Fractions have a way of making us feel like we’re back in fourth grade, sweating over a pop quiz. We see ⅓ and think “tiny,” but add two of them together, and suddenly you’ve got a massive pile of chocolate chips or a dangerously full liquid measuring cup. It’s like a carpentry trick: two short boards become one medium board.
The real shocker? ⅔ cup is exactly 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. If you’ve ever tried to measure ten tablespoons, you know it looks like a small bathtub for a gerbil. But for baking, that precision matters, especially if you’re making cookies that don’t want to turn into frisbees.
A Quick History of Third Cups
Surprising fact: the standard U.S. cup measurement was invented by a woman named Fannie Farmer in the 1890s. Before her, people just threw handfuls of flour at each other. Fannie basically said, “Let’s not ruin dinner with guesswork,” and the ⅓ cup was born. So when you measure ⅓ plus ⅓, you are honoring a legacy of women who hated burnt toast.
Now, if you’re using a dry ⅓ cup measure—the little plastic scoop that lives in your drawer—just scoop twice and dump. If you’re using a liquid measuring cup, pour two ⅓-cup lines, and you’re golden. Pro tip: do not use a soup ladle. I tried that once. The result was a cake that looked like a failed science experiment.
How Many Teaspoons In 1/3 Cup at John Bing blog
