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| Mezzaluna courtesy of Wüsthof. |
The kitchen gadgets they used to cook with involved more labor intensive effort and therefore more connection with ingredients. I like that. I imitate it. I don't have a big, heavy-duty mixer. Occasionally I borrow a food processor, but I don't own one. I do use slow-cookers and a rice cooker, but I don't have a microwave any more. One of the tools I really like is an old-fashioned mezzaluna (half-moon) or herb-cutter. Despite the Italian name, its origin is actually English.
I had a mezzaluna once, enjoyed it a lot, and lost it when I relocated. Awhile back my daughter-in-law, Karen Fayeth, did a post, Name Your Favorite Kitchen Gadget. I was one of several who commented in response. I wrote that I like a mezzaluna but had been unable to find one. I thought perhaps they were no longer made. Karen found one and gave it to me for Christmas last year. It's exactly the one pictured above. (World-class, right?) The day I christened it, I made a batch of fish in parsley sauce. Mincing the parsley was quick and easy, but still very hands-on.
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An old English mezzaluna by Tracy Hansen via Wikipedia under GNU Free-Documentation License. |
Good low-tech, high-touch old-fashioned kitchen tools . . . I just love them. A mortar-and-pestle, potato masher or a ricer, cast-iron pots, food mills . . . and mezzalunas. Thanks, Karen!
It was really rather a selfish gift, actually. I've enjoyed everything that comes out of your kitchen, you are an amazing cook!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we got rid of our broken microwave and didn't replace it, I thought I'd never survive. Actually, I hardly miss it. Would be great sometimes for warming up a cup of tea gone cold, but mostly, we do great without it.
The old ways really are the better ways in a lot of instances!
:-) :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks!