Cassell's dictionary of cookery

One very important point essential to the good order of a dinner is that the cook or head-waiter should calculate beforehand the probable number of plates, knives, and forks that will be required, and to be prepared, so that the supply of either does not fail. We will take the ordinary and simple case of a dinner-party of twelve persons, the dinner consisting of soup and fish, four entrees, two joints — say roast beef and boiled fowl — game, and sweets — the latter being pie and pudding — and four side dishes. Now there are probably very few establishments that would be capable of going through a dinner of this description without washing up some things during the time dinner is proceeding. First, there will be required twelve soup plates and twelve dessert-spoons. Now, unless the plate chest is of an unusual magnitude, these same dessert-spoons will probably be again required for the sweets, as should these latter be at all of good quality a relay of spoons may very possibly be required for them. But it is the large forks that will be found to require the greatest care. For instance, supposing in the dinner we have mentioned that each person Ixxiv cassell's dictionary of cookery. takes fish, two entrees, a slice off one of the joints, and some game — a fail- average, we believe, of what ordinary healthy people would eat. This means sixty large silver forks, and probably the establishment only boasts twenty-four. What is universally done, even at large public dinners, is for the forks to be quickly washed immediately they are taken out of the room. For this purpose there should be two good-sized jugs just outside the dining-room door, one containing hot soda and water, and the other plain cold water ; also there should be handy a couple of cloths. As the forks are cleared away, let them be first wiped on a dishcloth, then plunged into the hot soda and water, and shaken backwards and forwards for a few seconds, and then plunged into the cold water and again rinsed, and then dried on a clean cloth. A dozen forks can by this means be washed under a minute. Now exactly the same principle applies to the plates as to the forks, only these latter of course must be washed up down-stairs. In the dinner in question, sixty large plates would be as requisite as the sixty large forks. Should there be therefore two persons waiting at table, another person acting as a messenger between the dining-room and kitchen and the cook down-stairs ; if each and every one of these persons understands his and her duty, there should be no delay, no confusion, and above all no talking or whispering on the part of those waiting. The cook downstairs should have ready at the commencement of dinner two large tubs, one full ot hot water with plenty of soda in it, the other full of plain hot water. The plates should be treated just like the forks, first scraped or wiped — the former is the best, and there are indiarubber combs sold for the purpose — next plunged into the hot soda and water, and again wiped with a dishcloth ; then rinsed for a few seconds in the hot water without soda, and then allowed to drain on the rack, or they may be quickly wiped. In washing up in the ordinary method, it is customary to wash the plates in hot soda and water first, and then rinse them in cold water.