Science in the Kitchen. by Mrs. E. E. Kellogg

M >> Mrs. E. E. Kellogg >> Science in the Kitchen.

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_Test for Lead-Adulterated Tin._--Place upon the metal a small drop of
nitric acid, spreading it to the size of a dime, dry with gentle heat,
apply a drop of water, then add a small crystal of iodide of potash. If
lead is present, a yellowish color will be seen very soon after the
addition of the iodide. Lead glazing, which is frequently employed on
crockery and ironware in the manufacture of cooking utensils, may also
be detected in the same manner.

Cooking utensils made of copper are not to be recommended from the point
of healthfulness, although many cooks esteem them because copper is a
better conductor of heat than iron or tin. The acids of many fruits
combine with copper to form extremely poisonous substances. Fatty
substances, as well as salt and sugar, act upon copper to a greater or
less degree, also vegetables containing sulfur in their composition and
produce harmful compounds.

Utensils made of brass, which is a compound of copper and zinc, are not
safe to use for cooking purposes.

TABLE TOPICS.

Bad cooking diminishes happiness and shortens life.--_Wisdom of
Ages._

Says Mrs. Partington: "Many a fair home has been desiccated by poor
cooking, and a man's table has been the rock on which his happiness
has split."

SIGNIFICANT FACT.--_Lady_--"Have you had much experience as a cook?"
_Applicant_--"Oh, indeed I have. I was the cook of Mr. and Mrs.
Peterby for three years."

_L._--"Why did you leave them?"

_A._--"I didn't leave them. They left me. They both died."

_L._--"What of?"

_A._--"Dyspepsia."

Cooking is generally bad because people falling to routine; habit
dulls their appreciation, and they do not think about what they are
eating.--_Didsbury._

_Lilly_ (Secretary of the cooking class)--"Now girls, we've learned
nine cakes, two kinds of angel food, and seven pies. What next?"

_Susie_ (engaged)--"Dick's father says I must learn to bake bread."

_Indignant chorus_--"Bread? How absurd! What are bakers for?"

It is told of Philip Hecgnet, a French, physician who lived in the
17th, century, that when calling upon his wealthy patients, he used
often to go to the kitchen and pantry, embrace the cooks and
butlers, and exhort them to do their duty well. "I owe you so much
gratitude, my dear friends," he would say; "you are so useful to us
doctors; for if you did not keep on poisoning the people, we should
all have to go to the poorhouse."

There are innumerable books of recipes for cooking, but unless the
cook is master of the principles of his art, and unless he knows the
why and the wherefore of its processes, he cannot choose a recipe
intelligently and execute it successfully.--_Richard Estcourt._

They who provide the food for the world, decide the health of the
world. You have only to go on some errands amid the taverns and
hotels of the United States and Great Britain, to appreciate the
fact that a vast multitude of the human race are slaughtered by
incompetent cookery. Though a young woman may have taken lessons in
music, and may have taken lessons in painting, and lessons in
astronomy, she is not well educated unless she has taken lessons in
dough!--_Talmage._

HOUSEHOLD WORKSHOP

It is a mistake to suppose that any room, however small and unpleasantly
situated, is "good enough" for a kitchen. This is the room where
housekeepers pass a great portion of their time, and it should be one of
the brightest and most convenient rooms in the house; for upon the
results of no other department of woman's domain depend so greatly the
health and comfort of the family as upon those involved in this
"household workshop." The character of a person's work is more or less
dependent upon his surroundings, hence is it to be greatly wondered at
that a woman immured in a small, close, dimly-lighted room, whose only
outlook may be the back alley or the woodshed, supplies her household
with products far below the standard of health and housewifely skill?

Every kitchen should have windows on two sides of the room, and the sun
should have free entrance through them; the windows should open from the
top to allow a complete change of air, for light and fresh air are among
the chief essentials to success in all departments of the household.
Good drainage should also be provided, and the ventilation of the
kitchen ought to be even more carefully attended to than that of a
sleeping room. The ventilation of the kitchen should be so ample as to
thoroughly remove all gases and odors, which, together with steam from
boiling and other cooking processes, generally invade and render to some
degree unhealthful every other portion of the house. It is the steam
from the kitchen which gives a fusty odor to the parlor air and provides
a wet-sheet pack for the occupant of the "spare bed." The only way of
wholly eradicating this evil, is the adoption of the suggestion of the
sanitary philosopher who places the kitchen at the top of the house.

To lessen to discomforts from heat, a ventilator may be placed above the
range, that shall carry out of the room all superfluous heat, and aid in
removing the steam and odors from cooking food. The simplest form of
such a ventilator this inverted hopper of sheet iron fitted above the
range, the upper and smaller end opening into a large flue adjacent to
the smoke flue for the range. Care must be taken, however, to provide an
ample ventilating shaft for this purpose, since a strong draft is
required to secure the desired results.

There should be ample space for tables, chairs, range, sink, and
cupboards, yet the room should not be so large as to necessitate too
many steps. A very good size for the ordinary dwelling is 16 x 18 feet.

Undoubtedly much of the distaste for, and neglect of, "housework," so
often deplored in these days, arises from unpleasant surroundings. If
the kitchen be light, airy, and tidy, and the utensils bright and clean,
the work of compounding those articles of food which grace the table and
satisfy the appetite will be a pleasant task, and one entirely worthy of
the most intelligent and cultivated woman.

It is desirable, from a sanitary standpoint, that the kitchen floor be
made impervious to moisture; hence, concrete or tile floors are better
than wooden floors. If wooden floors are used, they should be
constructed of narrow boards of hard wood, carefully joined and
thoroughly saturated with hot linseed oil, well rubbed in to give polish
to the surface.

Cleanliness is the great _desideratum_, and this can be best attained
by having all woodwork in and about the kitchen coated with varnish;
substances which cause stain and grease spots, do not penetrate the wood
when varnished, and can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Paint is
preferable to whitewash or calcimine for the walls, since it is less
affected by steam, and can be more readily cleaned. A carpet on a
kitchen floor is as out of place as a kitchen sink would be in a parlor.

The elements of beauty should not be lacking in the kitchen. Pictures
and fancy articles are inappropriate; but a few pots of easily
cultivated flowers on the window ledge or arranged upon brackets about
the window in winter, and a window box arranged as a jardiniere, with
vines and blooming plants in summer, will greatly brighten the room, and
thus serve to lighten the task of those whose daily labor confines them
to the precincts of the kitchen.

THE KITCHEN FURNITURE.--The furniture for a kitchen should not be
cumbersome, and should be so made and dressed as to be easily cleaned.
There should be plenty of cupboards, and each for the sake of order,
should be devoted to a special purpose. Cupboards with sliding doors are
much superior to closets. They should be placed upon casters so as to be
easily moved, as they, are thus not only more convenient, but admit of
more thorough cleanliness.

Cupboards used for the storage of food should be well ventilated;
otherwise, they furnish choice conditions for the development of mold
and germs. Movable cupboards may be ventilated by means of openings in
the top, and doors covered with very fine wire gauze which will admit
the air but keep out flies and dust. All stationary cupboards and
closets should have a ventilating flue connected with the main shaft by
which the house is ventilated, or directly communicating with the outer
air.

No kitchen can be regarded as well furnished without a good timepiece as
an aid to punctuality and economy of time. An eight-day clock with large
dial and plain case is the most suitable.

Every kitchen should also be provided with a slate, with sponge and
pencil attached, on one side of which the market orders and other
memoranda may be jotted down, and on the other the bills of fare for the
day or week. In households where servants are kept, the slate will save
many a vexatious blunder and unnecessary call to the kitchen, while if
one is herself mistress, cook, and housekeeper, it may prove an
invaluable aid and time-saver if thus used.

[Illustration: A Convenient Kitchen Table.]

Lack of sufficient table room is often a great source of inconvenience
to the housekeeper. To avoid this, arrange swinging tables or shelves at
convenient points upon the wall, which may be put up or let down as
occasion demands. For ordinary kitchen uses, small tables of suitable
height on easy-rolling casters, and with zinc tops, are the most
convenient and most easily kept clean. It is quite as well that they be
made without drawers, which are too apt to become receptacles for a
heterogeneous mass of rubbish. If desirable to have some handy place for
keeping articles which are frequently required for use, an arrangement
similar to that represented in the accompanying cut may be made at very
small expense. It may be also an advantage to arrange small shelves
about and above the range, on which may be kept various articles
necessary for cooking purposes.

One of the most indispensable articles of furnishing for a
well-appointed kitchen, is a sink; however, a sink must be properly
constructed and well cared for, or it is likely to become a source of
great danger to the health of the inmates of the household. Earthen-ware
is the best material for kitchen sinks. Iron is very serviceable, but
corrodes, and if painted or enameled, this soon wears off. Wood is
objectionable from a sanitary standpoint. A sink made of wood lined with
copper answers well for a long time if properly cared for.

The sink should if possible stand out from the wall, so as to allow free
access to all sides of it for the sake of cleanliness, and under no
circumstances should there be any inclosure of woodwork or cupboards
underneath to serve as a storage place for pots and kettles and all
kinds of rubbish, dust, and germs. It should be supported on legs, and
the space below should be open for inspection at all times. The pipes
and fixtures should be selected and placed by a competent plumber.

Great pains should be taken to keep the pipes clean and well
disinfected. Refuse of all kinds should be kept out. Thoughtless
housekeepers and careless domestics often allow greasy water and bits of
table waste to find their way into the pipes. Drain pipes usually have a
bend, or trap, through which water containing no sediment flows freely;
but the melted grease which often passes into the pipes mixed with hot
water, becomes cooled and solid as it descends, adhering to the pipes,
and gradually accumulating until the drain is blocked, or the water
passes through very slowly. A grease-lined pipe is a hotbed for disease
germs.

Water containing much grease should be cooled and the grease removed
before being turned into the kitchen sink, while bits of refuse should
be disposed of elsewhere, since prevention of mischief is in this case,
as in most others, far easier than cure. It is customary for
housekeepers to pour a hot solution of soda or potash down the sink
pipes occasionally, to dissolve any grease which may tend to obstruct
the passage; but this is only a partial safeguard, as there is no
certainty that all the grease will be dissolved, and any particles
adhering to the pipes very soon undergo putrefaction.

A frequent flushing with hot water is important; besides which the pipes
should be disinfected two or three times a week by pouring down a gallon
of water holding in solution a pound of good chloride of lime.

STOVES AND RANGES.--The furnishing of a modern kitchen would be
quite incomplete without some form of stove or range. The multiplicity
of these articles, manufactured each with some especial merit of its
own, renders it a somewhat difficult task to make a choice among them.
Much must, however, depend upon the kind of fuel to be used, the size of
the household, and various other circumstances which make it necessary
for each individual housekeeper to decide for herself what is best
adapted to her wants. It may be said, in brief, that economy of fuel,
simplicity of construction, and efficiency in use are the chief points
to be considered in the selection of stoves and ranges.

A stove or range of plain finish is to be preferred, because it is much
easier to keep clean, and will be likely to present a better appearance
after a few months' wear than one of more elaborate pattern. But
whatever stove or range is selected, its mechanism should be thoroughly
understood in every particular, and it should be tested with dampers
open, with dampers closed, and in every possible way, until one is
perfectly sure she understands its action under all conditions.

OIL AND GAS STOVES.--In many households, oil, gas, and gasoline
stoves have largely taken the place of the kitchen range, especially
during the hot weather of summer. They can be used for nearly every
purpose for which a wood or a coal range is used; they require much less
labor and litter, and can be instantly started into full force and as
quickly turned out when no longer required, while the fact that the heat
can be regulated with exactness, makes them superior for certain
processes of cooking to any other stove. But while these stoves are
convenient and economical, especially in small families, they should be
used with much care. Aside from the danger from explosion, which is by
no means inconsiderable in the use of gasoline and oil stoves, they are
not, unless well cared for altogether healthful. Unless the precaution
is taken to use them in well-ventilated rooms or to connect them with a
chimney, they vitiate the atmosphere to a considerable extent with the
products of combustion. Oil stoves, unless the wicks are kept well
trimmed, are apt to smoke, and this smoke is not only disagreeable, but
extremely irritating to the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. Oil
stoves are constructed on the same principle as ordinary oil lamps, and
require the same care and attention.

Quite recently there has been invented by Prof. Edward Atkinson a very
unique apparatus for cooking by means of the heat of an ordinary
kerosene lamp, called the "Aladdin Cooker." The food to be cooked is
placed in a chamber around which hot water, heated by the flame of the
lamp, circulates. The uniform heat thus obtained performs the process of
cooking, slowly, but most satisfactorily and economically, the result
being far superior to that obtained by the ordinary method of cooking by
quick heat. The cooker is only used for stewing and steaming; but Mr.
Atkinson has also invented an oven in which the heat is conveyed to the
place where it is needed by a column of hot air instead of hot water.
With this oven, which consists of an outer oven made of non-conducting
material, and an inner oven made of sheet iron, with an intervening
space between, through which the hot air circulates, no smoke or odor
from the lamp can reach the interior.

KITCHEN. UTENSILS.--The list of necessary kitchen utensils must of
course be governed somewhat by individual circumstances, but it should
not be curtailed for the sake of display in some other department, where
less depends upon the results. A good kitchen outfit is one of the
foundation-stones of good housekeeping. The following are some of the
most essential:--

Two dish pans; two or more _papier-mache_ tubs for washing glassware;
one kneading board; one bread board; one pair scales, with weights;
scrubbing and stove brushes; brooms; dustpans; roller for towel;
washbowl; soap dish; vegetable brushes.

[Illustration: A Double Boiler.]

FOR THE TIN CLOSET.-One dipper; one egg-beater; one two-quart pail;
one four-quart pail; six brick-loaf bread pans; three shallow tins;
three granite-ware pie tins; two perforated sheet iron pans for rolls,
etc.; one set of measures, pint, quart, and two quart; two colanders;
two fine wire strainers; one flour sifter; one apple corer; one set
patty pans; two dripping pans; two sets gem irons; one set muffin rings;
one toaster; one broiler; the six saucepans, different sizes; two
steamers; six milk-pans; one dozen basins, different sizes; one chopping
bowl and knife; six double boilers; two funnels, large and small; one
can opener; griddle; kettles, iron and granite ware; two water baths.

FOR THE DISH CLOSET.--One half dozen iron-stone china cups; three
quart bowls; three pint bowls; two large mixing bowls; two quart bowls
with lip; six deep plates; three kitchen pitchers; one glass rolling
pin; six wooden and six iron spoons, assorted sizes; six kitchen
teaspoons; one stone baking pot; glass jars for stores; crocks and jars.

THE PANTRY.--The pantry and china closet should have direct light
and good ventilation. The dark, dingy places sometimes used for this
purpose are germ breeders. There should be plenty of shelf room and
cupboards for the fine glass and china-ware, with a well-arranged sink
for washing the dishes. The sink for this purpose is preferably one
lined with tinned or planished copper; for dishes will be less liable to
become injured and broken then when washed in an iron or earthen-ware
sink. Extension or folding shelves are a great convenience, and can be
arranged for the sink if desired. The accompanying cuts illustrate a
sink of four compartments for dish-washing, devised by the writer for
use in the Sanitarium Domestic Economy kitchen, which can be closed and
used as a table. Two zinc trays fit the top, upon which to place the
dish drainers. If preferred, the top might be arranged as a drainer, by
making it of well-seasoned hard wood, with a number of inclined grooves
to allow the water to run into the sink. If the house be heated by
steam, a plate-warmer is an important part of the pantry furnishing.

[Illustration: Compartment Sink for Dish-Washing. Open.]

THE STOREROOM.--If possible to do so, locate the room for the
keeping of the kitchen supplies on the cool side of the house. Plenty of
light, good ventilation, and absolute cleanliness are essential, as the
slightest contamination of air is likely to render the food supply unfit
for use.

The refrigerator should not be connected with the kitchen drain pipe,
and the greatest care should be taken to keep it clean and sweet. It
should be thoroughly scrubbed with borax or sal-soda and water, and well
aired, at least once a week. Strongly flavored foods and milk should not
be kept in the same refrigerator. The ice to be used should always be
carefully washed before putting in the refrigerator. Care should also be
taken to replenish it before the previous supply is entirely melted, as
the temperature rises when the ice becomes low, and double the quantity
will be required to cool the refrigerator that would be necessary to
keep it of uniform temperature if added before the ice was entirely out.

THE WATER SUPPLY.--The water used for drinking and cooking purposes
should receive equal consideration with the food supply, and from
whatever source obtained, it should be frequently tested for impurities,
since that which looks the most refreshing may be contaminated with
organic poison of the most treacherous character.

[Illustration: Compartment Sink for Dish-Washing. Closed.]

A good and simple test solution, which any housewife can use, may be
prepared by dissolving twelve grains of caustic potash and three of
permanganate of potash in an ounce of distilled water, or filtered soft
water. Add a drop of this solution to a glass of the water to be tested.
If the pink color imparted by the solution disappears at once, add
another drop of the solution, and continue adding drop by drop until the
pink color will remain for half an hour or more. The amount of the
solution necessary to security permanent color is very fair index to the
quality of the water. If the color imparted by the first one or two
drops disappears within a half hour, the water should be rejected as
probably dangerous. Water which is suspected of being impure may be
rendered safe by boiling. Filters are only of service in removing
suspended particles and the unpleasant taste of rain water; a really
dangerous water is not rendered safe by filtering in the ordinary
manner.

CELLARS.--Sanitarians tell us that cellars should never be built
under dwelling houses. Because of improper construction and neglect,
they are undoubtedly the cause of much disease and many deaths. A
basement beneath the house is advantageous, but the greatest of care
should be given to construct it in accord with sanitary laws. It should
be thoroughly drained that there may be no source of dampness, but
should not be connected with a sewer or a cesspool. It should have walls
so made as to be impervious to air and water. An ordinary brick or stone
wall is inefficient unless well covered with good Portland cement
polished smooth. The floors should likewise be covered with cement,
otherwise the cellar is likely to be filled with impure air derived from
the soil, commonly spoken of as "ground air," and which offers a
constant menace to the health of those who live over cellars with
uncemented walls and floors.

Light and ventilation are quite as essential to the healthfulness of a
cellar as to other rooms of the dwelling. Constantly during warm
weather, and at least once a day during the winter season, windows
should be opened wide, thus effecting a free interchange of air. All
mold and mustiness should be kept out by thorough ventilation and
frequent coats of whitewash to the walls. Vegetables and other
decomposable articles, if stored in the basement, should be frequently
sorted, and all decaying substances promptly removed. This is of the
utmost importance, since the germs and foul gases arising from
decomposing food stuffs form a deadly source of contamination through
every crack and crevice.

KITCHEN CONVENIENCES.

In these days of invention and progress, much thought and ingenuity have
been expended in making and perfecting labor-saving articles and
utensils, which serve to make housework less of a burden and more of a
delight.

THE STEAM-COOKER.--One of the most unique of these conveniences is
the steam-cooker, one kind of which is illustrated by the accompanying
cut. Steaming is, for many foods, a most economical and satisfactory
method of cooking. Especially is this true respecting fruits, grains,
and vegetables, the latter of which often have the larger proportion of
their best nutritive elements dissolved and thrown away in the water in
which they are boiled. In the majority of households it is, however, the
method least depended upon, because the ordinary steamer over a pot of
boiling water requires too much attention, takes up too much stove room,
and creates too much steam in the kitchen, to prove a general favorite.
The steam-cooker has an escape-steam tube through which all excess of
steam and odors passes into the fire, and thus its different
compartments may contain and cook an entire dinner, if need be, and over
one stove hole or one burner of an oil or gasoline stove.

[Illustration: The Steam-Cooker.]

THE VEGETABLE PRESS.--The accompanying cut represents this handy
utensil, which is equally useful as a potato and vegetable masher; as a
sauce, gruel, and gravy strainer; as a fruit press, and for many other
purposes for which a colander or strainer is needed, while it economizes
both time and labor.

[Illustration: Vegetable Press.]

LEMON DRILL.--This little article for extracting the juice of the
lemon, and which can be purchased of most hardware dealers, is quite
superior to the more commonly used lemon squeezer. Being made of glass,
its use is not open to the danger that the use of metal squeezer is are
from poisonous combinations of the acid and metal, while the juice
extracted is free from pulp, seeds, and the oil of the skin.

[Illustration: Lemon Drill.]

A HANDY WAITER.--In many households where no help is employed, a
labor-saving device like the one represented in the accompanying
illustration, will be found of great service. It is a light double table
on easy-rolling casters, and can be readily constructed by anyone handy
in the use of tools. If preferred, the top may be covered with zinc. In
setting or clearing the table, the dishes may be placed on the lower
shelf, with the food on the top, and the table rolled from pantry to
dining room, and from dining room to kitchen; thus accomplishing, with
one trip, what is ordinarily done with hundreds of steps by the weary
housewife. If desirable to reset the table at once after a meal, the
waiter will be found most serviceable as a place whereon the glassware
and silverware may be washed. It is equally serviceable for holding the
utensils and material needed when cooking; being so easily moved, they
can be rolled to the stove and is always convenient.