Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-11-15
CONJURY IN THE KITCHEN.
How Some Restaurants Impose Upon the
Principles of Economy.

Principles of Economy.
Washingtonians who are in the habit of
drawing their ideas of economy from long
theoretical dissertations on that subject, or
attempting with wizard like adroitness to
attain astonishing results in cooking from the
manifold intricacies of a French chefs remi-
niscences, can find some striking bits of infor-
nation from birds eye view of the kitchen
of hustling Washington restaurant when
the city is filled with visitors Indeed, there
is a good deal to learn when ''all is quiet
along tho Potomac and the capital city is
slowly moving on in the even tenor of its
way Take seat at one of the slippery mar
BILE top tables, call for and cast an eye over
the inspiring bill of fare placed on the cold,
business like slab before you.
Here you see four or five kinds of soup done
up in the purest and most stylish French an
nouncement: ''Potage la puree de pommes
de terre," 'potage au riz," "potage aux con-
somme aux oeufs poches," ETC., etc. There
are also on the list many kinds of fish, half a
dozen assorted roasts, all kinds of vegetables
known to agricultural science, any number
of made dishes, pies, buildings and pastries to
suit any fastidious palate.
Looking over the bill of fare with the wait
er bending attitudinally with patronizmg
hauteur over your shoulder, one hand on the
table, the other on the back of the chair one
who did not know, would imagine that to
prepare and keep this immense list Of eata-
bles, or the materials subject to order, would
require an extensive range, numerous cooks
of high and low degree plenty of room and
space, and as much crockery as may be found
i'll any one of our leading queensware estab-
lishments.
1t is perfectly natural and excusable, there
fore, to be surprised when this delusion is
dispelled and the cold fact laid bare that the
entire culinary department is usually no
larger, if not much smaller, than many of
the kitchens of small families in Washing
ton and that generally one cook, with an
alleged dish washer or two, comprises the
entire catering outfit.
Peep through the opening made by a bro
ken slat in the swinging door or the slit
punched in the time honored screen, which
are used for concealing the inner workings
from the outer world. Here comes a waiter
fighting and scrambling through of his kind,
yelling out: Gone vegetable soup" See the
japanese juggler of edibles deity slide the
lid from large boiler of clear soup made
from the bones and scraps of beef, mutton,
chicken, veal, etc. Whether these bones
have been picked once by the customer at
the tables in front or not is a question no one
should insist upon being answered. This is a
time when one must have large bank ac-
count of blind faith to draw upon. Out of
this boiler the chef secures the desired amount
of clear soup and into it he pops in quick
succession a little dab from each pot Of a
row of boiled vegetables. He gives this a
vigorous stir, and presto! pours into the
plate your vegetable soup.
Is it consomme you wish If so, he pours
into this clear stock some brown thickening
fluid and there you are. If macaroni, a pot
of boiled macaroni is at hand, and he forks a
few strings into the same clear stock. A big
tin can of condensed OK tail soup stands on
handy shelf and spoonful of this lends its
flavor if that kind is wanted. A little thick
ening and a kidney from another pot makes
kidney stew in short order. A good deal
of rice, some thickening and a handful of
curry powder and you have your curry
And so on.
See him WELD that magic wand, which
looks so much like the carving knife we all
use at home. Roast lamb and roast mutton
come from the same joint at its touch, or by
the aid of peculiar sauce and some jelly
slice of vension will lay before you. Veal is
veal, or it is chicken for salad, or turkey for
fricasse, or rabbit for stew, or it is lamb for
pie, JuSG as ne desires ana Uno order demands.
AS for the matter of desserts the plum pud-
ding and fruit cake are the same except one
is served hot with sauce and the other is cold
The boiled rice used for the curry OF rice soup
with milk, sugar and little nutmeg becomes
rice pudding instantly. Tapioca and sage
come out of the same dish for furnishing all
the improved connections of those two pala-
table articles.
Thus he goes ahead with cunning ingenuity,
never at loss to furnish promptly any dish
on the bill of fare, no matter whether there is
particle of the desired article in store or not.
There is one thing, however, among few
others, and a few only, which defies his crafti-
ness, and that is the boiled egg. When "a
boiled" is called for, boiled egg, pure and
simple, is the only thing that will answer.
No left-over-from-E Easter, China or painted
wooden substitute can fill the bill. But then
the yolk of an egg can impart to his greasy
looking white butter a beautiful golden hue
and enter into other magical combinations
with him which go great way toward ex-
tenuating its refusal to be initiated in boiled
capacity. Washington Star.