Tablespoons

A tablespoon (tbsp or T) is a measuring spoon used for amounts too large for a teaspoon and too small for a cup. NIST's Metric Kitchen guide gives one tablespoon as half a fluid ounce, about 15 milliliters. A Clemson University Extension chart pairs one tablespoon with three teaspoons, and an Ohio State University Extension table adds that two tablespoons make a fluid ounce and sixteen tablespoons make a cup.

Bakers reach for tablespoons when measuring baking powder in larger batches, cocoa, oil, honey, cornstarch and butter. An American stick of butter is marked in tablespoons on its wrapper and equals eight of them, or half a cup.

For accurate results, a tablespoon should be a standard measuring spoon, leveled off, rather than a spoon from the cutlery drawer, which can hold noticeably more or less.