Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-07-11
TEE FRENCH cooNINo RooM.
some OF Its Points of Difference From the
American Kitchen.

The French cooking room is found to be
"sui gpraris' delightfully."- convenient
littlo affair, although the first impression
its brick floor ard conservative Dimensions
give is Of primitNcncsS. 1t is always
snall-that is, the average llitChcn-and
in the French apartment any nook answers
for it, for French economy rcckons time
and space in its ratio and it stands to
reason that much useless timc is spent in
walking about large room in search of
materials or utensils. 1t was q sense of
this very thing which led bright western
woman, who had become reduced to doing
her own work, to make her butler pantry
and gas stove answer the needs of a llitch-
en-, since in that way she had everything
ready to hand.
No matter how small the French kitch-
en-, it always boasts Of generous range,
with an artistic wall setting Of blue and
white thing corresponding with the like
setting of tho water pipes and sink. This
thing Is not the least attractive popularity
of the kitchen, forming, as it does, with
tho red bricks Of the floor, a fascinating
color scheme SO in the beginning, even
in the kitchen, you find the touch of color
that these Latin nations are never with
out their love for which speaks from tho
blossoming plant in the window to tho
painted ash barrel.
Despite tho generous range, which has
all sorts Of devices and different places for
burning wood or coke or coal or nothing
for when YOU will you can employ the gas
stove, which is a tlXtur" of the French
kitchcn-thcre is seldom large boiler at
tachment, but in its stead a queer little
copper boiler let down at one side of the
4, hnl1 ~,
meet the needs Of the average householder
in France. Hot water, as "a consequence
Is at premium, which perhaps accounts
for the indifference of the French to tho
luxurics of the bath. Even the friendly
Kissing teakcttlc, that most appealingly
cozy bit of kitchen furnishing, is guam
tity unknown. Its place in the French
cuisine i, taken by IA queer little tin pitch
ter, with a cover. These come in assorted
sizes, and no matter how STABLE or impos-
ing the dimensions they always seem TO be
makcshittS.
There is seldom dpper Its use and
abuse are not French and there are no
brooms. Brushes of all kinds and sort
of broom made of tiny twiGs, the kind
used by the street sweCperS, arc to be found
in France but nothing along the practical
lines of tho article so familiar to the new
world household. The merits of the chop
ping bowl have not found place in the
French cooks heart, n square board and
"A peculiar two handled chopping knife,
held in both hands when used, answering
to the needs of that delcctable dish, hash,
or the sayory ragouts and croquettes q la
Francois.
Such implements of kitchen warfare as
the poker, tcngs, shovel and dustpan OF
France are all strangely unfamiliar and
decidedly primitive in appearance, so also
are the baking dishes and sauccpans Of I'M
baked clay, which, however, are most de-
sirablc on account Of their cleanliness.
Most Of the apartment kitchens and
many of those in private houses are pro-
vided with an iccbOX attachment, built ont
under window and fitted about with
wooden Stats lined with very fine wire
Cauze, this answering every need in win
ter and proving convenient even in sum
NOR, as it usually juts into shaded court.
The most cheering note in French llitch-
en- furnishings is the copper saucepan. 1t
is omnipresent, and in we'll appointed hab-
itations you see rows of them, of all sizes,
from the half pint up, hanging along tho
high wainscoting above or beside the range.
Tho higher tho state of polish to which
these may be brought by the usually i'm
maculate femme de menage, the more she
seems to consider they stand in the light
of satisfactory reference, and from tho
fact perhaps that the French kitchen CON
tains no closets, and AT the best nothing
but dressers, may be deduced n reason for
the immaculate maid and the delightful
suggestion of absolute cleanliness which
pcrvado this apartment - New York
Times,