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How much is a smidgen?

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Re: How much is a smidgen?

#21

Post by reaperman »

sharemywin wrote: post #19

I always figured it was part of the "made with love" measuring system. Metric, English, made with love.

One time my grandmother was trying to write down all the recipes of my Portuguese great-grandmother. My great-grandmother was having none of it (being used to oral tradition) and during one recipe while my grandmother was writing down the last ingredient, my great-grandmother dumped some extra water into the dough while her back was turned.

My grandmother asked: "Hey! How much was that?"

Great grandmother: "Just put down, 'a mouthful'"!

Re: How much is a smidgen?

#22

Post by xtiansimon »

Am4TIfIsER0ppos wrote: post #10
bennyp101 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same, I mean who only uses 1 clove of garlic?! At that point of the recipe it's clearly written by a mad person ;)

Not all of us want to smell French.

Just don’t crush the clove and leave it whole…

Re: How much is a smidgen?

#24

Post by mr_toad »

jahnu wrote: post #15
dalbasal wrote: post #14

In rural 1990s Ireland... Stones were used for weighing people. Kiligrams for livestock, feed and such. Pounds, pints and such for food and groceries. Iirc, mph was used for speed limits. KMs for distance.

It wasn't really limited to rural Ireland. MPH was on all speed limit signs and was because all vehicles were imported from the UK where MPH were and still are standard and the entire Irish fleet didn't yet have dual speed markings on the speedometer. Once they did then the signage was exchange countrywide within weeks, if I remember correctly. Distance signs were changed slowly over a longer period as it wasn't so c…

> With the exception of pints of beer which is still the standard today

Maybe in Ireland. Round here ‘pints’ keep getting smaller.

Re: How much is a smidgen?

#25

Post by seanc »

mr_toad wrote: post #24
jahnu wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't really limited to rural Ireland. MPH was on all speed limit signs and was because all vehicles were imported from the UK where MPH were and still are standard and the entire Irish fleet didn't yet have dual speed markings on the speedometer. Once they did then the signage was exchange countrywide within weeks, if I remember correctly. Distance signs were changed slowly over a longer period as it wasn't so c…

> With the exception of pints of beer which is still the standard today Maybe in Ireland. Round here ‘pints’ keep getting smaller.

"This town wouldn't be so bad if a quart of milk were still a dollar. Or even if a quart of milk... was still a quart" - Cowboy Junkies, Horse in the Country

Re: How much is a smidgen?

#26

Post by seanc »

Wildgoose wrote: post #20
gumby wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Baking is chemistry so amounts matter. In most cooking though, they aren’t critical. I like some family recipes from India: if you get a list of ingredients up front at all, no amounts will be specified. And in the middle you’ll see “add the milk” when no milk had appeared in the recipe up to that point.

One of my friends wanted to make Lemon Rice as good as his mother's. He always followed the recipe religiously, but it never tasted the same. Eventually, he insisted on watching his mother make the dish. Only for her to use limes. "Aha!" he said. "Indian Lemons" she replied. :-)

My Baubi famously wrote all the recipes down wrong so no one else would make it quite like her.

Re: How much is a smidgen?

#28

Post by Spivak »

jakedata wrote: post #17

A smidgen is the single, slightly oversized bite of food you have after finishing your first serving and are basically full but it tastes too good to stop eating. OK, just a smidgen more... Followed in our family by "a stopper" if it is exceptionally good.

Also known as the regret bite.
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