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A few months ago, the Epicurious photo team cleaned out its prop closet, leaving many of the dishes and cutlery you see in our photos up for grabs. I took home a ton of tiny bowls for no reason other than I thought they were pretty. They were a mix of trendy stoneware and brightly colored pottery, all photoshoot ready, and I was powerless to resist them. They were of varying sizes, but all on the small end of the spectrum. (If you're wondering what constitutes a "small bowl," I'd say anything that's significantly smaller than a cereal bowl. )
As I shoveled them into my arms, I loudly lamented my propensity to clutter my life with useless objects. "I don't need these," I whined while I kept my eyes peeled for more. That's when my co-worker Anna came to reassure me. "You do need them," she said. "I use my small bowls all the time."
Anna turned out to be right. Since I happened into owning these pretty little bowls, I've used them more than any piece of dishware in my kitchen. I use the slightly larger bowls in the set—those with a 250ml capacity—for my morning bowls of yogurt and granola or oatmeal. Something about eating breakfast from a little bowl that's wider and flatter than a cereal bowl is extremely pleasing to me. I also use them to serve cups of espresso and macchiatos (hot tip: if you want to feel like a cool European, drink coffee out of a bowl).
BUY NOW: East Fork Pottery Breakfast Bowl, $22 at eastfork.com
Small bowls are also great for portioning out ingredients when cooking. Quite a while ago, I had tasked myself with doing a mis en place every day for a week. I loved it and vowed to do my cooking that way forever, but naturally, I fell off the bandwagon. Having pretty, convenient bowls to portion out prepped ingredients got me back in the mis en place habit, once again making my cooking more organized and accurate. They're the perfect size for a small portion of chopped scallions, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, or a single egg yolk for carbonara. These bowls have utility!
BUY NOW: Now Designs Terracotta Pinch Bowls, $15 for 6 on amazon.com
I also use the bowls to portion out snacks when I write. Eating pretzels from a little bowl is much more civilized than precariously holding a heaping handful while trying to type with one hand. I found that it helped me eat more mindfully, too—I was snacking with purpose, not stress-eating with zero control over my actions. And, oh, what's that? You wanted a perfectly-portioned amount of hummus to go with your pretzels? Put it in another small bowl! One bowl for dippers, one bowl for dips. Of course, if you're not snacking alone, you should absolutely use the bowls to create a whole party spread.
BUY NOW: Falcon Enamelware Bowls, $51 for 4 at needsupply.com
Here's the last thing I use these little guys for: condiments! Yes, you might think it sounds fussy to dirty an extra dish to hold the ketchup or mayo for your French fries. I would have agreed with you before small bowls came into my life, but now I can certifiably say that the joy they spark far outweighs the 10 seconds of washing an extra dish. They're also great for kids who don't like foods to mix or are fussy about condiments being on the side of their plate. And it's a great presentation move to serve your sauce in a small bowl for a dinner party.
Basically, if you buy a set of smaller-than-cereal-sized bowls, you'll find they offer endless utility and make your kitchen a more beautiful place. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong!
BUY NOW: Sakai Pottery Traditional Japanese Rice Bowls, $24 on amazon.com
