English Muffins

[Andy M.]

I have an issue with imprecise measurements. Golf ball sized, large, medium, small, handful, etc. Also, a cup of shredded cheese - loosely filled or packed? Packed a lot or a little?

 

[Rparrny]

I always use a bread knife to split them. I never could tell which were the nooks and which were the crannies anyway.

I have them as toast for breakfast once in a while, but mostly I use them in my handy dandy breakfast sangwich maker:

I got a couple of those sandwich makers on sale last year and donated them to a Chinese auction, they were a hit!

 

[Rparrny]

I have an issue with imprecise measurements. Golf ball sized, large, medium, small, handful, etc. Also, a cup of shredded cheese - loosely filled or packed? Packed a lot or a little?

I agree it can be really frustrating. My friend Lou (also my surgeon for next week) had a mom from the black forest of Germany who made the best german potato salad I've ever tasted (and I don't like german potato salad). When I asked her for the recipe, she talked about pinches and splashes....so I asked her if I could watch her make her next batch. Janine and I watched carefully and wrote down everything we could to duplicate it. I made a batch a week later and it was perfect! The sad part about this salad, is it must be made fresh, kept at room temp and cannot be saved in the fridge...the leftovers were horrible. So I need to make sure I don't make too much, lest it get thrown away.
Lou's mom died last year...I will always have fond memories of her Sunday German feasts that I often attended. We are all so glad we took the time to learn that recipe...

 

[Andy M.]

I agree it can be really frustrating. My friend Lou (also my surgeon for next week) had a mom from the black forest of Germany who made the best german potato salad I've ever tasted (and I don't like german potato salad). When I asked her for the recipe, she talked about pinches and splashes....so I asked her if I could watch her make her next batch. Janine and I watched carefully and wrote down everything we could to duplicate it. I made a batch a week later and it was perfect! The sad part about this salad, is it must be made fresh, kept at room temp and cannot be saved in the fridge...the leftovers were horrible. So I need to make sure I don't make too much, lest it get thrown away.
Lou's mom died last year...I will always have fond memories of her Sunday German feasts that I often attended. We are all so glad we took the time to learn that recipe...

It's great you were able to interpret her recipe so yo could keep it alive. I'm sure pinches and splashes were the only way she learned to cook.

 

[GotGarlic]

When my MIL gave me her recipe for lasagna sauce, she said you take a dime-sized pile of dried oregano and a palm-sized pile of dried basil... [emoji38]

 

[Addie]

When my MIL gave me her recipe for lasagna sauce, she said you take a dime-sized pile of dried oregano and a palm-sized pile of dried basil... [emoji38]

How fortunate, you were able to learn those measurements from your MIL.

If it was pourable like salt or some herb, my mother's palm of her right hand was the measuring cup. Two, and sometimes three fingers were my mother's measuring spoons. And her right hand stuck into the oven of the wood burning stove gave her the temp she was looking for to bake.

 

[GotGarlic]

How fortunate, you were able to learn those measurements from your MIL.

If it was pourable like salt or some herb, my mother's palm of her right hand was the measuring cup. Two, and sometimes three fingers were my mother's measuring spoons. And her right hand stuck into the oven of the wood burning stove gave her the temp she was looking for to bake.

Well, my hands are larger than hers, so I have standardized the measurement over the years [emoji38] Luckily, dried herbs don't have to be measured exactly.

 

[Addie]

Well, my hands are larger than hers, so I have standardized the measurement over the years [emoji38] Luckily, dried herbs don't have to be measured exactly.

My hands are so small that last winter I bought a pair of kids gloves and mittens.