From Andaaz to Measuring Spoons: Do We Really Need to Measure Everything?

Our great-grandmothers often used andaaz to cook some of their favourite dishes. We still hear stories about their cooking from our parents and grandparents. It was the practice of estimating ingredients instead of measuring everything with spoons, often called eyeball measurement.

Today, teaspoons and tablespoons are common in kitchens, but instructions like a fistful, a dash or a pinch remain familiar. Many home cooks and professional chefs still use these methods, while others prefer following precise measurements. Both approaches have their place, depending on the recipe and the person cooking it.

Meanwhile, even something as ordinary as a measuring spoon continues to be redesigned.

Indian designer Rahul Agarwal has developed Polygons, a fold-flat measuring spoon set that replaces six conventional measuring spoons with two flat tools, each approximately 2.8 mm thin. Pinch a marked crease, and the flat sheet folds into the required measurement. Each spoon provides three measurements, and both can be flattened again for easy cleaning and storage.

The idea began with a dare. In 2014, while studying at India’s National Institute of Design, Agarwal was advised by a senior not to waste time redesigning objects that had already reached their final form, like the spoon. He took it as a challenge.

What began as an experiment eventually became an award-winning invention that appeared on the American television show Shark Tank in October 2026.

Polygons shows how a familiar kitchen tool can be redesigned to address everyday needs such as storage, cleaning and measuring ingredients. But it also brings up an interesting question: how much precision do we really need when cooking?

Why did cooking ever need a measuring spoon?

Cooking has never followed just one method. Some recipes are learnt by watching someone cook, while others are followed from written instructions. A person might watch their mother add a small ball of tamarind to a curry, or follow a recipe that specifies exactly how many teaspoons of an ingredient to use.

Measurements have also changed over time. Recipes once commonly used instructions such as a dash of salt or a piece of butter the size of an egg. Standardised measurements gradually made it easier for people to follow the same instructions across different kitchens.

American culinary expert Fannie Farmer’s 1896 book, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, helped popularise the use of standard measuring cups, spoons and level measurements.

A written recipe is particularly useful when someone is learning to prepare a dish without direct guidance. There’s nobody standing beside them to say, “That’s enough.” Measuring spoons and cups can help them understand the quantities needed and reproduce the recipe more consistently.

That doesn’t mean cooking by andaaz lacks measurement. Experienced cooks often develop a sense of proportions through practice. A fistful or pinch may be enough for a familiar recipe, while a measured quantity can be more useful when preparing something unfamiliar.

Who has translated Indian recipes for the next generation?

Celebrated home chef Tarla Dalal played an important role in making cooking accessible to Indian households. Credited with developing around 17,000 vegetarian recipes, she wrote step-by-step instructions that helped readers explore different dishes and cuisines. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.

Kamalabai Ogale’s Ruchira, a long-running Marathi bestseller, is another example. The cookbook documented Maharashtrian recipes and later reached non-Marathi readers through an English edition.

Rasachandrika, a Saraswat cookery book, also helped make regional recipes available to a wider audience. First published in Marathi on 30 October 1943, its initial 1,000 copies sold out within a month. It was later translated into Hindi and English.

Interestingly, later Marathi editions of Rasachandrika introduced metric weights and measures after India adopted the metric system. This made the recipes easier to follow using standard measurements.

These books helped document cooking knowledge in a format that readers could use independently. They also show how recipes can be adapted for different audiences while retaining their original ingredients and methods.

Can instinct and precision stay relevant in the same kitchen?

Of course. Baking, for example, often relies on accurate measurements because the proportions of ingredients can affect the texture and structure of cakes and breads.

Cooking dal, on the other hand, allows more room for adjustments. A spoon can tell you how much salt you’ve added, but tasting the dal helps you decide whether it needs more. The aroma, texture and consistency can also guide the cooking process.

For someone trying a recipe for the first time, accurate measurements can make the instructions easier to follow. In those situations, one cup of rice might be more useful than a fistful. Someone who prepares the same recipe regularly may already know the quantities they prefer without measuring them each time.

Even when a recipe is passed down through observation, measurements can help document it. If someone adds a fistful of rice, that quantity can be weighed or measured and recorded for anyone who wants to recreate the dish.

This is where inventions like Polygons fit into the discussion. Measuring spoons are already familiar kitchen tools, but their design can still change to suit different needs. A fold-flat spoon may appeal to someone looking for compact storage or easier cleaning, whether they’re a beginner or an experienced cook.

The way we cook also depends on our routines, the recipes we follow and the tools available to us. A person preparing a familiar family dish may work comfortably with approximate quantities, while the same person might follow exact measurements when trying a new baking recipe.

A measuring spoon can tell you how much of an ingredient to add. Experience, taste and the recipe itself help determine whether that amount is right. There is room for both andaaz and precision in the same kitchen.