![Loeffel 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Loeffel_03.JPG)
A dessert spoon is a spoon designed specifically for eating
dessert and sometimes used for soup or cereals. Similar in size to a
soup spoon
A soup spoon is a type of spoon with a large or rounded bowl, used for consuming soup. The term can either refer to the British soup spoon or the Chinese spoon. Round bowled soup spoons were a Victorian invention. Sets of silverware made prior to ...
(intermediate between a
teaspoon
A teaspoon (tsp.) is an item of cutlery. It is a small spoon that can be used to stir a cup of tea or coffee, or as a tool for measuring volume. The size of teaspoons ranges from about . For cooking purposes and dosing of medicine, a teaspoonf ...
and a
tablespoon
A tablespoon (tbsp. , Tbsp. , Tb. , or T.) is a large spoon. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving; however, in some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating.
By extension, the ter ...
) but with an oval rather than round bowl, it typically has a capacity around twice that of a teaspoon.
By extension, the term 'dessert spoon' is used as a
cooking measure of
volume
Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). Th ...
, usually of 10ml or fl oz.
Dining
The use of dessert spoons around the world varies greatly; in some areas they are very common, while in other places the use of the dessert spoon is almost unheard of—with diners using forks or teaspoons for their desserts instead.
In most traditional
table setting
Table setting (laying a table) or place setting refers to the way to set a table with tableware—such as eating utensils and for serving and eating. The arrangement for a single diner is called a place setting. It is also the layout in which ...
s, the dessert spoon is placed above the plate or bowl, separated from the rest of the cutlery, or it may simply be brought in with the dessert.
Culinary measure
As a unit of
culinary measure, a level dessertspoon (''dstspn.'') equals 2 teaspoons. In the United States this is of a fluid ounce. In the UK it is 10 ml.
Apothecary measure
As a unit of
Apothecary measure, the dessert-spoon was an unofficial but widely used unit of fluid measure equal to two fluid drams, or
fluid ounce
A fluid ounce (abbreviated fl oz, fl. oz. or oz. fl., old forms ℥, fl ℥, f℥, ƒ ℥) is a unit of volume (also called ''capacity'') typically used for measuring liquids. The British Imperial, the United States customary, and the United ...
.
However, even when approximated, its use was discouraged: "Inasmuch as spoons vary greatly in capacity, and from their form are unfit for use in the dosage of medicine, it is desirable... to be measured with a suitable medicine measure."
In the United States and pre-1824 England, the fluid ounce was of a Queen Anne wine gallon (which was defined as exactly 231
cubic inches) thus making the dessert-spoon approximately . The post-1824 (British) imperial Apothecaries' dessert-spoon was also fluid ounce, but the ounce in question was of an imperial gallon, approximately 277.4 cubic inches, yielding a dessert-spoon of approximately .
In both the British and American variants of the Apothecaries' system, two tea-spoons make a dessert-spoon, while two dessert-spoons make a table-spoon. In pharmaceutical Latin, the Apothecaries' dessert-spoon is known as , abbreviated as or less frequently , as opposed to the tea-spoon ( or ) and table-spoon ( or ).
See also
*
Cooking weights and measures
In recipes, quantities of ingredients may be specified by mass (commonly called weight), by volume, or by count.
For most of history, most cookbooks did not specify quantities precisely, instead talking of "a nice leg of spring lamb", a "cupful" ...
*
Teaspoon
A teaspoon (tsp.) is an item of cutlery. It is a small spoon that can be used to stir a cup of tea or coffee, or as a tool for measuring volume. The size of teaspoons ranges from about . For cooking purposes and dosing of medicine, a teaspoonf ...
*
Tablespoon
A tablespoon (tbsp. , Tbsp. , Tb. , or T.) is a large spoon. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving; however, in some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating.
By extension, the ter ...
Sources
External links
Silver place settings from Butler's Guild
Spoons
Units of volume
Alcohol measurement
{{cooking-tool-stub
Cooking weights and measures
Customary units of measurement in the United States