Do any kitchen chores aggravate you?

Is there anything around the kitchen that you just don't like doing?

Me? For reasons completely unknown, I detest unloading the dishwasher. I will put it off as long as possible, even taking plates out one at a time to use, but not emptying the rest!

Of course, once I make myself do it and it takes less than 5 minutes I wonder what was wrong with me in the first place!

Is there anything around the kitchen that you just don't like doing?

Me? For reasons completely unknown, I detest unloading the dishwasher.

I can understand the dishwasher thing: I hate unloading my clothes' washing machine. Being the typical (male) university student, I hate all the cleaning up chores. I do have a washing machine that would help me, but I don't find that I use it much - just not much point in wasting all that water if there's only Suvi and me (or only me) eating.

-O-

Cynthia...I was going to say the SAME thing . I don't know why either. But I do know that one weekend day my husband has to empty it and I get so annoyed if I come downstairs and he hasn't done it already. Emptying my dishwasher is my most annoying chore out of all my household chores!

Thats hilarious...Dina hates unloading the dishwasher too. Absolutely hates it. So I do it...no biggie...she loads it, I unload it.

But...maybe...there appears to be an unspoken conspiracy afoot. So..have women everywhere agreed to "hate" unloading the dishwasher...and ..somehow tricked us (the men) into doing more housework???

This bears further investigation. I think I've been had...

Richard

Pretty much, Richard. I'm the dishwasher/unloader of the house as well.

I hate cleaning the fridge. It's so bad because it should be cleaned regularly, but it never gets done. I'm an outside work kind of a guy.

I hate doing dishes that come with food prep. I do all my dinnr prep in the morning while hubby is reading his paper. I put them all in the sink to soak. When he finishes the paper and breakfast, he does them all up for me. If I am having a dinner party and have lots of cooking to do, he will come in from his outside chores to check and see if I have more dishes for him to wash. What a guy!
The rest of the kitchen chores I enjoy doing.

[James Roscoe]

Me man, we no do kitchen chores. We kill big dear and gut it and woman cook. Uhg! We make babies to do that stuff.

It has to be cleaning the stove -- TOP and BOTTOM. And yet, it screams for attention with every adventurous meal prepared. Don't you all get those small greas splatters no matter what you cook? Bacon and fried chicken are the worse. Then there seems to be grease everywhere. It is difficult to go to bed with the top of your stove looking like the Exxon Valdeze -- worse still, to get up staring at it. Then, invariably, you will bake something that over flows and bakes onto the bottom of your oven (almost permanently) by the time your dish is done. The worse is a (you guessed it) grease stain left from steak or brisket being warmed over in a piece of leaky aluminum foil. (Why is it my husband can never find a piece of aluminum foil that doesn't have a hole in it -- or know to put the foil wrapped item INTO a pan?) Then, you have no idea that there is grease on the oven floor (left by said husband) until you notice it smoking when heating it up for your next baked recipe. Too late to clean it right there because it's hot. Then you forget to clean it after it cools down, and the cycle continues for 2 months. Ever tried cleaning that?! U-u-g-g-g-g-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!!!!!!!!

Worse yet, my stove (GE) seems to be deliberately designed to be difficult to clean- lots of crevices around every burner accessible only with major disassembly.

My least favorite task is the regular removal, disassembly, and unjamming of the garbage disposal from the combined unwillingness of wife and child to refrain from throwing pennies, pebbles, and similarly undigestable rejecta down the drain. Did I mention my removal of a toilet to dislodge a firmly-stuck SpongeBob, whom Jimmy was trying to help rejoin his friends under the sea?

Did I mention my removal of a toilet to dislodge a firmly-stuck SpongeBob, whom Jimmy was trying to help rejoin his friends under the sea?

OMG Stuart! I really did LOL at this!

Is there anything around the kitchen that you just don't like doing?

Me? For reasons completely unknown, I detest unloading the dishwasher. I will put it off as long as possible, even taking plates out one at a time to use, but not emptying the rest!

Of course, once I make myself do it and it takes less than 5 minutes I wonder what was wrong with me in the first place!

To all of you who posted that you hate unloading the dishwasher:

A problem easily solved. Remove the dishwasher!!! Do the dishes by hand like your mom (or grandma or some other ancestor) then dry with a towel and put away. Presto! Dishwasher emptying is a thing of the past! A chore eliminated by the simple application of a little Ludditism.

Is there anything around the kitchen that you just don't like doing?

Washing the dishes.

I have a reasonably good excuse, though: I used to work as a dishwasher at a lunch and dinner restaurant where I was the only one hired. I was doing the complete day's dishwashing....and my shift began at 5PM.

Dishes were stacked a foot above my head most days, no kidding...and I'm 6'2".

I've thought something was wrong with me, Cynthia. I hate unloading the dishwasher too. So does Janet -- sometimes we'll use clean dishes from the dishwasher and let the dirties pile up for a meal or two.

Odd.

"Remove the dishwasher!!!"

Bad economy and not environmentally friendly, Mike -- the good to best dishwashers are much more efficient than people at washing dishes.

I supported myself for two years of college washing dishes with machines and by hand, and did a bit of study of the subject -- the University of Wisconsin did a great deal of research in the area, and Consumer Union studies come to the same conclusion.

I've thought something was wrong with me, Cynthia.

Well, there still might be, Bob, but it's not for this reason!

Least favorites are:

Unloading the dishwasher (I think that made most lists).

Cleaning the fridge which entails unloading the shelves, pulling them out, taking them to the not-quite-big-enough sink, washing, drying, putting them back and reloading them. Ugh!

Hand-washing the "not for dishwasher" items like wine glasses, etc.

"Remove the dishwasher!!!"

Bad economy and not environmentally friendly, Mike -- the good to best dishwashers are much more efficient than people at washing dishes.

I supported myself for two years of college washing dishes with machines and by hand, and did a bit of study of the subject -- the University of Wisconsin did a great deal of research in the area, and Consumer Union studies come to the same conclusion.

Hey, I was just offering a solution to the pressing problem of unhappy homelife arising from the drudgery of emptying the dishwasher. I made no claims that my proposal had any other positive attributes, nor did I claim it was without drawbacks!!! C'mon, what's a few extra pennies and some environmental damage compared to putting a smile on Cynthia's face?

To all of you who posted that you hate unloading the dishwasher (part 2):

It is my understanding that some relief is at hand. Due to the hectic pace of modern living, many households apparently find they don't have the time to unload the dishwasher. So one of the latest kitchen design features is.....you guessed it.......2 dishwashers!!! Not to double your agony. Rather, you can have one filling up with dirty dishes while you empty the other (read: put into immediate use) as needed! Never again will you have to actually put clean dishes on a shelf in a cabinet; you will take them from the dishwasher to the dinner table instead. AND have a clear conscience when doing so! Well maybe clear.....some of you probably have issues that haven't been disclosed in this forum.

C'mon, what's a few extra pennies and some environmental damage compared to putting a smile on Cynthia's face?

Mike, I am glad to see you have your priorities straight!

So, then, speaking of putting a smile on Cynthia's face.... when will the Kamado be arriving?

Its certainly scrubbing the big wok that I truly detest. Its big and heavy. Oh yeah, I hate ironing as well. And taking out the garbage.

"C'mon, what's a few extra pennies and some environmental damage compared to putting a smile on Cynthia's face."

You are a good person -- absolutely right!

Just about everything except cooking.

[Jenise]

Offhand, what I hate most is having to clean up the kitchen after dinner. I do the best I can to wash prep stuff as I go along, but once dinner's over and we're lingering over a glass of wine, usually by soft light and candles, and it's a jolt to go back to the bright glare of the kitchen and get all businesslike. It needs to be done, but....

Speaking of dishwashers, just emptied mine. 3 minutes. That's all it takes, but I admit to putting it off, like it's a worse job than that.

Last night in WLDG Chat, Julia B posited that perhaps we hate the unloading because it needs to be done all at once, whereas the filling is usually gradual. She may be onto something there.