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 US customary teaspoon;[3] some sources define it as or teaspoon.[4] There is no generally accepted standard.
| 1 US customary pinch | = | US customary tablespoon | ||
| = | US customary dessert spoon | |||
| = | US customary teaspoon | |||
| = | US customary coffee spoon | |||
| = | 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 UK salt spoon,[5] the equivalence of UK teaspoon. UK salt spoon is an amount of space that can accommodate 15 British imperial minims (British imperial fluid drachm or 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 | = | UK tablespoon | ||
| = | UK dessert spoon | |||
| = | UK teaspoon | |||
| = | 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 |