# Most unusual measurement you've seen in a recipe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2018, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046 "2018-08-22T12:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/21 "2018-08-22T20:48:48Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > A friend of mine has a set of measuring spoons that includes spoons for one pinch, one smidge, one dash, etc. I was upset that there was no spoon to measure one skosh, though. A skosh is just a touch more than a tad. [A measure of fun](http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20091223/a-measure-of--fun) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/22 "2018-08-22T20:54:13Z")
> [@](#): > > I was upset that there was no spoon to measure one skosh, though. For that you need the Japanese set. No, really, “skosh” is from Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/23 "2018-08-22T21:25:11Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > You put _sugar_ in coleslaw? Nearly a cup ? Dear Lord, how much were you making? > > j Ditto to the posts that it’s absolutely not unusual. I have a recipe that was from a now-defunct neighborhood restaurant that was famous for its coleslaw, and it starts with two heads of cabbage, 3 cups of mayo, and 1 cup of sugar (and ends with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of celery seed.) I prefer the no-mayo, tart vinegary styles of coleslaw, roughly shredded, but for pleasing crowds, just dump all that sugar in it and chop it finely, and everyone loves it. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/24 "2018-08-22T21:34:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yep, southerners put sugar in coleslaw. Think of KFC coleslaw that’s how it supposed to taste. I add sugar to taste. I think a cup may may be a bit sweet for me. Southern cookery is an enigma sometimes. They thought it was a bit sweet too, hence taking the 2 tbsp out 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/25 "2018-08-22T21:36:27Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > A friend of mine has a set of measuring spoons that includes spoons for one pinch, one smidge, one dash, etc. Those are actually pretty common - Amazon has many like [this](https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-42924-Stainless/dp/B00KH9PSNI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534973622&sr=8-3&keywords=pinch+measuring+spoon). I don’t understand the point, I don’t think these measuring spoons actually correspond to what recipes mean by pinch, dash or drop. And I’ve never seen “tad” in a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/26 "2018-08-22T21:46:35Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Those are actually pretty common - Amazon has many like [this](https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-42924-Stainless/dp/B00KH9PSNI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534973622&sr=8-3&keywords=pinch+measuring+spoon). I don’t understand the point, I don’t think these measuring spoons actually correspond to what recipes mean by pinch, dash or drop. And I’ve never seen “tad” in a recipe. I think they’re meant to be “cutesy” more than anything else. “Tad,” “pinch,” “drop,” “smidge,” are not standardized measurements, to my knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/27 "2018-08-22T21:55:08Z")
Oh, and not exactly a measurement, but the proper size for the dough circle for making pierogi, according to my family’s recipe, is a cleaned-out tuna can. Mom keeps one in the same pantry drawer as her measuring cups etc., for exactly that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/28 "2018-08-22T22:17:19Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > I heard this one second-hand years ago. “An egg of butter” - a lump of butter the size of an egg. I believe from a Martha Washington cookbook, though I’m unsure. Obvious once explained, but not necessarily one I’d have figured out. . . . I think walnuts of butter were also used. > [@nightshadea](#): > > I have family recipes from the 19th and early 20th century that uses smidges pinches dashes ect > > my favorite is “pour ingredient in until it reaches desired consistency” > > the recipies usually come with the qualifier "it never exactly taste the same way twice " The medieval quote would be “until it be enough”. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I think they’re meant to be “cutesy” more than anything else. “Tad,” “pinch,” “drop,” “smidge,” are not standardized measurements, to my knowledge. They’re not standardized, but they’ll comfort people who aren’t used to judging pinches and dashes. They can use the spoon and not be wrong. It’s not very odd, but I ran across a recipe for carrot cake that called for a certain number of tablespoons of egg. I wondered if it was a way of ensuring that the eggs were beaten before they were added to the batter. I made sure there were enough tablespoons of egg and then threw in the rest. An extra half egg in a cake will cause no harm, at least not in anything as thick as a carrot cake. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/29 "2018-08-22T23:45:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think they’re meant to be “cutesy” more than anything else. “Tad,” “pinch,” “drop,” “smidge,” are not standardized measurements, to my knowledge. I see pinch quite often. It’s less than 1/8th of a teaspoon (but more than 1/16th). You know - the amount (of salt) you’d pinch between your fingers. I don’t have my cookbooks here, but I think Betty Crocker uses it quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/30 "2018-08-22T23:59:23Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > You put _sugar_ in coleslaw? Nearly a cup ? Dear Lord, how much were you making? > > j > [@Tzigone](#): > > Different person, but I’m a southerner, and we put sugar in coleslaw. No idea how much, though. Don’t eat it and don’t make it. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Cole slaw does tend to be sweet, so I could see having sugar in the dressing, but nearly a cup does seem like a lot. I hope the recipe uses more than one head of cabbage. OK, so here’s the recipe. 1 head of cabbage, shredded 2-3 green bell peppers, chopped 2 onions, sliced Dressing: 1 cup vinegar 3/4 cup salad oil 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp dry mustard 1 Tbsp salt 2 tsp + 7/8 cup sugar Combine dressing ingredients and heat to boil\*. Pour over veg’s, stir and refrigerate. - Warning, boiling vinegar will stink up the whole house. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/31 "2018-08-23T00:19:07Z")
I see two kinds of cole slaw around here. The more common kind is mayo-based, and I would call it “creamy,” bland but not sweet. The other kind, the kind served with fish boils, is a sweet & sour, vinegar-based recipe, with no mayo at all. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/32 "2018-08-23T00:21:07Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I think it’s a little weird. One of my recipes call for 1 and 1/2 tablespoons, but I don’t have a half tablespoon measure so I just add a teaspoon instead. That’s four and one half teaspoons. 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup 16 tablespoons = 1 cup 2 cups = 1 pint 2 pints = 1 quart 4 quarts = 1 gallon At work I scoop cookie dough and muffin batter with numbered scoops. As the number gets bigger the portions get smaller. The numbers are based on how many scoops make a quart. So a #8 would be 1/2 cup, because you get eight one-half cups from a quart. A #30 would be not quite 6.5 teaspoons, and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/33 "2018-08-23T00:30:33Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I was upset that there was no spoon to measure one skosh, though. Of course not. The skosh is a unit of distance. On the subject of coleslaw, the best I ever had was at a restaurant in the main terminal at Sea-Tac Airport. There were little chips of fried ginger in it; yummy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/34 "2018-08-23T00:41:07Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I see pinch quite often. It’s less than 1/8th of a teaspoon (but more than 1/16th). You know - the amount (of salt) you’d pinch between your fingers. I don’t have my cookbooks here, but I think Betty Crocker uses it quite often. Well, yes, all those terms are used reasonably often. My point was that it’s not an established, fixed measurement, and the spoons are being “cutesy” about it, making them actual measurements. A “pinch” can be a “dash” can be a “tad” can be a “sprinkle,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/35 "2018-08-23T00:43:32Z")
Love to see a smoot in a recipe sometime: [Smoot - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot) ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/36 "2018-08-23T00:44:17Z")
My dad had an old US Army issue cookbook that called for 100 pounds of potatoes, peeled, cut and boiled for potato salad. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/37 "2018-08-23T01:15:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Love to see a smoot in a recipe sometime: [Smoot - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot) That’d be tough. Units of length don’t show up in recipes very often. When they do it’s usually something like “grease a 9” x 13" cake pan". A smoot x smoot-and-a-half would make for one big cake. > [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > My dad had an old US Army issue cookbook that called for 100 pounds of potatoes, peeled, cut and boiled for potato salad. When my curling club hosts tournaments we cook for all the participants; sometimes that means multiplying recipes by 30 or more. I remember starting once with “brown 70 pounds of ground beef”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/38 "2018-08-23T04:01:37Z")
My sister and I laugh about a recipe we inherited that calls for a “39-cent container of Cool Whip.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/39 "2018-08-23T05:06:34Z")
I saw one that called for 3/4 of a medium onion. Why not one small onion, or half of a large onion? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046/40 "2018-08-23T08:16:29Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > OK, so here’s the recipe. > 1 head of cabbage, shredded > 2-3 green bell peppers, chopped > 2 onions, sliced > > Dressing: > 1 cup vinegar > 3/4 cup salad oil > 1 tsp celery seed > 1 tsp dry mustard > 1 Tbsp salt > 2 tsp + 7/8 cup sugar > > Combine dressing ingredients and heat to boil\*. Pour over veg’s, stir and refrigerate. > > - Warning, boiling vinegar will stink up the whole house. (a) that’s not coleslaw, it’s cabbage candy (b) overdo the boiling and it’s cabbage taffy/toffee There’s a phrase over here: _Salad dodger_. It implies overweight through unhealthy eating. Just in case you ever need to know and make the assumption that it means exactly the reverse. 🙂 j [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-measurement-youve-seen-in-a-recipe/820046.md?page=3)