Ceramic Flower Measuring Spoons

Ceramic Flower Measuring Spoons

Aren't these fun?

I found them at - what else - a local thrift shop. They are ceramic; the purple pansy is the smallest measuring 1/4 teaspoon, to the largest, a red poppy measuring one tablespoon. 

Like most good non-precise cooks, I don't usually use measuring spoons. My idea of measuring is several guessing shakes, a few pinches or a couple of dabs. One year my mother did give me one of those sets of plastic measuring spoons that takes up space in a drawer but I can't remember the last time I used them.

Until I found these. 

They are currently hanging from the side of a cabinet where I can see them. When I have a recipe that requires several measurements, I take them down and use them, more for the fun of it than for the measuring precision. I am sure it helps to increase the chance the dish will not only come out edible but can also be more easily replicated, something my mother would have appreciated. She never ceased to ask about a dish she liked only to find out I couldn't give her the recipe because I had just thrown it together earlier that evening and couldn't replicate it even when I tried. A number of times.

Doing a little research online, I didn't find this set but I found a similar one, featuring all red flowers, made in England. That makes sense since even the smallest British homes have their postage stamp gardens carefully planted with fresh herbs and cutting flowers.

Mom taught me to collect what I like. It's easy to get caught up in trying to invest in collectibles but something is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay. Life is complicated enough as it is so I simplify by  picking up things I like, and then use them.

If you want to get someone on the right path cooking, a good basic recipe book like the American Cooking Illustrated Encyclopedia is a good start. But so is a set of measuring spoons that speaks to them. Even if they don't use them, they will have something they can hang as home decor on their kitchen walls as a fun reminder of you.

Charlotte