Cooks have fun names for these tiny amounts. A pinch is what you grab between your thumb and forefinger. That’s about 1/16 teaspoon. A quarter teaspoon is four pinches. A dash is even smaller. So next time a recipe says “a dash of nutmeg,” know it’s a whisper, not a shout.
I once watched my grandmother measure a quarter teaspoon of baking soda by dipping her finger into the box and tapping it twice. She knew the look. She knew because she’d ruined her own cakes in her twenties.
So practice! Scoop up some salt from your shaker into your palm. Make a pile the size of a lentil. That’s it. That’s your quarter teaspoon. Memorize it. Your future self will thank you when you’re making pancakes at 7 AM half asleep.
