Serves: 5
Sums up my method for measuring recipe ingredients! I confess I have no idea where either of my two measuring spoon sets are as I write this. They might be stuffed in the back of a kitchen drawer or then again, they might be downstairs where I keep stuff used in my catering business or then again, they might be/could be in a grub box out in the garage. Really, I don’t know!
Most cooks I know fit into one of two categories when it comes to measuring some approach anal retentive behavior when they measure something like baking powder for biscuits. As an example, my recipe for baking powder biscuits calls for a tablespoon of baking powder. Translated it means a heaping big spoonful of baking powder, if I grab a regular spoon from the silverware drawer, or just a well rounded soup spoon full if that’s what is closest. Yet, I’ve watched other cooks measure and level precisely one tablespoon of baking powder to the microgram. Such precise measurement may be required when measuring plutonium for a small tactical nuclear war head, but not necessary for baking powder biscuits.
Yes, when I’m reloading rifle shells I measure precisely, but I just plan to eat my biscuits not shoot them. Nowhere in recorded history exists an instance of a biscuit blowing up in one’s face because the recommended load of baking powder was exceeded. And when both batches of biscuits are tested, I’ve yet to be able to discern any difference in the finished product. Far be it from me to discount the pleasure some folks get by scraping and peering at their measuring spoons!
Though "close enough for government work" pre-dates my employment with the State of Idaho, that old cliche fits me pretty well when I’m in the kitchen or camp. The hardest part of writing a recipe down comes when I have to put in black and white just how much of what goes into a specific dish. Maybe I should preface each recipe with "all measurements are approximate"! I’ll admit someone who carefully measures their ingredients into a measuring spoon rarely ends up dumping the entire container of pepper into the stew, but on the other hand, risks exist in the kitchen, too!
A Back Country Guide to Outdoor Cooking Spiced with Tall Tales - Bread in Camp
This _A Pinch Of This And A Dash Of That recipe is from the Cee Dub's Dutch Oven and Other Camp Cookin' Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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