A pinch is a small, indefinite amount of a substance, typically a powder like

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

, or snuff. It is the "amount that can be taken between the thumb and forefinger". Some manufacturers of measuring spoons and some U.S. cookbooks give more precise equivalents, typically US customary teaspoon; some sources define it as or teaspoon. There is no generally accepted standard. In the United Kingdom, a pinch is traditionally UK salt spoon,Page 14,
Good Things in England
' (1932) the equivalence of UK teaspoon. UK salt spoon is an amount of space that can accommodate 15 British imperial minims ( British imperial fluid drachm or British imperial fluid ounce; about 14·41 US customary minims (0·24 US customary fluid dram or 0·03 US customary fluid ounce) or 0·89 millilitres) of liquid.

References

Customary units of measurement in the United States Cooking weights and measures Units of volume Imperial units {{Measurement-stub