Let's define "standard" measurements.
Ironically, standard means different things in different countries...
For example, in Korea, chefs and cookbooks like to use the "paper cup" as the standard for a 1 cup measurement.
In the 1990's, most Korean restaurants had instant coffee machines. After paying, patrons could get mix coffee for 10 cents on the way out. You can still see these coffee dispensers in older Korean restaurants (see below).
Naturally, these coffee cups found their way into the home kitchen. Now, they are ubiquitous.
This paper cup is roughly 180-200 ml when filled to the brim.
But of course, we are not going to make you find and buy these silly paper cups! We will use the international standard for standard spoon and cup measurements:
- 1 Tablespoon: 15 ml
- 1 Teaspoon: 5 ml
- 1 Cup: 250 ml
I also like to use my body to measure ingredients 😉
That's because certain vegetables grow larger in different regions around the world. If I use my arm, you can use your arm too. No need to use a ruler or guess how much I am using...

But Daniel, how long is your arm?
Well, it should be roughly the same size as yours, +/- a few inches. The difference is negligible!
That's it Neighbors!
Daniel out! 🕺
Comment below if you have any further questions related to size and measurements.
Rue says
Can you guys PLEASE do a video on future neighbor regarding serving sizes? Like what typical portions are. Overeating is such a huge (no pun intended) issue and serving sizes here are so drastically blown out of proportion we don’t know what is “normal” anymore. It would be very very helpful.
Daniel says
Hi Rue. It's a good topic to cover. Managing portions is the first step to reducing over daily calorie intake. Will add it to our short list.
donya90 says
Great job with the site renewal! Looks amazing! 🙂