Iron Saucepans. — Put them into hot water and soda, and
wash them thoroughly inside and out. Rinse and dry them
well. Treat the lids in the same way. If any food has been
burnt in a saucepan fill it with hot water and soda and let it
boil ; then rub the bottom clean with sand. Set the saucepans
bottom upwards and without their lids, on a shelf. Let them
project an inch beyond the edge of the shelf ; in this way the
air will get into them, and they will never be musty, even if
long unused.
Enamelled Saucepans. — Wash them thoroughly with hot
water and soda, boiling soda in them as for iron saucepans if
anything has been burnt in them. Rinse and dry them well.
Omelette-pans. — These must on no account ever be washed.
They must be rubbed clean with soft paper or a cloth, and
then rubbed till quite dry with another cloth. If the pan is in
the least damp the omelette will stick to it and be spoilt. If
any particles of egg adhere to the omelette-pan rub them off
whilst the pan is hot with a little salt moistened with vinegar,
and rub the pan perfectly dry afterwards. Never use omelette-
pans except for omelettes.
Frying-pans. — These must be attended to the moment they
CONTENTS OF THE KITCHEN
2 I
are done with. Never scrape them with a knife, but rub them
clean with salt, and then dry them with a cloth. Use sand and
hot water if the pans have become black inside. If onions
have been fried put a little oatmeal in the frying-pan after you
have cleaned it, and shake it about over the fire till the oatmeal
scorches ; this will remove any smell of onion. A separate
frying-pan must be kept for fish, and should be marked by a
tape, or in some way, so that it will be used only for fish.
Tins. — Wash all tins well with hot water and soda, putting
them into a tub, and scrubbing them. Sand will scratch the
tins. It is better to clean tins with powdered whiting mixed
to a smooth paste with a little water, and then to polish with
dry whiting till the tins are as bright as looking-glass. It is a
good plan to boil tins once a quarter in water mixed with soda.
Steamers should be cleaned in the same way.
Dish Covers. — Wash them with soap and water, dry them
thoroughly, and then brush them over with whiting mixed
with a little water. When it is quite chy rub it off with a soft
cloth, polishing the cover as you rub it. Do not use any pre-
paration of paraffin.
Mincing Machine. — When this has been used it should
always be laid to soak in soda and water, and then be most
thoroughly dried. The least speck of rust will ruin a mincing
machine.
Sieves. — Wash them with hot water and soda, scrub them
with a sieve brush, hold them up to the light to see that no
particle of food adheres to them, and dry them most thoroughly.
After drying the sieves keep them in a dry place. If sieves
are allowed to get in the least damp, hair sieves will mildew,
copper-wire sieves will be coated with verdigris, and iron-wire
sieves will be rusty. There is so much danger in using copper-
wire sieves that it is better to avoid them altogether. In
using sieves whatever is to be passed through must always be
put in at the shallow end, and the sieve must not be roughly
used. If this is not attended to hair sieves will soon buls-e,
and then burst away from the framework.
Page 7
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
Iron Saucepans. — Put them into hot water and soda, and wash them thoroughly inside and out. Rinse and dry them well. Treat the lids in the same way. If any food has been burnt in a saucepan fill it with hot water and soda and let it boil ; then rub the bottom clean with sand. Set the saucepans bottom upwards and without their lids, on a shelf. Let them project an inch beyond the edge of the shelf ; in this way the air will get into them, and they will never be musty, even if long unused.
Enamelled Saucepans. — Wash them thoroughly with hot water and soda, boiling soda in them as for iron saucepans if anything has been burnt in them. Rinse and dry them well.
Omelette-pans. — These must on no account ever be washed. They must be rubbed clean with soft paper or a cloth, and then rubbed till quite dry with another cloth. If the pan is in the least damp the omelette will stick to it and be spoilt. If any particles of egg adhere to the omelette-pan rub them off while the pan is hot with a little salt moistened with vinegar, and rub the pan perfectly dry afterwards. Never use omelettepans except for omelettes.
Frying-pans. — These must be attended to the moment they
CONTENTS OF THE KITCHEN
2 I
are done with. Never scrape them with a knife, but rub them clean with salt, and then dry them with a cloth. Use sand and hot water if the pans have become black inside. If onions have been fried put a little oatmeal in the frying-pan after you have cleaned it, and shake it about over the fire till the oatmeal scorches ; this will remove any smell of onion. A separate frying-pan must be kept for fish, and should be marked by a tape, or in some way, so that it will be used only for fish.
Tins. — Wash all tins well with hot water and soda, putting them into a tub, and scrubbing them. Sand will scratch the tins. It is better to clean tins with powdered whiting mixed to a smooth paste with a little water, and then to polish with dry whiting till the tins are as bright as looking-glass. It is a good plan to boil tins once a quarter in water mixed with soda. Steamers should be cleaned in the same way.
Dish Covers. — Wash them with soap and water, dry them thoroughly, and then brush them over with whiting mixed with a little water. When it is quite dry rub it off with a soft cloth, polishing the cover as you rub it. Do not use any preparation of paraffin.
Mincing Machine. — When this has been used it should always be laid to soak in soda and water, and then be most thoroughly dried. The least speck of rust will ruin a mincing machine.
Sieves. — Wash them with hot water and soda, scrub them with a sieve brush, hold them up to the light to see that no particle of food adheres to them, and dry them most thoroughly. After drying the sieves keep them in a dry place. If sieves are allowed to get in the least damp, hair sieves will mildew, copper-wire sieves will be coated with verdigris, and iron-wire sieves will be rusty. There is so much danger in using copper-wire sieves that it is better to avoid them altogether. In using sieves whatever is to be passed through must always be put in at the shallow end, and the sieve must not be roughly used. If this is not attended to hair sieves will soon bulge, and then burst away from the framework.