Wordsmith Lane

Bookshelf: The Modern Household Manual

The Modern Household Manual, By Caroline Roessler, Editor of Notebook: magazine (Harper Collins & News Magazines, $19.95)

As far as Lebanese daughters go, I might be somewhat of a disappointment. Although I can speak, read and write Arabic (although the latter at a somewhat intermediate level), socialise with all the people from my village young and old, and keep up-to-date with the politics, history and social norms of mother country, I am far from the typical set-el-beit (lady of the house) that we’re all taught we should be.

My mum attributes this to my devotion to my career/education. I am always writing or researching or reading. And when I am not, I am totally brain-dead and just want to veg out in front of the TV. Having lived at home for all of my 24 years, this means that I have never done my own washing. I’ve hung it up, along with everyone else’s, and occasionally ironed it. But I suck at ironing so much that my 19 year old sister now does it and pretends I did. I’m also used to having a meal ready for me at the end of each day, hardly ever clean the tub or shower, and have never cleaned the sink. I practically have a butler/maid (sorry mum) in my house.

This will all change when I move out of home in five months, and I am freaking out. I don’t know the next thing about keeping a house in order, removing stains, and what I can use bleach for. This is where Notebook: magazine has usually come in handy for me, especially due to its snazzy little bookmarks that come with each issue. It’s not exactly catered to my age group, but I crave it for the simple wholesomeness it brings to my hectic, modern lifestyle. It really reminds me that happiness starts in the home.

I am not going to lie, I really want to be a domestic goddess, and previously, that goal might have been out of reach. But now, thanks to Caroline Roessler’s (editor of Notebook: magazine) latest book, The Modern Household Manual ($19.95), I might be able to work my way through it, and I couldn’t be happier.

The Modern Household Manual is an everyday reference to help you master the little things that can transform your home from a den of a chaos to a haven of life and love, your laundry from dull to bright, and your kitchen know-how from the mundane and clueless to the varied, delicious and sustainable.

Some of the things it covers:

• Cooking basics (melting chocolate, stew fruit, make croutons)
• Cooking terms – sweat, broil, bechamel emulsify along whip, baste and caramelise
• Kitchen essentials – from those for the pantry and those tools to make every cooking task possible
• How to shop sustainably – stopping food waste is a big mission for Notebook:
• Shopping smart and in season
• Banishing odours from your hands, appliances, laundry and home
• Cleaning smart – everything from the oven to the dishwasher
• Keeping your washing vibrant (and taking care of your machine)
• Fixing problems in clothes – sewing buttons, hemming, replacing broken zips

All in all, it’s a one-stop shop for most things home, bound together in a beautiful book (gorgeous illustrations and pictures) that you wouldn’t be ashamed to have on display. If you want to share your domestic goddess secrets, that is.