Cooking is an exact science — except when it isn’t. If you flip through community cookbooks or are lucky enough to inherit family recipes, you might come across instructions like “add a dash of soy sauce” or “stir in a pinch of cayenne.”
These measurements may sound imprecise to some cooks. To others, they’re immediately recognizable.
“I typically see these measurements in good Southern cookbooks put together by organizations or churches or just [in] recipes passed down through generations,” says Suzy Castelloe, chef de cuisine at The Charleston Grill in Charleston, South Carolina. “They come up a lot on the handwritten recipe cards I have of my grandmother’s.”
So, how much is really in a ‘pinch’ or a ‘dash?’ The answer isn’t straightforward, but by learning to hone your instincts you can cook like a restaurant chef and an old-school Southern grandmother at the same time. Here’s what to do when you see these vague-seeming measurements in a recipe.
How much is in a pinch?
A pinch is equivalent to approximately 1/16 of a teaspoon. You’ll most likely see it used as a form of measurement for dry ingredients like salt or spices.
Few store-bought measuring spoons are smaller than 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon, however. To dole out a pinch, you can either partially fill your smallest measuring spoon or estimate by grabbing a tiny amount of the ingredient in question with your fingertips.
The latter method is inexact but effective. “It really just depends on how big your fingers are,” Castelloe says.
How much is in a dash?
A dash is a similarly ambiguous term of measurement that typically comes out to twice as much as a pinch, or 1/8 of a teaspoon. “I’ll use this most often with liquid measure, like ‘a dash of hot sauce,’” says Castelloe. She likens it to “one good dip of the bottle.”
Dashes are often used in cocktail recipes, too. A classic Sazerac calls for three dashes of Peychaud’s bitters and two dashes of Angostura, for example.
Jessie Sheehan, cookbook author
“I personally think a better way to write this in a recipe might be ‘to taste.’”
— Jessie Sheehan, cookbook author
In Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of Perfect Cocktails, Dave Arnold defines one dash as 0.8 milliliters, “or 36 dashes to the ounce.” Not all bartenders are as exacting as Arnold, of course. Some quickly dab a miniscule amount of liquid into a drink, while others opt for a more languid pour.
That’s part of the challenge of measurements like a dash, says Jessie Sheehan, author of Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes. “I am a very black-and-white person and really like to see an amount listed [in a recipe],” she says. “Dashes scare me because everyone’s dash is different.”
How to measure a pinch or a dash
One way to get around the inexactness of these measurements is to think of a dash or a pinch as more of seasoning suggestions. “I personally think a better way to write this in a recipe might be ‘to taste,’” Sheehan says. “So, I’d write, ‘flaky sea salt, to taste,’ or ‘hot sauce, to taste.’”
Let’s say you’re making tomato sauce and your recipe says to add a pinch of oregano. Smell or taste the sauce, then pick up a small amount of oregano between your thumb and forefinger and sprinkle it in. Stir the sauce, then smell or taste it again. If you’d prefer more oregano, add another pinch until you like the results.
Seasoning like this helps you fine-tune your instincts and build confidence in the kitchen. It’s how a lot of professionals cook, too. “I’m not that exact when following recipes,” Castelloe says. “I measure a lot by feel.”
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