My attempt at documenting my best madras so far

[sp]

personally when I say heaped teaspoon I mean slightly more than a teaspoon (5ml) but not as much as a dessertspoon (10ml) - it's not that precise as i don't weigh the ingredients out or level the spoons, if you want to say rounded teaspoon feel free - i'm just using a basic set of measuring spoons (1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 dsp, 1 tbsp).  I don't think it has to be that precise, as alluded to above, your heaped/rounded spoons by eye may be different to mine.  As long as the ratio is the same I can't see it being that critical to the overall result, at least in this recipe.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Why assume it's heaped George?

if it's heaped it's not actually a tsp it's more than a tsp
my heaped tsp might be 1 1/2 tsp - your2 might be a 2 tsp or even a tbsp so it's inconsistent
if it's heaped it's not a precise measurement
if it's heaped the recipe should say so, otherwise a tsp is a tsp
it's a bit like saying a pint of beer is a pint and a quarter - pubs would soon be diddling themselves using that method of measurement

My views (FWTAW) :

1) Whilst it is perhaps unrealistic to assume that all teaspoons are heaped unless otherwise stated, I think it is not unreasonable to assume that they are rounded.  Getting a flat teaspoon takes care and time, and I suspect that few if any of us are that careful.  This is why my recipes always say "all spoonsful are rounded".

2) "If it's heaped it's not a precise measurement" -- even if it is flat, it is not a precise measurement; volumetric measurements of small quantities of spices are inherently imprecise : we should just take that as a given, and stop thinking that if we can measure accurate to 0,1gm our curries will suddenly exceed our wildest expectations.  If a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon (5gm/5ml) and I use 5,5gm/5,5ml, will anyone /really/ be able to tell the difference ?  And if success in BIR cuisine is predicated on accurate measurements, how is it that real BIR chefs can manage with a chef's spoon and a practised eye ?

My EUR 0,02.  Happy New Year one and all.
** Phil.

[stevejet66]

Imagination gents when cooking is the key!, its sounds like engineering lesson with all the accuracy lol ;D

[Stephen Lindsay]

It's not an engineering lesson, it's quite simple - if you specify a tsp then it's a tsp not 1 1/2 tsp, in the same way that 50 ml is 50ml not 65 ml.

[emin-j]

It was only necessary to ask sp to confirm his tsp measurements ' or what ' wasn't needed and sounds a bit hostile  sp has now probably been made to feel a bit awkward and I hope this doesn't dampen his enthusiasm.
Why lately do so many posts start innocently enough then get attacked by what seems ' grumpy old men ' 

[Peripatetic Phil]

It's not an engineering lesson, it's quite simple - if you specify a tsp then it's a tsp not 1 1/2 tsp, in the same way that 50 ml is 50ml not 65 ml.

Again, two observations (or maybe three) :

1) SI/ISO define the ml; they do not define "the British Standard Teaspoon", nor are most standard measuring spoons (which I would venture to suggest that few of us even use on a regular basis) calibrated against any traceable standard.

2) To paraphrase what another contributor said in another thread : "OK, so we all agree that 50ml is not 65ml; but is it 64.9ml ?  or 64.8ml ?".

3) We are cooking, not conducting a scientific experiment.  How many are prepared to swear, hand on heart, that when they state they have used 1 teaspoonful in a recipe (a) they used a measuring spoon of known nominal capacity ; (b) that they have, on at least one occasion, checked that said measuring spoon does indeed hold exactly the nominal quantity, within the limits to which they can measure; and (c) that they took great care to ensure that the spoon was absolutely level, carefully removing any excess then checking that no surface cavities had inadvertently been introduced.  I would be willing to bet that the number of regular posters able to honestly answer "yes" to all three is vanishingly small.

** Phil.

[George]

It was only necessary to ask sp to confirm his tsp measurements ' or what ' wasn't needed and sounds a bit hostile  sp has now probably been made to feel a bit awkward and I hope this doesn't dampen his enthusiasm.

From the thread title, I assumed this thread was as much about documentation standards, as about any specific recipe. Anyway, given the number of mistakes and margins for error I've noted in the original recipe, I wonder how many more there are. For that reason I won't be investing time and money in trying this recipe.  I've lost confidence.

[sp]

thanks, not feeling awkward at all, just putting a recipe out there that suits my particular tastebuds and possibly someone elses?  With the risk of eliciting hostile response the phrase (moderated filth) or, to be more polite, "naval-gazing" springs immediately to mind... fwiw i think some folks are reading too much into this cooking malarky with talk of spoon volumetric capacity and such like... but all discussion is healthy and thought provoking, so feel free to carry on as you were

[Peripatetic Phil]

carry on as you were

Thank you, Captain Mainwaring Sir !

[curryhell]

personally when I say heaped teaspoon I mean slightly more than a teaspoon (5ml) but not as much as a dessertspoon (10ml) - it's not that precise as i don't weigh the ingredients out or level the spoons, if you want to say rounded teaspoon feel free - i'm just using a basic set of measuring spoons (1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 dsp, 1 tbsp).  I don't think it has to be that precise, as alluded to above, your heaped/rounded spoons by eye may be different to mine.  As long as the ratio is the same I can't see it being that critical to the overall result, at least in this recipe.

Agree with that sp.  Long as the ratio is correct you're not going to be far from what is needed.  When i read 1 tsp i will use a tsp and try and make it as near as level as  can.  I sure as hell am not getting a knife out to compact and level the spoon  If a BIR chef can get away using a chefs spoon and no measuring i'm sure we can get away using our "approximate" tsp, as long as we're consistant.  There seems to be an inordinate amount of hot air about once more.  If more time was spend practicing the art and not picking at other peoples efforts to the nth degree, we may actually make some progress  :