Bowls

There are days when you don't cook much at all. Just yogurt, some berries, toasted oats. And yet breakfast is a small feast, because the bowl in which it all lies is a hand-thrown one from Portugal – with a fine blue line on the rim that circles along when you stir.

A good bowl is one of the most underrated items in the kitchen. It holds muesli in the morning, soup in the evening, salad for the center of the table, dips for an aperitif, and the apple you eat in front of the TV. Hardly any vessel is used more often – and noticed so little consciously.

Casa Cubista from Caldas da Rainha

Caldas da Rainha in central Portugal has been the city of potters for 200 years. There, Casa Cubista collaborates with small ceramic workshops that still shape their bowls on the potter's wheel and glaze them in the traditional way. The result: white stoneware with cobalt blue lines, sometimes green or terracotta. Each piece is slightly different – the small irregularities are part of the character, not a defect.

For which bowl, for which moment

• Cereal bowl — high rim, narrow shape. The morning.
• Soup bowl — wide and shallow. Tomato soup with croutons.
• Serving bowl — large, suitable for the center of the table. Salad for six.
• Dip bowl — small, for hummus, olives, aioli.

Good to know: Hand-thrown stoneware is oven-safe up to approx. 180 °C and dishwasher-safe. However, it is not suitable for the microwave if the bowl has a metallic glaze accent – check if in doubt. In everyday use: simply put it in the dishwasher, which is the advantage over purely artistic pottery.

See also: Tableware & Plates, Servingware.