Useful Measurements.

~Zen~, I have no idea.

Also. If you have to measure off a quarter cup really quick (I know I can never find that ¼ measuring cup), you can just measure off 4 tablespoons in a pinch. More than that, I at least tend to lose count LOL.

And. A level teaspoon is not the same thing as a teaspoon, for things like coffee. Always, with dry ingredients like coffee, "a teaspoon" is always understood to be a teaspoon, slightly heaping over. Or really, 1½ teaspoons. That is why they give the measurement for instant coffee (in the US IAE) as for 6 fl oz. Because they assume if you are measuring for one 8 oz. cup, that will even out with on "heaping" teaspoon (not heaping to the ceiling you understand, just slightly heaping over, as I said). I have to ask. How do you measure instant coffee in place like Europe and South America? Here, everything is cups, spoons and fluid ounces.

And. You know, for viscous (it's a word, look it up) foods, it's different. I'd say, that two teaspoons of honey is really closer to 1½. Because a little of the previous amount sticks to the spoon, etc.

And measuring doesn't have to be exact. For making jams and jellies it does. The Sugar + Gelatin + Citric Acid proportion is important. Or nothing happens. Cakes and cookies just get drier or more gooey if you add more/less liquid. Less liquid makes a cake into a large cookie. More makes it the consistency of pudding. (So no, it does eventually bake. It just looks really moist, and therefore not done at that point.) Now, something like a vinaigrette is totally to taste. Most I've noticed are 3:2, with more Olive oil than vinegar. I prefer mine 1:1. But that's just me. Same with other salad dressings, and sauces, etc.

Also, with the culinary arts. When you have to measure a very small amount, say ⅛ tsp. Put it in a larger amount of liquid. A tablespoons of water, maybe. Put 1 tsp. in a tablespoon of water. And one eighth of that is your amount. And measuring solids like lard is easy. Submerge it in a cup of water. What ever is over a cup (on the measuring cup) is your amount. Sticks of butter, fortunately, are already marked for amount.

And if you add too much salt or spice to a, say, soup, just make more to dilute it. (It's either that or throw it all away.) Or add more broth. Remember. Like time in cooking, with salt and spices, you can always add more. But you can never take it back.

Also, the appearance of food is important too. And to bleach foods, use fresh Lemon juice. I'm serious.

Speaking of bleach. Bleach is the only chemical that can safely disinfect things you eat off. (Use that or heat.) Comet cleanser is made with bleach. (They don't say on the label anymore it disinfects though.) Or peroxide. Just rinse thoroughly afterwards. Some people say vinegar or ethyl alcohol (food alcohol, IOW) is safe for this purpose.