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The Best $5 I Ever Spent Was on a Set of Funnels — Seriously

Lola Méndez
Lola Méndez
Lola Méndez is an Uruguayan-American freelance journalist. She writes about sustainability, travel, culture, and wellness for many print and digital publications such as CNN Travel, Lonely Planet, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Ozy, and Bustle, in addition to her responsible travel blog, MissFilatelista.com. She's a full-time globetrotter who travels to develop her own worldview and has explored over 60 countries. Passionate about sustainable travel, she seeks out ethical experiences that benefit local communities.
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updated Sep 14, 2020
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Review of funnel
Credit: Nopro

When the pandemic struck, I was visiting my parents in Uruguay. I was happy to be there, however my fatherland is one of the most meat-centric countries on earth. (Not exactly the easiest place for a vegan like me!) In addition to eating a vegan diet, I also try to cook with sustainability in mind. One way I do that: I started saving all of my vegetable scraps (except cabbage) throughout the week and storing them in a freezer bag. When the bag is filled, I now plop the odds and ends, a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, and a bay leaf into a pot of boiling water to make stock.

Read more: How To Make Vegetable Stock

Sounds simple enough. And yet, disaster struck the first time I drained the boiled vegetables. Spooning out all the big pieces was easy, but when it was time to pour the liquid into a storage container, well, my parents’ counter took a bath.

Credit: Lola Méndez

I needed to find a funnel — not a simple task in Uruguay where I have yet to find simple measuring cups. I wanted a metal version, but had no such luck. Eventually, I bought a set of plastic funnels for $5 at a grocery store. The mouth on the biggest one is big enough to pour a cup of broth at a time, and the funnel part is small enough to trap any excess chunks and stems that don’t belong.

Nopro Plastic Funnel Set
$6.94
Amazon
Buy Now

Will every single one of you here need a funnel? Probably not. But if you make stock or broth of any kind, then I can’t recommend it enough. (Although these funnels are also especially great for anyone who buys spices/dried goods in bulk!) This cheap tool has simplified my broth-making process and helps me keep my parents’ countertops a lot neater.

Armed with my trusty funnel, I actually look forward to this weekly ritual of repurposing my food waste into broth. While I wait for the bag to fill up, I love looking at all the scraps and taking a moment to be grateful for the nutrition they provided my body that week. It’s the little things these days. And, honestly, it doesn’t get little-er than a set of funnels in the kitchen.