I have too many knives, pans and cooking books... and one ancient Garland oven.
In a food and wine career spanning over 40 years, you acquire a lot of kitchen tools that at every step have some meaning.
I own knives that were used in the hands of cherished relatives in their kitchens, now gone from us; favorite pans cooked in from the restaurants we built and worked at, treasured signed cooking books from friends and colleagues who appreciated something I did and wanted to say thanks.
Our kitchen is full of the memories from each of those items. Each knife, pan and book says something. Every time I use a special knife gifted from an uncle, hone a knife with a steel that was used by my grandfather, heating up a cast iron skillet that cooked thousands of meals for friends and families, revisit an old recipe from a book signed by the author and given to me...all open a door to memories that remind me that cooking is more than just putting together a meal. It's history. It is a tangible connection to your life. It is family.
We have a 36 year old Garland six burner oven in our kitchen. It has seen almost 40 years of Thanksgivings, Christmas Eve dinners, Christmas morning brunches, friends dinner parties, Chili Cookoffs, Rib Sundays, early morning, lunch and dinner cooking for the family and even sometimes used as a pharmacy to fill a requested prescriptions for Dad's chicken soup, ordered to be made by scratch for an ailing friend or offspring. Standfast. Reliable. Irreplaceable.
A friend asked me one time when I would buy a newer model since I have the space for a new, larger, more modern appliance. I always wanted a double oven, griddle top with the six burners...but as I look at my old Garland and the memories it has given, I won't until it cannot work. It's earned it's keep. You've got to stick with your oldest friends.
Speaking of friends, I go into a lot of friends kitchens. Some are like ours...pantries full, obvious kitchen work done often. Usually these friends are great home cooks. Then there are the homes we go to with beautiful kitchens made by architects or luxury home builders. Everything new. All shiny and beautiful. Pristine.. but in many cases, no soul. No history. No stories to tell...just a collection of picture perfect kitchen equipment seldom used and seemingly waiting to be called into action.
Don't get me wrong, these are folks we love to hang with...but when we visit I always feel I need to check if I am an Architectural Digest centerfold. Cooking isn't a passion there, the kitchen is just another showroom in a beautiful home. Sometimes I envy the Viking 48 double oven and broiler, the Sub Zero Walk in Refrigerator, the in-kitchen counter wine cooler plus the 1500 bottle wine cellar. Then I think about all my various and vintage cooking gear...and I feel like when I see all those shiny new things it's kind of like a 65 year old man trotting out a trophy wife. I think I'll keep mine, thank you.
Now that I think about it....I may buy a new knife or pan here and then but in reality I have all the knives and pans and cookbooks I'll ever need. They are our history, the reminders of so many memories, stories and emotions...I can't find those things anywhere else.
There are still more memories to make....and my 36 yr old Garland oven is all I really need to cook a great meal
