The Steel. — Clean all the steel parts with fine
emery paper. No. 0 is best. Rub the steel back-
wards and forwards with this and always in the
one direction. Cross rubbing will not polish pro-
perly. Emery powder, fine bathbrick dust, or
crocus powder made into a paste with paraffin or
methylated spirits are all good for the cleaning of
steel. These should be applied with a piece of
flannel and well rubbed on to the metal. Then a
little of the dry powder should be used for polishing.
The emery paper is, however, cleaner and simpler to
use, and unless the steel is allowed to get into bad
condition it ought to be sufficient to keep it in
excellent order.
To Lay the Fire. — Commence by laying a few
cinders at the foot of the grate with some lightly
crumpled paper on the top. Next place in a few
dry sticks crosswise, allowing some of the ends to
rest on the bars of the grate, and then some more
cinders or small pieces of coal on the top. Do
not pack too tightly, leave enough space for the
air to get through between the paper and sticks.
The fire should be made to slope backwards, so that
the smoke does not blow forwards into the kitchen.
Eire lighters may be used instead of sticks ; they
are coated with resin and burn up very quickly.
The Hearthstone. — Sweep this first, then wash
it over with warm water and whiten with soft
sandstone.
Now put back the fender, fire-irons, &c., and
put a light to the fire if required.
19
THE KITCHEN, MARKETING, AND CARE OF FOOD
Daily Cleaning. — The fire should be well raked
out every day, the top of the stove brushed with
the sweep’s brush and polished with the stove
brushes. Black-leading should not be required
more than once a week, except perhaps on those
parts which are most used. Dust the tiles and
rub up the steel parts with emery paper, or wipe
them with a soft duster, and then clean the hearth.
If properly done the flues should not, as a rule,
require cleaning more than once a week, but if a
large fire is kept constantly burning it may be neces-
sary to brush over the top of the oven more fre-
quently. Sometimes, too, in the case of small stoves,
the flues require more frequent attention. This must
be regulated according to how the stove burns.
The Chimney. — The kitchen chimney should be
swept every six months at least ; some will require
cleaning every three months.
COOKING BY GAS
There is no doubt that, if thoroughly understood
and properly managed, a gas stove can be a great
saving of time, labour, and expense. The. economy
as regards the working expenses of a gas versus a
coal stove is not all that has to be considered, as
this will depend to a large extent upon how the
stove is used, and also upon the current price of
coal. But it is the saving of time and labour
which are the strongest points in favour of gas,
and these two mean money ; in fact, if time is of
any value at all a gas stove will repay its original
cost in a very short time.
Page 27
Presented as published in 1914. 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
The Steel. — Clean all the steel parts with fine emery paper. No. 0 is best. Rub the steel backwards and forwards with this and always in the one direction. Cross rubbing will not polish properly. Emery powder, fine bathbrick dust, or crocus powder made into a paste with paraffin or methylated spirits are all good for the cleaning of steel. These should be applied with a piece of flannel and well rubbed on to the metal. Then a little of the dry powder should be used for polishing. The emery paper is, however, cleaner and simpler to use, and unless the steel is allowed to get into bad condition it ought to be sufficient to keep it in excellent order.
To Lay the Fire. — Commence by laying a few cinders at the foot of the grate with some lightly crumpled paper on the top. Next place in a few dry sticks crosswise, allowing some of the ends to rest on the bars of the grate, and then some more cinders or small pieces of coal on the top. Do not pack too tightly, leave enough space for the air to get through between the paper and sticks. The fire should be made to slope backwards, so that the smoke does not blow forwards into the kitchen. Eire lighters may be used instead of sticks ; they are coated with resin and burn up very quickly.
The Hearthstone. — Sweep this first, then wash it over with warm water and whiten with soft sandstone.
Now put back the fender, fire-irons, &c., and put a light to the fire if required.
Daily Cleaning. — The fire should be well raked out every day, the top of the stove brushed with the sweep’s brush and polished with the stove brushes. Black-leading should not be required more than once a week, except perhaps on those parts which are most used. Dust the tiles and rub up the steel parts with emery paper, or wipe them with a soft duster, and then clean the hearth.
If properly done the flues should not, as a rule, require cleaning more than once a week, but if a large fire is kept constantly burning it may be necessary to brush over the top of the oven more frequently. Sometimes, too, in the case of small stoves, the flues require more frequent attention. This must be regulated according to how the stove burns.
The Chimney. — The kitchen chimney should be swept every six months at least ; some will require cleaning every three months.
COOKING BY GAS
There is no doubt that, if thoroughly understood and properly managed, a gas stove can be a great saving of time, labour, and expense. The. economy as regards the working expenses of a gas versus a coal stove is not all that has to be considered, as this will depend to a large extent upon how the stove is used, and also upon the current price of coal. But it is the saving of time and labour which are the strongest points in favour of gas, and these two mean money ; in fact, if time is of any value at all a gas stove will repay its original cost in a very short time.