Those early episodes of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat did a number on me. There I was sitting in my living room watching Samin Nosrat move around northern Italy, chopping it up with butchers, townspeople, and chefs. That first episode in particular was grounded in the properties of olive oil and the fat in food. I’m telling y’all this because, with everything going on in episodes 1 and 2, what stuck with me most was the kitchen of Italian chef and author Benedetta Vitali (episode 1). That sister had cookware hanging on the wall. One, we didn’t hang cookware in my house growing up. Second, her pots and pans were different shapes and sizes, but what stood out most were their colors.
I immediately had a visual of me tryna hang cookware in my pre-war, Brooklyn apartment, and the disaster that would follow minutes after me thinking the job was done.
But back to my attention on cookware. As my family can attest, in my youth, I didn’t pay much mind to anything but the food in a kitchen. What you cooking? What are the portions? Basically, damn that smells good. Is there enough for me to have seconds? In my adult years, I’ve come to appreciate a nice kitchen. What that stove looking like? Where’d you get this fridge from? Can I change the light fixture in my own kitchen? It doesn’t match my aesthetic. All the knobs on these cabinets have to be changed.
The reveal of hanging, multi-color cookware (which I’ve definitely seen before in life but never thought to mind) had me on Google. Well, that search led me to Le Creuset cookware, which at the time was too expensive.
Fast forward 2 years and the summer of the world being closed, I wanted to cook something. I went to my bible aka Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain. I love that damn book. I swear by that damn book. That book means so much to me that it’s getting its own post.
One of the first recipes I noticed called for a pot with a “heavy bottom”. Had no idea what the hell that was. My ma would slap my head if she read this; I should know better. Anyway, I did the search for heavy bottom pots again and stumbled upon Dutch ovens, which led to a viral tweet of me asking folks which Dutch oven they prefer. I apologize to everyone who replied to that tweet with any answer other than Le Creuset. I knew damn well I was buying from that company and tried to minimize the guilt by getting online strangers to co-sign. My bad.
My first Dutch oven arrived just in time for what I now refer to as Bourdain Day (August 15). I gave that Dutch oven the name Zion (he/him) after Duke, and now NBA star, Zion Williamson. The thinking was that everything I’d make in Zion would be a slam dunk, superstar status. I was not wrong. Zion and I have made magic together; he’s my first child.
Zion is a 3.5 qt Dutch oven by Le Creuset. His official color is “Marseille”.
I must confess that I love nice things. While I won’t be hanging cookware in the crib any time soon, I’ve definitely prioritized sitting some of my pots in clear view for guests.
I purchased Zion in summer 2020 and realized right away I made a huge error. Many of the recipes in Bourdain’s book were too much in portion for Zion. I needed a 5 qt heavy bottom pot at minimum. Well, last thing you wanna do is piss off your children, so I gave Zion a year and change before bringing on my next child.
This is Draga (pronounced Dr-ay-ga / drag that first “a”). I named them after a character I created during story time for my nephews. In those stories, Draga was a dragon, and I love the notion that, much like a magical dragon, this 5.5 qt braiser changes tints as its temperature rises.
See what I mean by the color changing slightly? I’ve convinced friends that Draga changes colors when they get hot, so now I’m hellbent on convincing you.
In addition to my L.C. collection pursuit… S/o to my ma for passing down cast iron from my grandma to me. She also felt moved to buy me new cast iron (see the below).
This is Mable (she/her), strong and able. She’s the everyday pan around these parts: breakfast, lunch, dinner. It doesn’t matter. Mable pretty much stays on the stove at all times. That’s home, easy to reach and easy to clean.
Grateful for a 2018 documentary for sending me down this path of fatherhood. If you’re fortunate enough to be invited over for dinner here, say hello to my kids. They take it real personal when folks are rude.
Enjoy your Tuesday. Stretch, drink some water, tell someone you love them.
Talk soon,
R.W.