adventurat's Profile

Her approach is unfortunate - the comments and asides are unhelpful, and border on passive-aggressive - but I'm sure she's got some kind of agenda there. If it were me, I'd come right out and ask her whether she's looking for some way to help me cook (and then get her busy chopping onions or something), or if she's got a preference or dietary need she is hesitant to mention, or if she's just looking to be a part of things in the kitchen. Once the lines of communication are open, then you can work out appropriate compromises like "you cook the whole meal tomorrow" or "could you set the table" or "I'll use less garlic since it gives you heartburn".

Good luck. Try to leave the MIL/DIL feelings out of the discussion; after all, she's just like any other person out there.

We were thrilled to find this carving board, because we've been looking for something like the carving board my husband's parents and grandparents used, and were having the dickens of a time finding ANYTHING that had both a juice-catching groove and anchoring studs. Works a treat on a turkey or a roast, too; I can attest to that!

If it's attached to a beer keg, then great. Otherwise, no thank you.

I adore my marble mortar and pestle, garlic keeper, and even my marble rolling pin. I WANT - no, I NEED - that salt pot.

They're terrific for outdoor parties, kids, and adding to a "patched together" theme, but if you've got a nice table that seats all your guests, with a tablecloth that fits it, good plates and decent cutlery, you should definitely have some decent wine glasses. Fortunately, glasses of any kind don't have to be expensive. Our everyday glasses (tumblers) come from IKEA, and wineglasses are available almost everywhere.

I imagine it was originally part of a commercial installation, rather than a domestic one. Nonetheless, a fantastic piece and it integrates wonderfully into the reno'd kitchen.

Breakfast, no. Lunch, however, OH YEAH. Smushed avo, sliced tomato, salt, peppah, bite, chew, love.

I grew up in a household where "she who cooks doesn't clean up", and although it's the principle I operate under, and we've discussed it, it doesn't work with my husband for some reason.

We have a small kitchen, so I clean as I cook, so by the time the meal is done there's not much more than plates and cutlery left to go in the dishwasher, and maybe one pot to wash. When he cooks, I usually help (by request or necessity, because he can neither plan nor multi-task), and again, I clean as I go. If he really does do it all, there's always a mountain of dishes, and often a dishwasher to empty of clean dishes before anything else can be done.

Get it out in the open, Jenny, and be prepared to work through it together.

I'm firmly on the "pro" side of both spoon rests and the onion chopper, though the chopper gets less use as my knife skills improve. Mine is from Pampered Chef, and it's a breeze to clean up, which is always the test of any kitchen gadget, for me.

I also have a nutmeg grater. And one of those rotary cheese graters (but that's not a uni-tasker, no no, because you can also grate CHOCOLATE with it! Yum!). But I can't think of any other uni-taskers in my kitchen; they've been exorcised over the years.

As for getting food smells off your hands, cool running water and any piece of stainless steel - a spoon, utensil, or even your kitchen sink - will do the trick.

Oh, and @rapunzel - that's a brilliant way to peel and slice an avocado! I'll be trying that.

Some great tips there. I need to stop tossing all the bits of vegetables into the garbage disposal, and keep a few back for the "stock supplies" container.