I must have brought it to a pot luck and left it behind, because my can opener is missing.
Last night I made stuffed peppers with ground turkey, onion, garlic, rice and parmesan and tomato. I bought a can of whole tomatoes and couldn’t find my can opener.
First, I looked everywhere. I mean everywhere. I finally put the final utensils in drawers and then moved some things around, like baking stuff and graters together, all the instant read and candy thermometers together.
Then I got down to brass tacks. Found my old Swiss Army knife. Didn’t work. What did, in the end was poultry shears to cut back 1/3 of the top of the can. I was sweating by then. My needle-nosed pliers were next, to roll back the top like a can of anchovies.
It worked but in 1/20th the time, I could have an OXO Good Grips can opener and not break a sweat.
You know I’m not one for unnecessary kitchen equipment. I don’t have a huge espresso/cappuccino machine because we don’t drink coffee. Or a rice cooker taking up huge amounts of counter space, because we have a stove and pot and lid. Of course I don’t use mushroom or corn brushes or strawberry hullers. That’s what human hands are made to do, not cutesy Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table utensils.
A can opener is a good thing to have, even though I don’t open a lot of cans. Usually just good San Marzano tomatoes for sauces et al. Maybe cannellini beans to rinse for an Italian salad with dry salame, red onion, herbs and vinaigrette.
As I whacked away at this can, I thought of that day long ago in the woods in Mendocino at a cooking apprenticeship when my landlord said there was free wood in the barn. I hacked away with a dull axe until I realized I could cut my legs off and no-one would ever find me. Same as yesterday, I thought I would cut myself and my dog wouldn’t get her dinner and my husband would find me bleeding out on the kitchen floor.
Today, I’m buying a new can opener. No, not the electric kind that takes up precious counter space, a quality hand-crank model. Sounds like a trip up to BB&B.
The mixture was quite good, red peppers topped with it, plus a few breadcrumbs and additional parmigiano reggiano, it was moist and delicious. Happy cooking, Dee
Cooking with Dee 