Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Fine table salt packs far more weight into a spoon than coarse flakes. The figure is taken from USDA FoodData Central, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a food fact?

Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

A cup of salt varies by crystal size

Fine table salt packs far more weight into a spoon than coarse flakes Salt crystals differ in shape and size between brands, so a tablespoon of fine salt may weigh half again as much as a tablespoon of flaky sea salt. Recipes written by volume therefore drift depending on the salt in the cupboard, which is why professional kitchens weigh instead. A scale removes the guesswork in baking especially. It sits in Mondo's food collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

USDA FoodData Central

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Food & Cooking trivia

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Tags: salt, measurement, baking

A cup of salt varies by crystal size: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Fine table salt packs far more weight into a spoon than coarse flakes. The figure is taken from USDA FoodData Central, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.