Is a kitchen sink garbage disposal outdated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am very careful about what goes in the disposal - usually small scraps like eggshells and whatever small bits of food are left on the plate - small though. I also never ever put grease or oil down there.

All that said I cannot imagine not having one.

My plumber said egg shells are the worse thing for the disposal and pipes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very careful about what goes in the disposal - usually small scraps like eggshells and whatever small bits of food are left on the plate - small though. I also never ever put grease or oil down there.

All that said I cannot imagine not having one.

My plumber said egg shells are the worse thing for the disposal and pipes

I didn't realize that. Thanks for the info! Will stop doing this. Although it's only occasionally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people grind things down the disposal? I never encountered one till I came to the US, so I’ve always been curious. I have a disposal because it was already there, but I use a sink strainer instead.

Better for the environment and less rotting food smell in the trash.

But terrible for your pipes!!

To be clear, they don't damage the pipes, they just introduce a lot of things with a propensity to clog.

I still remember when my wife ran a bunch of irises through the disposal (why I don't know). The inside of the drain pipe at the cleanout in the basement looked like the underside of a lawn mower.

[Anonymous]

I thought rice was the worst thing.

Anyway, we don't use ours to get rid of mounds of food, just to grind up the little bits that inevitably find their way in there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people grind things down the disposal? I never encountered one till I came to the US, so I’ve always been curious. I have a disposal because it was already there, but I use a sink strainer instead.

Better for the environment and less rotting food smell in the trash.

But terrible for your pipes!!

To be clear, they don't damage the pipes, they just introduce a lot of things with a propensity to clog.

I still remember when my wife ran a bunch of irises through the disposal (why I don't know). The inside of the drain pipe at the cleanout in the basement looked like the underside of a lawn mower.

My plumber says the vibration is not good for the pipes..but we live in an old house so maybe it matters more for us.

[Anonymous]

Why can't onion skins, celery, or egg shells go down the disposal?

[Anonymous]

I've never had problems with egg shells and have always heard that they were good'ish for the disposal. I do try to add them to the compost also as they are beneficial for that. Grease contributes to clogs.

[Anonymous]

Sincere question for those who don’t want one and dislike them and will never use one if you, say, rent a vacation house that happens to have one:

What do you do in these situations…. Bowl of cereal with a cup of milk remaining and 30 soggy cheerios. Bowl of clear broth soup with a cup of fluid left in the bowl mixed with a half cup of mushy tomatoes? A pan with ~ 40 grains of rice stuck to the side that necessitates rinsing? Caked-on noodles glued to side of baking pan?

Do you just rinse down the drain ? Dump cups of liquid in the garbage can?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Garage disposals=must have

Plus 10000. Maybe not in a rental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never had problems with egg shells and have always heard that they were good'ish for the disposal. I do try to add them to the compost also as they are beneficial for that. Grease contributes to clogs.

Grease mixed with eggshell put a layer of clay inside of your pipes. The clay is stronger than your PVC pipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am very careful about what goes in the disposal - usually small scraps like eggshells and whatever small bits of food are left on the plate - small though. I also never ever put grease or oil down there.

All that said I cannot imagine not having one.

This is what we do, though we wouldn’t even put eggshells down ours. Plates mostly get scraped into either compost or trash (which we take out daily). But obviously sauces or crumbs sometimes stick to the plate, and we will use the disposal for that if the water backs up. I also use it to speed up draining large amounts of water all at once, like a big pot of pasta water.

But probably my favorite thing to do with the disposal is to grate a bunch of lemon zest and then toss it down the sink with the disposal running. I’ll juice the lemon into it too, with hot water running, sometimes toss a tablespoon of vinegar. It makes the kitchen smell great and gets rid of any lingering food smell in the sink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sincere question for those who don’t want one and dislike them and will never use one if you, say, rent a vacation house that happens to have one:

What do you do in these situations…. Bowl of cereal with a cup of milk remaining and 30 soggy cheerios. Bowl of clear broth soup with a cup of fluid left in the bowl mixed with a half cup of mushy tomatoes? A pan with ~ 40 grains of rice stuck to the side that necessitates rinsing? Caked-on noodles glued to side of baking pan?

Do you just rinse down the drain ? Dump cups of liquid in the garbage can?

Most people have a small strainer over their sink drain that they pick up and empty into the trash. It works, but I find it to be a gross chore. It's far easier to flip a garbage disposal switch and wash it down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sincere question for those who don’t want one and dislike them and will never use one if you, say, rent a vacation house that happens to have one:

What do you do in these situations…. Bowl of cereal with a cup of milk remaining and 30 soggy cheerios. Bowl of clear broth soup with a cup of fluid left in the bowl mixed with a half cup of mushy tomatoes? A pan with ~ 40 grains of rice stuck to the side that necessitates rinsing? Caked-on noodles glued to side of baking pan?

Do you just rinse down the drain ? Dump cups of liquid in the garbage can?

+1

This is what it’s for, as far as I’m concerned. I never just scrape food down the sink (we compost), but I can’t stand dealing with those little food catchers for something like grains of rice or mushy cereal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Garage disposals=must have

+1
We compost, but the garbage disposal is indispensable for rinsing off plates and the odd soft food thing that falls down the drain.

I can’t imagine anyone judging garbage disposals on the stuff moron renters put down there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sincere question for those who don’t want one and dislike them and will never use one if you, say, rent a vacation house that happens to have one:

What do you do in these situations…. Bowl of cereal with a cup of milk remaining and 30 soggy cheerios. Bowl of clear broth soup with a cup of fluid left in the bowl mixed with a half cup of mushy tomatoes? A pan with ~ 40 grains of rice stuck to the side that necessitates rinsing? Caked-on noodles glued to side of baking pan?

Do you just rinse down the drain ? Dump cups of liquid in the garbage can?

I pour off as much liquid as I can down the drain. Any food gets caught up in this https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Strainer-Stopper/dp/B07MSPT5WW/ref=zg_bs_6810581011_3/137-3095382-8928564?pd_rd_i=B07MSPT5WW&psc=1

and all solids go in the trash.