Stop Blogging and Cook

Inviting a person for dinner means caring for his happiness throughout the time he is under your roof. ~Jean Brillat-Savarin (1755 — 1826)

RELATED POST:  CLEAN UP QUICK!

WHO ARE THEY KIDDING?
Oven cleaner companies are panicked.  With all of the self-cleaning ovens on the market, they’re struggling for relevancy.  Now they’re saying their products are “Safe to use every day.”  Does anyone alive even think of cleaning their oven every day?  Anyone who is anal enough to clean their oven every day is probably anal enough to clean up immediately the second something bubbles over & doesn’t need oven cleaner.  The creator of that marketing strategy must have worked for Hallmark.  When you care enough to clean this very minute.

One tv commercial has a British-accented chap saying suddenly, “Cheryl, you can’t put that sea bass in the dirty oven.”

To which she responds, “Why not?”

Touché.  I say, can we find a middle ground?

Clutter begets clutter; clean begets clean.  I try to clean up as I go, and let me tell you the thing that taught me to do that:  a small kitchen.  There’s nothing like a little bit of counter space to make you appreciate keeping that space clear.  In the kitchen where I grew up, I used to put pots and pans and bowls all over the place:  counter-tops, sink, kitchen table, even the dining room table.

But living in a tiny house with only (no joke) thirty-six inches of counter-top, let me tell you how quickly I learned to keep that thirty-six inches clear.  My new luxury was that it was a built-in butcher block, stable and seamless with a silky softness of aged, well-loved wood.  Of all the aspects of home-owning, that might be one of my top longings.

Clean up as you go, especially before and during a party.  How to?  Let’s see.  Here’s a basic list of things to keep in mind towards that end:

1. Have a dish drainer set up for quick washing of frequently used things or those not suitable for the dishwasher: large pans, tools and wooden spoons.  If you have the luxury of a dishwasher, consider using that as a clean dish drainer during food prep that doesn’t take up any counter space.  I actually use mine, not to wash dishes, but as storage for pots, bake ware, platters and large implements like egg beaters and whisks.  The top rack doubles as a dish drainer when needed.
2. Oil baking dishes and pans before cooking, to inhibit sticking and baking on of food.
3. Fill dirtied pots, bowls, etc with hot, soapy water when done with them to prevent hardening of food causing much dish washing dread.
4. Anytime you can get away with a quick swipe of a soapy sponge (water glasses, pot lids for example) or a simple washing with a hot spray of tap water (wooden spoons, knives and parers after slicing produce to name a few,) do it, depositing the cleaned implements in the dish drainer.  They will be ready for the next time you need them, and you’ll know just where to look.
5. Don’t stack dishes.  You’ll have to wash the bottoms of plates and bowls as well as the tops.  Plus, they’re more slippery when the bottoms are gooey.  For parties of more than ten people, consider paper plates and cups, with an attractive trash basket visible.  Keep away from Styrofoam, however, for obvious environmental reasons.
6. If using the dishwasher, don’t even put a dish down on the counter.  Scrape and rinse immediately, put it in and be done with it.
7. Consider how many foods you can eat with toothpicks, more than you might expect.  Cut down on the use of flatware, plastic or washable, whenever possible.  Finger foods rule.  Don’t forget lots of napkins.
8. If serving firm cheese (like Swiss, gouda, cheddar, even havarti) have it thinly sliced at the deli, eliminating the need for slicing knives.  Even soft cheese (brie, camembert) can be pre-sliced into wedges when plating (just don’t slice too much at once), avoiding the shenanigans that all too soon befall the soft cheese plate.
9. Keep in mind that however much you clean up before food is served is that much less you’ll have to do when it’s over.  It’s great to be able to deal with just the dishes afterward, rather than have to wash all of the prep pots and mixing bowls as well.
10. When you’re ready to enjoy the party, before leaving the kitchen fill the sink with hot, soapy water (or at least a large pot or bowl), ready to accept the first dirty dishes.  The next time you come into the kitchen, they will be ready to sponge off & put in the drainer, or go directly into the dishwasher.
11. Enlist the help of friends and guests enjoying your culinary efforts.  Everyone loves to chat up the cook and get a glimpse of the mysteries of food preparation, and most people want to help rather than sit as a spectator to all of the work going on all around them.  I’ve found that men are especially willing to roll up their sleeves and plunge into the soapsuds even if only to feel like they are a part of the action.  They’ll even be willing to do things exactly as you direct, once they eyeball the size of the chef’s knife you’re wielding.

I can tell you from personal experience, being in anyone’s kitchen who forbids you helping is quite horrible.  Yes, girlfriend, I’m talking to you.  Business 101 teaches that the mark of a good manager is the ability to delegate, and I think that is good advice for almost any realm of life.  Any time people want to help is a gift, especially when you’ve invited them into your home.  They are merely reciprocating.  Embrace it and let them help.

Cooking with others is an interactive process, fostering give and take between human and food, and between people.  It is in that space between people where the love occurs.  It’s not the food that is the love, it is the preparation, where friends get together and, through the efforts of many, create a unique experience between humans and their food, and each other.  Relationships are forged, bonds strengthened.

I tell you this because if you’re at a Super Bowl party this weekend, you’ll want to be the best kitchen worker possible, whether in your own kitchen or someone else’s.  And if you’re in your own kitchen, you’ll want to be the best host, making everyone feel welcome and at home.  Your kitchen is your entertaining kingdom, in which you are responsible for your guests’ good time.  Helping is always good.