A slim ceramic pourer for olive oil, vinegar or soy sauce, finished in a reactive glaze and small enough to live on the table between the plates. It holds 100 ml, so you fill it from the big bottle and the big bottle stays in the cupboard.
No supermarket label at dinner. No greasy plastic neck. Just a small glazed bottle you are happy to leave out.
The big bottle was never meant for the table
Most kitchens pour from whatever the oil came in. That means a liter of olive oil in a plastic bottle standing next to the salad, with a price sticker on the side and a drip running down from the cap. Soy sauce is worse, because it arrives in a bottle designed for a shelf in a warehouse rather than a place at a dinner table.
This is the small one you pour from. Decant a little from the big bottle, set it down by the plates, and put the rest away. At 100 ml it holds enough to dress a salad, dip bread or season a few bowls of noodles. The mouth is a wide open cup, so topping it up from the big bottle takes a few seconds.
A pouring lip and a stopper that stays put
The shape is tall and slim, widest at the foot so it stands steady, then narrowing toward the neck where your hand naturally closes around it. One side of the rim is pinched out into a short pouring lip, part of the bottle itself rather than a plastic nozzle pushed into the top.
The stopper is glazed to match, with a small upright knob on top and a rounded shoulder that sits down inside the mouth. You can pour with it in place, tipping the bottle with a thumb resting on the knob, and the oil leaves the lip in a thin, steady line rather than a glug. When the meal is over, it goes back on the shelf beside the salt and pepper and looks like it was always meant to be there.
Specifications
Type: Oil and sauce pourer
Material: Ceramic
Finish: Glossy reactive glaze, with speckle and streaks that vary from bottle to bottle
Capacity: 3.4 fl oz (100 ml)
Dimensions: 5.9 x 2 in (15 x 5 cm), height with the stopper in by width at the base
Shape: Tall and slender, widest at the base
Spout: Pouring lip formed in the rim
Stopper: Knob-topped stopper, glazed to match, sitting inside the mouth
Colors: Brown, Blue, Red, Beige
Use: Olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce and other pourable sauces