KITCHEN HINTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue II, 13 July 1895, Page 54

KITCHEN HINTS.

What a mainspring of the house the kitchen is ! If matters do not go smoothly there you may be perfectly certain that they will go worse everywhere else. The cook, as a rule, has a curious hypnotic power of imbuing all and everything with her moods of the moment. The chief re quisites are, of course, space and light, and it is terrible to think that many kitchens are without either ; not. of course, in the country, but it is so in many important towns. Not that the space is always so much greater, but there is usually a sufficiency of light. What we lack in town kitchens is surrounding space for the overflow of work. to be literally within our own gates for the area is practically useless beyond the fact that it leads to the coal cellar. I think mistresses of households do not always consider how many breakages may be put down to a lack of a sufficiency of cupboards wherein breakables can be kept stored and sorted. This is the great secret af avoiding demolition of our pottery ; from the time of .-Esop to now the china pot and the iron have not been good social companions. Cooks’ cupboards are occasionally a topic which gives rise to friction between the mistress and herself ; generally speaking, she has a marked predilection for a quantity of half broken bottles tilled with various sauces and flavourings, the actual names of which are only known to herself. I have reason to bear personal witness to the truth of this statement, owing to the fact that in the absence of my cook the parlour maid made onr coffee of ground allspice, thereby mystifying the family circle as to the precise nature of the poison which bad been administered. You may supply their cupboards with jars distinctly labelled, if you will, but as far as my experience goes, sooner or later the contents

and the label will not agree. Now, these are really not very important details, and, if the housewife is wise, and the lucky possessor of a really good cook, she will not insist on the letter of the law too much, keep-

ing a strict eye, however, over the cleanliness and general arrangements. Cupboards in which groceries are to be kept should not only be not too near the fire, which is a fact evident to most people, but no hot water pipes should be allowed to pass through them, in linen cupboards they may be considered an excellent addition, and their effect negative as far as glass and china is concerned, but sugar, and such-like necessaries, ought to be kept in a cupboard as cool as possible. I was led to dwell on kitchen matters by being shown alnew double roasting pan, fitted with a grid that is made double, the space between the two being filled with water, this protects the gravy from burning, and being stamped out of one piece of metal, there is no likelihood of leakage. Another special advantage are curves at the bottom of the pan, which facilitates the gravy running into the well, without these it is a little apt to stand off all round becanse the stamping of the metal makes a little ridge round the edge of the well. There is one bit of * kitchen ’ advice I should like to give those about to marry, which is that lists of household utensils supplied by shops are apt to be somewhat misleading, and result in a bride being provided with half a dozen where one would have lasted her a life time, and one of something which, if she knew better, she would ordinarily purchase by the dozen. There is no object in laying in too large a store of any of these things ; people seem to lay in stock preparatory to matrimony as if they intended taking up their abode in a desert where their shopping would be regulated according to the passing of caravans, instead of being easily augmented from the corner shop. Nearly every good cook has her fads regarding kitchen utensils, and it is just as well to consider them as far as possible.