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Wondering how to measure 1/8 teaspoon when you don’t have a measuring spoon that size? Or any other measurement that you don’t have a measuring spoon for? Here’s how to do it.
When she needed a teaspoon or less of something, my grandmother always “measured” it in the palm of her hand. My mother owned measuring spoons and taught me to use them, but almost never used them herself — again, just measuring in her hand. And over time, I learned their “eyeball estimates.”
I’m sure, when you read some of these, you’re going to think “that can’t be right.” Before writing this, I checked the measures against actual measuring spoons. Sure enough, mom was right.
HOW TO MEASURE WITHOUT A MEASURING SPOON
1/8 teaspoon | 1 pinch using your thumb, index and middle finger |
1/4 teaspoon | 2 of the above pinches OR cup your hand like you were holding water in it; pour a mound into the center of your hand about the size of a nickel |
1/2 teaspoon | a mound about the size of a quarter in your cupped hand |
1 teaspoon | a mound about 1/4-inch all around larger than a quarter in your cupped hand OR an “eating” teaspoon about half full |
1 tablespoon | fill a soup spoon so it is very slightly rounded up OR turn a 12-ounce pop or beer can upside down (wash it!) – that depression in the bottom holds exactly 1 tablespoon |
Even if you don’t intend to use these regularly, you might want to print this out and keep it in case you lose a measuring spoon and it’s a while before you can buy another one . . . or you are in a metric country!
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3 Answers
Anonymous answered
If you don't have a 1/8 teaspoon gauge then fill a 1/4 teaspoon measure and then drop the half from the teaspoon and the remaining amount will be an estimated 1/8 teaspoon.
Or in other words if you are baking or cooking something, then in that sense 1/8 spoon means one or two "pinches" of the ingredient.
Anonymous answered
1/8 (eighth) is simply half a 1/4 (quarter).
Anonymous answered
1 US teaspoon = 4.93 millilitres
1/8 teaspoon = 4.93 / 8 = 0.61625 millilitres