If you are baking or cooking with measuring cups. You require 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, and 3/4 cup fractions in the recipe. It does not matter if you have not bought a particular cup yet or not. One of such questions is: how many 3/4 cups are equivalent to 1/2 cup?
The short answer is you don’t remove the entire 3/4 cup. And remove the 1/2 cup because 3/4 is bigger than 1/2. You remove less than the entire 3/4 cup. But you still have the entire 1/2 cup, though. We’ll simplify it step by step with examples. So it’ll be easy to understand.
Table of Contents
Fractions in a Whole Cup
We are going to learn fractions as a part of a whole cup. Let a cup be a whole pizza.
- If you slice up the pizza in halves, each one is 1/2.
- If you slice it into 4ths, each one is 1/4.
- If you slice it into 8ths, each one is 1/8.
Now:
- 1/2 cup = half a pizza.
- 3/4 cup = three quarters of a pizza.
It should be evident now that 3/4 is bigger than 1/2.
Adding 1/2 Cup and 3/4 Cup
Let us put them on the same denominator.
- 1/2 = 2/4
- 3/4 = 3/4
Now we know:
- 1/2 cup = 2/4 cup.
- 3/4 cup = 3/4 cup.
So 3/4 is one unit bigger than 1/2 by 1/4. So, if you are taking the whole of the 3/4. Then you’ve taken too much. To take exactly just half a cup, you take only two-thirds of a 3/4 cup.
The Math Made Simple
Here is the math step by step:
1/2 ÷ 3/4 = ?
Multiply 1/2 and 3/4’s reciprocal (i.e., 4/3):
1/2 × 4/3 = 4/6 = 2/3
So the solution is 2/3 of a 3/4 cup.
So you’ll need to fill up your 3/4 cup about two-thirds of the way so you’ll have 1/2 cup.
Kitchen Trick
Just in case you don’t have any 1/2 cup but you just so happen to have a 3/4 cup, here is the shortcut quick trick:
- Take your 3/4 cup.
- Don’t fill it up too much. Fill it about two-thirds.
That will essentially be exactly 1/2 cup.
It doesn’t have to be precise when cooking, but baking, attempt to be precise.
Why Precision Is Essential
Cooking can be sloppy. But baking can’t. Too much or too little can totally change the texture of your food.
- Too much flour will make the bread or cake too heavy.
- Too little sugar makes cookies tasteless.
- Too loose dough is a result of too much water.
This is the reason why you can substitute 1/2 cup with 3/4 cup.
Examples in Your Daily Cooking
No, this is what you will do in your daily cooking:
- Cake recipe: it takes 1/2 cup of sugar. Fill two-thirds of the 3/4 cup.
- Pancakes: 1/2 cup of milk. Do the same for two-thirds of the 3/4 cup as well.
- Rice: You will take 1/2 cup uncooked rice as a guide to use. Do the same to your 3/4 cup, too.
Measuring in Tablespoons Instead of Cups
If you want a little more precision, you can do the same to the tablespoons, too.
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
- 3/4 cup = 12 tablespoons
So whenever you ever need to provide them with a 1/2 cup, you simply measure out the 8 tablespoons. If the only thing you have is a 3/4 cup measure and nothing else, you’ll see this is 12 tablespoons, so you simply measure out the 8 of the 12 tablespoons.
Seeing It With Water
This is a simple way of observing it work in the real world:
- Fill your 3/4 cup with water.
- Pour it into a glass.
- Mark the line there. That is 3/4 cup.
- Now fill 1/2 cup of water in the same type of glass.
You should be able to see that the 3/4 line is higher than the 1/2 line. You have only two-thirds of the whole 3/4 cup to fill them up.
Teaching Kids Fractions
This is another good way of teaching children fractions through the use of kitchen utensils. Children learn:
- 1/2 cup = 2/4
- 3/4 cup = 3/4
- 1/2 ÷ 3/4 = 2/3
Children can practice with sugar, flour, or rice.
Mistakes People Make
When attempting to measure 1/2 cup of 3/4 cup, people will:
- Fill the 3/4 cup and hope this will be sufficient.
- Guess and not quite get close to measuring.
- Fill the ingredient line up to nearly full and add a bit more.
The secret is to continue remembering: 2/3 of a 3/4 cup is 1/2 cup.
Why Recipes Use 1/2 and 3/4
Recipes are tested. 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup are used also, as they’re balancing the texture and the taste. For example:
- 1/2 cup sugar is not too sweet.
- 3/4 cup milk is both dry ingredient-balancing and wet ingredient-balancing.
They’re used extensively in cakes, cookies, breads, and sauces.
Quick Conversion Chart
Here’s a small reminder to remember:
- 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
- 3/4 cup = 12 tablespoons
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
As we can see, 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) and 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) can’t be swapped to use them.
FAQs
Am I using 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup in a recipe?
No. You cannot use 3/4 cup as it is bigger than 1/2 cup, and you will put too much. You only take two-thirds of the 3/4 cup so that you will have enough.
How do I measure using 1/2 cup when I just have a 3/4 cup?
You fill the 3/4 cup half way, and this is about two-thirds. That is 1/2 cup.
How many tablespoons are in 1/2 cup?
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup.
3/4 cup is how many tablespoons?
12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup.
And 1/2 cup is how much if we have 3/4 cups?
The answer is: not exactly one. That is, 2/3 of a 3/4 cup is 1/2 cup.
You can’t add a whole 3/4 cup. Because you have too much. You take your 2/3 of a 3/4 cup. And you have 1/2 cup left over.
This sneaky little bandit makes cooking and baking a snap. It is particularly when you don’t just happen to have all the various sizes of measuring cups. And you’re just lounging about your kitchen. Get yourself used to it, and you’ll be measuring like a pro with never so much as a moment’s hesitation when it comes to fractions.
