That's how my mom cooked and she couldn't figure out why I could never learn to cook from her. When I was on my own, I'd get recipes with the actual amounts. 1/4 tsp., 1 T, 1/2 c. I had no problem cooking when someone told me exactly how much to use. When you're starting out, a "bit" can seem like anything from 1/4 tsp to 1/4 c!