Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

The shelves should be made of smooth hard wood, which is easily kept clean. It adds considerably to the cost of the room, but also considerably to the convenience, to have sliding glass doors in front of the shelves. They will exclude a great deal of the dust which otherwise would collect. At one end of the room, near the window, have a s,ink for washing dishes, — not such a sink as that in the kitchen, but a rather small basin, say of copper, about eighteen inches long, twelve wide, and eight or nine deep. Copper is especially recommended because it wears better than zinc. A soapstone sink or a porcelainlined pan would be desirable but for the greater liability of breaking dishes. It is a good idea to have a small cedar tub — they are made with brass hoops, and look very neat — for the washing of the most delicate china and glassware, which is likely to get marred or broken if crowded into a pan with other heavier articles. On each side of the sink have a swinging table, on which to place dishes. The tables will at times be convenient when making salads and other similar dishes. Above the table nearest the kitchen have a slide in the wall, that dishes may be passed to and from the kitchen. This small space will not admit odors or the hot air as the door would if kept open. In case there be two or more servants in the household, the door from the closet to the kitchen need not be opened at all while a meal is served, all dishes being passed through the slide. The small closets in the room are for the sugar, tea, condiments, and the cake, bread, and cracker boxes. There should be one small closet for the articles used in cleaning the table-ware, such as soap, whiting, alcohol, ammonia, brushes, chamois skin, etc. The drawers under the shelves are intended for the table linen, clean dish-towels, etc. A towel-rack that can be fastened to the windowcasing is a necessity. In case the walls be plastered or tiled, a broad moulding of wood should be placed just above the sink. Brass hooks screwed into this moulding will prove to be a great convenience. This room is often called the butler's pantry. To a woman who is interested in cooking and in her kitchen there are few places so tempting as a kitchenfurnishing store. There are so many articles that are of no great value in the kitchen that one must exercise great care in selecting what is best adapted to her wants. Closets crowded with all sorts of utensils are not a help to order, neatness, and expedition in cooking ; but it is essential to the highest perfection in cooking that there shall be enough of the right kind of utensils. The object of this chapter is to show what a good housekeeper really needs, of what material the utensils should be made, and some of the numerous inventions which, if not absolutely needful, are at least very desirable in a modern kitchen. Here is a list of articles with which every housekeeper should be supplied : — Apple-corer. Baking-pans, four, of tin, and shallow. Baking-pans of Russian iron, two sizes. Bean -pot. Biscuit-cutter. Blacking-brash, for polishing stove. Block, or thick board, on which to break bones, open lobsters, etc. Boards, two, on which to cut bread