THE fitting-up and care of the kitchen have been so
often treated by writers upon domestic matters, that
comparatively little space need be given to the subject here ;
only a few outlines which every housekeeper can fill by the
exercise of her own taste and judgment. If possible, have
the kitchen upon the level of the ground ; or, if it must be
in the basement of a house, take care that plenty of light
and air reach it. If daylight does not flood every comer of
it, supply artificial light, even in the daytime ; for no domestic
operation requires more light than the treatment of food.
Painting the wood-work and floor a light color is of use in
this particular. In some of the modem houses where there
are elevators, the kitchen and laundry are placed in the top
story, greatly to the comfort of all the inmates of the house,
who thus escape all odors- of cooking and washing.
Equally with light is cleanliness important in the kitchen.
The cleaning of floors is considered in the chapter on The
Dining-room. The walls of a kitchen should be of some
hard finish, either panelled wood, tiles, or plastering which
can be covered with ■whitewash or kalsomine coloring.
2 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY.
Any lime wash is desirable for the kitchen, because it
tends to keep the air pure if frequently applied. The follow-
ing will be found excellent : Half fill a large pail with quick-
lime ; pour upon it one gallon of cold water, and stir it
until ebuUition ceases ; then stir in one pint of linseed-oil,
and add enough more cold water to make the wash of the
consistency of thin paste. Copperas-water used in place of
cold water will make the wash disinfectant to a certain de-
gree. The use of skim-milk instead of the first cold water
will make a wash which will resist the action of water.
Apply the wash with a broad flat brush, moving it up and
down the walls with even strokes. The so-called White
House wash is made by slacking half a bushel of quicklime
with boiling water, keeping it covered "until ebullition ceases ;
meantime a peck of salt is dissolved in warm water, and
three pounds of ground rice are made into a thin paste by
boiling it with water ; a pound of clean glue is dissolved in
warm water at the same time, and half a pound of Spanish
whiting is powdered ; all these ingredients are mixed to-
gether, with the addition of enough boiling water to make
the mixture properly liquid, and it is then strained, cooled,
and allowed to stand three days in a covered vessel. When
the wash is required for use, it is heated in a double kettle,
and applied hot with a flat brush. This wash resists the
action of severe weather, and will serve, in place of paint
for walls, or wood or stone work. It may be used for the
kitchen woodwork if desired.
If the kitchen is already painted, and only needs cleaning,
use hot water and soap with a flannel rag. The addition of
a handful of borax or four tablespoonfuls of liquid ammonia
to a gallon of hot water will make a solution which will clean
paint and glass quickly and well without soap. Wash oil-
cloths by first rubbing them over with a cloth wet in equal
parts of milk and water, and then with another wet in warm
THE KITCHEN, PANTRY, AND CELLAR. 3
Page 10
Presented as published in 1885. 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 fitting-up and care of the kitchen have been so often treated by writers upon domestic matters, that comparatively little space need be given to the subject here ; only a few outlines which every housekeeper can fill by the exercise of her own taste and judgment. If possible, have the kitchen upon the level of the ground ; or, if it must be in the basement of a house, take care that plenty of light and air reach it. If daylight does not flood every comer of it, supply artificial light, even in the daytime ; for no domestic operation requires more light than the treatment of food. Painting the wood-work and floor a light color is of use in this particular. In some of the modem houses where there are elevators, the kitchen and laundry are placed in the top story, greatly to the comfort of all the inmates of the house, who thus escape all odors- of cooking and washing.
Equally with light is cleanliness important in the kitchen. The cleaning of floors is considered in the chapter on The Dining-room. The walls of a kitchen should be of some hard finish, either panelled wood, tiles, or plastering which can be covered with ■whitewash or kalsomine coloring.
Any lime wash is desirable for the kitchen, because it tends to keep the air pure if frequently applied. The following will be found excellent : Half fill a large pail with quicklime ; pour upon it one gallon of cold water, and stir it until ebullition ceases ; then stir in one pint of linseed-oil, and add enough more cold water to make the wash of the consistency of thin paste. Copperas-water used in place of cold water will make the wash disinfectant to a certain degree. The use of skim-milk instead of the first cold water will make a wash which will resist the action of water. Apply the wash with a broad flat brush, moving it up and down the walls with even strokes. The so-called White House wash is made by slaking half a bushel of quicklime with boiling water, keeping it covered "until ebullition ceases ; meantime a peck of salt is dissolved in warm water, and three pounds of ground rice are made into a thin paste by boiling it with water ; a pound of clean glue is dissolved in warm water at the same time, and half a pound of Spanish whiting is powdered ; all these ingredients are mixed together, with the addition of enough boiling water to make the mixture properly liquid, and it is then strained, cooled, and allowed to stand three days in a covered vessel. When the wash is required for use, it is heated in a double kettle, and applied hot with a flat brush. This wash resists the action of severe weather, and will serve, in place of paint for walls, or wood or stone work. It may be used for the kitchen woodwork if desired.
If the kitchen is already painted, and only needs cleaning, use hot water and soap with a flannel rag. The addition of a handful of borax or four tablespoonfuls of liquid ammonia to a gallon of hot water will make a solution which will clean paint and glass quickly and well without soap. Wash oilcloths by first rubbing them over with a cloth wet in equal parts of milk and water, and then with another wet in warm