Cook’s Illustrated: Two Things All People Need to Know in the Kitchen
In a recent Cook’s Illustrated book, I read a “rule of thumb” that I have long upheld for cooks in general but especially for teaching kids to work in the kitchen.
Their thinking (and mine) is that these two “conversion skills” will lead to unlimited other conversions and understanding in the kitchen. (Yes, I did love it when I read this since I have taught my kids this for twenty years!)
FIRST, you must understand that there are three teaspoons in each tablespoon.
That is, 3 tsp=1 TBSP*
SECONDLY, you must understand that there are eight tablespoons in a stick of butter. And, by extension, each stick of butter is a half cup.
That is, 1 stick=8 TBSP=1/2 cup
I know those might seem simplistic. You might even wonder what kind of cook does not know those two things…but you would be surprised!
Also, it isn’t just knowing those two things, it is what you do with that knowledge.
I always taught my kids as we worked in the kitchen together. Every step was a potential lesson. Every recipe was a goldmine of potential lessons.
And yet, as we talk and work through our cooking and baking, the child doesn’t even notice that you are “teaching.”
Here are some things that I explained or expected/asked my kids with these two key measurements:
(1) If 3 teaspoons is one tablespoon, 1 1/2 teaspoons is half a tablespoon.
(2) If 8 TBSP is in a stick of butter, a half a stick of butter is 4 TBSP.
(3) If a stick of butter is a half a cup, two sticks is one cup.
(4) If a stick of butter is a half a cup, half a stick of butter is a fourth of a cup.
(5) If a half a stick of butter is fourth of a cup, four tablespoons is a fourth of a cup.
(6) If a stick of butter is a half of cup and two sticks is a full cup, then a full cup has 16 tablespoons in it.
And on and on and on….
You’ve heard me say it a thousand times (if you have read much of my material): we have the opportunity to teach all the time.
We have the opportunity to teach our kids how to learn as they go.
We have the opportunity to teach our kids to use what they already know to unlock even more.
It just so happens that Cook’s Illustrated agrees with me—and they are like REAL experts! 🙂
Want to learn how to cook yourself? I mean, really learn about cooking? Check out Cook’s Illustrated amazing book. (affiliate link)
*Another kitchen teaching tip: I taught our kids that teaspoons are what you drink TEA with. Tablespoons are what you use to serve food at the TABLE (i.e. you don’t put a teaspoon in a bowl of peas to serve them).
