Two Practically Perfect White Bowls

White bowls are the little black dresses of the kitchen. A small white bowl can hold your morning cereal or yogurt, soup for lunch, and rice and curry for dinner. They act as prep bowls and a place to scramble an egg; they can serve side dishes and salads. I actually have two white bowls that I’ve used for years and really like — they’re practically perfect.

These IKEA bowls came into my kitchen when my husband and I joined households; he had a stash of this basic, inexpensive IKEA 365+ dinnerware, and the bowls were the pieces that stayed. They’re just quintessential bowls, deep enough for a satisfying bowl of soup and large enough to act as a serving bowl, but just the right size still to cup in your hand.

The second white bowl I really love are these basic white bowls from West Elm. I have a few of them, and I picked them up because I like the way the lip curves in a gently organic, unexpected way. These bowls are also flat on the bottom, which makes them really perfect for almost anything, but especially dessert — a slice of cake or cobbler, a scoop of ice cream.

They’re a little smaller and more shallow than the IKEA bowls, and I find that I put them both to use all the time in my kitchen.

Do you have an essential white bowl in your kitchen? Where’s it from?