You’ll never know how much to measure and bake, especially if you’re halving. You’ve got 2/3 cup or 1/4 cup in your recipe but all you’ve got is one measuring cup. And you’ll always be guessing. How many 2/3 cups equal 1/4 cup?
The short answer is that you will not use the entire 2/3 cup to measure 1/4 cup. Because 2/3 cup is larger than 1/4 cup. You will use something less than half of the 2/3 cup to measure it. We will practice step by step gradually with examples and maths.
Table of Contents
Fractions in Cups
Suppose we have one entire cup as one whole pizza.
- If you split it into 2 equal parts, one part is 1/2 cup.
- If you split it into 3 equal parts, each is 1/3 cup.
- If you split it into 4 equal parts, each is 1/4 cup.
- If you split it into 3 and you have 2 of them, you have 2/3 cup.
Now compare:
- 1/4 cup is smaller than 2/3 cup.
- To subtract 2/3 cup from 1/4 cup, you take less than half of 2/3 cup.
Step-by-Step Math
We have fractions.
We are wondering:
1/4 ÷ 2/3 = ?
Step 1: Express the problem.
1/4 ÷ 2/3
Step 2: Flip the second fraction and multiply.
1/4 × 3/2 = 3/8
Therefore, the answer is 3/8.
It is that 1/4 cup is 3/8 of a 2/3 cup.
Or if you’d rather, another method, with a 2/3 cup measure, you’d fill more than a third in order to have 1/4 cup.
The Kitchen Shortcut
Math is difficult, but I’m going to show you a kitchen shortcut:
- Take out your 2/3 cup measure.
- Say you’ve got 8 equal units in it.
- Fill three of them completely with your material.
- That would be about 1/4 cup.
You can do this trick with whatever substance, flour, sugar, rice, oil, milk, or water.
Why Baking Must Be Precise
In the frying pan, an approximation shortly to be achieved will do no harm. In the baking oven, precision is the law.
- Adding more flour will dry out the bread too much.
- Adding more sugar will bite and sugar cookies too heavily.
- Adding more milk or water will spoil the batter.
- Too little butter and the cakes fall apart.
That’s when you have to get it right when you’re substituting. Remembering that 1/4 cup is short of 2/3 cup saves your recipes.
Examples in Home Cooking
That’s the way it is:
- Cookies: Your recipe calls for 1/4 cup sugar, and you only have a 2/3 scoop, but you have no 1/4 scoop. You use your 2/3 scoop less than half.
- Pancakes: You need a 1/4 cup of milk, and you only have a 2/3 scoop. Fill one-third.
- Rice: You need a 1/4 cup of uncooked rice in a recipe. Scoop out your 2/3 cup scoop one-third full, and you’re done.
You’ll never have to have any of those ginormously enormous size measuring cups taking up space in your pantries.
Tablespoon Measurement
The second easy method of measurement if you are without a measuring cup is by employing tablespoons.
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
- 2/3 cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
You just use 4 tablespoons and then whenever you want 1/4 cup.
It is simpler to accomplish than trying to have 2/3 of a cup and trying to guesstimate how much you need to fill it up.
Using Water
Fractions are simple to work with when working with water.
- Use your 2/3 of a cup measuring cup to scoop out the water and pour it into the glass.
- Fill less than one third full with water.
- Fill up this one glass again.
You only measured this time approximately 1/4 of a cup.
It puts it in perspective the better to how much bigger 2/3 cup is compared to 1/4 cup.
Teaching Fractions to Children
Math may be taught in many ways, and cooking is just one. Rather than having children learn math from words, they may as well learn from measures of flour or rice or sugar too.
Show it:
- The 2/3 cup scoop is bigger than the 1/4 cup scoop.
- A 1/4 cup is just a 3/8 of 2/3 cup.
- They use half of the big scoop and see fractions being used on a daily basis.
Fractions do not necessarily have to be gangling and clumsy like that.
Smooth Tricks for Getting Away with Daily Faux Pas
People attempt to scoop 1/4 cup using 2/3 cup in an effort to do so, and they commit the following errors:
- They scoop the entire 2/3 cup, too much.
- They try to “guesstimate” half of 2/3 cup and scoop out 1/3 cup instead of 1/4 cup.
- They don’t scrape the spoon flat, and the amount is off-center.
Don’t make these mistakes:
- Remember 2/3 cup is bigger than 1/4 cup.
- Use spoons where accuracy is needed to measure.
- Spoon your spoons flat with a spoon or knife when scooping dry ingredients by measure.
Why Recipes Use 1/4 Cup
You wonder why so many of these types of recipes need 1/4 cup.
- 1/4 cup is small but significant.
- It’s commonly needed in sugar, butter, oil, or milk.
- It’s easy to double (1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2) or triple (1/4 × 3 = 3/4).
That’s why 1/4 cup continues to show up and show up in cookbooks.
Quick Conversion Chart
Here is a handy little chart to have on hand:
- 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
- 2/3 cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
Keep this in mind, and you’ll never get confused again.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Q: How many tablespoons is 2/3 cup?
A: 2/3 cup is 10 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons.
- Q: Can I scoop 1/4 cup out of a coffee mug?
A: It is the one cup capacity that is scooped into a mug. Fill to a quarter and you’ll have a rough 1/4 cup.
- Q: I only have a 2/3 cup scoop. How do I scoop 1/4 cup in a pinch?
A: Scoop one-third of the 2/3 scoop.
- Q: Do I scoop level?
A: Yes, especially with sugar, flour, or rice, leveling your measurements ensures you’re getting precise measurements.
Last Thoughts
Assuming 2/3 cups is what you have. How much would 1/4 cup be then? Answer: less than half a single 2/3 cup, i.e., about 3/8 of a single 2/3 cup.
You’ll just have to adapt, but the more you do, the more second nature it will become. You can even use tablespoons for that added measure of accuracy, just subtract 4 tablespoons because it is equivalent to 1/4 cup.
Baking and cooking are easy if you have such tips. You won’t get confused next time you are cooking. You would know how to proceed so you would still be left with 1/4 cup even if you scoop out 2/3.
