What is a tad, dash, pinch, smidgen and a drop?
A Pinch of This … A Smidgen of That
I know what a drop is, but a smidgen? Hmmmm
Have you ever tried a recipe that asks for a tad, dash, pinch, smidgen or a drop? Did that leave you scratching your head? Even experienced cooks scratch their heads and then just go ahead and guess. But these imprecise measurements can have novice cooks or those trying a recipe for the first time, very frustrated.
I remember my Grandmother telling me that a pinch was the amount you could pinch up between your thumb and a finger. “BUT,” I said, “your fingers are larger than mine, and Grandpa has even bigger hands.” That pretty well stopped my Grandmother in her tracks. “Just toss in a little and then taste,” was her final decree.
The smallest spoon on a regular measuring spoon set is normally 1/8 tsp … while the rare set will have a 1/16 spoon. It becomes more of a challenge to measure out anything less … which is why recipe writers resort to dashes, pinches and smidgens.
Here’s what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has to say about smidgens:
Helpful isn’t it!
Finally someone has solved the mystery by creating a measuring spoon set that solves the problem.
