I was cooking last night and it occurred to me (not sure why) that I use two particular utensils much, much more than others. This then had me thinking, in a general minimalist downsizing train of thought, if I could only have 2 kitchen utensils, which ones would they be?
The Knife
The obvious one is the knife. Generally always needed and most utilised in the kitchen. One, well, cuts with it. Mince, dice, sliver, chops… a good knife does all these things. And I also use the side of the blade to crush, such as garlic.
I have a vintage Henckel steel knife that is my go to knife for everything cutting. It was Pumpjack’s birthday present to me a few years ago.
And why is it my go to, what I would keep if I was downsizing, knife? It’s carbon steel, as opposed to stainless steel. It rusts, hence why knives these days are not made out of it, but it also is very very easy to sharpen. And a sharp knife is beauteous thing to work with in the kitchen.
Choices Choices
So the easy choice is the knife, but what of the other choice? I’ve been thinking about this for awhile.
I love a downsized lifestyle. Or should I say the opportunity to rid ourselves of some of the clutter that always seems to accumulate. In addition, I love homesteading, self sufficiency and old stuff. Combine these… and I came up with why I can only chose 2 utensils. (Well, the thought process worked for me.)
2 Utensils or Not 2 Utensils
So, the other utensil I decided would be tongs. Yup, tongs. Not a spoon. I can use the tongs to stir and to grab. Okay maybe whisk action would be pretty tricky, but I generally find myself using my tongs when the knife doesn’t, well, cut it. (Sorry, I just had to say it.)
What would your two be?
Other choices
If you would like to read more of our downsizing thoughts and suggestions, from having a new wardrobe for free to using a computer less, from how to save money on your food bill to even living on €£$50 a week, you can find all our tales in our Downsizing Fun findings.
But, if you are not a minimalist at heart, and prefer a larger choice of utensils in the kitchen, please do check out our Kitchen Gadgets section in our shop. There are some especially weird and wonderful utensils to be found there, as well as the more normally used.
Click on an image below to go see…
I wouldn’t have thought of tongs, but that’s a good choice as it is very versatile. That said, I only use one made of wood for my “cornichons” (gherkin).
The two utensils that I use the most in my kitchen are:
– a wooden spoon (that we call in French “une papinette”–though only a few French, and real cooks know its true name, and it is mistakenly called “cuillère en bois”.)
– a vegetable peeler…
and, of course, a knife (ceramic knife, preferably), if I can squeeze it! 🙂
I love wooden spoons (and thank you for teaching me ‘une papinette’. I had not known that. If I had gone for 3 utensils I would have chosen a spoon for my third (but shallow or deep tbc?), but I was being hard on my desert island self, hence only 2. Much trickier.
A corkscrew. Definitely a corkscrew. Or a knife with a very sharp point that could do the job of opening the ever-essential wine bottle!
Lol. There’s always the shoe method to open a bottle of wine. 🙂
Ah, the corkscrew’s been done! The golf glove then, for opening EVERYTHING else
Now I would NEVER have thought of that. That is fab! And I have never tried it, so it is a must do. Now where did I put that glove….?