Save water by not washing pans and plates

[Chuck1]

Plates?

I eat from the saucepan or frypan.

OMG do you use your fingers too, joking

I use commercial Excalibur Coating pans and a silicon spatula, eggs slide right off, nothing sticks and they last forever if treated right, you have to go to a restaurant supply to get them.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Remember that episode of the classic Odd Couple where the guy eats off the pan over the sink?

Or was it Seinfeld? I forget....

Anyway, no muss, no fuss.

 

[BigT]

I just don't use plates or bowls. I eat my food straight out of the pan / pot I cooked or prepared it in. Less to wash that way.

 

[Rayd888]

After you have used a plate, pan, spoons, and forks, put them in the fridge, you can do that for 3 days if you only keep them out for a short time, then you only wash dishes about 2 times a week.

Another way to save water is to wipe the plate clean with a paper towel imediately after you eat (before the food gets stuck to the plate). And then spray it with hydrogen peroxide and wipe it dry with another clean paper towel.

 

[lenny flank]

I just don't use plates or bowls.  I eat my food straight out of the pan / pot I cooked or prepared it in.  Less to wash that way.

I usually cook and eat right in the can (after peeling the label off). A habit from my backpacking days. It always pisses off my health-food friends.  

 

[Motrukdriver]

When I lived in the big truck I just wiped my dishes off with a paper towel and then used some antibacterial wet wipes to clean them off. About every 4th or 5th shower I'd pack them up in my shower diddy bag with some dish soap and wash them in the shower room sink after taking a nice hot shower then put them away when I got back to the truck. I supposed you could do this in your shower tent or RV bathroom if you wanted. Gonna use water anyway so might as well get the most use out of it. Worked great for me and I'm still alive. Btw, these are the kinda plates I used in the big truck. I absolutely refuse to eat off of paper plates. I figure I was already roughing it sort of and having a little sense of civilization was a small price to pay to feel good about it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Moose-Cabin-16-Piece-Dinnerware-Set-Multi-Color/20593092

 

[Ticklebellly]

Accidentally broke the handle off a cast iron frying pan. Took to the pan with a cutting disk retaining about 10 mm of the sides. End result is a cast iron plate that readily goes from gas ring to table. Only needs a good wipe down after use and the heat applied next use is sure to kill any bugs. Whom ever invented paper towel needs a medal.

 

[Chuck1]

Took to the pan with a cutting disk retaining about 10 mm of the sides.   End result is a cast iron plate that readily goes from gas ring to table.

Nice, i want one, now i have to decide which pan gets the ax, er i mean grinder.

Many heads are better than one, good tip

 

[BigT]

I usually cook and eat right in the can (after peeling the label off). A habit from my backpacking days. It always pisses off my health-food friends.  

Were your friends unhappy because it wasn't health food, or because the lining of the can could leach into the meal when the can was set on a stove?

When I was younger, I used to put cans of soup or Pork-N-Beans (Yum!!), under the hood of my old car (out of the way of spark plugs / wires), and I'd have a nice hot meal when I reached my destination.  No stove necessary.  I generally did this if I was going someplace cold, like Yosemite.  

A little bailing wire would keep the cans from bouncing off the engine and into the street.  

 

[Dingfelder]

I learned in college that pizza left out all night after you fall asleep drunk on the couch is both absolutely fine and necessary the next morning.

I'm experimenting with a pressurized garden spray bottle. Problem with using the sink in my trailer is that it is the normal length of a small sink, but pretty shallow. The least splash goes virtually anywhere BUT in the sink.

I still have trouble doing anything but a water-intensive soak sometimes, when food caramelizes on the bottom and sides of a pot. Which is exactly what I want it to do. And also when I eat oatmeal, where it's always a race to keep the sides of a dish from getting coated with oatmeal cement even while you're eating.

 

[WanderingBiker]

Lots of good ways to eat.....

eggs:  if  they are organic eggs (not washed from commercial farmer) they can stay out of the frig for a couple weeks...

Egg shells are covered with a natural coating that seals its pores. The bloom is magical in that it is an invisible layer that helps to prevent bacteria from getting inside the shell and reduces moisture loss. Wiping or washing eggs removes the protective coating and reduces the lifetime of the egg.

Looks like I will be using at least one cast iron pan and a induction plate.... very fast....

 

[Dingfelder]

Looks like I will be using at least one cast iron pan and a induction plate.... very fast....

Hmm ... always seemed to me like cast iron took quite a while to heat?

 

[Rayd888]

I learned in college that pizza left out all night after you fall asleep drunk on the couch is both absolutely fine and necessary the next morning.

I'm experimenting with a pressurized garden spray bottle. Problem with using the sink in my trailer is that it is the normal length of a small sink, but pretty shallow. The least splash goes virtually anywhere BUT in the sink.

I still have trouble doing anything but a water-intensive soak sometimes, when food caramelizes on the bottom and sides of a pot. Which is exactly what I want it to do. And also when I eat oatmeal, where it's always a race to keep the sides of a dish from getting coated with oatmeal cement even while you're eating.

Haha! Great post.

I once stopped dating a girl when she told me she didn't like pizza. I figured it was the tip of the iceberg of some deep dark mental issues!

Who in their right mind doesn't like pizza?!

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

 

[WanderingBiker]

Hmm ... always seemed to me like cast iron took quite a while to heat?

seems cast iron with an induction plate is pretty quick... something to do with the magnetic connection...

 

[prone2wander]

Finsihed hiking the Appalachian Trail in March and never used soap the last few months. After dinner I simply added a little water to the pot, used a tiny piece of Handi Wipe to scrub out the food, tossed the little piece of Handi Wipe and was done. In the morning I boiled water for coffee in the same pot and sterilized it at the same time plus dropped the spoon in for a couple of seconds. My breakfast was usually granola with instant milk. Again I wiped it out and waited till dinner untill I cooked in it and sterilzed it again. Won't work in every situation of rv living but would cut down on the water waste.

 

[Dingfelder]

Haha! Great post.

I once stopped dating a girl when she told me she didn't like pizza. I figured it was the tip of the iceberg of some deep dark mental issues!

Who in their right mind doesn't like pizza?!

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

You did a good thing.  You might otherwise have had to explain this sort of thing to the kids you had together, and how would you come up with answers to their questions?

I've heard of people breaking off relationships because someone didn't like Rio Bravo, pets, a religion, a political candidate, war or peace, fairness or unfairness, veganism or eating a hamburger, and I've had my doubts and held my tongue.  But not liking pizza?  You were on solid ground there.  

seems cast iron with an induction plate is pretty quick... something to do with the magnetic connection...

Hmm, okay.  I spent quite a few years with a stovetop that was half induction, half electric, and I was always disappointed by the induction, including with cast iron.  I really love cast iron ... but at least for me, I have bumped into some limitations.

 

[terranaught]

Plates?, I just eat out of my no-stick skillet, and scrub it with a tuft of grass if needed, then wipe with a paper towel.

 

[wasanah2]

This is actually one of the reasons I don't want to camp in the desert or where good water is a precious commodity.  I also don't take a shower in a mere quart of water.  Also, you can't get clean and you can't wash off all the dead skin cells in a baby wipe.  Don't get me wrong, it helps...a little.   It might make one FEEL better because it's cooling for a time, but it takes a real shower, more water than a few quarts, to wash off the dead skin and bacteria....but I digress.

I wash dishes in very hot water.  It's one area of compromise I won't mess with.  If I have to carry more water or go somewhere where I can get plenty of water, I'll do it.   On the east coast, good water is plentiful and lots of free sources for it.  There is no water shortage here.

And yes, paper plates are awesome!  Someone on this thread said, just take care of the mess right after you make it.  That's so wise.  Organization makes this lifestyle do-able.  It's how we can fit nicely into tiny spaces.  If you have food rotting in pots and pans or sitting in the refrigerator, you're not making good use of space.  For organization reasons alone, it makes sense to take care of dishes as soon as possible and put them into their designated spaces.

 

[Dingfelder]

Yup. Even dropping a couple of coins from your pocket onto the countertop starts off innocently enough, then so fast you could hardly see it coming, it's "Where did this big pile of crap on my counter come from?"

 

[terranaught]

My guest complained about my dirty dishes, I explained that that is as clean as cold water can clean them, my dog then jumped on the sofa and I said" down cold water bad dog"