The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-09
MASTERS OF THE MENUS.
How Hotel Stewards Prepare Their Many
Dishes.


Detroit News.
Here, waiter bring me some roast beef rare,
piece of partridge and the usual vegetables,
and be lively about it., was the order given by
a belated traveller at one. of the hotels on Sun
day.
II say, jack" subsequently remarked com
panion, what q conundrum it must be for some
one to guess what you and and several other
hungry tranSients are going to eat overy day."
Eyes, | suppose so, was Jacks laconic reply
''Wonder how they do it," continued the other
musingly. Nov yesterday / had mutton; the
day before l ordered roast beef and to-day l
have eaten turkey and cranberry sauce If the
tastes of others have been equally as whimsical
the patience as we'll as the abilities of the cook,
or steward. some one else must have been Sc
verely tested
but you don't always get what you want, "
growled Jack impatient for the walters return
True, when you are late" responded his com
panon, unmindful of Jacks failing, or his feel
ings. 'But notice that the bill of fare at first
class hotels is very seldom crossed. 1t is the
smaller hotels where you and | meet with our
most frequent disappointments. One would
naturally suppose that it would be just the re-
verse; that large hotels, favored with liberal
but necessarily uneven transient trade, and
furnishing their patrons with a great variety of
dishes, would fall short more frequently than
smaller hotels with limited and more regular
patronage, as we'll rs a less number of dishes to
serve"
There was no response from Jack and his COM
panion having finished his meal sauntered into
the Office and proceeded to question the clerk as
to who was responsible for the meals served in
hotels.
1T is different in different cities" replied the
clerk. I'm New York, Chicago and some other
large cities the bills of fare of the leading hotels
are arranged by the head cooks. The best hotels
in Detroit, with but one exception, assign that
work to their stewards. The table of the hotel
excepted is looked after by the proprietors, who
have made quite reputation in that line. The
stewards, whose chief duties are usually to
purchase the supplies and attend to the
carving, are seconded in their work by a
head cook, who in turn depends on number of
second cooks and their helpers and vegetable and
pastry cooks This staff which in size is regu-
lated by the business of the houses, is, with the
exception of the vegetable and pastry cooks,
made up of male help. In a few hotels women
are employed as pastry cooks.
But few women are engaged as cooks except
in very small hotels. They are not competent
A woman cook will scarcely make one thing
twice alike. They take too many chances: trust
too much to luck, and in consequence fail re-
peatediy. They hardly ever prepare their dishes
according to any fixed rule as to the weight or
measurement Of the ingredients. On the con-
trary, they are disposed to lump things;
about a teaspoonful of this, about a cupful
of that and when nearly done stir in little
seasoning They pay no attention to the size of
the teaspoon or the cup, and insert the season
do so. Now, man cook works quite to the
contrary" continued the hotel man. Every
ingredient he uses is as accurately measured
and weighed as though a part of a druggists
prescription, and the mixing and cooking of the
same are calculated and timed as carefully as
the hours allotted by the doctor for the patients
medicine. Even the purity and character of the
goods are inquired into. Nothing is left to
chance, and hence there are no failures to be
followed by that feminine excuse, L don't see
why it is | should have such luck; can't under
stand it,"
"But how do the cooks know what quantity to
prepared"
Easy 'nough. About 10 o'clock every morn
ing the office furnishes the head cook with list
of the probable number of guests there will be
at dinner In case of an unexpected rush subse
quent to that hour, supplementary lists are sent
to the head cook, and if he finds there is like
lihood of any of the dishes running short he
will order one more of the second cooks to
discontinue dishing, and prepare second din
ner. A frst-class hotel prides itself in always
having enough of everything, but occasionally
houses that make a special effort to secure
novelties as soon as they appear IN the
market are unable to satisfy late corners, owing
to the limited quantity obtainable. Meats that
are left over can be served cold at subsequent
meals; the pastry that remains generally goes