Our Food Editor Loves Tiny Spoons

On my kitchen counter lives a small cup full of about a dozen demitasse spoons. They get their own cup because they're just too little to hang with the other flatware, and because I need them handy at all times. This is because there are so many tasks in the kitchen that require a spoon—but are actually better accomplished with aminispoon.

Demitasse spoons, which measure around 4 ½ inches long, are most commonly used for coffee, perhaps placed on a coaster next to a shot of espresso for stirring in sugar. I use my demitasse spoons for stirring cream into my coffee sometimes, but more often, I'm dipping them into a pot or a bowl for a taste test as I cook, and using them to spoon things like curry paste or honey out of the always-too-small-for-a-normal-spoon jars they come in. I also use them as condiment servers when entertaining, and for adding just the right amount of potions and powders to mybreakfast smoothieor bedtime tea. They're perfect for scooping a singleLuxardo cherryout of the jar into the bottom of acoupe glassfor aManhattan. They're also great for setting a dinner table for dolls or stuffed animals, should the need arise.

My demitasse spoon collection is a mix of old and new: I've got some silver-plated ones I picked up at an antique store in New Hampshire a few years ago, and a few other vintage ones I've picked up here and there. I've also got somedishwasher-friendly stainless steel onesthat I love for their practical elegance and solid heft.

Spoon collecting runs in my blood. My mom has a collection of vintage teaspoons in her kitchen. One of her grandmothers collected them everywhere she went as souvenirs. There was one with Niagara Falls etched into the delicate bowl of the spoon that I used to always dig out for cereal when I was a kid. I spent so many moments staring at the way my Cheerios and milk changed the image of the waterfall on that spoon. I can remember exactly how it looked and how it felt in my little hands.

Now here I am, developing my own spoon collecting habit. The other night when I was supposed to be sleeping, I spent a whole hour carefully examining listings forvintage silver demitasse spoons on Etsy,before forcefully pulling myself away from hitting purchase on a cart full of more spoons than I'd ever need. Better to collect them bit by bit—more meaningful that way, right? (I say this as I just added a gorgeous 1940s Apostle-topped silver-platted demitasse to my Etsy cart...)

Cute Demitasse Spoons

Note that many of these options have limited stock on Etsy, so it's always worth digging around the selection ofvintage demitasse spoons available on Etsy on your own.