Nope, no dry well, as those have to be specially constructed to avoid freezing. We have an efficient washer and dishwasher, and we take good care of our septic. The drain field was reconstructed in the early 1980s and whoever did it did an amazing job. Even the state inspectors when we bought the house were astounded at how well it functioned.
@Beth Gallagher posted a pic of her cheese grater. I use a lot of hard Italian cheeses, and usually grate the entire block and freeze it. I immediately thought "I NEED one!" At first I thought I had one in my gadget drawer, but I was wrong. So I went online to see if my local Walmart had any in stock, and they don't. Then I looked on Walmart and Amazon and started reading reviews and thought "This needs research." After my initial impulse died down, I started thinking about it. I agree with you...I don't need more clutter. I did a major kitchenware purge when I moved in here. I don't grate cheese that often. I do an entire block in one sitting and then I'm done with it. And I have a nice Cuisinart box grater that I got at Goodwill (I donated my old one when I bought the Cuisinart) that works just fine for grating cheese. I'm sure I'll find something else I need.
OK, so I use a box grater. I worry about the metals used in the ones from China. But I grate carrots, cheese, my finger nails...
Same here. I will say that the nice, large Cusinart I got from Goodwill is way better than the standard cheap ones we all have. It's when we get down to that last small piece of food that frugality and safety collide. I hate throwing away food...and skin grows back.
Saving fingertips to use for stock is just a little bit too far out for me, @Don Alaska . I am not having “chicken noodle soup” at your house anytime soon……. Or John Brunner’s house either, if he puts a like on your post !
I actually meant the ends of the veggies to save the fingertips. Just don't grate so close to the end.
In my own defense, I use that grater/slicer for a lot more than cheese. Most often it's used for carrots, zucchini, and other vegetables. I am one of "those people" who buy cheese already grated most of the time. Today I was making pizza dough and got my favorite silicone spatula caught in the food processor blade and ruined it, so I guess I "need" a new spatula.
I "Liked" Don's comment until I read yours. Thank goodness this forum has a Reverse. Regarding fingertips: I got extras. I come from a long line of pickpockets.
@Beth Gallagher just gets extra cellulose in her cheese. No biggie except for purists like (apparently) @John Brunner
It melts better without cornstarch. And it tastes better when grated/shredded from a block. I'm not a purist, I'm just anal. I'm also told I can grate.