Thursday, June 06, 2019

Free Wisdom And Helpfulness From The Wonderful Readers Of The Department Of Nance: Part One, The Kitchen

Gosh, I do hope you all managed to Live Your Lives without helpful Sentences to assist you and make you Change Powerfully For The Better while I have been off wringing out my skin and trying to keep mushrooms from sprouting in all the rooms in my house. If one of you is somehow In Charge Of Rain in NEO, please do STOP ALL OF IT. AT ONCE.

I am forced to bake something just to keep dampness at bay because it is 65 degrees inside and outside, and I refuse to put on my furnace in June.

But I have decided that THIS WEATHER WILL NOT BREAK ME, so let's get to some of the Helpful Things you all have passed along to assist us in our daily lives. I'm going to spread them out over a couple of posts so that we have the luxury of discussing them.

Here's one from Kathy B., who credits a friend for this saying I really love and plan to use myself. Kathy says she was "fretting over hosting Thanksgiving for a vegan, a dairyfree teen, a cardiac rehab uncle and five little kids who only wanted mac and cheese." First of all, kudos to her for hosting Thanksgiving for anyone besides her immediate family. I cook only for my sons and my husband and the occasional girlfriend who may be in the picture. Thanksgiving dinner is fraught with tradition and fussiness. And an abundance of side dishes. And now poor Kathy has Special Dietary Considerations and Picky Kids. Her friend told her this:
It's nobody's last meal. 
 How great is that? It's a terrific reminder when you're stressed out about cooking for other people; besides, chances are that they're not there for the food anyway.  They are there for the companionship and fun. (And some actual Last Meals aren't all that impressive, either; here's a list.)

Speaking of cooking, here are a few practical tips from Ortizzle, who shared:
*There is no solution for too much salt. Start over.
*Fried food is perfectly cooked when it floats.
*Recipes were meant to be altered.

I like practical kitchen tips, like put sour cream in a plastic bag and cut the corner off to make it easier to apply to tacos; or thaw meat on an aluminum pan because it's faster; or get rid of onion and garlic smells on hands by rubbing them on the stainless steel sink because they're just that, practical. All of us who cook and bake have tweaked recipes--many times due to necessity--and created things we like better than the original. (And if you've ever read the comments section of any recipe, almost no one makes anything as written, ever.)

Whenever I think of advice about cooking, my father instantly comes to mind. I don't know how my mother kept her temper in check and didn't throw something at him every time he walked into the kitchen. He absolutely did not cook, did not help with prep, and never did the dishes. (We kids all chipped in and bought us them their first dishwasher.) My father was, however, a fount of advice whenever in the kitchen while my mother was cooking. Here are his three favourites:

1. That flame is too high.
2. Make sure you washed your hands.
3. Add more of those tomatoes.

Now that I've typed those, I have to laugh. I say those things all the time myself. But they aren't the only things I say, and of course, I do everything in my kitchen. So does Rick, except for much cooking.  I hate cooking without him.  He cleans as I go and does a ton of prep.

If you have some great cooking, kitchen, or entertaining wisdom, do share it in Comments.  Or certainly chime in with comments about what's been shared here.  I'll be back again with more Wisdom From My Readers about all kinds of things.


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21 comments:

  1. Rick cleans as you go and does a ton of prep? Holy Mary Mother of God. Put that man on a pedestal! Mr. O. does nothing of the kind, although he has a couple of minor virtues: He keeps in mind meal preparation time that is minimal if I am really busy, will gladly get take-out if I cannot cope, and has been known to cook the occasional meal for himself if it just means slinging something in a pan and frying it at temperatures that leave the food as well as the frying pan in danger of being tossed in the garbage. So there's that... lol.

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    1. Ortizzle--Rick and I use cooking time as time to gab and for him to unwind a little after work. His clean-as-I-go can sometimes get a little frustrating when he automatically puts everything I use in the dishwasher, and I end up saying, "Where's my knife?" and "Where's that spatula", etc. Trust me, I truly appreciate my "sous chef" and miss him when he's not here to help.

      Mr. O has his own virtues, it sounds like, high heat notwithstanding (and most males default to that). I'm sure if you tossed some radishes at him and asked him to slice them for the salad, he'd gladly do so. And then you build from there!

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  2. Rick does need a place of honor. My husband only knew where the kitchen was because it lead to the garage.

    I love the "It's nobody's last meal." That takes some of the pressure off of the idea of serving something for everyone. The only saying I can remember my mom using was, "If they're hungry enough they'll eat it."

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    1. Jean--I'll pass along your compliments! Truly, our time in the kitchen is relaxing and pleasant for both of us.

      I love that saying also. It's such a good reminder for those of us who can sometimes place immense importance upon what is, in all actuality, a small thing. In all likelihood, no one will remember that meal specifically for the meal itself. How many people remember a truly good meal eaten at someone's home? We remember the fellowship and the gathering itself.

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  3. I owe it to my wise friend Madelon

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    1. kathy b--She was truly wise. And her advice will now help lots of others, whether she was its originator or not.

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  4. Dee--That would be nice. Hostessing is a tough job, and accommodating everyone can be a daunting task.

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  5. My Rick gets shooed out of our little kitchen, more than he's asked to stay. Once our kitchen is finished, only God knows when that will happen, I've been waiting 20 years, he'll have his own spot to prep chef for all he's worth.
    I loved the 'No fix for too much salt'; because that is the truth; toss it and start over...
    Looks like we may get a little warmth this weekend, or not, it is N.E. Ohio...
    Wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend, my friend...

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    1. Denise--Oh, gosh, the neverending remodel projects. It must be a trait of that name. Talk to me about the pile of tile boxes in my basement, a tower at least 14 years old.

      Second thought--let's not, as they say, go there.

      As far as the Too Much Salt advice, the Internet is full of the "add a raw, peeled potato" myth, saying it will absorb the salt. Sigh. I feel so sad for all the cooks who actually try that dumb stunt.

      We had a nice weekend, thank you. The whole fam got together for St. Patsy's 89th birthday. Hope you had a lovely one, too.

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  6. To the dietary restrictions, people should bring something (enough to share, as Dee said) that they can eat. I don’t have family in the area, with the exception of my Great Aunt, who does not cook, so all holidays are with my in-laws. Which is a GOOD thing for many reasons. I like the way we do holidays, which is to divide and conquer the meal. Everyone brings something, no one has to cook everything, or pay for everything. If only we could get past the women doing all of the cooking, it would be better. Or at least get the men in there to clean up. Some will (Ted sometimes) but some just don’t, and I never have the nerve to say anything to them about it.

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    1. O’s salt comment reminds me of a snippet from the movie, ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’, discussing the salt in the food. “You can put it in but you can’t take it out”. Good thing to remember.

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    2. J@jj.com--Regarding women in the kitchen at family gatherings: it's a generational norm that will not fully go away until those generations are gone, I think. And let's face it--if guys (or anyone) can get away with not doing anything, they will. And with Ted's family, there may be a cultural standard going on there as well.

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  7. Unless the meal is a complete disaster does anyone even remember it? You remember the people, the love and the connection not the food. And if it is a disaster then it will be something to laugh about later, not to be upset about.

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    1. Meredith--So true. Memories are usually made when something unusual occurs. Time softens the rough edges, and unless it was really traumatic, we can shake our heads and smile. Food is such a great communal bond, no matter what.

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  8. I have two simple kitchen rules that somehow seem complex to some guests. 1.) GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!!! I plan menus to have minimal last-minute prep but there are always some who feel obliged to "help" with those last few things. I've got this, folks, and you are simply in the way. And 2.) DO NOT stack my good china and carry it into the kitchen. Other than that, please enjoy.

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    1. NCmountainwoman--I understand both of your Rules, and as your guest, would certainly follow them. Having said that, I am a Kitchen Gravitater: I always offer help, and in my family, the kitchen was and is always the center of the home. Shooing people out of it is something I can't imagine, but I do understand your situation.

      Our kitchen is a wee galley-style thing, and there is no seating in it except for a small breakfast nook which is not in the sight-line of the main part. When people come in to chat as I'm moving around and working, it really does turn into a sort of awkward ballet. No one minds. But it's a matter of personal preference.

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    2. I have six comfortable bar stools on the other side of one end of the counter so guests can gravitate to (but not INTO) the kitchen area and have a drink and chat. I had a feeling you respect the methods of the folks you visit.

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  9. I'm blessed with a husband who loves cooking and doing dishes WAY more than I do. LOL I can't think of any cooking axioms at the moment, but I'll pop back over if any come to mind.

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    1. Silver Willow--Sounds like you found someone to complement you well.

      I used to like cooking much more than I do now. I think the whole Figuring Out What To Make has taken some of the pleasure out of it for me. It's tiresome.

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  10. My son enjoys cooking and sharing doing so with his wife which pleases his wife and me, too. His father could find his way around the kitchen but never seemed to enjoy doing so and didn’t much.

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    1. Joared--That seems to buttress the argument that it's a generational thing. Male roles, gender identity, and shifts in who works outside the home have all contributed their share as well.

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Oh, thank you for joining the fray!

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