What Is Dessertspoon (Uk)?
A UK dessertspoon is a unit for measuring volume. It is mainly used in cooking and old recipes. One UK dessertspoon is equal to 10 millilitres. It is bigger than a teaspoon and smaller than a tablespoon.
Definition
The dessertspoon in the UK is a fixed volume unit used for liquids and small amounts of dry ingredients.
- 1 UK dessertspoon = 10 millilitres ml
- 1 UK dessertspoon = 2 UK teaspoons
- 1 UK dessertspoon = about two thirds of a UK tablespoon
When a British recipe says dessertspoon or dessert spoon, it usually means this 10 millilitre measure.
History / Origin
The word dessertspoon first came from the spoon used to eat dessert at the dining table. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people often used everyday spoons as rough measuring tools in both cooking and medicine.
Before exact kitchen scales were common, doctors and cooks used spoons like teaspoon, dessertspoon and tablespoon as handy measures. Because real spoons came in many sizes, the actual amount could change from house to house.
In the 20th century, the UK moved toward metric units. To make recipes more reliable, standard sizes were set. The dessertspoon in the UK was rounded to 10 millilitres, so it fits neatly between a 5 millilitre teaspoon and a 15 millilitre tablespoon.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The UK dessertspoon does not have one single official symbol. Different books and cooks use different short forms. Common ones include:
- dsp or dspn dessertspoon
- dstspn dessertspoon
- dessertsp. dessertspoon
In modern recipes, many writers avoid the short forms and simply write the word out as dessertspoon or dessert spoon and often add the metric amount in millilitres.
Current Use Around the World
The UK dessertspoon as a 10 millilitre unit is mainly used in the United Kingdom and in older British style recipes.
Today, its use is much less common because:
- Most modern recipes use teaspoons, tablespoons and millilitres.
- Some countries never had an official dessertspoon size, so the measure can be confusing.
- Food labels and medicine labels usually use millilitres only.
Outside the UK, the word dessert spoon is usually understood as a type of cutlery used to eat dessert, not as a precise measuring unit. If a modern recipe from any country uses dessertspoon as a measure, it is safest to check if the writer explains the size. If not, in UK style cooking, you can normally treat it as 10 millilitres.
Example Conversions
Here are some useful conversions for the UK dessertspoon.
- To millilitres
1 UK dessertspoon = 10 ml
2 UK dessertspoons = 20 ml
3 UK dessertspoons = 30 ml - To UK teaspoons and tablespoons
1 UK dessertspoon = 2 UK teaspoons 5 ml each
1 UK dessertspoon = about 0.67 UK tablespoon 15 ml
3 UK dessertspoons = 6 UK teaspoons = 2 UK tablespoons - To US spoons approximate
1 UK dessertspoon 10 ml ≈ 2.0 US teaspoons
1 UK dessertspoon 10 ml ≈ 0.7 US tablespoon - To UK fluid ounces approximate
1 UK dessertspoon 10 ml ≈ 0.35 UK fluid ounce
3 UK dessertspoons 30 ml ≈ 1.06 UK fluid ounces
Always remember these US values are close estimates because US spoons and fluid ounces are based on slightly different sizes from UK ones.
Related Units
The dessertspoon fits into a family of small volume units used for cooking and simple measuring.
- Teaspoon tsp In the UK standard size is 5 ml. It is half of a dessertspoon.
- Tablespoon tbsp In the UK standard size is 15 ml. A dessertspoon is two thirds of a tablespoon.
- Millilitre ml Main metric unit for small liquid volumes. The UK dessertspoon is exactly 10 ml.
- Fluid ounce fl oz Older volume unit in both UK and US systems. In the UK one fluid ounce is about 28.4 ml, so a dessertspoon is about one third of that.
- Cup Larger cooking volume measure. In metric recipes 1 cup is often 240 ml or 250 ml, so 1 cup is about 24 or 25 dessertspoons.
FAQs
Q: How big is a UK dessertspoon in millilitres
A: A UK dessertspoon is defined as 10 millilitres. This is the size usually meant in British style recipes.
Q: How many teaspoons are in one UK dessertspoon
A: One UK dessertspoon equals two UK teaspoons. Each teaspoon is 5 millilitres, so 2 x 5 ml = 10 ml.
Q: Is a dessertspoon the same in every country
A: No. Only the UK has widely used the dessertspoon as a 10 millilitre measure. In many places, dessert spoon only means a type of eating spoon and not a fixed unit.
Q: Can I use a regular dessert spoon from my cutlery drawer to measure 10 ml
A: Not exactly. Real spoons vary in shape and size. A cutlery dessert spoon may be close to 10 ml, but for accurate cooking or medicine you should use a measuring spoon marked with millilitres.
Q: What should I do if a recipe says dessertspoon but does not explain the size
A: If the recipe is British or uses metric, it is usually safe to take 1 dessertspoon as 10 ml. If the source is not clear, it is better to check with the author or compare with similar recipes.
Q: Why is the dessertspoon not used much anymore
A: Modern recipes and food labels prefer teaspoons, tablespoons and millilitres, which are more standard across countries. Because the dessertspoon can be unclear, many writers leave it out to avoid confusion.
