Milk Street Közmatik
When a recipe calls for charring vegetables, what do you do? Well, you can fire up the grill but that is a lot of work for just one eggplant or two bell peppers. In Turkey, however, they have a better solution called the Közmatik, a metal disk that fits perfectly over the burner of a gas stove. Evenly spaced holes allow heat to circulate around the vegetables, so you are truly roasting, rather than searing as you would on a skillet. The holes are close enough to hold even small veggies, like slender spring onions, and the disk is large enough to keep several bulbous eggplants from rolling off. It’s also less messy than charring directly on the burner: The Közmatik catches nearly all of the bits of charred vegetable skin and juices that would leak onto the surface of the stove. And, once cooled, it can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
​Milk Street: Közmatik
When a recipe calls for charring vegetables, what do you do? Well, you can fire up the grill but that is a lot of work for just one eggplant or two bell peppers. In Turkey, however, they have a better solution called the Közmatik, a metal disk that fits perfectly over the burner of a gas stove. Evenly spaced holes allow heat to circulate around the vegetables, so you are truly roasting, rather than searing as you would on a skillet. The holes are close enough to hold even small veggies, like slender spring onions, and the disk is large enough to keep several bulbous eggplants from rolling off. It’s also less messy than charring directly on the burner: The Közmatik catches nearly all of the bits of charred vegetable skin and juices that would leak onto the surface of the stove. And, once cooled, it can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
​Anatolia Hand-Painted Ceramic Salt and Pepper Set
When traveling in Istanbul, our buyers found world-class Turkish ceramics at the Grand Bazaar—one of the world’s oldest markets—including these hand-painted salt and pepper shakers. They’re sourced from Kutahya, a Turkish city renowned for hand-painted pottery. The shakers are painted with vibrantly colored motifs inspired by Iznik tulip designs, featuring red and blue flowers. Iznik, an art form dating back to the 15th century, fuses Ottoman patterns and elements of Chinese design—its abstract patterns, floral motifs and bright colors are synonymous with fine Turkish ceramics. The shakers come with a small tray to hold them and catch any errant seasonings, also painted by hand with red and blue flowers. As every piece from this maker is crafted by hand, slight variations in design are natural and add to their beauty.