THE IDEAL KITCHEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16300, 5 August 1916, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE IDEAL KITCHEN.

I suppose that every woman has tier ideal <>f what a kitchen should be and endeavours to secure as many labour-saving ap- ' pliances as she possibly tan. says an Eng- | lish writer. : Personally, I love the quaint old- i fashioned kitchen with its great oaken j beams, and wide mantelpiece surmounted i by of brilliantly polished brass and ! pewter ware. Unfortunately these delight- i fill old-fashioned kitchens are difficult to ! get, and probably, if I could have one, I ' should find the big fireplace rather a nui- ' sauce, and. after all. many of our modern : conveniences are extremely useful. The blue and white prettiness of the modern ' kitchen, with everything up to date, is I really easier to keep in apple pie order I than the big kitchens beloved by our j great-grandmothers, j Light-coloured walls in a kitchen are al I ways nice. These should be distempered, | as it is quite a simple matter to have this I renewed every year. If papered, the walls i should be varnished, as then they can b» i cleaned with a damp cloth, and finally ; polished with a dry one. White is cool, j and bright looking, but a pattern in Dutch j blue always looks well. It a kitchen is J badly lighted, the colour of the walls I makes a material difference to the room. j The furniture should be selected with care, and above, all things do not over- i crowd with dilapidated things from the j rest of the house- There is naturally a wide difference between the kitchen in l which the mistress of the house does her I cooking and the one which the maid must ! use as her sittingroom. In the first case, i everything must be of the useful order, ! and the less ornamental furniture there is, j the less work will be needed to keep everything clean- In the latter case, have a really comfortable chair and a small table which the maid may call her own, and use as she likes. If the kitchen is too small {or this, see that there is a pretty cloth to spread over the table when the work is done, and allow the girl to arrange the room to her own taste. This is only a small concession, but it means a great deal to a maid. .1 am a great believer in American oilcloth, and if the dressers and tables are covered with this, thev can be wiped over with a damp cloth and* save a considerable , amount of scrubbing. For the same reason, the floor should be covered with linoleum. Always choose a small pattern, as this does not show wear and tear as quickly as larger patterns, besides being easier to keep clean, and readilv patched when it wears out.

There should be sufficient utensils for all requirements," but not more, as each extra pan or tin means another thing to keep clean and bright, although there are manv labour-saving appliances in the way of cutters and graters, and of such things a housewife should alwavs have a good supply available. The kitchen table should have two large drawers which completely occupy the whole space, and if these are articles into small compartments, all these articles can have a place, and be close at hand when required. Pieces of linoleum cut into mats are useful to stand under pot* and saucepans, and will save the table from getting blacked by the pans. There is a delight ful rack arrangement which can be purchased. It is fixed to the sink when in use and the cups, saucers.- and dishes are laid on it to drain, and do not need much wiping, a consideration when a housewife does all her own work- A big wooden bowl for washing up will also save the chipping of china during the process, but t'.ese bowls require to be thoroughly scrubbed -with soap and water at least once a day. Whenever possible have aluminium saucepans and pans, as thev are so easily kept clean, but alwavs temper them well before using, otherwise the first lot of food will be spoiled-