Is it a dash or a pinch?

June 06, 2001

Many recipes call for dashes or pinches of ingredients. What's the difference?

Generally speaking, a dash refers to a liquid ingredient and a pinch refers to dry ingredients, such as spices. The amounts called for in the recipe are too small to measure in ordinary measuring spoons. If you could measure a dash or pinch, it would probably be less than 1/8 teaspoon.

Some old-fashioned recipes often use the word "scant." A scant tablespoon means one that is not filled totally to the top of the measuring spoon's bowl.