Convert tablespoons (us) to cups (us legal) for cooking measurements.
Definition: A US tablespoon is a volume unit equal to 3 teaspoons, or about 14.7868 milliliters.
History/origin: Like the teaspoon, the tablespoon was standardized from household use into a fixed cooking measurement.
Current use: Tablespoons are used for oils, syrups, sauces, spices, and medium-size measured ingredient amounts.
Definition: The US legal cup is a regulatory volume measure, not the usual home-cooking cup. Its value is exactly 240 mL.
History/origin: Food labeling rules needed a clean, consistent serving-size measure, so regulators defined a cup value that differs slightly from the customary kitchen cup.
Current use: The legal cup is used in US nutrition facts, serving-size references, packaged-food compliance, and official calculations where exact label values matter.
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