I have a set of these from Corning that are at least 15 years old. At least. They may be a little smaller. I bought them on a whim. I’ve used them for everything from creme brulee to M&Ms. Ceviche appetizers to palate cleansers. Nuts. Pickles. I have even made popovers in them once. Condiments at upscale barbecues. They get used often enough that I can lay my hand on them in the cabinet where the live without actually looking.
So whatcha’ got? Gadgets need not apply. Stupid little useful things is a whole new category.
Antique flow blue butter pats, about 6-8 of them, similar to the pic below. I use them for mise en place for dry spices (or for minced garlic, etc.) Hand wash only.
I also have lots of small ramekins. As you say they are very useful. They are used for tea bags to prevent drips taking them to the bin, a rest for my V60 cones to prevent drips, holding maltesers, minstrels or chocolate buttons to ensure fair shares or for mise en place when cooking Asian food, to hold various sauces, pastes and additions. Never bought one though as they always came with our favourite puddings.
Iced tea spoons (e.g., good for getting stuff out of tall jars) and bamboo chopsticks (e.g. heat-resistant cooking utensils, especially for non-stick pans, and two laid parallel are a quick base for hot pans on a table).
I also find ramekins useful, but I have way more of these, and use these the same way. I’ve forgotten what they’re called; from my “tapas” phase. I must use about five a day.
I was gifted these herb scissors and thought they would be pretty useless. Now I can’t live without them. (I lost the comb immediately, but they’re not hard to clean.)
I also use my ramekins for most about everything other than baking something in them. I use them so guests and I can make little bowls of dipping sauce for hot pot when we do our holiday got pot dinners. They hold leftover chopped scallion, garlic and of course leftover sauce that you can’t throw out because you have some leftovers. It also really holds the leftover bacon fat until i can use it for something when I make dinner.
I steam things a lot so those small plates are great for streaming frozen buns or anything else you need to heat up in a wok or steamer.
I have metal skewers that are used to seal up your poultry, but turns out i use them more to punch a little hole in egg before i cook it. If i want a perfectly cooked egg for homemade ramen, and I can’t break out the sous vide, a trick I learned is punching a small hole before putting it in the boiling water. Swirl it in the pot while you cook, and the water will cook the egg more evenly.
