US and UK Teaspoons?

I believe that the two teaspoons are different.
 

Alan Johnson

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Messages
3,284
Occasionally I have used UK teaspoons for tests, taking 1 LEVEL teaspoon as 5ml. I believe that the commonly available LEVEL teaspoons in the US and UK are both about 5ml.
 

Sirius Glass

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
50,411
Location
Southern California
Format
Multi Format
Occasionally I have used UK teaspoons for tests, taking 1 LEVEL teaspoon as 5ml. I believe that the commonly available LEVEL teaspoons in the US and UK are both about 5ml.

This is not a game of horseshoes. Close is not enough. Close produces an endless array of threads about problems. Use standard measurement devices. We are here to help others, not to hold hands with those that are purposely sloppy with their lab work.
 

john_s

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 19, 2002
Messages
2,147
Location
Melbourne, A
Format
Medium Format
Those of us who cook and have many cookbooks (we've been acquiring them for over 50 years) know that US measures are different to Imperial measures and the Australian Tablespoon is uniquely and significantly different to all of them. I would trust wikipedia rather than just a general Google search for the actual numbers.

And as Doremus reminded us (above), we tend to measure things that are relatively easy to measure and forget about measurements that are more difficult, the prime example for mixing our chemicals is degree of unintended hydration changing the relative strength of ingredients.
 
OP
OP
eli griggs

eli griggs

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
3,856
Location
NC
Format
Multi Format
So the same car would get more miles to the gallon in Canada than when driven in the USA?


That's a car salesman's conundrum.🤨

Yes, the change in volume is what's important, up or down.
 

Alan Johnson

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Messages
3,284
I believe in the UK we used to use Imperial teaspoons but have largely transitioned to the 5ml metric spoon.
I don't have my Darkroom Cookbook to hand but IIRC their measure was the 5ml level spoon.
 

Sirius Glass

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
50,411
Location
Southern California
Format
Multi Format
Also according to Google, one gram in the USA is equal to one gram in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, etc. 🙄

That is because metric is an international standard while a teaspoon is not . Furthermore teaspoons in serving sets are not standard sized in any country, it is what the designer chose.
 
OP
OP
eli griggs

eli griggs

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
3,856
Location
NC
Format
Multi Format
The French are credited with the final interdiction of several Nations attempts at a international metric standard, and gave the World the Standardized Metric System we have used for many years, a situation which erked many Nations, because it was set up on a single, one kilogram cylinder, housed in a vault in France, for more than a hundred years.

The below link to an article on a proposed change gives more info on this topic.

 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom