Such a pretty and useful tool: Spoon Rests.

When I was a young woman I had been given a really pretty antique tablecloth. I decided to use this special item for a small dinner party. At this first of many dinner parties, I served a red wine based main dish. Little did I know that the sauce from my entree would make its presence known for the rest of my life. At some point during the course of the evening, a guest decided it would be just fine to plop the serving spoon down upon my beautiful table covering. That right there was indeed a learning moment for me. Always, always, always, have something available for dinner guests to place messy serving utensils! For many years, I would use the saucers from my tea cups. I would set one by each server. They would take up much of my buffet and counter space. However, they did do the trick and I no longer suffered from stains ruining my pretty fabric table coverings. A few years ago I discovered the most fantastic specialized, space saving serving tool: the spoon rest. Mind blown! 

I have, over a period of time, amassed a rather nice collection of different styles and decorated spoon rests. You know, these things are actually rather versatile. When we moved to a much smaller kitchen, I was forced to rethink everything I own and repurpose their use in new and wonderful ways. My collection does so much more than resting spoons these days. I eat an awful lot of olives. I use the larger deeper spoon rests to hold a snack size amount of olives for nibbles. I use an additional rest to collect pits, if I am eating whole unpitted olives. The same goes for dates. I love a sweet, gooey, delicious date. Did you bring home a sushi roll for dinner? Or, are you serving an Asian dish that requires a soy sauce side? The spoon rests with the scooped edge are perfect for dipping sushi rolls or pouring individual soy sauce servings onto your dinner. I have also been known to serve a few spoonfuls of condiments, like ketchup, mustard, or mayo, in my spoon rests. My cat is a hot mess of hungry, all the time; “meow, feed me now!” I find the spoon rest to be perfect for a quick kibble snack to tide him over a few hours. In a pinch when I have a recipe that calls for an unholy amount of spices, a spoon rest will hold overflow measured spices and pour nicely into the mixing bowl. A final use I have found for my spoon rests: tea bag serving and containment. I have heard that some ladies serve individual appetizers and individual chocolate covered strawberries in their spoon rests. The uses are wide and varied for these wonderful, fun, and pretty kitchen tools. Don’t you need several in your kitchen too?