13 minutes ago, liuzhou said:That said, many people here have them. I think they are a hangover from a t ime when few kitchens had a hot water supply. Many still don't. People washed dishes in cold water, then sterilized them in these.
Thanks. Very interesting. I did try to find the answer myself but I was not really satisfied with what was showing up.
edited to add :
Must be quite a challenge to get greasy/oily dishes clean for those who only have cold water!