The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-02
A Ships KITCHEN.
Economy of space and Labor.

Economy of Space and Labor.
From the New England Kitchen Magazine.
Though there be many who go down to
the sea in ships. and who continue thereon
for days, there are few who ever see or
really know the kitchen side Of the boat.
Though there is almost as much difference
between the kitchens of the ocean palaces
and the rough sailing craft as there is be-
tween the kitchens of the very rich and
the hopelessly poor. they are alike in one
thing, and that is their economy of space.
"A nice, large kitchen, the delight of New
England housekeePers, is unknown at sea,
and would be unappreciated If known.
Meals for five hundred or thousand per-
sons will be cooked in a room scarcely as
large as the kitchen in a low-priced fiat,
or the pantry of a country house There
are two reasons for this: Space is valu-
able, every foot of it having it's worth as
storage for freight or room for passen-
gers; then on ship the kitchen floors are
kep clean by scrubbing them with sand.
They are about as white the tables. and
the smaller the kitchen the easier to keep
it in order.
With a small kitchen 1t becomes a prime
necessity to keep everything in its place.
and one must be systematic from the sim
pie logic of circumstances. 1t would
amaze one to see how compactly the sup
plies for the large household" on board
ships can be arranged. Nothing is left
down on shelves or in drawers which may
be hung on hooks. Even the platters and
and serving dishes are made to hang, there
being a loop hole at one end for this very
purpose.
The system of arrangement and conduct
of work is faultless. Ii has become what
IL is by process of evolution. and there is
no break in it, To get much into little, to
do things neatly quickly and well, are the
principles on which ships run, from the
captains place to the humblest on board
Even Mr.. Gradgrind would find there all
the system he wanted.
Two things have added much to the
! health and comfort of sea-going folks-the
process of canning soups fish, meats and
vegetables, and the use OF refrigerators.
| The luXuries of the table on land appear on
! the tables al sea. Even fish, that most
difficult food to serve fresh, appears to the
/ very end of the voyage. If the kitchen is
! small the refrigerator is not. 1t is provid
| ed, according to the size of the ship, with
| an amount of ice varying from one hun
| dred and fifty to two hundred tons, and
holds also the fish, meat and poultry. 1t
| is far away from the kitchen, because the
| cooks do not help themselves to the sup
| plies. These are given out as needed. Both
| canned and fresh vegetables are carried,
| the former being served when the fresh
are gone.
While many ships and steamers still con-
| tinue to lay in a supply of water, others
do not and all carry a condenser, which
makes it possible to have the best fresh
water directly from the ocean, and this,
being distilled water is absolutely pure.
! This water serves for all purposes except
the baths. Salt water is provide for these.
When water is carried it is stored at the
bottom of the ship and pumped up
What the ships kitchen loses in size is
made up in the number of store rooms.
Things of the same kind are kept in the
same division. There is a large wine
closet with a great number of cubby-
| holes so that each bottle may have place
of its own. The canned goods, of which
there is a larger supply than in many
grocery, are in another room, each in
space of its own. Everything has to be
| STAYED, or it would roll out when the ship
| pitches. Potatoes and such vegetables are
! kept to themselves, and the same regula-
ton holds goods with everything.
There are three kitchens, besides a serv-
| ing room. The soups, fish, meats and veg
| etables are prepared and cooked in one
room. the bread and pastry in another.
| while the steerage has a kitchen to itself
! in which all the cooking is done by steam.
| The range for the meats fills nearly one
| side of the small room, and half of 1t is
! given over to the soups, and pots for the
boiling articles. The soup kettles are enor-
| nous and hold many gallons. Soup be-
! gins TO be an important factor in the fam
! ily diet as soon as one leaves America,
| but in spite of the many boasts about the
! excellence of soup abroad il is rarely as
| well made as with us Nearly everything
on ship-board is well cooked, but the soup
| was the poorest, in my experience.
The pastry was excellent, not so much
! from over-shortening as from good bak-
| ing Many of the cakes are really nothing
| but pie crust with combinations. A three
cornered pastry has a filling of made
cream. which is nothing more than
| thick soft custard; this is sometimes
! plain sometimes It has an addition of
| chopped cherries. or finely minced citron
| The top has a glaze-it is too thin to be
/ called frosting-of white of eggs and SUI
| gar with whole cherries Sometimes the
/ pastry is covered with meringue in which
4 the candied fruits are sunk. Pie crust as
! the basis of "delicatessen" plays an i'm
| portant part. These dainty cakes ought
| to be seen in America, and they can be
made by using the recipe of puff paste, or
/ any light crust, rolling it exceedingly thin
/ baking it properly, and then filing it as
stated. They are filled after the manner
! of strawberry shortcakes, and there is
/ usually thin upper crust, out the cakes
are small and in every manner of shape
The cream with cherries is delicious, but
/ not any more so than that with apricots.
Another article. of food with which
made acquaintance on ship board, though
had heard Of it before, was bread with
| caraway seeds. One who likes this cannot
understand the distaste of others for 1t.
| The Germans esteem it, but 1t does not
| look real good. 1t is made by using one
! third rye with the wheat -four. and adding
caraway seed with a liberal hand. II is
said to be hygienic. and as it is not espec-
tally palatable, ii probably is just what one
ought to eat What do you suppose makes
! all the delicious foods unhealthful and
such things as no one wants to eat Just
what they need to make them healthy
wealthy and wise?
There is something all housekeepers
could learn from the ships methods for
their own advantage, and that is the saw
ing in time, strength and labor by having
things near together. and also the gain in
drawing the supplies from the storeroom
at one time for one day. Women take
! thousand needless steps and pay for them
| with WEAKNESS and backache. The tables