Pinch (unit)
Amount that can be taken between the thumb and forefinger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 1/16 US customary teaspoon;[3] some sources define it as 1/8 or 1/24 teaspoon.[4] There is no generally accepted standard.
| 1 US customary pinch | = | 1/48 | US customary tablespoon |
| = | 1/32 | US customary dessert spoon | |
| = | 1/16 | US customary teaspoon | |
| = | 1/8 | US customary coffee spoon | |
| = | 1/2 | US customary dash | |
| = | 2 | US customary smidgens | |
| ≈ | 0·022 | UK tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·043 | UK dessert spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·087 | UK teaspoon | |
| ≈ | 0·17 | UK salt spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·35 | UK pinch | |
| ≈ | 0·02 | international metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·015 | Australian metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·031 | metric dessert spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·062 | metric teaspoon |
In the United Kingdom, a pinch is traditionally 1/2 UK salt spoon,[5] the equivalence of 1/4 UK teaspoon. 1/2 UK salt spoon is an amount of space that can accommodate 15 British imperial minims (1/4 British imperial fluid drachm or 1/32 British imperial fluid ounce; about 14·41 US customary minims (0·24 US customary fluid dram or 0·03 US customary fluid ounce) or 0·89 millilitres) of liquid.
| 1 UK pinch | = | 1/16 | UK tablespoon |
| = | 1/8 | UK dessert spoon | |
| = | 1/4 | UK teaspoon | |
| = | 1/2 | UK salt spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·06 | US customary tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·09 | US customary dessert spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·18 | US customary teaspoon | |
| ≈ | 0·36 | US customary coffee spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·72 | US customary salt spoon | |
| ≈ | 1·44 | US customary dashes | |
| ≈ | 2·88 | US customary pinches | |
| ≈ | 5·76 | US customary smidgens | |
| ≈ | 0·059 | international metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·044 | Australian metric tablespoon | |
| ≈ | 0·089 | metric dessert spoon | |
| ≈ | 0·18 | metric teaspoon |
