# hill or leveled tablespoon?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 11, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842 "2003-07-11T22:53:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/1 "2003-07-11T22:53:27Z")

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quick question - when people say 1 tablespoon of say salt, do they mean one full tablespoon shovelled in or do they mean it to be leveled off or something? thxs…

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/2 "2003-07-11T23:04:02Z")

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Nearly always a small mound of substance (i.e. salt)

let’s say a 20 degree slope (a ‘heap’ being about 30 to 35, off the top of my head)

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**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/3 "2003-07-11T23:07:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by shijinn \*  
> \*\*quick question - when people say 1 tablespoon of say salt, do they mean one full tablespoon shovelled in or do they mean it to be leveled off or something? thxs… \*\*

It depends on the substance. If you have a very fine powder then a TBS is definately leveled off. But if youre talking about somthing granular like salt then it will depend on the granularity. Experience is the only way to resolve this.

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**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/4 "2003-07-11T23:20:54Z")

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so a tablespoon of salt and flour would be different?

i’ve always assumed it’s the 20 degree slope for everything except liquids, but wondered if they meant it that way too. i guess it doesn’t really matter, it’s just a guide…

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/5 "2003-07-11T23:23:01Z")

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If you are talking about cooking, then “spoon” measurements mean leveled off.

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/6 "2003-07-11T23:26:18Z")

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Level. Otherwise it’s usually specified, as “heaping” or “rounded”. etc.  
Peace,  
mangeorge

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**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hill-or-leveled-tablespoon/187842/7 "2003-07-11T23:30:54Z")

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Always leveled off unless the recipe calls for a rounded measurement. For a rounded measurement the measuring device has to be taken into consideration. You will get more if the measuring spoon is shallow and wide rather than deep and narrow.