Resolve: If I don't love it-OR-don't absolutely have to have it.....
LET IT GO!
And: Everything I love -OR-have to have
has a story to tell...So tell me the story.
Love it...my glassloc storage containers. I found these at Costco and am so glad I decided to buy them! They remind my of the vintage refrigerator containers my grandma would have used except the glass lids of the vintage version have been replaced by a snap on plastic lid that forms a great seal and allows them to be stacked on top of each other. Storing leftovers in glass rather than plastic really appeals to me. When I bought this set of 8 containers I went through all my old storage containers and sent most of them to the thrift store, I find with less containers I am less likely end up with mystery food stored at the back of my fridge and that is something I really love!
The things I Have to Have...
~mesuring cups; of course they work just fine but I see the ones that the Barefoot Contessa uses and mine just don't match up.
~measuring spoons,l I've never figured it out, are you suppose to leave all the spoons on the funky ring they come on and then have 4 extra spoons dangling as you try to measure the perfect teaspooon of vanilla extract, or are you suppose to pull them off the ring so you just deal with one spoon at a time? (such a profouond question). For now mine remaiin on their ring, at least that way I'm not tempted to to take the tablespoon outside to measure Miracle Grow!
~cork screw, works well but, (call me old-fashioned) seems like cork removal is a job for the husband
~spoons and whisks, they do their job, but they do have their downfalls as well, I mean how sanitary can a wooden spoon really be, and why can't the whisk stay lined up all symetrical like it is when new?
~ice cream scoop, hmm...actually I do rather like it with it's red handle and dull silver scoop, it is quite the iconic scoop, but...it just doesn't work that well.
~two sets of tongs; I think tongs are one of those things I like the idea of more then I actually like the tongs. But they do come in handy at times.
~two pancake turners, one big and one small...not much to say about this.
On to the things I love in this drawer...
~can opener; there are so many bad ones out there and I've finally got a really good one! It's easy to use, doesn't rust and goes into the dishwasher so there's none of that gunk that tends to build up on the cutting blade.
~red scraper (or is it a spatula?) it's made of red silicone with a great stainless steel handle. It doesn't stain or split or come off it's handle...love it!
~lemon zester; a gift from my Auntie Zanna, makes me feel quite "gourmet"
~digital meat thermometer; instant read, no guessing, no underdone chicken (in my mind the worst cooking mess up there is)
~silicone pastry brush, yeah, no more bristles mixing in with the glaze on the top of a scone, plus I love the bright lemon grass green that adds a splash of color to this mostly stainless steel bunch
~cookie scoop, what a great invention! the best thing to come out of the years of cookie dough sales at the kids elementary school.
~lime squeezer!!! another beautiful splash of color in the drawer, love the way it looks, love the way it works, thanks to our neighbors south of the border
~soup ladle; just a continuation of my love affair with all things Soup! (thankfully husband loves soup as well)
~cheese slicer; hat's off to husbands Norwegian heritage for this wonderful tool. It has a Scandinavian look...sleek, simple and so functional. Slices any cheese perfectly every time.
~potato masher; this amazing masher was my moms. I remember mom always took special care of the masher, washed it by hand, dried it and oiled the wooden handle and then hung it up with the other parts of the set that dad had given her early in their marriage(which means it is probably well over 70 years old) I don't know what happened to the rest of the set, but I love the masher, use it often, try to take good care of it and think of my sweet mama when I do.
~pastry cutter; this also came from mom's kitchen, it is so simple just a sharp round cutter on a handle but I give it credit for every flaky biscuit, scone or pie crust I have ever made. It was sold as a fund raiser for girl scouts in the mid 1950's
~long handled measuring teaspoon; this I "inherited" from mom-in-law. Whenever I use it I can picture her dainty but twisted hands measuring so carefully, then slowly sprinkling from the spoon so evenly. Someday when I grow up I hope to have the patience that she had.
I love the things this drawer holds:
~three cutting boards; one really big one for when I'm doing some serious cooking, a medium size one that's the perfect size for most everyday tasks, and a little one that is just right to pull out for cutting a lemon to drop into a glass of ice water.
~three knives that are left from the original knife set mom and dad Otto gave us when we were first married
~my two new "shitzu" (not the real name because I can neither spell or pronounce the real name, plus it's fun to say!) these are the knives I use all the time, I love how easily they chop through food
~a sharpening stone, because I love a sharp knife
~my bread knife, I love this knife because it's a knife we couldn't do without, got to have it to slice through the homemade bread I so enjoy making (and Michael so enjoys eating!)
~my microplaner; it's funny to think about the fact my mom never even knew what a microplaner is and I find it an essential tool, grating nutmeg, zesting citrus and grating parmesan cheese so fine it could pass for the kind that comes in a can (a staple in mom's kitchen that I don't think I have ever had in mine)
One thing in the drawer that is more of a Have to Have:
~my potato peeler, it's a good one, works well and yet I can't say "I love it", probably because peeling potatoes is one of my least favorite jobs in the kitchen.
Love it...
my cast iron pans, I have 4 of them...
~a 10" skillet that I use everyday; it is the best pan I have for doing everything from frying eggs in the morning to making an apple crisp for dessert. It is perfectly seasoned, I can fry an egg without using any oil, flip the egg out and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
~a 15" skillet, this is a big pan! Perfect for a big batch of bolognese sauce. I have good memories of this pan being part of my families camping gear.
~grill pan, this pan was the first thing I ever bought on-line. I can remember being pretty apprehensive about the whole process. I like to get this pan screaming hot on the stove top, turn the pan down to medium high and cook a steak, 7 minutes on each side, then another 7 minutes to rest gives me a perfect medium rare every time!
~ dutch oven, now this is a pan! Over the years we have used this pan to cook delish meals outdoors; fill it with chunks of sausage, pieces of chicken, onions, carrots and potatoes, put the pan over hot coals and heap more coals hot coals on the lid...when the coals are burned out the lid lifts to reveal an amazing one pot meal. This past November I happened upon a recipe for Artisan bread that is baked in a dutch oven. It is an amazing loaf of bread with a perfect crust, the kind we were used to paying $5.00 for. Haven't bought a loaf of bread since November!
