How Not To Use Measuring Cups: Pinch vs. Tbsp

A pinch of this, a handful of that -- we see it all the time on TV. How do professional chefs know how much they're adding to a recipe without using measuring cups and spoons?

Baking is an exact science but when cooking savory meals it's rare you'll see a measuring cup or spoon in the hands of an Iron Chef or sous chef in Kitchen Stadium. But, it wasn't always that way.


With practice, professional chefs learn to recognize what a cup of flour looks like in their mixing bowl, and what a quarter teaspoon of salt looks like in the palm of their hand. It's technically a Montessori method -- learning by visualization -- and it works perfectly for home cooks, especially when you need a half teaspoon of cinnamon and can't extract the tangled measuring spoons from the balloon whisk in your overcrowded utensil drawer.

To free yourself from measuring cups and spoons, you'll need to learn what each measurement looks like:
1.Lay out a long sheet of parchment paper across your table or counter, about 24-inches long.
2.Using flour, rice, oats or any similar dry ingredient, measure out 1 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1/4 cup.
3.Dump them onto the parchment paper in separate piles.
4.Study how large the piles are -- this represents what would be in your mixing bowl or sauce pan.

Take it one step further and see what those measurements actually look like in the bowls and pans you use most. And you don't have to do it all at once. Be observant the next time you cook, paying special attention to what that half cup of rice looks like in your sauce pan.


You can also recognize what liquid ingredients, like water, cream and oil, look like by measuring them in appropriate cups and spoons and adding them to your most commonly used bowls and pans.
Need a cup of rice? You can fit a scant 1/4 cup in the palm of your hand. Measure out four handfuls; it's that easy. If you need a tablespoon, teaspoon or similar, pay close attention the next time you measure something. First use the measuring spoon, then dump the measured ingredient into the palm of your hand before adding it to whatever you're cooking. Notice how much space it takes up in your hand, visualize it and commit it to memory. The next time you need that measurement, total recall will save you from having to wash the measuring spoons.

Chefs recommend you continue to use standard dry, wet and weight measurements when baking to ensure perfect results. But when you're freestyling a sweet or savory recipe, do it like the Iron Chefs do and keep the measuring contraptions in the drawer.

Do you like to cook with or without measuring utensils?