You wouldn't think washing dishes required much in the way of elaboration, but the authors of America's Housekeeping Book dedicated a chapter to that very topic. Electric dishwashers were now available to homeowners, and the chapter includes step-by-step instructions on washing by hand and using a dishwasher. One of my new post-breakfast chores this week is to "[r]inse and stack dishes, pots and pans." The manual recommends taking care of pots and pans before tending to anything else, so here are some tips on caring for any pots and pans used in preparing breakfast.
Put cooking utensils to soak
(a) Use cold water in utensils that have held milk, egg or cheese mixtures, or dough
(b) Use hot water in utensils that have held syrup, frosting mixtures, candy, etc.
(c) Use hot soapsuds in greasy utensils
Here's where the 1940s housewife and I have to part ways as I am not going to be able to return to the kitchen later in the morning - at least on weekdays - to wash the breakfast dishes. If they're going to soak, they'll have to soak until I get home from work at the end of the day, and eventually they'll be washed by hand or tucked away in the dishwasher for a sudsy finale. Pots and pans were expressly off limits when it came to the vintage dishwasher. Which is perfectly sensible. Without being soaked first, they only come clean about 50% of the time even in a modern dishwasher!
The only pot or pan I had to soak after breakfast this morning was used to make a bowl of Corn-meal Mush. Here's the menu:
Grapefruit Juice
Corn-meal Mush, Top Milk
So would Top Milk have been as heavy as cream or a little less weighty - like half 'n' half? I wasn't sure, so I picked up some organic half 'n' half at the grocery store and ate it with my Corn-meal Mush. It wasn't very tasty. I think I'd rather have had the Mush without anything on top. I'd like to say that I'll just save the half 'n' half for my coffee from now on, but I can see from the next page of menus in my cookbook that I'm fated to try it again one of these mornings. In any event, it was good to get back to the basics after my tangle with Butterscotch Sauce. I'm super pleased that my Mush came out almost lump-free this morning! I tried mixing the cornmeal in a part of the water (it makes a kind of paste) then adding the paste to the boiling water in the pot - and it turned out just about right. I think the recipe doesn't call for enough water, though.
2 comments:
OH, I didn't see you mention this, but syrup (either real or the cornsyrup flavored syrup from the store ;)) with a slice of butter on corn meal mush, is yummers. It is really like eating a lovely gooey corn muffin. Just a suggestion, and I do know it was done, as my old parents (teens in the 1940's) did it. They also used to take digestive biscuits or graham crackers, whatever u call them, and break them up in a bowl and put milk sugar and cinnamon on them. I never liked it, but I realized they had invented golden grahams! good luck!
The butter and maple syrup suggestion sounds yummy! TY
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