Cooking weights and measures

Specifications for quantities of ingredients

In recipes, quantities of ingredients may be specified by mass (commonly called weight), by volume, or by count. For most of history, most cookbooks did not specify quantities precisely, instead talking of "a nice leg of spring lamb", a "cupful" of lentils, a piece of butter "the size of a small apricot", and "sufficient" salt. Informal measurements such as a "pinch", a "drop", or a "hint" (soupçon) continue to be used from time to time.

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