# Are Our American Culinary Measuring Spoons Really Not Metric? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983 "2023-10-24T01:06:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/81 "2023-10-27T12:41:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > When the US was young, there were endless forests and so, cooking fuel was cheap, and most households had an oven. I think this is related to home baking being common in the US. Also apparently in Britain. [East West Differences](https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/03/east-west-differences-solved-last-plus-evolution-trousers.html#google_vignette) > [@](#): > > I received an email from reader Matt Cooper, a British guy living in Hong Kong. His children told him they had to bring a cake to school, so he headed for the kitchen and made one. The next day his scrumptious home-made cake languished neglected on the table at school while people ravenously wolfed down the mass-produced cakes local parents had brought. “Eww,” parents whispered to one another. “That poor man can’t afford to buy one.” > > A few days earlier, Matt had gone to a party dominated by Westerners - and they had eagerly eaten all the homemade cakes but totally ignored the one shop-bought cake. “Eww,” parents whispered. “One poor parent is too lazy to make one.” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/82 "2023-10-27T13:08:53Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Everyone knows that Imperial chickens lay eggs in dozens, while metric chickens lay in tens. Eggs are sold in packages of 10 here. How are they sold in other metric countries? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/83 "2023-10-27T13:18:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Baking powder keeps well, and the box isn’t very large. New York City has small homes, too, and most kitchens have baking powder. (Some just keep a box in the fridge to reduce odors.) I think most people have baking soda for fridge odors/cleaning but that’s kind of an exception. For most other items , it’s about how often you use that ingredient because there are meal kits that include the tiny amount of spices needed for a single meal - I assume the market for those meals is people who don’t cook much. And if you don’t bake much, you won’t need a lot of flour or baking powder. I’m sure most people, even in the US buy yeast in those envelopes with an ounce or so . I buy a pound or two at a time. I don’t have a problem with measuring ingredients - but I wish I could buy a couple of tablespoons of capers because that’s about all I’ll use in a year. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/84 "2023-10-27T13:19:12Z")
Packages of 24, 12, 10, 6 and 4 in Denmark. We are, egg-wise, still stuck in the past. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/85 "2023-10-27T13:30:25Z")
Yeah, baking is certainly less common in the US now than when i was a kid. Maybe we’ll move towards buying spices and baking powder in little measured packets. Fwiw, i see more and more small packages of flour for sale. They are probably 2 pounds, or 1 pound, not a kilo. But all the specialty floors only come in smaller quantities, and the standard package of sugar recently shrank from 5lbs to 4, with smaller plastic cylinders becoming more common. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/86 "2023-10-27T13:41:19Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > but I wish I could buy a couple of tablespoons of capers because that’s about all I’ll use in a year. Do they only have the big jars of capers where you’re at? There’s 5 oz jars in a lot of the grocery stores I go to. That should be about 5-6 Tbsp, or maybe that’s still too big for your needs: [https://www.meijer.com/shopping/product/meijer-non-pareil-capers-5-oz/71373346502.html](https://www.meijer.com/shopping/product/meijer-non-pareil-capers-5-oz/71373346502.html) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/87 "2023-10-27T13:47:45Z")
That’s about the size I buy - and I’ll either end up throwing half the jar away (because it’s too old or I don’t know how old it is) or going out of my way to use them up. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/88 "2023-10-27T13:51:32Z")
Yeah, I always seem to find a jar of half-used capers hiding in the back of my fridge myself. They seem to last a good year or so, but if they start drying out, I’ll toss 'em. I think the only reason I really buy them is to make tartar sauce. Oh, pasta puttanesca. I still somehow take my time getting through them, even though puttanesca is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Mostly because nobody else in the house eats it, so I don’t end up making it for myself very often. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/89 "2023-10-27T14:20:28Z")
I throw a few capers into a salad, add a couple to a meat sandwich, put a couple in an omelet, etc. Capers are underutilized IMO. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/90 "2023-10-27T14:38:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Capers are underutilized IMO. Well, if you insist. \< Dances about while planning an escapade \> ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/91 "2023-10-27T14:40:27Z")
There’s also lemon-caper chicken or whatever. Once again, if I’m making it, it’s gonna all have to be for myself, so I don’t bother. That said, I do make a lot of Italian cold cut subs at home these days, and I bet they would be a _great_ addition there. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/92 "2023-10-27T14:52:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Maybe we’ll move towards buying spices and baking powder in little measured packets. They sell yeast in boxes of little packets which are just enough for bread makers. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/93 "2023-10-27T14:52:59Z")
I bought some capers for an event i hosted. I took home the leftovers. A year later, i brought the same jar to the same event. I don’t think anyone noticed they were old. But 5oz is a lot. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/94 "2023-10-27T14:55:10Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Maybe we’ll move towards buying spices and baking powder in little measured packets. > > They sell yeast in boxes of little packets which are just enough for bread makers. That’s true. During the pandemic lockdowns, when we baked all our bread, mostly in the a bread maker, i bought a pound of yeast and we used measuring spoons to put it in the bread maker. But I’ve also used the packets. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/95 "2023-10-27T15:01:56Z")
Yeah, they don’t get old very quickly with all that brine. Actually, I made a mistake. That’s not the small one. There’s a 2.25 oz jar, which is about 4 tablespoons. > **[Amazon.com : Goya Foods Premium Spanish Capers, 2.25 Ounce : Grocery &...](https://www.amazon.com/Goya-Foods-Spanish-Capers-Capotes/dp/B06Y2CJLHX)** > > Amazon.com : Goya Foods Premium Spanish Capers, 2.25 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food Oddly enough, I just looked to see what I have, and apparently I am actually out of capers. So, well, time to buy another jar for the next few months. (I guess I must use the 5 oz jar, as a lb of pasta uses about 1/2 the jar of capers.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/96 "2023-10-27T15:25:04Z")
Every once in a while, actually just once but I plan to do it again, I took all the opened jars of capers, roasted peppers, pepper rings, olives, lone pickles, other whatnot and chopped them up to make a very nice relish. I really should do that more often because I’ll end up throwing them away when space in the fridge gets tight. Unfortunately that’s usually the first time I think about them after opening them in the first place. Then on top of the waste it’s inevitable that a few days later I’d like to make something that really could have been better with a few capers. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/97 "2023-10-27T15:42:01Z")
I had to google what a “caper” is, because it is not something I’ve ever knowingly encountered. Looking at pictures, it’s quite possible I have seen them, but ignored them as weird-looking olives. (I can’t tolerate olives.) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/98 "2023-10-27T15:55:53Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > the many “metric” recipes I’ve seen (usually European websites) seem to prefer measuring ingredients by weight, not by volume, This is true of measuring cups. But I’ve never seen a recipe that advised 1 gram of baking powder. And I’m pretty sure if I tried to order a scale to measure that, I’d be in line for a visit from the DEA. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/99 "2023-10-27T16:07:05Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > And I’m pretty sure if I tried to order a scale to measure that, I’d be in line for a visit from the DEA. Not true. When I was hand feeding budgerigar chicks I needed a scale that could weigh newly hatched chicks. There are many uses for precise measurement tools other than drugs. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983/100 "2023-10-27T16:09:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > There are many uses for precise measurement tools other than drugs. Oh, I’m not questioning that. Two friends of mine got visited after ordering lights for their reef aquariums though. It does happen. ;-\ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983.md?page=6)