You Don't Have to Have Chef Skills to Have Chef Tools

I used to live in an apartment with very limited space. I had the galley-est of galley kitchens, and there is no way to express just how small it was. The thruway was as wide as my Boston terrier, nose to tail. You couldn’t open the oven while also standing in front of the oven. Needless to say, but storing things in that kitchen was virtually impossible. Now, I live in a house that square footage wise is only slightly larger than that apartment, but the space is used SO much better. And my kitchen! Oh I love my kitchen. It has OODLES of storage space and now I’m buying various items in bulk like I always dreamed.

I love to buy big containers of things and decant them into smaller containers. I didn’t realize just how often I do this until I wrote that sentence. I do this with everything in my shower, and also with my favorite intense moisturizer that only comes in a colossal tub. Countless kitchen staples go in clear containers, and now I have branched out to squeeze bottles that make me feel like a lil’ chef.

This whole setup was HEAVILY influenced by TV chefs I admire. I started buying Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil because Samin Nosrat said it’s the best. But it comes in this massive two liter bottle, so I also needed something to decant it into. Because I’m truly obsessed with the Bon Appétit YouTube channel, I bought some clear squeeze bottles, just like they use in the test kitchen. I know the obvious choice would be a dark glass bottle with one of those olive oil dispenser tops, but 1) I store my olive oil in a pantry so I don’t need to protect from sun/heat and 2) I have erosive arthritis in my hands, which makes glass dangerous and a squeeze bottle easy on my paws.

I bought this pack of three squeeze bottles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I was originally going to get these OXO ones, but even after I screwed the caps on, when I squeezed them air came out. Didn’t seem great for preserving my various elixirs. AND, the ones I bought were cheaper! I also wanted to get bottles with little caps because unlike the BA test kitchen, these bottles aren’t getting used constantly, and I wanted to be able to seal them up.

I got three bottles in the package, but I only needed one for olive oil, and then realized it would be useful to have one for Cholula too. I added labels to them because of course I did (also, my dad stays here and cooks and both our lives will be easier if things are just labeled).

I knew I needed smaller containers, but I didn’t realize how I would instantly be all about that squeeze bottle life. Drizzling olive oil over ravioli, measuring olive oil for recipes, putting hot sauce on my tacos in a nice straight line… I had no idea these would bring me so much joy.