KITCHEN FAVOURITES 4
Materialism is a bad thing — right? Sure, if we mean the value system that regards affluence as life’s big dream and goal, and the belief that possessions bring happiness, and, thus, more possessions equal more happiness. But there is another way of looking at the word: if we think of ‘materialism’ as the art of appreciating all matter’s intrinsic value, then we might be able to turn it into a positive. We can learn to cherish the objects that surround us, to take care of them — even to love them. This might be particularly true for the objects we have in our kitchens, because we don’t just look at them, we use them, we have them in our hands, and they give back to us what we give to them. Sharpen your knives and slicing tomatoes will be a breeze. Rub some oil onto that steel pan and your next sunny-side-ups will slide right out. And so on. We asked fifteen people for their favourite kitchen tools, and got the following fifteen love stories.
Spatial designer Enzo’s father thrifted this bottle opener in the late seventies, in what was then the American Sector of West-Berlin. It has always been a part of Enzo’s life. A couple of months ago, Enzo by chance stumbled upon the Instagram account of a New York furniture shop, which sold a remarkably similar one. Turns out it’s a classic — not just in Enzo’s world, but in the world of design, too.
When her grandmother passed away, Rosemarie, 85, inherited her meat grinder. It has been grinding since 1880, although, these days, it’s in use only to make Rosemarie’s famous Christmas cookies. However, as Rosemarie says, it could just as well be used to kill someone — that’s how heavy it is. They truly don’t make them like this anymore.
While most of us are not proud of it, of course we care about good looks — but every once in a while, it is truly other qualities that make us love something. Such is the case for photographer Samia and her little teflon saucepan, which has the perfect size for a single portion of ramyun, which in turn is pretty much the perfect meal. It might be old and slightly past its prime, but true love does not care about such banalities.
Most life decisions boil down to setting priorities, and journalist Nils’s priorities become crystal clear with a single look in his kitchen cupboards. They’re practically empty, as Nils favours order and clarity over abundance. But how does one cook without tools, you might ask. Easy. Wet lettuce? Tea towel. Spices that need grinding? Tea towel and spoon. Hot pan? You guessed it. This linen tea towel — which ages like fine wine — isn’t just Nils’s favourite kitchen tool, it is practically his only.
Lukas was trained as a chef, but soon realised how many drawbacks there are to that profession. So six years ago, he decided to take his passion on a different track and become a food stylist, which is a true craft. And for crafts you need tools, and for tools you need a proper tool case. He found this vintage GDR model by the company Parat and hasn’t looked back. It contains everything he needs, which, contrary to popular belief, does not include hairspray and lipstick.
Anna is a prop stylist known for her keen eye and classy taste, so, naturally, one expects nothing but the finest porcelain and clearest crystal in her kitchen. But, come morning, Anna needs her coffee, and she needs it fast. One day, she had an idea and created this Frankensteinian contraption — which can only be described as a true life hack.
Some items are just so well designed they are always a pleasure to use. Such is the case for Jochen and his orange jug. No pesto coming from his kitchen does not pass through it. What makes it great is that it’s narrow enough for a stick blender to move all the ingredients at once, while being tall enough to hold quite a bit.
Who says cooking is all a kitchen is good for? Certainly not fashion designer Renli! Controversial opinion, but cooking can be kinda boring — unless you’ve got a K-drama playing in the background, or never-ending TikTok reels. If you ask Renli, you don’t need much in your kitchen, but you do need a tiny little iPad.
Sissi is well-known for her food and travel platform Eating in Berlin, so it’s safe to say she knows good food. This type of food container — which is essentially the Chinese version of Tupperware — is connected to her earliest food memories, when her grandfather would pick up food from the cantine with little Sissi in tow. These containers were ideal for the job, as they keep the food nice and hot.
Friederike got this hand-carved wooden spoon as a gift from the person who made it, during a visit to Slovakia as a part of her studies in gastronomic sciences. With her collective Die Gemeinschaft she aims to bring together craftspeople from all aspects of the gastronomic world, and this spoon perfectly fits into her philosophy: as a one-off, it’s a completely irreplaceable, delicate, beautiful piece of art that’s worth cherishing.
Photographer John loves coffee in all shapes and forms: foamy cappuccinos and silky flat whites, flavourful espressos too. At one point, he even tried mastering these drinks on a home espresso machine, until he realised that some things are better left to professionals. So he came back to an old classic: filter coffee. Added advantage is that his Moccamaster only takes 90 seconds to get him going in the morning.
It is when we move houses and everything we own passes through our hands that we realise what objects we care about most. For Bijoux, who runs the platform Food Fruit African, it is this nutmeg grater, which positively does NOT land in a box, but instead is transported in her handbag. She fell in love with it eight years ago, and since then, she hasn’t made fish in tomato sauce without it.
Xi, who works as a manager in the hustle and bustle of the Paris luxury industry, does not have much energy to cook when she gets home. In order to sustain a healthy lifestyle, though, she needs to get some nutrition in. This pot is perfect for making quick soups: some noodles, a couple of vegetables — and before long, she’s ready to put her feet up and call it a day.
Photographer Sascha has it all: the career, the life, the responsibilities… When he was younger, however, he lived with his best friend in a shared flat, and things were a little wilder. It might not be fully functional anymore, but this Persian rice cooker from that old flat is a monument of that time. His best friend’s grandmother cooked many crazy good one-pot meals in it — with the best rice crust ever.
When videographer Tony was a little kid, he loved nothing more than hanging out in the kitchen with his mom. At an early age, she taught him everything he needed to know about cooking. When it came to baking, however, there was not much she could teach him. So he taught himself. It started out with box mixes, then he moved on to recipes he found online, and now he has graduated to selling cakes — to an audience that no longer solely consists of his mom.
Photos:
Nils Binnberg, John Brömstrup, Sissi Chen, Friederike Gaedke, Lukas Grossmann, Jochen Hagelskamp, Enzo Lux, Bijoux Mankele, Sacha Polzin, Samia Rachel, Anna-Sophie Siedlaczek, Anna Sourminskaja, Tony Tang, Renli Su, Xi Yu
