Old Dog, New Tricks

I come from a long line of over stocked kitchens and too many gadgets. My mother’s and my grandmother’s kitchens were crammed with pots, pans, containers and containers with utensils. Either because of small kitchens or an affinity to collect stuff, probably both, their kitchen counter and shelf space was always packed.

My inherited propensity to acquire things is abated by an abhorrence of clutter. This is why I hate special purpose gadgets. Like cookie scoops.

I once made fun of my daughter’s boyfriend’s cookie scoop. This was when they shared a studio apartment with a ticker tape sized kitchen. Of all the practical, multi-purpose kitchen tools to have, a cookie scoop was not one of them. Even if he was an avid cookie maker, a teaspoon and finger seemed more than adequate for the job.

Fast forward to my year in culinary school where a mandatory tool kit included a #40 cookie scoop. I was disgusted with having to buy this and kept it hidden away in my kit bag for months.

Eventually I had to make cookies. On a whim, I dusted out my cookie scoop and gave it a try. What a time saver! How evenly sized were the cookies! I could make more cookies in half the time! Why had I never tried this before!

So, I am a convert. My cookie scoop has moved out of my kit bag and into my kitchen drawer. It’s a bit cluttered in there but if I move things around and the jiggle the drawer, it will close just fine.

Ucluelet, Vancouver Island. July 2019