My immigrant parents were intensely frugal; everything got used, saved, and re-used in my childhood household. Margarine containers were cleaned and repurposed as storage containers. Used envelopes had their stamps carefully peeled off for re-mailing. And every single bit of mayonnaise was scooped out, so it looked like the jar was run through the dishwasher.
Though things have shifted for me as I grew up , that frugality is a core part of my personality. Which is why I loveI have far too many spatulas and spoonulas, in all sizes. They’re handy for gently folding egg whites into cake batter, scraping every bit of pan sauce out of a skillet, and stirring, smoothing, and swooping all manner of things.
Most folks have large and medium spatulas, so they get the most love. However, mini spatulas are surprisingly useful. At first, they seem far too small, until you’re making a sandwich and realize the jar of mayonnaiseempty. But, if you scrape the remaining bits and blobs out, you can get a sandwich's worth of spread. The mini spoonula does this easily—sandwich crisis averted!Once I discovered the usefulness of the mini spatula and spoonula, I found myself reaching more for them.