My Favorite Gifts, pt. 2

Another of my favorite gifts this year:

A new set of measuring spoons.

I'd been using the set of measuring spoons that I bought at a closeout retail store some 37 years ago. (Anyone remember Pic 'n Save, later went by the name MacFrugals?) These were decent enough measuring spoons when I had good eyesight. Now I find I have to bring the spoons to a strong light source in order to read the measure. 

I know my photography is blurry, but imagine this image isn't blown up.
Also, I took this photo midday right next to a south-facing window.

New spoons -- much more readable.

So, I asked for some new measuring spoons that had a few features in addition to better readability. My needs: rectangular ones so every size could fit into narrow jar openings; flat bottoms so they would rest on the counter without tipping; and finally, stainless steel so they don't stain. The big selling feature for me, though, is I can easily read the measurement.

As I said yesterday, with my gift wish list this year, I wanted gifts that make my work easier.

Favorite Gifts This Year

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas weekend. The work and activity wiped me out for a couple of days afterward, but I'm recovering my energy now. 

My favorite gifts

I have to preface this with a comment that I typically request very practical gifts, especially gifts that make my life easier.

First on my list: an oversized cutting board

This is a 12 by 18-inch white plastic cutting board, 1/2-inch thick. It's a commercial cutting board. My family members bought it from a restaurant supply store. Restaurant supply stores typically carry good-quality, durable, basic kitchen tools at better than department store prices (for similar quality). 

This was an item that I was very specific about. I took measurements of my available countertop work surface, the interior height of my dishwasher, and my storage area for keeping cutting boards. I wanted as large of a board as possible, which would fit within those limitations. The standard sized cutting boards often leave me with a big mess of veggie bits that have migrated off the edges of the cutting board and sometimes onto the floor. I like a large working surface so all the pieces remain on the board until needed. 

To give you an idea on size, the above is a photo of my bread board (which is standard home cutting board size) placed on top of my new white cutting board. I have 2 other plastic cutting boards, one is quite small and used for small chopping jobs, the other is about the size of my wood bread board. I will continue using the other boards along with the new one. I usually choose the cutting board according to the size of mess I anticipate making.

Are your cutting boards large enough for your cooking style? I think some of us are just not so tidy when cooking and need larger surface areas for the different steps. (That's my way of saying that I'm a messy cook.)

Come back tomorrow, and I'll tell you about a couple of other favorite (and practical) gifts from this year.

BTW, my daughters loved the snowman-mittens gift. I love quick crafts that result in cute gifts!