- The job of cooking the meal consists of four parts:
o The first step to completing this task is to set up the dish washing station so you can clean items you'll need to reuse during the cooking. Note: You are not expected to clean up after dinner; just clean as you need to.
o The second step is to make sure that all of the necessary components of the meal you are preparing are on hand. This means making sure you let the Kitchen Steward know well ahead of the day you plan to cook what you need, so it can be purchased in time. (What we want to avoid are last-minute trips off-site.)
o The third step is to cook the meal. The Kitchen Steward will know how many people have signed up for the meal plan, and you are expected to provide at least one generous helping per person. The Kitchen Steward also has a list of people's special food considerations, so if you plan to cook a meal, meet with her in advance to plan your meal!
This job is often performed by teams of people. There are many of us who don't feel up to managing a meal by ourselves who will be happy to chop, wash, and peel for the people who do take on the responsibility for the meal.
o The fourth step is to put away or dispose of the leftovers after dinner.
- It is camp custom to serve the evening meal when the sun touches the horizon. This allows everyone plenty of time to finish eating and have enough light to properly accomplish the clean-up.
- This is a once-per day job, with the exception of the night of Atlantian court and the last Saturday of Pennsic, when the kitchen usually has been packed up, so we order pizza!
- When the evening meal has been cooked, people have eaten, and the leftovers are stored or disposed of as appropriate, the job is done.
Dishes
Only people who are participating in the Meal Plan are required to do the dishes used to cook the evening meal. The dish washing task refers only to dinner, and then only to the “community” dishes. Each person is individually responsible for washing up the utensils used in the preparation of their own breakfast or lunch and the plates, bowls, mugs and silverware used during the evening meal. Luckily, we have an excellent dish washing station which helps by making the job easier to do, and easier to do right.
- The task involves checking the dish washing station in the morning to make sure there are cleaning supplies. Notify the Kitchen Steward if we need more. Other than that, this task is performed after the evening meal. The person doing the dishes should wash all pots, pans, serving containers and utensils used during the preparation, cooking, and serving of dinner.
- This may seem obvious to some, but you cannot clean the dishes if you're washing them in water that's filled with grease and food. Change the water if you need to! It's easy to change, and if you aren't sure how just ask!
- If you need to wash cast iron, consult with the owner on the preferred way of cleaning it, or consult the Kitchen Steward.
- This job is done after supper, though it is possible to get a jump on it by washing the preparation dishes during the cooking. Usually, the community dishes are washed after all the leftovers are put away, allowing individuals to wash their own dishes first.
- Except for the quick supply check in the morning, this job is only done once per day.
- When all of the community dishes are clean and are air-drying and the dish washing station is clean and ready for the late individuals who want to clean their own dishes, the job is done. “Clean” is defined as: free of food residue including oil and grease, scrubbed in hot soapy water and rinsed in very hot water with a disinfecting agent added (bleach is commonly used) and ready to be used again.