Kitchen: October 2008 Archives

When I have dirty eggs I don't bother to wash them. I set them aside and once a week we crack them and along with a quart of buttermilk the pigs get a treat. I have a little kitchen helper that automatically cracks these eggs for me.

Wanna see my handy dandy egg cracker?

Do you have a kitchen accessory that comes this cute?

My budding chef.

He is very intent on his job when performing master culinary skills.

He can crack them one handed, too.

Most often he doesn't make a mess either.

Careful with the shells.

Wipe off the hands when finished.

All done.

No shells in the eggs either. I have even been known to let him crack eggs when I am cooking. Of course those times we wash all the eggs any way. He cracked a fair amount of eggs and was quite pleased with himself.

"No more pictures."

"Me say, "No more pictures!"

I wanted to show you more of the bottles in my kitchen that I use to hold oils, vinegars and other items I like close at hand when cooking. For those of you that might have missed it Part I of my series on decorative and engaging vessels in which to store potions and notions in your kitchen can be found here.

This is one of my favorite bottles. It is for Sinclair's pure cottonseed salad oil. I have never seen pure cottonseed oil available on the store shelf. If I did I would buy it and run home rejoicing about the soaps I would make with it. Not so sure I would eat it but I would absolutely make soap with it. I know nothing of the company that produced this oil. I have Googled and hunted and so far come up with nothing. If anyone has any clue about this oil and the maker I would love to know. The bottle reads "Sinclair Oil Salad Pure Cottonseed Oil". The outer ring of writing reads "Bottled by Tillman & Bendel, Inc. San Francisco".

Next on the counter top is a White House Vinegar jug. For as long as I can remember my Grandma and my Momma only used White House vinegars. It is a name I know. Those things familiar from my childhood, even a lowly vinegar name, evoke such huge emotional repsonses in me. I can smell and see the bowl of cucumbers and onions marinating for dinner on my Grandma's kitchen counter. I know the scent of bowling vinegar used to pickle peppers and cukes and a steaming hot summer kitchen. Vinegar also invokes the memories of years up years of easter dying with the colored tablets, tablespoon of vinegar and a small cup of cold water. This bottle was a must have.  

The last bottle is another bottle that I haven't been able to find a clue as to what it was originally intended for. It is a bottle that is representative of George Washington. I know this because it is imprinted in the glass at the bottom "Washington".  I wonder if George was a novelty to sell distilled spirits. So far my research has turned up nothing whatsoever. For now George is overseeing the pouring of balsamic vinegar.

So, you can see, I have some odd delights and uses for bottles. I figure you can't shove everything into a cabinet. If you have to leave it sitting out it may as well be useful but above all it should be pretty, engaging, novel and a conversation starter.

I have had many people comment on my bottles. At first they appear nondescript and just a part of the kitchen clutter nestled near the stove top. Then someone pays a bit closer attention to what is really there. I have never asked, nor looked, but I do wonder how many people go home and look for something interesting to store their oils and vinegars in.