Could someone please tell me what "3x5ml teaspoons" of Gum Tragacanth is in American English? lol or "6x5ml" cold water? I want to make Mexican paste for the first time, and have the ingredients, but don't know how to use them

Does the "x" mean "-"? Meaning I can use 3 to 5 mls? What is a ml teaspoon? Isn't a ml a ml and a teaspoon a teaspoon, like cups are cups, and inches are inches? Is there something wrong with me? Or is this really unclear? It is on the "Patchwork Cutters" leaflet and website like that, and it is Greek to me.

"My Name is Anna, and I admit I have a problem understanding this recipe. I also confess I have had this gum Trag for over a year. I threw it in a drawer after the first time I read the recipe and was embarrassed and shamed into realize it was beyond my mental capacity to understand it. Thank you!"

And now I am going to bed, it is 3 am, lol.

AIt means 3 tsp and 6 tsp :). Maybe in some countries a tsp is something other than 5 ml so they were being extra specific? Who knows!

Lol! Well a measuring teaspoon is 5ml, generally the x just means division, so that would be 3 teaspoons (each teaspoon measuring 5ml) of gum trag, and 6 teaspoons of cold water. It definitely doesn't mean between 3-5ml.

FYI cups are 250ml - here in Australia anyway!

HTH

Drivemebatty, I assume you meant multiplication, not division?

In the UK, we have teaspoons for our tea, but they may not actually hold 5mls.  They may be bigger or smaller, so by defining a teaspoon as 5mls they make sure that the right size of teaspoon is used.  Also, a teaspoon may be heaped or level, so this just helps with accuracy.
 

Anna,

I found this conversion table.  1 teaspoon = 5ml so 3x5ml teaspoons would be 1 Tablespoon. 

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/equiv.htm

Hope this helps - I needed the DH to verify for me - lol

This is the recipe I used. I haven't really 'used' it, it's still in the freezer.

http://ericaobrien.com/blog/2010/08/on-fondant-gumpaste-pastillage-and.html

8 oz (or more) confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons gum tragacanth (DO NOT USE A SUBSTITUTE)
6 tsp. cold water

Oh man, I never got any updates for this thread, and it was so late, and I was so tired, I forgot I even posted it! And then I saw where I posted, and I thought, "I thought that was a dream..." So I refreshed the page, read what I wrote, and got all embarrassed, lol.

Thank you all so much, I get it now! Now, just to make it! And then use it....Honestly, I don't really know what to expect, I just know it is supposedly THE thing to use with these Patchwork cutters, and I just bought the butterfly one, and it is so pretty!