Stood Up

Sixty years ago, women probably spent more time with their ranges than they did with any other appliance in the home. They wrested a meal from these appliances three times a day. Got right down inside the oven in order to scrub it clean and scoured the drip pans 'til they shone. They struggled to master burners and ovens that must have seemed fairweather friends so much of the time. Even women with the most modern of homes would have remembered their mothers and grandmothers gauging the heat of their ovens "by hand." Heating water for laundry on the range. Perhaps even heating a portion of the home itself with the range. We might not err in calling the range a housewife's Gal Friday when it came to keeping house - the one appliance she could not - traditionally - have done without.

This "relationship" was beginning to ebb by World War II as electricity began to power the work of so many other appliances. Toasters and crockpots and electric coffeemakers broke things up, taking on some of the work once done solely by the range and stealing the housewife's affections. The barbeque grill of the '50s took on even more of that work. Then toaster ovens came along. And - in the '80s - the microwave. Our ranges now sit wistfully by while we plug in our steamers and our George Foreman grills, waiting for that one chance they can prove their devotion - alas, only to be asked to heat some frozen French fries! (We're not even sure what to call them these days. Are they ovens? Are they stoves???) They must long for the days when every burner, every chamber was busy three times a day - when they were a vital partner in the housewife's fight to make a home...

While the authors of the manual provide instructions for two different kinds of refrigerators (automatic and ice), they deal with an even wider variety of ranges. Care of the gas range is described first - which leads me to believe it was the type most often found in American homes circa 1945. Next comes the electric range, the kerosene range, and - lastly - wood and coal ranges. My own range is an electric appliance, so here are some instructions I'll need to keep in mind when cleaning my kitchen:

ELECTRIC RANGES

Daily:

Wipe up any spilled food before it dries.

Wipe the surface and drip tray with a damp cloth.

If the oven is used let it cool off and then clean off any spatterings with mild scouring powder and fine steel wool. Charred material can be removed with a brush or spatula.

In some models the oven heating element can be removed while the oven is being cleaned.

Caution:

Never wash enamelled surfaces when they are hot, or the finish may craze and crack.

Occasional:

If food boils over or spills on the top stove unit it can be burned off. If these units are the open type, with exposed coils, turn the heat high until the food is burned off. Let the unit cool, then blow out the charred particles. (The flat tool attachment of your vacuum cleaner makes a quick job of this.) Never brush or poke this type of unit.

Keep the metal ring which surrounds the element clean and shining. A cloth wrung out of soapsuds will usually do the job. Rinse with a cloth wrung out of clear water. If food is stuck or burned on use a little mild scouring powder or fine steel wool to remove it.

Ergonomics and the Ironing Board

There's been nothing particularly lavish or budget-consuming about my "new" breakfast menus so far:

Tomato Juice

French Toast

Maple Sirup

I am getting better at divvying up some of these recipes to make sure I'm only making enough for one or two breakfasts. The first time I found French Toast on the menu, I went in there gangbusters and - before I knew it - had 12 pieces made! Thankfully, the Tomato Juice added an extra punch of health to my meal this morning, kinda balanced off the empty calories on my plate.

Ironing Day may still be three days off, but my vintage housekeeping manuals have lots of advice to offer on ironing - and ironing equipment. Here are some tips on choosing and positioning the ironing board:

The ironing board should be adjusted to correct height - 32 1/2 inches from the floor is correct for workers of average height.

My own ironing board is one of those dreadful tabletop affairs. I usually end up hunched over the board ironing on top of my bed or on the ottoman in my living room - sometimes I just set the board up on the floor. Even the authors of my manuals knew that ergonomics played a part in making ironing a wee bit easier. The best boards (during the 1940s, they were available in both wood and metal) were adjustable so that a woman of any height would be comfortable while ironing. Women who preferred to stand while ironing were encouraged to invest in a rubber mat to ease tired leg muscles. Those who preferred to sit should choose a high stool "with a support at the back and possibly a rung or rest for your feet."

Remember that an electric iron can be plugged into a wall socket anywhere... If the north bedroom is the coolest spot in the house on a broiling July day, that is the logical place to take your ironing.

Both manuals urge their readers to position the ironing board in a some location where they will have good light - whether from a window or from a lighting fixture. And of course it should be close to an electric outlet. It was also important to choose a location where you could keep an eye on the children. Ironing was such a time-consuming task, you needed to be able to keep an eye on children at play in the yard.

For women lucky enough to be planning new postwar homes, they were advised to seriously consider having a "built-in" ironing board installed in a location that met all these criteria.

I think I'll have a look about the house tomorrow and see if I can find a good spot to position my ironing board.