ighted to see,
beginning to turn their hands to the better class of cookery.
Moreover, it is cleaner, and with skill and care far superior
to a coal fire, labour and dirt are absent, and the waste
and loss in cooking, beyond comparison, less. Few gentle-
women would, I think, be without some kind of gas stove
in their kitchens if they only knew its great convenience.
There is both an Eagle range and a small gas stove in
my kitchen, but I prefer to use the latter whenever
I am making a dish of the haute cuisine. The instant
command, day and night, of a gas fire is a luxury that
almost any one can indulge in. Great cleanliness is necessary
with gas, however small the stove ; the burners must be
kept clean inside for the same reason, and also for the
sake of sweet flavours in the food. My own preference is
decidedly in favour of gas as a cooking medium, as I find
it, under proper conditions, more economical than coal ;
and to many this is a great point.
There should be no draught in the kitchen, but plenty of
good ventilation, which can be obtained by inserting a bit of
wood, the width of the window and about four inches deep,
between the lower sash and the window-frame, the opening
between the two sashes afibrding sufficient ventilation.
At the top and bottom of all doors to cupboards, there
should be a narrow sliding panel for a ventilator, kept
always open, except when sweeping or making up the fire —
this secures a free circulation of air, which keeps the
contents of the cupboard free from rust and mould.
THE KITCHEN
5
All knives, forks, spoons, cutlet-cutters, skewers, etc.,
should be kept in the kitchen-table drawer. The kitchen
utensils should always be kept scrupulously clean and in
perfect order, for there must always be a certain un-
pleasant smell if pans and other culinary utensils are
put away without first washing them. With a servant
who does her duty this would be avoided, as she would
put boiling water (without soda) into the saucepans, and
leave them to soak until she was ready to clean them.
All this would minimise labour, as it prevents grease, etc.,
adhering to the sides of the pans. A chopping-board
should always be scrubbed before putting away : it is better
to use salt than sand or soap, and it is best to scrub with a
hard brush and then rinse the board, first in hot and then in
cold water. The oven should be occasionally limewashed ; it
keeps it sweet, and the oven can be looked into more clearly.
The scullery must now be noticed. This, of course, should
lead out of the kitchen and should have a large sink with
hot and cold water laid on. Where the sink is flush with the
wall — which is so often the case in small houses — a piece of
oil-cloth nailed all along at the back prevents the wall
getting splashed ; though where it can be aflbrded it is best
to have it tiled to about two and a half feet in height and
the same in width, or some cement might be put on to form
a small slope, so that the drips from the taps or any
splashings roll off into the sink. There is an appliance
called the " Kensington," which I am sure every house-
holder will be glad to know of, and which one should
insist upon having fixed in the house before one becomes
a tenant.
Page 4
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
ighted to see, beginning to turn their hands to the better class of cookery. Moreover, it is cleaner, and with skill and care far superior to a coal fire, labour and dirt are absent, and the waste and loss in cooking, beyond comparison, less. Few gentlewomen would, I think, be without some kind of gas stove in their kitchens if they only knew its great convenience. There is both an Eagle range and a small gas stove in my kitchen, but I prefer to use the latter whenever I am making a dish of the haute cuisine. The instant command, day and night, of a gas fire is a luxury that almost any one can indulge in. Great cleanliness is necessary with gas, however small the stove ; the burners must be kept clean inside for the same reason, and also for the sake of sweet flavours in the food. My own preference is decidedly in favour of gas as a cooking medium, as I find it, under proper conditions, more economical than coal ; and to many this is a great point.
There should be no draught in the kitchen, but plenty of good ventilation, which can be obtained by inserting a bit of wood, the width of the window and about four inches deep, between the lower sash and the window-frame, the opening between the two sashes affording sufficient ventilation.
At the top and bottom of all doors to cupboards, there should be a narrow sliding panel for a ventilator, kept always open, except when sweeping or making up the fire — this secures a free circulation of air, which keeps the contents of the cupboard free from rust and mould.
All knives, forks, spoons, cutlet-cutters, skewers, etc., should be kept in the kitchen-table drawer. The kitchen utensils should always be kept scrupulously clean and in perfect order, for there must always be a certain unpleasant smell if pans and other culinary utensils are put away without first washing them. With a servant who does her duty this would be avoided, as she would put boiling water (without soda) into the saucepans, and leave them to soak until she was ready to clean them. All this would minimise labour, as it prevents grease, etc., adhering to the sides of the pans. A chopping-board should always be scrubbed before putting away : it is better to use salt than sand or soap, and it is best to scrub with a hard brush and then rinse the board, first in hot and then in cold water. The oven should be occasionally limewashed ; it keeps it sweet, and the oven can be looked into more clearly.
The scullery must now be noticed. This, of course, should lead out of the kitchen and should have a large sink with hot and cold water laid on. Where the sink is flush with the wall — which is so often the case in small houses — a piece of oil-cloth nailed all along at the back prevents the wall getting splashed ; though where it can be afforded it is best to have it tiled to about two and a half feet in height and the same in width, or some cement might be put on to form a small slope, so that the drips from the taps or any splashings roll off into the sink. There is an appliance called the " Kensington," which I am sure every householder will be glad to know of, and which one should insist upon having fixed in the house before one becomes a tenant.