The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-19
THIRTY COOKS IN SILKS.
Teaching Married Ladies rhe
Science Of the Kitchen.

prepared would take UP half tie frs,
page u the paper. Miss Parloa : class
Of thirty ladies looked "a while he
wearing a striped calico dress. 4 lawn
apron. a rose at her breast, and a gold
pin at her throat. c0rJured the artistic
meal out Of tie raw material The Ing
second story front rUouI at 222 last 18th
street haa the walls and ceiling OF 4 par
lor bur the furniture OF a5kltchen. One
corner was faced with tilling above a big
sink and a pine table laden with dishes,
pots, brown paper parcels, KNIVES, spoons
cups. plates, aud saucers. Next along
the side wall was a movable range. and
next TO that a s~ideboard that looked Ike
a book case with snow white china appa
rent through the glass doors. Along the
other side of the room the thirty ladies
sat on three rows Of chairs. Two were
| about % years old, th ee were about 30
wears old and two dozen were married
aides 10 the full bloom OF youth, health,
and beauty. Diamonds sparkied in many
ears and silks and satIus were plenty.
Between them and the opposite wall
stood Miss Par.Oa, a tall, matrOnly
woman, bending over an extension table
covered with a thin oll-cloth aud sup
porting a cutting board, Two feroclous
big knives, a steel, and a haunch OF VEN
ison which she had skinned aud washed.
| She talked all the time she worked, eX-
planning every movement OF her hands.
The ladies leaned forward watching and
listening like medical students III a dis
secting room.
She mixed up a paste, two parts flour
aud one part water, saying: Covering
the ~venisou with this makes 1t julcler
and more evenly cooked. Without II
the outside would cook better than the
centre, but this equalizes 1t. | think
you obtain the flavor in this way better
than by Harding. | frequently do lard
legs of y~enison, but then, Of course, | do
not use the paste" She put the meat
on the board, pasted the top of it, then
put it, paste down, in a big iron pan, and
pasted the other side. 1t forms a hard
crust" she said, which comes eff easily
Now it is all ready to 20 in the oven,
which must be hot, and where 1t must re
main one hour and three quarters
Every lady had taken out . pencil and
note book and iotted down ''oveu must
be hot" and ''one hour and three quar-
ters." Miss Parloa opened the oven
door, revealing a unique contrivance
NIlNh lGl uONu dlu l. al Oo1ClL1
she'll when the door opened, anu folded
out of the way when the door closed. She
put the v~enison in, and, turning to the
ladies, said she was going to give them
the rules for the roast duck. Her assis-
lance, who was always addressed as
Louisa, shot out of the room, and pres
emily reappeared with a fat brown duck
on a plate. Miss Parloa said that per
| bo,o NOT n,oro .hon ~ n ono htrnIral
would like duck as rare as she was going
to cook this one, but ali who ike game
like it rare. Nothing is more injured by
overlooking than game. Twenty min
utes is enough for very rare duck, and il
must be served at once when cooked"
The pencils all wagged at once at these
teacher remarked that for stutfing, use
potatoes, mashed, and seasoned with
onion and butter, or herbs very lightly. |
like it better without herbs. | usually
cut an onion in two and put it in the body
NOT to be served, but to give a delicate
flavor which cannot be traced to the
onion"
She said she would use a redhead for
the lesson because canvasbacks are ex-
pensive, and a redhead would do just as
well. She pulled the skin back, cut the
gristly neck off, drew the skin in place
again, cut a cash in the other end of the
body, and inserted her hand to draw it
out again. with the internal organs fol-
lowing it. She said that all the organs
are fastened at the breast bone, aud, if
loosened there, will come away easily
A dozen other points she explained in
this way, and relieved the work with a
story OF a very delicate young lady who
nearly tainted while assisting at the
dressing of a pigeon. In spite of the
nature of the work, she made no litter.
Her sleeves came to her wrists. yet
were not soiled. The refuse of any
operation disappeared as quick as it
came. She put the duck aside when it
was ready for the oven and delyed Into
the mysteries Of sauce making. "Oh, l
think there's nothing as nice as canvas
back duck" said she, pausing with her
fingers webbed together with wet flour.
When I'm rich III have it once a
week; so, you see, it will be a long time
before | realize my wish. The ladies
asked al manner of questions, which
seemed highly important. and received
answers which were instantly iotted
down hot from the teachers lips. At
times they looked as if they might be
thirty stenographers hard at work.
"Larded grouse" said Miss Parloa,
gravely, and Louisa appeared with a
gaunt, long-legged bird. A very hot
oven, remember, for all game. Twenty
minutes to cook it rare. If it is for q
gentleman's dinner, twenty minutes
will be right, but for a mixed company
thirty minutes is better" Saying that
larded grouse is one of The prettiest and
most satisfactory game dishes, she pro.
ceeded to cut off the wings and to am
putate the legs at the knee joint.
''Now, who's cooking the venison ~
she asked with startling suddenness.
A guilty look flashed on one fair face
after another. Nobody had taken it
upon herself to see that the venison was
attended to. Miss Parloa said that only
the cooks would have a taste, and that
it seemed no one would be so fortunate.
Then the ladies recollectcd that the ven
sion vent in at 500 O'Clock and must
come out at sos O'Clock. Never let
your butcher cut the legs off a Bird
said the teacher, for they are apt to let
tie cleaver fall as it happens. perhaps
above the joint, which makes a bad
looking dish"
Business began to be brisk at this
time. The vension was taken out and
a short-legged frame was put under tin
the pan, shot had to be picked out of
the grouse-which fact Miss Parloa said
did not call up pleasant thoughts tie
science of Harding had TO be explained
and Illustrated, the grouse had to he
salted. peppered, and dredged with flour
some steaming pots on the stove needed
looking at. and tie mistress and maid
both had their hands full. The silken
forms ON the chairs tool nn nnrt n. Ii