Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-10-04
THE CHEF AND HIS DOMAIN.
Some OF the Kitchen Mysteries OF
an English Hotel.

Inc conspicuous lucJ upoub bllc /
kitchen OF good English hotel is its
exquisite neatness, says the American /
Analyst. To produce this condition
there is an army Of scrubwomen with |
mops and pals and cleaning cloths,
and from the big copper caldrons at !
one side of the room, where soups are
brewed, past the great row OF shining
tins suspended in the middle OF the
room, to the bank of glowing ranges
at the other side-from the scrubbed
floor beneath your feet TO the white
apron and black eyes of the chef at
your side, everything shines. This is
the chefs province The chef not in
frequently combines the sensibility OF
the artistic temperament with good
degree of education, and he will toler-
ate nothing unclean. lie has been
trained in Paris. Before acquiring the
diploma Of the French cooking school,
which lac found necessary to the pur-
suit Of his art at home, he was pot
washer i'm the kitchen OF some other
artist. and he has served the long APP
prenticeshiD which most modern
Americans consider themselves smart
enough to do without The opportun-
ity of the French chef comes because
we are willing TO pay muniticently for
imported cooks, while our own sons
starve penteelly in dry-g goods stores.
Even the cooks in many second and
third class hotels can boast of a Paris
training. For, as not every actor can
play Hamlet, so not every Partisan
onn1yinpr gohnn1 hpnnnnS
an artist. Many Frenchman who at
home would be compelled to twirl the
humble saucepan is able to lord it over
the kitchen OF an English hotel, where
he is endured because he is less eX-
travacant and on the whole more use
full than the cook from the provinces,
who never saw even the outer wall OF
cooking school.
The most widespread misconception
of the duties of chef is the notion
that he cooks. He can cook. OF course,
} but if he could do nothing else he would
never be "a chef. His prime Importance
in the kitchen comes from the fact that
l he can make five or six other men cook
r at the same time. OF these assistants
, he requires everything except the COM
, position of the sauces and the tlavorlng
of the SOUPS. No chef with the true
artist soul will admit that any second
as his first assistant is technically
Q known-can make fine sauce or give
: the proper SAVIOR 20 Il consomme royale
or n Juienne. These be the inner
= mysteries of the temple and protane
hands must not be laid en- them. III at
your favorite hotel the consomme Is
clear as amber and nearly as strong
. as bouillon, while the flavor OF the
@ salad dressing inspires thrills OF APP
d probation, your chef is an artist, and
| life under his ministration is not likely
| TO be resigned. II at the same time
Ii your chop is sometimes charred and
= your egg made stringy by exposure 70
too great heat these are plumbers OF
y the subordinates and may be remedieo
by politely phrased complaints to the
: chef If, on the other hand, greasy
20 globules anoat on the top OF the soups
10 and the beef and mutton gravies TASTE
re susipiciously alike, then there is some
- thing fundamentally wrong with tn
kitchen, and the quicker you move tn
better.
IN The trouble may be too few stock
Of pots. for these great copper tanks, wit
! sizzling steam pipes running through
- them. hold place in the kitchen econo
LII my hardly second 10 the ranges. In
ne largest of them will hold a barrel, Will
$ the smaller sizes look like the domestl
I'd tin wash-boilers reproduced in copper
rs There are always three of these an
he frequently six. The largest Is devote
ly TO consomme or plain beef stock-th
e. foundation Of all good soups. Into
h are thrown great shanks OF beef, IN
1t bones being broken SO as TO release Tn
re marrow, together with cuttings froi
nut various inferior parts Of the annima
on hut with the fat carefully removed
ID. The pot is then filled with water, tf
-et steam turned through the pipes, an
he the mass boiled eight or nine houl
ed until all the nutriment is extracted fro
, the meats. The liquid is then draw
at off. strained, and allowed TO cool. whC
90 il becomes a solid beef jelly. This
en- mt away i'm the ice-boX, afterward b
81 ing cut an taken out in great "chunk
OF like cheese and thinned and tlavor'
ed for next days needs. This second pc
he equally large, is not so exclusive In l
he associations. Into il are thrown yea
to ham, mutton. and poultry bones, trll
ian mings from all these sorts OF meats, Z
'ge ends of raw tomatoes. celery tops, al
ent various vegetables. The resultant sto
nat Is finally Favored, but 1t Is not Gle
GO and so it is used for a basis for all Il
ip- thick soup and vegetable pure'
on Though there are usually from one
lie. four other stock pots 1t Is possible
md supply all the soups OF an extended b
ing of fare from these two caldrons-wl
all the aid of French menu-card an d
ase chef with an artistic taste for fiavo
the ing
yer In first-class hotel third stea
AXE pot is devoted to poultry soups, four
ned TO bisques or fish soups OF various sor
Ger and "a fifth TO Espagnol, soup that
one the basis of all meat sarces, and
IDS the havoring of which various vege
ner bles. including onions and garlic, a
1t carefully fried in butter. OX-tail. IN
cad licatawney, mock turtle, and spec
rye soups are made on range as wantt
rice But there are tricks in all trades, a
our the hotels where beef mutton, We