My Uncool Kitchen Tool: My Kitchen Stool
I am short. Never made it to 5’4″ — thus my dreams of becoming a long-legged, ballet dancer at Julliard turned into an application for culinary school. Nevertheless, there is still lots of dancing and constant choreography my kitchen. I can create a sauce with poise and handle a knife with equal aplomb but there is nothing graceful about the kitchen tool I use almost as often as my knife — my kitchen stool.
Is a stool a tool? Well when you use it as often as I do to get the job done — it most definitely is. Our kitchen has tall top cabinets that reach the ceiling. As a requisite for the job and an obsession with kitchen goodies from glassware to cake dishes, I have managed to fill them to the top (not to mention all the canning equipment, ice cream machine and food processor we keep in the cabinets above the fridge). The items we use most often are easily accessible but we regularly cook and entertain, so we use everything.
My habit was to jump up on countertops and walk them like a balance beam to get what I needed. But I realized right quick this was a very, very bad example to set for my little boys, not to mention I was banging up my knees in the process.
On a typical Saturday yard sale outing, I came across three, beaten up wooden stools. For $2 each (they wanted $3, but I negotiated — you know that’s half the fun of junking) I was quickly on my way to higher ground. I use these kitchen stools numerous times a day. With each and every climb I feel completely uncool. For the rest of you vertically challenged cooks I know you can relate.
Can I make this must-have, uncool kitchen tool cool? Maybe some paint? I’m thinking something bright. Right now the kitchen really needs a splash of color, so maybe someone cool out there can tell me what color would make this kitchen tool cool?
Maureen C. Petrosky writes what she knows, food, booze and parties. Author of The Wine Club, she appears regularly on The TODAY show to share her vices, and advice with the world. For more info check out www.maureenpetrosky.com or follow her on twitter @maureenpetrosky.
(Images: Maureen Petrosky)