Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-05-30
BIG HOTEL KITCHENS.
TURNING OUT AN ELABORATE
BILL OF FARE.


ceekIns Il AeeordIns TO Thousand
Recipes.
There are two great men in the
lower section of the big modern ho-
tel. One OF them Is the steward and
the other Is the chef. The first sup
plies the raw provender, and the
other gives it the artistic treatment
which later on soothes the appetite
of the guest into dreamy satisfaction.
The steward Is keen business man
who watches the markets as closely
% Q professional stock SPECTATOR.
At night he makes list of what he
is to buy the next morning. The
list would read like bit OF fiction to
the average housewife. 1t is the
regular thing for the steward Of one
of the new Fifth avenue hotels to buy
each morning twenty-five different
kinds OF fresh fish, fifteen sorts OF
shellfisL. ten Of smoked and salt fish.
twenty-five varieties Of meats, and
the same number Of butchers miscel-
lanies, such as sweetbreads, Calls
head, etc. fifteen varieties of game,
thirty-five of vegetables. O dozen Of
fruit and like number Of cheeses.
A number of smaller items are
also bought each day, such as olives,
jellies. syrups, milk and eggs. There
are regular days for the purchase Of
vast quantities of groceries, but these
give the steward comparatively little
trouble. as they require no skirmish-
ing about to secure. An order is sent
by telephone or messenger to the
wholesaler, and the goods are deliv-
cred.
Great care is taken in the pur-
chase OF milk, butter and eggs. Four
Of the large fashionable hotels pay q
contract price OF 81 pound the year
round for their butter, and this item
alone costs each of them in the
neighborhood of $4,000 q year, in
GLIDING the cooking butter.
None of the milk supplied to these
hotels is of the SKINNED variety. 1t
is bought by contract from large
dealers, and from each can is taken
enough to fill small glass jar, which
is at once placed in o refrigerator at
40 degrees and kept locked up for
twenty-four hours. At the expiration
OF that time it is tested by an expert
to discover the exact proportion of
cream and milk. The season of the
year has much to do with these pro-
portions, which for the cream vary
from IL to % per cent. II the cream
falls below the minimum the dealer
stands the immediate danger OF losing
fat contract.
Eggs are tender subject with the
large hotel men, and the steward in
variably buys the costliest in the
market. An egg OF bad character
may lose for the hotel one of it's best
patrons, and may indirectly cause
others to change their quarters, as
the man who leaves on account OF a
disreputable egg is sure to tell about
it. Not only that but it has the
power to ruin scores OF dollars worth
Of dainty pastry, gallons Of buildings
and custards. and generally do un-
told damage.
All the eggs not boiled to order are
broken separately by skilled assist
ants. making the cost Of handling
them q considerable item. Two hun
dred and fifty dozen is an average
number used each day in a large
hotel. and at busy times as much as
500 dozen have been handled. Break
ing and judging 5000 eggs in day
is no small task, as can easily be
imagined.
All the meat used is treated with
artistic care, and the 'ripening' pro-
cess requires the judgment of an cx-
pert. When purchased it is ticketed
with the date OF killing and the dress
ing, and is then packed. in a cold
room at As degrees for two weeks.
When removed it is usually covered
with q thick mold and the appear
ance of this mold to the expert is
the keynote OF its condition. 1t
must be ripe, juicy and tender, and
the long storage usually brings about
these results.
The real work Of the. kitchen falls
to the lot OF the chef. In four of the
greatest New York hotels the chef is
an Alasatian, and his salary ranges
from SO, 600 to $1,000 year. He
has a number of department chefs
under him and each Of them has q
small regiment Of helpers.
The next in rank to the chef is the
saucier, who boils the meats and
mixes the soups and sauces. After
him comes the rotisseur, who broils
and roasts all the meats and fish.
Following the rotisseur is the entre-
meter, who handles all the side
dishes, such as vegetables, omeletes
and whatever is fried. The garde
a manager, next in rank, makes the
salads and prepares the cold meats.
The butcher, who cuts the meats,
and the poissoneer, who dresses the
fish, and the casseroller, who fills the
important post Of head pot washer,
complete the executive force Of the
chef
With n we'll organized staff OF as
sistants the main duty Of the chef
comes just before mealtime, when he
makes a round of the entire kitchen.
tasting every article prepared. He
may suggest some slight change, like
the adding OF seasoning, but usually
everything has been done to his sat
isfaction. The bakery force Is indie