Kitchen essentials | funnels

Some kitchen items you use once in a blue moon, but when you need them, you really need them. Funnels fall into that category. You haul them out only when you're planning to pour something liquid into a container with a very narrow opening. Not exactly an everyday task - but read on.

Some kitchen items you use once in a blue moon, but when you need them, you really need them. Funnels fall into that category. You haul them out only when you're planning to pour something liquid into a container with a very narrow opening. Not exactly an everyday task - but read on.

Some questions. Do you ever make salad dressing in large quantities and decant it into a bottle? Do you ever make cordials or lemonade or fruit purées for long-term storage? Do you ever pour wine back into the bottle?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions, the funnel is your friend. And this one's particularly friendly because it has a perforated disk (removable) that filters out any bits that may reside in the liquid. The chopped garlic will stay out of the vinaigrette. The seeds from the tomato sauce will be held back.

Funnels come in plastic and stainless steel. Stainless steel is the only type I would ever buy. Where the plastic versions end up looking kind of grungy, steel stays with you forever.

The other major funnel variable is size, and there's an important compromise to be made here. Big funnels with a wide tube can accommodate chunks as well as liquid; they are faster and easier to use. Small funnels are more restricted in their uses, as well as slower. For me, those restrictions are entirely acceptable. I'd rather have something that takes up less storage space while it's waiting, patiently, for the rare occasions when it's totally indispensable.