Kitchen Tools

I have a bit of a thing for OXO kitchen utensils. Not everything we use is from that brand, but when something needs replacement I tend to look for an OXO version.

I think it started with replacing an old, poorly made ice cream scoop with a spade, which has a wider, flat blade that makes it easier to shave off a portion from the top surface of the ice cream. After that it was a cheese grater and a pizza cutter, and I was hooked. The thick, rubberized handles are just much easier to grip and use.

When OXO expanded to other product lines, I followed. I have a couple of canisters with locking lids for storing things like coffee beans. A quick look in the kitchen drawers reveals that we also have a vegetable peeler (OXO's first product), a garlic press, and a potato masher (I don't remember purchasing that one). I also just replaced a junky old spreader that I'd found somewhere (probably a dollar store) with an OXO counterpart that has a longer, sturdier blade that is much more effective.

Recently I added a couple of small knives. I prefer working with shorter-bladed knives for things like chopping and slicing, as long as the food being cut is small enough. OXO makes a nice little mini santoku that's great for chopping veggies like carrots and cucumbers. I also got another knife with a thin, straight, serrated blade that is good for cutting tomatoes. And this measuring cup is so easy to use because of its clever design: you can see the markings while looking down on it from above.

As a side note, I read that the man who started the company passed away recently. The idea for the distinctive handles came about because of his wife's arthritis. He had been in the kitchenware business previously, running the company Copco for a couple of decades; he also had an uncle who was the founder of Farberware.