2018_September-October.indd

the Home Cooking issue

Joe’s Spaghetti Pot When Papa cooks, a big pot makes for a deep dish

words by Pableaux Johnson I n any high-traffic kitchen, a cook’s favorite utensils not only get plenty of use over time, they might also get nicknames. You might reach for the “good cornbread skillet” that’s got 10 years of seasoning built up or the “pointy ladle” that hooks nicely on the “tall gumbo pot” so it doesn’t fall in.With these tools close at hand, a cook’s life goes a lot more smoothly and makes a kitchen feel like home. Most of my “good tools” hang on my tiny kitchen’s pegboard wall — a “hook-and- holes” solution that gives my tiny cooking space 12 feet of accessible vertical storage. Go-to pans and gadgets — omelet pan,

pasta strainers, pressure cooker — hang around shoulder height, so as not to require much of a reach. Lesser-used specialty items (jambalaya pan, Dutch oven) hang higher, and largely ceremonial pots cluster close to the ceiling, keeping sentimental watch over the whole room. Hanging from the highest hook, “Joe’s Spaghetti Pot” stands out like the proverbial star atop the Christmas tree. The weathered, Army-surplus stockpot (stamped “USME 1943”) sticks out 18 inches from the wall, with enough room to boil a regulation- sized basketball if you had a mind to. Over the years, Joe’s Pot has picked up more

than its share of unscrubbable scorch marks and mystery dents that couldn’t quite be hammered smooth. Long since replaced by heavier, more efficient modern pots, Joe’s Spaghetti Pot hangs high in functional retirement, reminding me of epic family dinners of childhood. In our New Iberia kitchen, Joe’s Spaghetti Pot was our largest (but rarely pressed into everyday service) cooking vessel. Like the Thanksgiving turkey roaster, it only got trotted out for special occasions, though not the ones that show up on any holiday calendar. When Joe broke out his Spaghetti Pot, we were in for a theatrical mealtime performance

52

MY ROUSES EVERYDAY

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018