shouting hallelujah

Today I hung two loads of laundry out to dry. As I moved along the lines, stretching to pin up endless soggy garments, the mosquitos gathered so thick I felt like something out of Jumanji, pinning and swatting simultaneously, increasingly frantic. I came away from battle peppered with angry welts.

In the afternoon, the rain came, sudden Florida storm. It soaked all the line-dried clothes that now slump around the house, forlornly attempting to dry once more.

And later, I packed our first box for moving. Sweaters and scarves and big woolen jackets.

Take that, Florida.

Today, The Kitchn profiles its 10 most useful kitchen gadgets.

Now I know that by starting as an impecunious college student—then learning most of my cooking abroad where I had minimally furnished kitchens—has made me an idiosyncratic cook. But this list further shows just how offbeat I am. Refer to it, then check out my list of most-used items in my kitchen.

1. electric tea kettle: used to boil water for broth, get a head start on pasta boil-water, or, in Uganda, to set below a metal dish of chocolate as a sort of ghetto double-boiler
2. iPod touch: all the recipes and conversions you’ll ever need, with its own built-in timer. Plug it into a player, and you have music to keep you company.
3. bottle opener: because we were approximately 12 when we got engaged and registered for our kitchen stuff, we picked this little fellow. He never fails to make us laugh.

   

4. a really nice ice cream scoop: another gift from our wedding. I was raised by serious ice cream eating parents who at Lent choose to give up alcohol, rather than the frozen stuff, so this is essential for my emotional well-being.
5. our fancy sleek toaster oven: ensuring us toasty bagels, crisp reheated pizza and evenly heated leftovers. I never had one growing up, and knew it was a priority. I use it on average twice a day.
6. our even fancier old-fashioned espresso maker: a necessity for John. It’s also good to have one really nice piece of equipment to make something special for guests. And because it has a milk foamer, we can also make chai lattes and such. Plus, it looks really cool on the counter.
7. compost bucket: It’s changed the way we deal with waste, especially in this house without a garbage disposal. When I keep it cleaned out and in sync with the cans of recyclables, we limit our trash to one grocery paper bag a week.
8. notepads: I am a list-maker, and without ready paper, I would be adrift in the grocery store
9. cloth napkins: We just made the switch last week by turning a length of fabric given to us as a gift in Uganda into a half-dozen batik-fabric napkins, and already love the long-range usefulness
10. The Wooden Spoon: Forget whisks and electric mixers. Even forget the other stuff. You can do it all, with just the wooden spoon.