Pinch (unit)

For other uses, see Pinch (disambiguation).

A pinch is a small, indefinite amount of a substance, typically a powder like salt, sugar, spice, or snuff.[1] It is the "amount that can be taken between the thumb and forefinger".[2]

Some manufacturers of measuring spoons and some U.S. cookbooks give more precise equivalents, typically 1⁄8, 1⁄16,[3] or even 1⁄24 teaspoon,[4] but there is no generally accepted standard.

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary s.v., definition 12
  2. ^ Rowlett, Russ (December 2003). "Units: P". How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. recently kitchen supply stores... have begun selling sets of "minispoons" in which the spoon labeled "pinch" is designed to hold exactly 1/2 dash or 1/16 teaspoon, which is roughly 0.01 fluid ounce or 0.3 milliliter.
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ (December 1998). "Units: P". How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on December 3, 1998.
  4. ^ "Size So Totally Doesn't Matter". OChef. Retrieved 28 October 2016.