Five Small and Simple Things

Simple and effective kitchen items to make your life easier.

It’s come to my attention that I’ve been writing too dogmatically lately. Not the light fare that many of you would expect from someone who tells people he “writes deeply about food and lightly about life¹.” I get it. Messaged received. Not every Friday needs to be a homily about how you should only eat seasonally and locally, how food brings us together in the best way possible, how you should eat with your eyes wide open, how I’ve seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical². Today, we’re going to keep it light and easy, small and simple.

I’ve written before about my infatuation with

Brooks Reitz

’s

A Small and Simple Thing

. It’s a lovely periodical that highlights small and simple things about food, travel, business, design, and all sorts of other things that I love. As I was making lunch in the kitchen the other day, it occurred to me that there are several small and simple things I use almost daily that make cooking and life much easier. Five things, easy to overlook amidst the glamor of Vitamixes, Instapots³, rotisserie spits, and sous vide circulators, all of which make my life easier.

Maybe they can make yours easier, too.

1. Kitchen Towels

We started buying cheap kitchen towels in bulk and keeping them out. It’s been a game changer. Not only do they save paper towels for drying hands, dishes, and countertops, they also help keep prep work tidy. There’s a reason why every chef writes about them as part of the triumvirate of the kitchen⁴. I like these, available overnight from Amazon, and this article does a good job outlining some potentially self-evident uses.

They’re machine washable, so 30 should last you a very long time.

2. A Salt Cellar

Salt should be one of your most used ingredients. Josh McFadden — who it seems I find myself referring to nearly weekly in this newsletter — thinks most vegetables should be salted to the point that they taste like a potato chip. What a guy.

While that might be overkill most of the time⁵, your salt should be easily accessible in the kitchen. Having a small bowl filled with salt makes it easier to season on the go — which, of course, and perhaps ironically, helps keep you from oversalting. We have one made of cork that came with some seasoned salt I bought once — the seasoning was okay but the cellar super convenient. You can also buy some fancy ones online. My true recommendation, though, is find a cool small bowl or dish you like and just use that. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

5. A Sponge Holder

A wet sponge randomly placed on the counter⁶ is one of my biggest pet peeves, however irrational that may be. I think it’s important to have a dedicated place for the sponge, next to the sink, that is conveniently accessed but out of the way enough not to have it disrupting your flow. Kind of a like a salt cellar⁷.

Also like a salt cellar, you don’t need to be fancy here. Any small bowl will do — though Gma CWD got us one a few years ago, which looks like the classic berry basket you’d get at a farmer’s market. We’ve broken a few of them, but you can always order a replacement here. Get two and use one for your salt — just don’t confuse them!

4. An Instant Read Thermometer

As I wrote in my grilling guide, I used to be a no thermometer guy — just judging doneness based on intuition. Those days are behind me. Having an instant read thermometer makes cooking meat so much easier — especially if not everyone at your table likes their steaks Pittsburg rare. This is also handy for judging the temperature of milk when making kolaches or, if you’re a nerd, the temperature of your water for coffee. I like this little one from ThermoWorks, but they all function pretty much the same.

5. A Utility Knife

Sure, a full-sized chef’s knife is sexy, but the most under-appreciated workhorse in our kitchen is the humble utility knife. I use one mostly when prepping Kiddo and the Warthog’s meals, when scoring bread, dicing or chopping smaller amounts of veggies, and for dozens of other tasks. I’ve raved about this one before, but it’s probably overkill for most indoor cooking tasks. Find one you like, keep it sharp, and use it when you need to be a little more tactical in prep work than required by a giant cleaver of a chef’s knife.

BONUS. Fresh Flowers.

I’ve been trying for ages to get wildflowers to grow around our house, and finally have seen some success. It’s nice to cut a few⁸ when I’m out in the yard and to come in and put them in one of the many assorted glass jars we have around the house. Really just brightens up the kitchen.

There you are: five six small and simple things to make your life in the kitchen easier. Let me know if you have any other suggestions — otherwise, enjoy the weekend. Pluck a few flowers, sprinkle a little salt, wipe up a few messes… you know the drill.

Us, we’re taking a little getaway for Mrs. CWD’s birthday — which I’d be remiss not to mention. We’re heading up to Cape Ann, enjoying the salt, the sea, and the sand. Eating some lobster, some ice cream, maybe some chocolate cake, definitely wishing a very happy birthday to her!

While you’re writing her a birthday card, here are a few other things I’ve recently enjoyed:

• Backcountry moose hunting in Maine.

• Why you⁹ should buy the new Land Cruiser.

• Eating and adventuring in Ireland.

• In praise of systems from

  The Contender
  .

• Playing with fire with Francis Mallmann.¹⁰

1. That’s channeling Mushashi, who thinks deeply of the world and lightly of himself. Maybe I should take his advice more often.

2. That’s Ginsberg, Holmes! The rest is all CWD.

3. We actually don’t use an Instapot, but do make ample use of our slow cooker.

4. Chef’s knife, cutting board, kitchen towel.

5. Remember the 10% rule.

6. Or thrown haphazardly in the sink.

7. Mrs. CWD, in editing this post, suggested I insert a footnote here reminding you how much I like salt and having a salt cellar.

8. This is also channeling Mushashi, for what it’s worth.

9. You being shorthand for “The Family CWD.”

10. H/T to

Myles Snider

for sharing this one!