Editing Cooking weights and measures (section)

===Approximate units===

There are a variety of [[Approximate measures|approximate units]] of measures, which are frequently undefined by any official source, or which have had conflicting definitions over time, yet which are commonly used. The measurement units that are most commonly understood to be approximate are the drop, smidgen, pinch, and dash, yet nearly all of the traditional cooking measurement units lack statutory definitions, or even any definition by any organization authorized to set standards in the U.S. For example, of the table above, only the fluid ounce, pint, quart, and gallon are officially defined by the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology|NIST]]. All of the others appear only in conversion guides lacking statutory authority, or in now-obsolete publications of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, or USP&mdash;essentially, the [[Apothecaries' system]]&mdash;which still has authority to define certain drug and supplement standards. The USP has long-since abandoned Apothecaries' measurements, and even now recommends against using teaspoons to measure doses of medicine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ditch the Kitchen Teaspoon |last=Whitaker |first=Will |date=May 12, 2015|url=http://qualitymatters.usp.org/prevent-medication-dosing-errors-ditch-teaspoon|access-date=2016-09-28}}</ref>