Measuring spoons

A baking textbook describes measuring spoons as a nested set. The set consists of 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, one-half teaspoon, one-third teaspoon and one-quarter teaspoon. Keeping them nested together makes it easy to find the size a recipe calls for.

For dry ingredients such as baking powder, salt or spices, the text gives a simple method: scoop the spoon into the ingredient, then use a straight edge to scrape the top of the spoon so the amount is even. This leveling is what separates a measure from a guess. The same text pairs the spoons with nested measuring cups, which are used for dry ingredients in larger amounts and have the amount printed on the inside bottom, in sizes of 1 cup, one-half cup, one-third cup and one-quarter cup. Together they are the basic hand tools for scaling a recipe.