Saturday, March 26, 2011

My Not-so-secret Problem: A Bowl Addiction

One of my cyber friends said I should not refer to this as an addiction, but instead refer to myself as a "Vesselarian."  That, in fact, might be more accurate, because I also love pitchers, canisters, and other interesting and artful containers...but today we'll concentrate on bowls.                                                                                                                                                                                             
Tupperware Modular Mates Rectangle/rectangular #4 Blue SealI am not talking about all bowls, as I am also a bowl snob.  I really can't get into plastic bowls...Not the Melamine kind, nor the soft, smarmy silicone ones that lack structural integrity.  I never liked Tupperware bowls much either, even though I admire some of their storage solutions, like my beloved Tupperware Modular Mates Rectangular #4 Containers that hold up to 37 cups of baking staples like flour and sugar, and fit so perfectly in my upper cabinets.  
But, I've digressed...                                                                                                                                                                                                           
13 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (13-0811) Category: Mixing BowlsI'm also not passionate about stainless bowls, for the most part, but do love the usefulness of my four giant (13-quart) ones for mixing up grand batches of granola, and mixing and serving large salads or pasta dishes.                                                                                                      
It is glass and, especially, ceramic bowls that have me hooked.  Larger ones and certain graceful shapes increase my interest.  (I first said they 'raise my lust level to its peak,' but although it was more descriptive, seemed slightly suggestive in a way I didn't want to go!)  Mason Cash mixing bowls seductively call my name. (There we go again...)                                                                                                               
Budget limits my collection of such things, but here are a few of my favorites:                                                                                                                                                      
A feature corner in my kitchen...Fresh fruit & handmade bowls, an unbeatable combo!
The largest (about 7 qts) doubles as my bread bowl



A housewarming present from our ceramics instructor friend.
A gorgeous color,  besides such a thoughtful and wonderful gift.

A cool one found in my in-laws' house.
We think it originally belonged to Hubby's grandmother.
The more commercial entries in my collection.
I like these for their shapes and colors.
They look great in my hutch and are useful sizes, too.
A sentimental favorite.  This was part of the set in which my
grandmother always used to give us ice cream at every visit.
I had wanted to display it in some special manner.
But it sits simply and quietly on my windowsill,
as a reminder of love & hospitality...
and it's as if Grandma holds my rings for me while I bake

Comments (11)

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laxsupermom's avatar

laxsupermom · 732 weeks ago

Love the sentiment of your Grandma holding your rings. So sweet! That polka dotted bowl is so fun. With the big ceramic bowls in upper cabs, do you ever feel afraid of dropping one?
My recent post For Me
I should've shown the scene from farther back...Because they're in the hutch, the white bowls are almost at counter level, so the others aren't very high either. The green one is about straight out from my arms. (Now my cake plates are above what you see in the picture, so I have to be more careful with those.) I've never actually used the polka dot bowl, so it stays put. And it's not very big, so wouldn't be difficult to retrieve safely.
Your bowls are great! Bowls are so practical and yet so pretty. It's fun to collect things too. Your children will appreciate it some day. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for visiting me at Cottage and Creek.
~Lynn

My recent post time to dress the door
Your grandmother's bowl is so sweet. I love the sentiment and the practicality. As an aspiring vesselarian, I have to say that I'm eyeing your green bowl between your roosters. Beautiful!
My recent post A spicy Guinness mustard- part two
My mom gave me the green one a few years ago for my birthday. It's Pfaltzgraff, so maybe not too hard to find.
Well, I just looked on their site and it's not a current choice, but maybe something similar can be found. If not, there are other beautiful bowls just waiting for good homes. ;-)
JC andthensome's avatar

JC andthensome · 732 weeks ago

Speaking of bowls, did you ever find a new bread bowl, or are the dough buckets doing it for you?

I was thinking about you tonight. We had dinner at a local joint known for its chicken but not so much the things that come with it. I ended up with an omelette (not bad), which came with toast. I asked for sour dough. OMG!! Nothing sour in that dough. Not horrid or anything. Just kind of bland and sort of "factory made" rather than baked, if that makes sense. I began to understand on a visceral level why someone would get as deep into providing home baked if that's the norm of what's available. Sheesh!
Never did get a new breadbowl. Everyone pretty much convinced me that the crazing in the current bowl wouldn't hurt anything, and I didn't seem to want to part with the $$ necessary to get a new one. The truth was, I probably would've found the funds if I'd found one I loved. I once saw one of the 9-quart Mason Cash bowls in their creamy color, but didn't have the money to get it. Since I've wanted a new bread bowl, they only seem to come in blah beige, and I just don't love those as much as the memory of the cream one, so the search continues. The buckets are for a different sort of bread, and only for storage...Not great for mixing
.
Speaking of horrid restaurant bread...DH took me out to dinner on my birthday. I chose the restaurant and regretted it. The 'fresh baked' bread that was supposed to accompany my tasteless crab Caesar salad came after the salad was long gone. Not only that, it was heavy, dense, and tasted like white flour. Like eating warm, moist cotton batting, I'd guess. Yuck.
JC andmoreletters's avatar

JC andmoreletters · 732 weeks ago

LOL!!! I guess that makes my toast poly batting. :)

If you ever want to go big time on the bowl, I have the name of the L.A. potter who makes them in the dimensions you need. Anything but blah!
That's VERY tempting. Does the potter have a website or photos on one somewhere?
I love you even more now that I know you have a vessel problem! I am quite similar. Love the white with red polka dots. And the purple handmades look stunning...esp. next to the pretty Sur la Table ad!
My recent post I’m Pregnant With My General Contractor’s Baby…And Other Things That Can Go Wrong With Your Kitchen Remodel
Now you might be able to guess why I was drawn to that particular picture for the Sur la Table link!

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