The arrival of spring is often heralded by icy rains and gale-force winds, but every now and then there’s a break in the weather, when benign breezes and warm — but not hot — temperatures are the norm. And that’s just how it was when I shot this photo. Carpe diem!

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I don’t like throwing things away. But much of what I buy today isn’t intended to handed down. It’s made to be thrown out. Take my eight-inch GSI Outdoors nonstick skillet. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad. It does what it says on the tin. I need to use very little oil when frying. And it’s also both lightweight and compact, as well as being deep enough to be really handy. Plus the folding handle makes it easy to pack. In short, it’s perfect for bicycle tours and amphibious jaunts, where weight bulks large and bulk weighs heavily.

But… It’s not cast iron. Sooner or later the coating will start to peel off, and then I’ll have no choice but to toss it away. Still, I’d like to postpone that inevitable day for as long as I can. Only rubber or soft wood spatulas touch the nonstick surface when cooking, and I’m careful to use a very light touch when cleaning up. I’m careful when I pack the skillet, too.

Yet there’s one source of wear I can’t avoid. When the handle’s folded for packing, the end chafes against the plastic coating:

And to make matters worse, the hinge is a bit wobbly, allowing the handle to pendulum back and forth when not locked in the extended position. In time, these gentle nudges will take their toll. So I started looking around for a suitable bumper to protect the skillet’s nonstick coating, and I found one in a kitchen drawer: the synthetic cork from a bottle of Chateau Marshalsea. After that chance discovery, it was the work of only a moment to secure the cork to the handle with an elegant twist of a rubber band.

And here’s the finished product:

OK. It ain’t elegant. Not a bit. But it works. The cork is just soft enough to blunt the handle’s impact on the skillet’s plastic coating, yet still firm enough not to deform excessively. Simple and good, in other words. And cheap. ‘Nuff said? I think so.

Further Reading

• “The Portable Pantry: Is This the End of the Iron Age?“

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Ah, spring! The rivers are flowing free, and the last skin of ice has melted from the beaver ponds. And I’m back in my Old Town Pack canoe, doing one of the things I most enjoy: messing about in a boat. Except that I’m not. My little canoe is now a nursery, and the sitting tenants have priority. You can see their nest in the picture. (They’re a camera-shy couple, but you can bet they let me know just how unhappy they were to be disturbed by an Inquiring Photographer.)

Ah, well. There’s always the folding kayak. Or the inflatable. Or I can ride my bike. Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, after all. Who am I to interfere?

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