Stay Sharp
I lived in Brooklyn for two short years of my life starting when I was 25. For some of that time, I worked in a wonderful little independently owned cookware shop. I learned a lot about cooking (in theory, not practice): about tri-ply pans, cast iron care, hand-hammered knives, silicone spatulas, spring-form pans, and Silpat baking sheets. There were also tons of gadgets. Garlic crushers with wheels, egg yolk separators, Japanese butter knives, clip-on pasta strainers, and collapsable measuring cups. There were so many THINGS.
But my biggest discovery that year was the Y-shaped potato peeler. We had grown up with the classic straight potato peeler and I always struggled to get the smaller end of potatoes peeled efficiently. Or on cucumbers, the peeler would rarely make it down the length of the cucumber before shorting out. It’s not like my childhood was full of potato and cucumber peeling, but I just had never known there was an alternative tool to that terrible straight potato peeler.
When I finally took home a Y-peeler, I want to say it was life-changing. It really wasn’t, but it still felt miraculous. All of a sudden I had in my hands a peeler that was effective, controllable, and un-awkward. It changed very little of my daily life (I didn’t/don't eat a lot of potatoes in particular) but in those small moments of peeling, the world was just a little bit better.
I’ve also occasionally lived in places without a potato peeler at all. And in that case, the going gets tough. My paring-knife skills are lacking and peeling a potato with the old-fashion way is a workout for me. To peel it with a straight peeler is annoying. To peel it with a Y-peeler...dare I say perfection.
I left my current kitchen supplies packed up in boxes this summer and came back to find my beloved Y-peeler quite rusty. He (I have given him a gender-based on Italian language rules) still worked but didn’t have the same edge as usual (pun intended). My life-changing tool had suddenly dulled.
I honestly have never seen a Y-potato peeler in Italy. There are restaurant-type outfitting stores for kitchen tools, but there aren’t the same niche stores that we have so well merchandised in the USA. Most kitchens have basic Ikea utensils as well, so I rarely have to hunt down additional items. But when I inquired with my friend (the same one who called to my attention that eating with a rusty potato peeler might not be the safest bet), she informed me that what I was looking for was found in a hardware store. The last place I would ever look.
So life lesson for today? Sometimes there are things out there to help us that we could have never imagined. The Y-potato peelers of life. We’re so used to struggling with what is given to us, the idea that there might be a tool or gadget to make moments easier is completely foreign. AND, sometimes that tool is where we’d least expect it, which means we have to get out a bit to find what we didn’t know we were looking for. Finally, just like my trusty and now rusty Y-peeler, sometimes our tools need a little updating. Sometimes they need a simple sharpening, sometimes they need to be replaced.
I have to admit that I’m pretty unwilling to try new kitchen gadgets, but maybe because I'm generally cooking for one, not a family. When something works fine, that's enough. But I admit, once you’ve chopped garlic with a little unit on wheels, there’s no going back. And cucumber/potato peeling with a Y-peeler...I feel so stupid for ever thinking I could manage with what I had. But in the end, it’s a process. Find your tools. Use your tools. Keep them sharp. Replace them when they’re dull.
What tools are you using to get you through everyday moments?
Recently, I've been searching in my personal tool bag to see what might be useful as the days shorten and the water gets colder. I've reconnected with the world of yoga to help me with sore muscles, deep breathing, and early mornings. I’m starting with what I know, but exploring beyond to understand what else I might like. Even if I know what works, I'm always wondering what else might be even better.
Would be so happy to hear what works for you, what else your looking for, and of course...what is your favorite kitchen gadget?
Just a little update that Belonging will start next week (I pushed back the date) and I have two spots available. Calling all curious, brave, wonderful women to join me and others in supporting each other and themselves!
Until next week and sending sunshine,
Henna
PS: Photo of my favorite potato salad with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, scallions, and tuna (and olive oil salt and pepper).