Favorite Tool #7 My Wooden Stirring Stick

It’s curves are perfect. It is narrow enough at the tip to fit into the edges of pots and the handle flairs out to just-the-right size for my hand to grasp. This stirring stick has been in my kitchen tool pot forever. If I ever pare down my all the items in my kitchen (which, if I’m being honest, will probably never happen) this tool would always stay. I can’t remember where I picked it up or if someone gave it to me. Perhaps I’ve had it since the cradle or since I first started collecting kitchen gadgets.

Wooden spoons and stirrers can be so personal. If you want to see some amazing ones click here, they’re pricey but delicious. I look forward to seeing Herriott Grace’s new inventory every few months just so I can drool. You can often find a nice selection of wooden spoons at your local craft fair. My suggestion is to pick up one that catches your eye. See how it feels in your hand. Close your eyes and stir it in an imaginary pot. Is it a keeper or should you try others? You’ll know when you’ve found the one.

I would love to know what your favorite wooden spoon or stirring stick is. Send me an email 50recipes@gmail.com* with a picture attached and I’ll feature them all in a future post.

*Wordpress is trying to protect me from spammers by not making my email clickable. You’ll need to copy and paste it into your mail program if I’m not in your address book.

Round and Round

I know very little about this piece, other than the fact it has a paten mark from Sept. 3,  1867. If I were a cook 140+ years ago I would have been charmed to own this nutmeg grater. Truth be told I’ve been charmed to have owned this great tool for the last twenty years.

Nutmeg trees actually produce two spices – nutmeg and mace. Mace isn’t a spice I use very often but there is a great sounding vegetable soup recipe at Béatrice Peltre’s blog which calls for it. While mace isn’t a frequently used spice, nutmeg is one that I often reach for. I used to buy pre-ground nutmeg in a jar, which has a deliciously powerful scent that wafts up to you the moment the jar is opened. The problem is once the jar has been opened the scent and some of the flavor fade. Which is why I’m a proponent of grating your own nutmeg. It’s fun to take a look at the variety of nutmeg grinders pictured on the internet.

Illustration of nutmeg and mace from Alan Davidson's The Oxford Companion to Food

Grating nutmeg is incredibly satisfying. Whether it’s the zing I add to a bowl of creamy steamy mashed potatoes (a great tip from Alan Pirie), a whisper of nutmeg on top of  a cold glass of eggnog and rum, or that titillating taste that will have people wondering what did you put into that peach blueberry cobbler–this is the tool you need.

If you’re lucky enough to own a grater like this you’ll also need another handy kitchen tool – a toothpick. The punched holes need to be cleaned out every so often as bits of the grated nutmeg tend to plug them up.

Whip It Good

Many  years ago we invited a Smith College Thanksgiving orphan to share our turkey day with us. The college does not serve Thanksgiving dinner to the small number of students who stay on campus over the holiday weekend, instead offering them vouchers to local restaurants. Hearing that students weren’t getting a homemade dinner, local alumnae began inviting the Thanksgiving orphans to their homes for a family meal.

Favorite Tools #1

I have more kitchen stuff than any normal person has a need for. I tell myself that the vast horde of pots, pans, obscure devices, and hundreds of cookie cutters are necessary because of my food styling work, but the truth is I have a bit of a collecting problem. So when I read Jane Lear’s post on her favorite pot it got me to thinking about