Save water by not washing pans and plates

[crofter]

Sounds dangerous, risk of food borne illness. Violates rule 1 of homeless people: avoid getting sick as you may die in the ditch.

 I you have to do this, safer to use disposables, or eat wrapped foods.

  I use soap and boiling water to clean up all kitchen stuff in the van, and leftover water is used for hygiene cleanups.
-crofter

 

[nature lover]

Crofter - to which post are you responding to being dangerous. I just can’t see why thoroughly cooking eggs in a frying pan and then eating those eggs out of the pan while they’re still warm is dangerous. I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than letting your dog eat out of the dish. And I’m totally against vinegar. Not that it doesn’t work it’s just that I can’t stand the smell or taste of it. When my wife used to clean the coffee pot with vinegar I had to leave the house. Yeah I know I’m weird. So please clarify which of us are being dangerous. I respect your opinion. And I am the worlds best expert on my own opinion.

 

[crofter]

@nature
In order to remove the sources of food borne illness from your food chain, it is important (to me) to clean the kitchen stuff, and I use biodegradable  soap and boiling water. I use a dish pan.

During travel (road days) I usually use raw or precooked food out of the cooler, and disposable utensils. I have access to trash can during gas stops to dispose of the disposables.

 Some people save up the dirty dishes to wash later, but I don't do this. It is easy enough to clean up as you go, and at the end of the meal you are done.

What I do, YMMV. -crofter

 

[nature lover]

I use very hot if not boiling water and some type of dish soap. I have to admit I need to get to biodegradable environmentally friendly soap. I haven’t done that yet. But after frying those eggs in the frying pan and then eating them that pan gets washed in water that’s very hot and cleaned very thoroughly. The famous last words were it’s never affected me yet. Reminds me of the guy who died and on his tombstone he had them put I told you I was sick.

 

[highdesertranger]

ok I just got to say something. Now-a-days biodegradable is a word that gets misused frequently, like organic and several others. they make people feel good and usual cost more money, sometimes a lot more.

Everything is biodegradable. everything. it's just a matter of time. now you can say it degrades faster that might be true but the way it's used is just wrong.

Same with organic. if you go to the store you see all kinds of organic stuff. the other day I saw organic bananas I looked across the aisle and there where regular bananas that were a lot cheaper and I thought to myself what those bananas aren't organic. what they are inorganic. of course they were organic. another feelgood misused word.

I could go on like wild horses. oh never mind.

highdesertranger

 

[Freelander]

Of course if you knew what was in your food, it wouldn't eat of it.

I used to work for a guy who's cousin worked at a chicken processing plant. Every time a load of chickens came in there would be a few dead ones, his job so yo pick the good dead ones from the bad dead ones.

If they were stiff they were bad, and if they were still bendable they were good, needless to say when ever the food inspector was around he got a free day off.

 

[RVTravel]

Agree with highdesertranger. 'Biodegradable' and 'Organic' are marketing lies.

 

[vanbrat]

I have some paper plates but rarely use them. I have “in breakable” plastic plates too but rarely use them. One of my favorite meals is scrambled eggs with salsa. And yes I eat it right out of the frying pan. Why not. If I can eat it out of what I cooked it in that saves a lot of effort.

I use a microwave for a lot of my cooking. If I cook it in the same bowl as I eat from only one thing to wash. I have had food poisoning a few times (from a questionable, but I'm hungry restaurants) I don't want to do that on the road ever again. So everything gets scrubbed and put away clean. If I am not cooking, just cold eating it's maybe paper, but still everything is put away clean. And no matter how hungry. I look and smell if it smells bad, looks dirty and old sticky we go else where... I carry bleach for making bleach water to spray things down with when called for.

 

[Dingfelder]

I wipe stuff off with a paper towel first, as many as it takes to get obvious stuff off, including grease. Then a rubbing alcohol spray. It's not as cheap as vinegar, but a few sprays are cheap enough. And vinegar is not foolproof.

Anyway, it makes it so my main enemy is crust that's hard to scrub off. I just don't cook that many things that make crusts, or that long.

Not perfect, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say.

If you want fewer germs, get rid of them as soon as possible. May make you less vulnerable to wildlife intruders with good noses, too.

 

[Cammalu]

I think it costs a lot more to buy paper towels, vinegar and alcohol than water.

 

[Ravella and X]

Sometimes money isn't the main consideration. Sometimes wastewater is the top concern.

I use a lodge pot scraper to remove any stuck on stuff on pans, plates, bowls. I wipe the pot scraper on a tiny piece of paper towel. I do this because I don't want any solids or sludge going into my gray tank.

Then I either wash with a little soap and a little water and rinse with just enough water, or wipe clean with a wet paper towel piece and then spray with alcohol or vinegar.

On full hookup occasions, I marvel at the unlimited running water and revel in using it like a stick and brick queen.

It's all just individual preferences based on individual circumstances -- no right way, no wrong way.

I don't have a microwave, so when I reheat foods, I line my pot with parchment paper or heavy foil and dump my pasta dish or soup or whatever in to heat on low. And if X isnt here, I might even eat it right out of the pot.

 

[nature lover]

You’re right about the biodegradable, organic, natural label. Poison ivy is natural I’m not having a salad with that. I guess what I should’ve said about the dishwashing liquid is look for one without phosphates.

 

[crofter]

Sometimes money isn't the main consideration. Sometimes wastewater is the top concern.

I use a lodge pot scraper to remove any stuck on stuff...

Oh. One of these.
-crofter

Link to supply catalog.
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/...ack-16lodupnscrpr2pkxcac/16lodupnscrpr2pkxcac

 

[Dingfelder]

I think it costs a lot more to buy paper towels, vinegar and alcohol than water.

Water is way more expensive -- and bulky -- and difficult to have on hand in sufficient supply, especially for tasks like cleaning -- than vinegar or rubbing alcohol, unless you're using one of those things very weird.  Paper towels to clean off a plastic plate or ceramic bowl/whatever come down to a few cents.  And of course water does zero to clean off grease or sterilize.

 

[RVTravel]

water more expensive than rubbing alcohol...hmmm

 

[Dingfelder]

How much rubbing alcohol do you spray?  I can fill a pretty small sprayer with enough to last me a week.

 

[Freelander]

Water is way more expensive -- and bulky -- and difficult to have on hand in sufficient supply, especially for tasks like cleaning -- than vinegar or rubbing alcohol, unless you're using one of those things very weird.  Paper towels to clean off a plastic plate or ceramic bowl/whatever come down to a few cents.  And of course water does zero to clean off grease or sterilize.

You must be buying Premium Grade water.

 

[highdesertranger]

why is everyone freaked out over a little grease. I have cast iron for years that has never seen soap, alcohol, or vinegar. highdesertranger

 

[Freelander]

Cast Iron is different, I dont use soap on any of mine either, just hot water, and maybe a scrub pad.

 

[highdesertranger]

why is it different? it's different because? highdesertranger