... but if you, cooking an egg, should happen to drip melted butter on your cashmere sweater, blot the excess with a clean cloth, sprinkle baking soda on the spot, wait 5 minutes, and vacuum it off. I did some premature mourning before Googling for a spot-cleaning tip — which totally worked — and I need to remember not all the cleaning tips but that the cleaning tips are all there on the internet, so don't waste time crying over spilt milk or butter. Go straight to Google.
And why do I cook in a cashmere sweater without even wearing an apron? I don't think I've worn an apron in more than a quarter century. I think I'll buy one. Here (in case you want one too). Do you wear an apron when you cook? I suspect that few people do, because my Amazon search was bringing up — along with the staunchly utilitarian sort of thing I wanted — aprons for "cosplay."
October 27, 2018
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
74 comments:
I do wear an apron when I cook! And when I wash dishes. It is for this very reason. I have ruined too many clothes not wearing one.
You wear an apron in a machine shop. It keeps oil off your clothes.
Come on, it's not simply a choice between cashmere sweater and apron. You could switch out of the cashmere to something less vulnerable, like an old tee shirt. That tip is free.
Speaking of napkins, I replaced all kitchen paper towels with kleenex (house brand) years ago, at a great cost saving. They get your hands dry enough to air-dry quickly and clean spills just as well. Get a heavyweight box to hold the tissue box, so you can get the last half box out without moving the box itself.
My wife wears an apron if she's cooking something that might splatter. Of course she's a scientist (retired now) so she may have more appreciation for things that can go wrong in a lab (which is more like a kitchen than one might imagine).
@Eric I know you can change into special working clothes, but that's a lot more trouble than having an apron in the kitchen.
Also "an old tee shirt" does not take account of the late fall/winter temperature at Meadhouse. I need layers. I guess I could keep a big old sweatshirt in the kitchen, but that's why it makes more sense to have an apron.
I wear my apron when washing dirty dishes and when baking. For breakfast I'm often not yet in good clothes.
Technology and economics. Technology: cleaners , clothes material,teflon coated pans . Economics : cheap price of clothes.
Ergo no aprons.
To keep the house at 62°, I need a lot of sweaters, and I buy nice sweaters. That's just the Meadhouse way.
But I haven't bought an apron in two decades. It doesn't go out of style! It doesn't shrink! I need no improvement on it.
Boy, George Costanza could have used that cleaning advice.
"Oh Georgie, a cashmere sweater! ...What's this?"
I wear old pants and a tee shirt for painting, which I have been doing lately as I build another bat house and an owl house.
The bat house goes up today on the same side as the other one
I like bats and am trying to undo some of the damage that windmills do.
My barn owl house goes on the roof. Mating season is coming.
The screech owl house is already on the tree in back.
I don't wear an apron when I cook. Neither do I wear cashmere sweaters. But the tip is a valuable keeper.
Sixty-two degrees? Yikes! I keep my A/C set at 83 and when traveling up north I feel cold when it gets below 80.
Another thing you can do is wear one of your dad's old dress shirts backwards over your nice clothes. I learned that in the same place I learned everything of any real value: Mrs. Kaiser's preschool.
Additional valuable tip: don't eat paste. Empty calories.
rhhardin said...
Speaking of napkins, I replaced all kitchen paper towels with kleenex (house brand) years ago, at a great cost saving. They get your hands dry enough to air-dry quickly and clean spills just as well. Get a heavyweight box to hold the tissue box, so you can get the last half box out without moving the box itself.
10/27/18, 9:36 AM
This is one of those times when you're talkin s***, right RH? Because that is demonstrably false. In fact our office has switched from Bounty to Scott towels and it makes a big negative difference. I can't imagine switching to Kleenex for kitchen work. Are you okay? Is this the big one?
And why do I cook in a cashmere sweater without even wearing an apron?
Because you are waiting for Meade to sidle up behind you and fondle your breasts? No other GOOD reason comes to mind.
Men wear aprons. Nero Wolfe himself donned an apron over his suit to come help Fritz Brenner at least once.
Big Mike observes: My wife wears an apron if she's cooking something that might splatter. Of course she's a scientist (retired now) so she may have more appreciation for things that can go wrong in a lab (which is more like a kitchen than one might imagine).
Yes, I always wore a lab coat in the lab. Nitric acid is a stern teacher.
Mead said...
"Additional valuable tip: don't eat paste. Empty calories."
Especially in front of you third grade teacher.
Stephen Miller's Third-Grade Teacher: He Was a “Loner" and Ate Glue
"I remember he would take a bottle of glue — we didn't have glue sticks in those days — and he would pour the glue on his arm, let it dry, peel it off and then eat it."
I have an apron similar to the one you linked to - mine has a couple of pockets on the front which actually come in quite handy. I have had it for about 25 years and remember buying it at Orange Tree Imports. I don't use it as much as I should . . . but never regret putting it on!
WHY, I ask, would anyone want to wear a cashmere sweater while cooking?
I do. I have a big Weber barbecue apron. I like it because the neck hoop adjusts by pulling the tie strings, so you can get it high and still get it over your head easily.
One of the purposes of a lab coat, besides keeping nasty stuff off your clothes, is to keep the nasty stuff in the lab where it belongs. Which is why it is not recommended to wear the lab coat outside the lab. Same goes for a shop coat.
It's not a bad idea to wear an apron when eating certain foods. It keeps the spaghetti out of your lap.
If I ever feel the need to cook bacon while naked.....
Otherwise no.
Since my wife still works and I am retired I do all the cooking and cleaning up. And yes, I always wear an apron. Keep one hanging in the closet just off the kitchen. If I don't I inevitably get something on my clothes.
One of the purposes of a lab coat, besides keeping nasty stuff off your clothes, is to keep the nasty stuff in the lab where it belongs. Which is why it is not recommended to wear the lab coat outside the lab. Same goes for a shop coat.
That principle often comes to mind when I see people wearing scrubs at the grocery store.
Cook in the nude.....just don't fry anything.
Mockturtle
Get your own blog if you want to talk about shopping.
I can see making something quick, like an egg, in a cashmere sweater. Maybe I'm up and dressed for the day, and I feel like having an egg. Why would I change my clothes?
I cook and bake a lot, and I have an apron that a friend gave me about 2 years ago. I usually forget to use it. When I'm baking, I usually put (or have) on an old Tshirt. Otherwise, I just try to be careful. I'm not always successful at keeping stuff off my clothes though. Sometimes I have to change.
If I get butter (or oil) on my clothes, I rub Dawn dishwashing liquid into the spot and either hand wash (or rinse) or machine wash the clothing. Sometimes it takes 2 wash cycles, but it always gets the grease out.
To keep the house at 62°, I need a lot of sweaters, and I buy nice sweaters.
Althouse as a sweater girl. No wonder Meade fell hard.
Fredwina
Good tip. I will try it.
I worked in organic chemistry labs for a quarter century. Lab coats should always be worn inside the labs, and never leave the laboratory area until you take them to be cleaned. Like a commenter above, I am always appalled at seeing doctors and nurses wearing their scrubs doing their shopping and, in several cases, working out at the gym.
Always wear an apron when I cook
I am made to wear an apron when I eat.
Aprons over Cashmere sounds like a song title from one of those semi-alt bands in the 90s that had a clear-voiced woman singer and a few easy going strumming dudes with shoulder hair walking round behind her in a t-shirt with many egg butter splatters. The Sundays. Sixpence. Etc. maybe it was the Cardigans.
Ann Althouse: Sweater girl. Chasmere sweater girl.
I cook and bake a lot. I always wear an apron. It has to have pockets and be absorbent so I can dry my hands on it.
I almost always do when cooking a meal because I also do my own laundry. Sometimes I wear one while cleaning. For one egg? Not so much.
I prefer a sturdy apron so the splatters don't soak through. Someday I hope to have a Hedley & Bennett.
I'm such a wuss at 62° I wouldn't be able to function. I have aprons but only think about using them when I fry (taquitos yum) or whip things. Not such a big deal for me though. I can't wear cashmere, angora or lambs wool. They make me itch.
62°! My hands are cold in the summer when temps are in the 90's. Super market, theater, and Las Vegas air conditioning are very uncomfortable.
A good apron has a bib front like the one you linked to, but the ties should be long enough to cross over in the back and tie in the front. That gives you a line to hang a dish towel from. The dish towel gives you something to wipe your hands on instead of your apron or the seat of your pants. It can also act as a quick potholder that's always in reach. I have a friend who makes fun of my wearing an apron, but I wear more expensive clothes than she does. I'm also a much better cook. And my kitchen is cleaner.
I'm not sure the baking soda is chemically doing anything in that tip. I think you just want the powder to absorb the excess oil, which is why I've heard versions of that advice using talcum powder. The talc may even be better. Maybe corn starch would be best.
Idea.
An Althouse line of aprons! Take those old paintings and transfer them onto Althouse Aprons! Bigger than US Steel.
I make use of sweatshirts in the winter. Men's large. I can rest hot pots in the crook of my arm and use the extra long sleeves to push things around in the oven.
It depends on what I’m preparing.
Maybe corn starch would be best.
Yes.
I wear an apron when making beer (it's messy and splashy). Or when cleaning other things like the grill. I should get something like a shop apron.
62 DEGREES? ARE YOU MAD
Ha. I don't wear an apron.
I just dress for the occasion.
For example: The Top hat and tails stay in the closet.
Five wheels wrote: “I'm not sure the baking soda is chemically doing anything in that tip.”
Baking sofa is a mild base and acts to saponify fatty acids. That makes the grease more water soluble.
Ok, so I'm minding my own business this morning, and Althouse starts talking about wearing cashmere sweaters. Well, someone mentioned cashmere, maybe not her. In Hawaii, no one wears sweaters, and I miss that. And shortly after, I'm thinking about the late 50's and early 60's, and girls who wore sweaters. And then about Bob Seger, and Night Moves, "She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes
And points all her own sitting way up high
Way up firm and high".
Next, why sweater? what a name for an article of clothing.Etymology of the Day: Sweater. "The word 'sweater' is disgusting!" ... Ladies and gentlemen, the etymology of "sweater": "woolen vest or jersey, originally worn in rowing," 1882, from earlier sweaters "clothing worn to produce sweating and reduce weight" (1828), from sweat (v.).Dec 19, 2013
I'm going to the beach now. No sweaters there.
We keep the heat off as much as possible. Sometimes it gets to cold and we put the heat on to 60.
I like to make an apron of fig leaves when I am masquerading as "Adam".
I wear an apron when working in my wood shop. When I cook I wear clothes I don't care about staining. I suppose doing that is virtually wearing an apron.
-sw
The upper body part of a hockey player's uniform is called a sweater. As far as I know it is never cashmere.
-sw
I only wear an apron when I'm making big meals, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. I also wear one when making cookies with grandchildren because that seems to be part of the drama for them.
The only apron I have is the one they poured for my new garage. It will be a garage mahal!???
I wear an apron when I cook, when I wash dishes, when I put away groceries, and when I generally tidy. It hangs on a hook on the back of my walk-in pantry door, along with two more aprons that are worn by whichever daughters are helping me at any given time. And I don't own a cashmere sweater or anything else that is expensive or requires special care. I wear an apron over my Gap t-shirts and Kohls house-brand yoga pants. I just don't like my clothes to get dirty or wet.
This is why everyone should cook/bake naked. No cashmere to ruin. Wear an apron is you must, but I think it just reduces the proper and necessary appreciation that of the risk heated items foster (didn't say garner, FYI). I will wear a lab coat when reloading ammunition, working in the shop, and while at work. The rest of the day is really FTW, as long as the curtains are closed.
Obviously, Althouse needs this.
At least one Althouse Apron with the rats on it.
"We keep the heat off as much as possible. Sometimes it gets to cold and we put the heat on to 60."
My wife would pack up and leave.... hmmmm.....
I have an apron my mother made for me using fabric featuring brightly hued veggies. I wear it most cooking sessions. She is still alive but I have a feeling once she has passed that apron will mean a lot. She isn't very maternal or much like a classic mom - more artsy than domestic; she taught me more about art than cooking. She stopping cooking for my sister and I when I was 16 and my dad went vegetarian ("You can have the vegetarian meal with us or cook for yourself because I am not making two dinners"). But I didn't get the apron until years later! I misplace it from time to time but it always reappears.
This is why I can make a MEAN burger - that is all I cooked once mom stopped cooking meat for us.
I am a chef by trade and I wear an apron when I am in the kitchen preparing something. The few times I try to get by without one, I get something on my clothes. I agree about the length of the apron strings and the towel. If you wipe your hands on your apron you should not touch it after four hours as bacteria may grow to a dangerous level in room temperature. I remember when housewives (and men in movies) would put on an apron in the kitchen. They seemed quite fanciful and nice. And practical. Feminism drove that choice away.
I wear an apron. I am messy when I cook. I also have worn them in the lab I work in. Very common especially when using biological samples.
My tea towel is always thrown over my shoulder even if I’m wearing an apron. Pulling it on or off of the strings at my waist would annoy me. It too doubles as a pot holder.
"To keep the house at 62°, I need a lot of sweaters, and I buy nice sweaters.
Same here, we have a "snug" with a small woodburner and that's our only warm room where we read and watch TV. I have a collection of Irish cable, Scots and Icelandic Fair Isle in angora, cashmere and wool that I've been wearing for 50+ years. Some were knitted by crofters, some expensive, others not. Post Christmas sales are a great resource for sweaters of all sorts.
My big splurge was a cashmere triple ply dressing gown thirty years ago. Single ply cashmere is wonderful to sleep in too.
Oh and I wear an apron, I buy them in black at the restaurant supply.
@Jim said
"The word 'sweater' is disgusting!"
Well, the Brits call them jumpers if that helps.
Begley hit on the apron idea... artistic photos, paintings and such on a well designed apron would be a big seller with the Althouse Eye logo. I'd go for a couple as gifts. Silly sayings on an apron is so 80s. I have several. Don't wear em because of the sayings, but I have them.
"To keep the house at 62°..."
It was 62 degrees last night in my little spot of California and 88 degrees today.
I have a cashmere sweater from Nieman Marcus, given by a wealthy friend, and because I wear it every day when it's cold and one of the cats is deeply enamored of it, I throw it in the washing machine regularly. Regular detergent. Sometimes even the dryer, but I stretch it out afterwards, as if blocking it.
It's 35 years old and still thick as a pencil and soft as a baby goat.
This is the sort of thing people wore in Powell and Pressburger films. I could drive a car over it and it would be just fine. It reminds me of a time when people were far finer in quality and yet far less destructible.
Meadehouse at 62 during the day? Must be such a challenge. I put the house to 60 at night but around 68 during the day, which makes me a freakin' polar bear apparently compared to everyone else based on their comments about how cold our house is. No matter what I would wear in a house at 62 degrees--other than I guess a down jacket over a layers and a hoodie, with hood on--I would be cold. At least face, fingers, and probably legs. Fingerless gloves wouldn't help enough. Plus, I'm always putting my hands in water to wash them or to clean up around the house. Can't do that with sleeves that don't push up.
@Jim said
"The word 'sweater' is disgusting!"
Our young son would come in from playing outside in the summer and announce that he was "so sweater!" It was adorable. We still say it, always with dramatic flair.
I often wear an apron when cooking. I also often wear a smock when working in my shop. I don't wear any protective clothing (I DO wear clothing!) when working in the office. However, I don't ALWAYS wear an apron when cooking or my smock when working in the shop -- it depends on what I'll be doing. I don't wear an apron if I'm just making toast. I do if I'm making a red sauce to go with my homemade pasta. Toast doesn't tend to splatter. My red sauce does.
I always wear an apron when cooking, and most of the time I keep it for eating.
My teen daughters are required to wear an apron for eating too. Considering the amount of spills and stains on their apron at the end of the week, I can tell they are not going to stop wearing one anytime soon.
Post a Comment