I Don’t Mean to Be Dramatic, but This $25 Lid Stand Is Everything
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As a staunch believer in the clean-as-you-go method of cooking, I’m unbothered by an accumulation of utensils and dishes as I go about my business in the kitchen. These things will be dealt with as I have time. And because cooking is, one way or the other, all about timing, I’ve become adept at maximizing spare moments.
What I’ve long found annoying, however, is the question of what to do with a lid while the cooking process is still underway. Sure, sometimes it’s a simple matter of lifting with one hand, stirring with another, then replacing said lid seconds later; but what about all of the other times? The times where it’s necessary to add an ingredient, to taste for and adjust seasoning, and to gaze upon a pot lovingly while contemplating how butter creates a truly transcendent tomato sauce?
It is during these instances when I used to find myself holding the lid — invariably dripping with condensation — while eyeing my surroundings in search of a kitchen towel and an empty patch of counter space. More than once I’ve delegated lid management to a corner of the sink, and occasionally to an unsuspecting pot that’s in simultaneous use.
Then, sometime late last year and probably through an Instagram ad, I learned of a housewares company called Yamazaki Home. I appreciated the simplicity and cleverness of their designs right away, so it was nothing short of love at first sight when I came across this lid stand.
“How brilliant,” I thought, my face morphing into something resembling the heart-eyes emoji as I clicked through product photos. With its sleek lines and favorable price point, I couldn’t help but wonder: Could this lid stand be a stand-in for what was missing in my life?
As with every great love story, I’m happy to share that we did end up together.
My handsome lid stand now rests comfortably next to my cooktop, ever ready for the biggest, heaviest, drippiest lid I can nestle within its supportive embrace. The steel frame ensures sturdiness, and the removable base — made of a durable, stain-resistant plastic — captures run-off while perfectly balancing all manner of lid and ladle.
Months later, the novelty has yet to wear off. Each time I feel a flicker of, “Ugh, what to do with this necessary-but-currently-inconvenient lid?” before remembering that the perfect solution is sitting right next to me. The subsequent elation is akin to one’s crush winking from across a crowded room in pre-pandemic times.
What can I say? Sometimes it’s the simple things that prove the most thrilling.
Do you have a lid stand you love? Tell us about it in the comments!