Cooking Abbreviations
43 abbreviations · part of Units of Measurement Abbreviations
Recipe and kitchen abbreviations for volume, weight, package and ingredient sizes, food labels and restaurant menus, as printed in cookbooks, recipe cards, packaging and prep sheets. Case matters in recipes: a capital T usually means tablespoon and a lowercase t means teaspoon, three times smaller. US, British, Australian and metric cups and spoons differ slightly in volume, so conversions on these pages assume US customary measures unless stated otherwise.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AOC | Appellation d'origine controlee (controlled designation of origin) | French certification for wines, cheeses, butters and other foods made in a defined area by traditional methods. |
| AP | All-purpose (flour) | In recipes AP almost always modifies flour: AP flour is the general wheat flour of American baking, with roughly 10 to 12 percent protein, between low-protein cake… |
| BBE | Best before end | Date label on British, Irish and other Commonwealth packaging for long-life foods such as cereals, tins and frozen goods, followed by a month and year. |
| BBQ | Barbecue | Slow cooking over low, indirect heat and wood smoke, and the foods and gatherings built around it, especially in the American South. |
| BLT | Bacon, lettuce and tomato (sandwich) | A sandwich of bacon, lettuce and tomato, usually on toasted bread with mayonnaise. |
| c | Cup | The main volume measure in American recipes for flour, sugar, liquids and chopped ingredients. |
| DF | Dairy-free | Menu, recipe and packaging label for foods made without milk or milk-derived ingredients such as butter, cream, cheese, whey and casein. |
| DOC | Denominazione di Origine Controllata (controlled designation of origin) | Italian quality designation for wines and some foods produced in a specific region under rules on grape varieties, yields and aging. |
| doz | Dozen | Twelve of an item, used on egg cartons, bakery orders, recipe yields and seafood menus. |
| dsp | Dessert spoon | A spoon size between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, found in British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand recipes. |
| env | Envelope | Older American recipes use env for powdered ingredients sold in paper envelopes, especially unflavored gelatin, dry yeast and seasoning mixes. |
| EVOO | Extra virgin olive oil | The top grade of olive oil, extracted solely by mechanical means without chemical solvents and with free acidity of no more than 0.8 percent under International Olive… |
| fl oz | Fluid ounce | Volume unit for liquids: the US fluid ounce is 1/128 of a US gallon, about 29.57 mL, while the imperial fluid ounce is 1/160 of an imperial gallon, about 28.41 mL. |
| gal | Gallon | The largest common US liquid measure, defined as 231 cubic inches or about 3.785 liters. |
| GF | Gluten-free | Menu and packaging label for foods without wheat, barley, rye or their derivatives, essential for people with celiac disease. |
| gm | Gram (older recipe form) | An older or informal abbreviation for gram, common in Indian recipes, older British cookbooks, nutrition charts and some packaging. |
| HACCP | Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points | A preventive food safety system that identifies biological, chemical and physical hazards and sets monitored control points, such as cooking and chilling temperatures… |
| HFCS | High-fructose corn syrup | A liquid sweetener made by enzymatically converting part of the glucose in corn syrup into fructose. |
| IQF | Individually quick frozen | Packaging term for foods such as berries, shrimp, peas and chicken pieces frozen piece by piece in a blast freezer so they stay separate instead of forming a solid block. |
| lb | Pound (avoirdupois) | The standard unit of weight in the United States, 16 ounces, defined since 1959 as exactly 0.45359237 kilogram. |
| lg | Large | Recipes use lg for the size of eggs, produce and cans. |
| med | Medium | The middle size designation for produce, eggs and portions in recipes and menus, as in 2 med potatoes or a med pizza. |
| MSG | Monosodium glutamate | Flavor enhancer that delivers umami, the savory taste of broths, aged cheese and ripe tomatoes. |
| No. 10 | Number 10 can | The standard food-service can size in the United States, holding about 3 quarts, roughly 6 to 7 pounds of product depending on the food. |
| oz | Ounce (avoirdupois) | The everyday unit of weight in the US system, one sixteenth of a pound, exactly 28.349523125 grams. |
| PB&J | Peanut butter and jelly (sandwich) | A sandwich of peanut butter and jelly or jam on bread, a childhood lunchbox staple in the United States and Canada. |
| PDO | Protected Designation of Origin | EU legal label for foods, wines and spirits produced, processed and prepared entirely in a defined region using recognized know-how, such as Parmigiano Reggiano… |
| pkg | Package | Ingredient lists use pkg for items called for by the commercial package rather than by measure, such as cream cheese, frozen spinach, yeast or gelatin. |
| pkt | Packet | British, Australian, Irish and South African recipes and packaging use pkt where American recipes would write pkg. |
| pt | Pint | Liquid measure equal to half a quart: 16 US fluid ounces (about 473 mL) in the United States and 20 imperial fluid ounces (about 568 mL) in the UK and Ireland. |
| QS | Quantum satis (as much as is sufficient) | Latin instruction used in professional pastry, food manufacturing, cosmetics and pharmacy formulas for an ingredient added in whatever amount is needed. |
| qt | Quart | One quarter of a gallon: the US liquid quart is 32 fl oz, about 946 mL, slightly less than a liter, while the imperial quart is about 1.137 liters. |
| RTE | Ready-to-eat | Food safety and labeling term for foods that can be eaten without further cooking, such as deli meats, salads, bakery items and cut fruit. |
| S&P | Salt and pepper | Kitchen and recipe shorthand for seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper, the two seasonings most Western recipes assume are on hand. |
| sm | Small | Ingredient lists use sm for the size of produce and other whole items, as in 1 sm onion or 2 sm zucchini. |
| sq | Square of baking chocolate | Older American baking recipes measure chocolate in squares, the pre-scored sections of baking chocolate bars. |
| T | Tablespoon | Capital T is recipe-card shorthand for tablespoon, the larger of the two common measuring spoons. |
| tbs | Tablespoon | A three-letter variant of the tablespoon abbreviation found in older cookbooks, church and community recipe collections and some product labels. |
| Tbsp | Tablespoon | The standard recipe measure for oil, butter, sauces and spices in amounts too large for a teaspoon. |
| tsp | Teaspoon | The smallest common measuring spoon, used for leaveners, salt, spices and extracts. |
| TT | To taste | Culinary-school formulas, restaurant recipes and prep sheets use TT for seasoning amounts left to the cook's judgment, typically salt, pepper, acid or hot sauce. |
| V | Vegetarian | On restaurant menus and food labels, V marks dishes without meat, poultry or fish. |
| VG | Vegan | Menu and packaging label for food containing no animal products at all, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey. |
More units of measurement abbreviations
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- Engineering Unit Abbreviations (103)
- Math Abbreviations (91)
- Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations (64)
- Month Abbreviations (12)
- Statistics Abbreviations (88)
- Time Abbreviations (51)
- Time Zone Abbreviations (64)
- US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations (43)