The Perfectly Shaped Pasta Bowl I Use For Every Meal

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Whether you're someone who actually likes to cook or your kitchen routine is strictly delivery, one mealtime element diners of multiple persuasions can relate to is a chosen vessel from which they most prefer to nosh. I myself have been a longtime devotee of the bowl (or, what's now popularly referred to as "the blate"). Unlike the common plate, bowls exude casual elegance in a shape that's tailored to comfortably cradle any food (or non-edible objects) — from cereal to salads, soups to spaghetti, and loose change to spare keys — making them more versatile, spill-proof, and, therefore, safe to take beyond the table. But, the power of the bowl is completely dependent upon proper proportions: if it's too small and shallow, the likelihood of overflow is high; if it's too big and deep, you might as well be eating from a serving dish. This brings me to the perfectly shaped iteration I now use for 97.9% of my meals: Fable Home's The Pasta Bowl.

If you're new to Fable: I'd sum up the eco-conscious brand based out of Canada as the organically-shaped tableware you might find gracing the table of that one cool friend with comfortably minimal taste. The product offerings — ethically sourced from creators in Portugal, Belgium, and Japan — include the likes of flatware, linens, drinkware, dinnerware, serving platters, and serving sets, transparently priced starting at $36 and extending up to $440 (for the all-encompassing bundles). Aside from recycled clay materials and soft silhouettes, you can also expect to find soothing understated tones like blush pinks, speckled whites, midnight blues, and dove grays when browsing the brand's curated collections. But, back to my bowl.

Sold in a set of four, The Pasta Bowls are designed in Vancouver and then artisan-crafted from local-Portuguese clay that's hand-fired in a semi-matte glaze. This translates to a dish that looks and feels smoothly bespoke in the least pretentious, most disarming way possible. If this bowl was a fictional character, it would be Zoë Kravitz's Bonnie Carlson in Big Little Lies meets Meryl Streep's Jane Adler in It's Complicated. Aside from an aesthetic that can make Easy Mac look cooly refined, the real beauty is in the size of the bowls: 8 1/2 inches in diameter, 2 1/4 inches in height, and the ability to hold up to 26 fl oz. (aka more than a few big-ass servings) of your favorite nosh.

Things that I have happily eaten myself and served to satisfied guests (compliments always ensuing) inside these bowls: oatmeal, cereal, scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches with sides of chips, soups, stews, endless amounts of pasta, Easy Mac, Thanksgiving leftovers, grain bowls, salads, roasted veggies with chicken, heaps of ketchup-drenched nuggets, popcorn, pie with ice cream, cake with ice cream — the list goes on. These bowls seamlessly transition from fancy tablescapes and elevated Italian fare to informal couch sessions with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. They're delicate in appearance yet substantial in practice; surviving countless dishwasher cycles and careless handling without any chips to show for it.

I'm not the only enthusiast of Fable's Pasta Bowls. With 515 reviews and a 4.9-out-of-5-star rating, customer consensus is that these thoughtfully crafted dishes are both beautiful and functional. One fan, Nikki, wrote: "Pasta Bowls are excellent. They are durable, beautiful, and work perfectly for both formal and casual dining." Another named Jessica chimed in: "These bowls are an incredible shape. You can use them for everything. So beautiful. Each one is slightly different which makes them so unique." Reviewer Lindsay T. observed that the bowl "Makes every meal look gourmet,” adding that "anything served in them immediately looks elevated." Kristy R. joined the compliment chorus, singing: "These are my favorite. I use them for everything and they make me happy every time I reach for them."

Yes, $65 for a set of four dishes (or $16.25 a pop) is more than your average IKEA, West Elm, or even Crate & Barrel bundle. But, when you factor in Fable's ethical production methods and sustainable craftsmanship along with the bowls' unique aesthetic and multi-meal functionality, I'd argue that it's an investment worth making (for those in the market to make it). Now, excuse me while I sit on the couch, watch the season finale of Yellowjackets, and eat meatballs out of the perfectly shaped bowl in question.