Fee, Fie, Foe, Friday: Forget the Easter Bonnet, Get a New Pan

Maybe I'm just cranky because here it is Spring, and I am still needing to wear my Uggs. Now, I love my fuzzy, wooly boots, but isn't it time for sandals, Easter bonnets and daffodils? Evidently not. It snowed an inch this morning, and it's the kind of windy cold that makes us bicker about who's turn it is to walk the dog. So if it's too cold where you are, instead of any sort of new Spring clothing, I suggest springing for a new pan, or some another kitchen tool you've been needing for a while.

Here's my reasoning for this: Spring is too short to warrant any new wardrobe items unless you are under the age of 12 or over 75 and need a hat and dress for church. It's going to go from 29ºF to 75ºF in too little time.  Winter to Summer, bypassing Spring.  Not the first time. Just put away the longjohns, and take out the shorts. The rest of us have better things to do with our money. Like buy a food tool we can use everyday all year long. If you take the money you would have spent on an outfit, or even just shoes, you can get a good roasting pan or a braiser like this:

A nice French-made braiser from Staub

I highly recommend you consider this. And if you think a couple of hundred dollars is too much to spend on a pan you'll likely have forever, then tell me truthfully how many pairs of shoes you have in the back of your closet that you never wear and how much they cost. Especially the ones you got for that fancy wedding 3 years ago and ended up dancing barefoot. Gotcha. Now go get that nice roasting pan you'll need for that Easter ham, or the braiser you'll need for that brisket.

The Right Cooking Tools for the Job: Jonathan's Spoons

I am picky about my kitchen tools. Any old thing will not do. And any old thing shouldn't do for you, either. A lot of the time, in my line of work, I run into people who think that a tool you use two or three times a day isn't important. Ask any carpenter or plumber if they'd be able to put out a professional result with substandard tools. Probably not.

If you are going to cook daily, it pays in the long run to get the best kitchen tools you can. A tool not only has to work properly, but also should work with you. It also helps if it's beautiful to look at. There is a certain aesthetic to good tools. You can see it in a kitchen with a rack full of well-used and polished copper pots. A 90 year old black cast iron frying pan. A vintage mortar and pestle.

My favorite spoons and wooden tools come from a company in my home state of Pennsylvania, called Jonathan's Spoons. They feel good in your hand, have graceful, ergonomic shapes, and the cherry wood ages to a beautiful dark patina. I love them. Now just so you know, I don't work for them, and I am not getting paid by them in any way. I just bought another cooking spoon from them this past weekend at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and over the years I've bought five or six, and I have never had any others as beautiful and as functional. They're also a small company owned by real people who make great tools, not a conglomerate. You find them either at the link I've provided above, or at www.woodspoon.com. Go look...and get yourself one or two.

The top spoon is my new one, and the spatula below is one of my older, beautiful pieces
 that have darkened with age,  use, and the occasional coating of mineral oil.