Knob of Butter: Decoding the Language of the 1700s Kitchen

The “Knob” Measurement Comes From a Time When Ingredient Measurements Were Imprecise

The “knob” is leftover from very early cookbooks like those by authors like Fannie Merrit Farmer, where exact measurements were never given. In a cookbook from the 1800s, you were just as likely to be told to “add a sufficient amount of butter” as opposed to any kind of exact amount. However, you might also be told, as Andrew Smith mentions in Eating History, to add “a knob of butter the size of an egg.” Likewise, “a walnut-sized knob of butter” was a frequent instruction, which is about two tablespoons, give or take.

The Linguistic “Lump”: A History of Culinary Imprecision

The term “knob” is a 17th century term of a “protuberance.” This explains its use in doorknob, but also any other small round handles. In those early cookbooks, it’s use was based on an assumption that the reader understood. Amelia Simmons or Mary Randolph wrote for an audience that already spent 10 hours a day in a kitchen. They simply didn’t feel they need to define a “knob” as an exact amount. The amounts of ingredients were roughly estimated by sight, but there was also the assumption that the cook already had some plenty of knowledge.

You might have heard of a “bed-knob.” That is the rounded ball at the top of a bedpost. Of course, we also have volume knobs, as on radio or TV…or at least we used to. In other words, a knob is a general word for a smallish, roundish, lump of some kind, but it is not a specific measurement. Knob is also British slang for part of a man’s anatomy. You can guess.

Why Early Cooks Ignored Precision: To understand why authors like Amelia Simmons or Mary Randolph relied on “knobs” and “lumps” instead of tablespoons, you have to understand the audience they were writing for. These weren’t just recipe books; they were the first “Declarations of Independence” for the American kitchen.

Deep Dive: Influential Early American Cookbooks and Their Authors

Decoding the “Knob”: Why Result Matters More Than Volume

It has nothing to do with precision; quite the opposite. A knob of butter was about as accurate as a “blob” of butter. It refers to a lump of butter of varying sizes. In other words, word knob doesn’t only refer to a doorknob and a knob of butter does not need to be as big as a doorknob. It really can be any rounded ball, or, as in this case, a lump. A knob, like many such imprecise measurements, was Visual Heuristic, a mental shortcut used by experienced cooks before the “Level Cup” revolution of the 1890s.

The Sauté Knob: “Add a knob of butter to a pan” was shorthand for “add enough butter to coat the bottom.” The old authors assumed you didn’t need a tablespoon because your eyes would tell you when the pan surface was sufficiently oiled to avoid the food coming into direct contact with the cooking surface.
The “To Taste” Variable: For finishing a dish or topping a steak, the “knob” is a placeholder for the individual palate. It’s the author’s way of saying, “Add the amount that makes this rich buttery enough for you.”

This is not to say that all early cookbooks were without accurate measurements. Amelia Simmons in American Cookery (1796) gave flour and sugar measurements by weight (suggesting perhaps people had scales). She also used measurements like “a gill,” which corresponds to about 1/2 cups (1/4 pint, or 4 fluid ounces). And, in The Virginia Housewife (1824), Mary Randolph calls for flour both in pounds and by quarts.

Even today, in some cookbooks or online recipes, you will be instructed to add a “knob of butter.” For instacne, you may be told to put a knob of butter on top of grilled meat. This instruction is found in English and Irish cookbooks, and for all I know, Scottish, too.

The Modern Conversion: Translating the Knob for the Precise Cook

If you must know the exact measurement of a knob of butter, the answer is you’re being much too exact. If a recipe says to add a knob of butter to a pan for sautéing, it usually means to add just enough butter to cover the bottom. Cooking isn’t like baking. It is about adding enough of an ingredient to get the result you want.

Since we usually use sticks of butter here in the States, a knob of butter may be from one to two tablespoons. Otherwise, it will tend to mean enough to melt nicely over whatever you are adding it to.

The Basic Knob Measurements

As a rule of thumb, go for around 12 to 25 grams, or one to two tablespoons of butter. But, you really need to judge for yourself. Do you think it needs a little more or a little less?

Some recipes may even refer to a “small knob” or “large knob.” This could be anywhere from one to four tablespoons. A “tiny knob” might be only about 1/2 teaspoon. In fact, a knob and a dollop are similar measurements but “dollop” is reserved for less solid ingredients like sour cream, yogurt, jam, etc. In any case, a large heaping teaspoonful of soft butter or sour cream is a dollop, and this corresponds to a knob. You do not need to be precise.

What you need to understand is that chefs tend to add tons of butter to everything. Especially at the end of cooking. It makes things taste better, richer, and feel better in your mouth. You are not going to mess it up by adding a little too much, especially if the butter is meant to melt.

So, what if I told you to add a knob of butter to a pancake? What I mean is add enough to melt nicely over the pancake. You aren’t going to know the exact amount, but generally, you’d put on about half a tablespoon, and if you like it rich, a whole tablespoon.