The Columbus journal., 1881-01-26
SueauIiueS. in the Kitchen.

Cleanliness Ina the Kitchen.
If such articles As are indispensa
BILE ia cooking the simplest meals
are not kept neatly, il will not bt
long before the food prepared IL
them will tell the story. But those
housekeepers who are coutent II
they order the meals, and feel nc
obligations TO lend a helping hand
in the preparation, and make no ex.
animation of the condition of their
kitchen closets after the work of the
day is finished, will not understand
where the evil originates. How in
dignant they would be should one
suggest the possibility that the ves'
sells in which their food was pre-
pared might be in a very untidy
state, or were needing some little
oversight and attention from the
mistress OF the house.
How often one hears "What can
be the reason that the bottom crust
OF my bread tastes like rancid but
ter?" Examine for yourself, aud
YOU win see that the bread-pans are
buttered every time they are used,
but never washed after use can you
wonder that the accumulation OF
greasy particles, added day after
day, never removed or cleaned of,
will, in time, grow rancid. Why
should not the bottom crust taste OF
il? Ii is well if the taste does not
pervade the loaf all through.
Just so with pie-plates. If the
stone china is used, the glazing sell
dom cracks, and if they are carefully
washed and aired each time they are
used, aud once a week boiled in a
little lye-water, they can be kept
sweet till destroyed by accident or
carelessness. But il set aside with
out careful washing and drying,
nothing can be more disagreeable.
How often, think you, is the mold
ing-board hung up unwsshed after
molding bread or rolling pastry, snd
the dough that sdheres to il left TO
dry, or sour and mold on it, and
then the next batch is kneaded on
this same uuwashed board?
impossible! | saw it hanging up
in the store closet over the -four
barrel as | passed by, only this
morning, and il acdS clean"
Please turn il over, madam, uR-
derSide up, before you speak with
too much certainty. And how about
the bresd-bowl, the rolling pin, the
four-sieve? See if the last is not
thrown into the f3our-bsrrel with
bits of dough, from cooks hands,
sticking to il. Ii so, when the bar
rel of -four is about half used you
may find that the remainder of the
-four has become suddenly sour. "a
little iedcen le0penS the sohOIe lump"
remember.
Then look at your saucepaDs, veg
etable boilers, gridirons, mestpsns,
etc.
What ails this steak? 1t tastes
as if the meat was tainted" Look
to the gridiron or frying-psn. The
butter aud fat that accumulate, day
after day, week after week, without
being thoroughly cleaned of, will
soon injure the flavor of anything
cooked on or in them. See the bars
of the gridiron and the sides of the
frying-pans and sauce pans, all seal
ed, incrusted, and rough with the
accumulations, never thoroughly
cleaned of, until the bars and sides
are nearly double the original thick
ness.
All ironware needs thorough clean
ing every time it is used, and none
more than a Sridiron The bars
should be kept perfectly clean and
smooth, and buttered every time
they are used, if one desires steak
cooked to perfection.
These are but a few utensils be-
longing to the kitchen over which
the mistress should never relax her
watch. But enough! We now close
this confidential talk. Will il do any
good, and convince our young
friends that they must watch over
their kitchen utensils, and thus teach
their servants that it will not be an
easy thing to deceive or hide care
IeSSReSSP--Ars. Henry Ward Beech
er, an Domestic Monthly.