Do you wear rings or other finger jewelry when you cook?
After 34 years of spinsterhood, I got married last year. My new husband picked out a a lovely engagement ring and we together picked out matching wedding rings. I am happy as can be with my husband AND my jewelry, but despite this connubial bliss, I have a problem.
I am an energetic cook but a lazy dishwasher, and as a result I have been devising ways to use my hands in place of utensils whenever possible. Last weekend, for example, while making a short crust and gleefully rubbing butter and flour between my fingers, I noticed my wedding band and engagement ring were thoroughly crusted with pastry. I took them off, rinsed them thoroughly, and stashed them in an empty spice tin. The new husband, when he noticed three days later, felt a little put-out, because I had forgotten to put them back on after cooking. Argh!
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12 Comments:
I have a little jade elephant that sits on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. When I'm cooking, my rings go on the trunk of the elephant. Yes, I sometimes leave them there a bit longer than anticipated, but it's a good way to keep them out of harm's way. A ring holder that sits out means you're more likely to remember to put the rings back on, avoiding any marital discord!
jcwest47 at 7:22PM on 11/02/07
I have had to clean dough, meatball, and all kinds of goop out of my rings so I no longer wear them while cooking. I never take my thumb ring off since its a band it cleans well when I was my fingers.
The newness of your wonderous new wedding rings will never fade by the shine will if you keep spreading butter on it. Go to Macys or Lenox outlet and get yourself a ring holder. I have 2 of them. One crystal and one china.
Can we talk about my natural fingernails which I try so hard to keep nice? Cuticles? The skin on my hands?
JerzeeTomato at 9:07PM on 11/02/07
I have to take them off when I cook. In fact, when I teach cooking classes, I make everyone take off their rings and wash hands.
Steamy Kitchen at 9:29AM on 11/03/07
I keep a small dish on the windowsill above my sink to put my ring in. Sometimes it will stay there for days at a time- but I always know where it is. My hubby doesn't concern himself with it. Ask your hubby if he'd rather you wear the rings all the time and eventually need to have them repaired or replaced, or would he rather you take good care of them so they lasy the lifetime they were intended to.
ErikaWaz at 10:27AM on 11/03/07
I wear my wedding band, but not my engagement ring (albeit, it's a diamond band, but stuff gets stuck in it regardless).
hereandthe at 10:32AM on 11/03/07
As a registered nurse, I can tell you ladies and gentlemen, please take your rings off !! You can cultivate many undesiralble cultures in your stones and settings be it from your cooking or what your bringing in to it!. I always take my rings off when cooking because I too am a hands on type of cook.
Also a word to the wise, when shopping in the grocery stores, pick up a few extra clear plastic produce bags before leaving that department. Place your raw meats into these bags to avoid contaminating the rest of your groceries in your basket. They can still be rung up as the bar codes will register through the clear plastic, but you can avoid blood leaking from your chicken or beef onto your lettuce, toilet paper or breakfast cereal box.
Thanks, from the nurse standing behind you in the check out line, bitting her tongue.
sweetlilmagnolia at 2:34PM on 11/03/07
I have the kind of paper towel holder that sits on the counter with a dowel at the edge. That's where I put my wedding ring when I cook.
QScoop at 2:45PM on 11/03/07
I have to take my rings off if my hands are going to get into dough or, especially, if handling raw meat. It keeps them cleaner and saves me time later anyway. Have you ever seen Paula Deen or Rachael Ray making meatballs with their rings on? Ewwwww!
Jeana at 4:36PM on 11/03/07
Never.
paris221966 at 6:55PM on 11/03/07
Regardless of what I'm cooking...
Step 1: Remove Rings and watch.
Step 2: Tie up Hair.
Step 3: Wash hands.
Step 4: Begin cooking.
chiff0nade at 8:52PM on 11/03/07
If your diamonds get dingy, you can clean them with the steam wand of an espresso machine. I occasionally steam clean my wife's jewelry in this manner and it really does work - I figured this out after watching my jeweler steam clean them in his store.
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 11:33PM on 11/04/07
I always take my rings and watch off and put them inside the same cupboard so I know where they are, and I avoid any "down the drain" episodes. Greyhoundgrrl, you should be happy that your husband still notices these things!
psychsarah at 8:55AM on 11/05/07