The dating app Hinge has a much-used prompt about one’s “simple pleasures.” For me, this can only mean one thing: eating absolutely anything out of a “low bowl.” That is, a bowl that’s so shallow it’s almost a plate.
The low bowl is a new addition to my home, one that became an instant favorite. I use it for everything, from soups and curries to bone-in chicken thighs and tapas-like meals made from a bunch of different little things. No matter the meal, I’ve found that everything tastes better coming out of a low bowl.
While this love affair has been a whirlwind romance, I’m learning I’m not the only one lusting after this majestic vessel. Whether you call it a pasta bowl, plate-bowl or “blate,” the low bowl is taking over the internet, upcoming cookbooks and the entire New York Times Cooking homepage. If you’ve clicked on a digital recipe in the last year or follow any “foodies” on Instagram, I promise you’ve seen this dreamy dish shape around. Probably because it’s the most perfect plate of all time.
“The blate! It’s my favorite type of dish for food styling so many things,” said Samantha Seneviratne, baker, food stylist and author of “The New Sugar and Spice.” “A wide, shallow bowl is perfect to show off all the elements of a dish without having to deal with an awkward plate lip.”
In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, Sheldon Simeon, author of “Cook Real Hawai’i” and the head chef and owner of Tin Roof Maui, said that low bowls make food easy to eat, especially on the go.
“Eating fried rice with a chopstick in a regular bowl — it’s tough. You have to stick your whole face in it at the end,” Simeon said. “A shallower bowl makes it easier. You can get your protein, your pickles, your rice, all your toppings all in this one compact bowl.”
When choosing plates and take-out containers for his restaurant, Simeon said versatility and efficiency were key. This led him to fully convert to the low bowl for both his work and home.
“I knew that the majority of our customers will be taking [our food] to the beach or sitting down on a bench on the curb and eating,” he said. “You can put a lot more food in one place, and you can use utilize the sides of the bowl.”
Ali Slagle, a recipe developer and author of the upcoming cookbook “I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To),” said low bowls are also incredibly inviting. From drippy foods to saucy snacks to things you need to cut or use your hands to eat, the low bowl lets you contain all the flavor while still giving you room to move around.
“Low bowls are like that mug you won’t let anyone else use. They make eating more enjoyable somehow,” she said. “You can get closer to the food. Hold onto the outside and feel the warmth with one hand, drag a utensil or bread around the inside curve with the other.”
Eric Kim, a New York Times staff writer and author of “Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home,” described this sensation further, saying low bowls allow for your food to be wide, not tall.
“Even a brothy stew with beans and greens looks better in a low bowl than a regular deep soup bowl because you can see the bits and bobs more clearly,” Kim said. “There’s less liquid (and depth) obscuring the ingredients since the surface area is larger. This makes the eating experience feel fancier, I find.”
Simeon agreed, declaring the low bowl his all-time favorite vessel to eat from.
“I’m glad we’re sharing, and confessing to the world like this,” he said. “Celebrating the low bowl.”
To see the magic for yourself, Simeon and Slagle shared the low bowls they use in their own home kitchens. Grab one, or four ― you won’t regret it.
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