Southpaw in the Kitchen

As with many tasks, cooking can be problematic for those of us who are left-handed. Can openers, liquid measuring cups, kitchen shears, and instant-read thermometers are built for right-handed people. There used to be a store in Pike Place Market that carried items for left-handed folks, but it disappeared 10-15 years ago. Probably the rent got too damn high. Nevertheless, I persist.
Julian decided he needed to replace his roux-stirring implement, a flat-bladed wooden tool properly known as a spurtle. He found a slotted one at Williams Sonoma, but wasn’t happy with it. A little searching revealed a company that makes spurtles specifically for making Cajun-style roux. He showed me his purchase. I took one look and said, “That’s for right-handed stirring.” He smiled and pulled a second one out of his back pocket: “They make left-handed ones, too.”