If you’re standing in your kitchen right now, holding a 1/3 cup and thinking, “I’m too tired for this,” I’ve got you. Just use three 1/4 cups instead. Three quarters equal 3/4 cup. But wait—what if you only have 1/3 cups? Sigh. Fine. Then do this: fill the 1/3 cup twice, then fill it a third time only quarter full. That quarter of a third cup is exactly 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon. You can eyeball it: about a thumb’s width of liquid in the bottom of the cup. Or, if you’re like me, just stick your finger in and say, “Good enough.” (Don’t tell the baking police.)
Pro tip: Keep a digital kitchen scale handy. Weighing is faster than doing math while hungry. But where’s the fun in that? Fractions build character—and sometimes, a mess.
What Is Half Of 2/3 Cup Liquid at George Vaughan blog
A Little History (Okay, I made this up)
Ancient bakers used to measure by “the fist” and “the palm.” A 1/3 cup is roughly the size of a child’s fist, while 3/4 cup is about the size of a grumpy cat’s head. So, if you imagine two fists and a quarter of a fist, you’ve got it. Unless your cat is unusually large, then please use a different system. No cats were harmed in the writing of this article.
