Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-07-04
The FRENCH cooKINe ROOM.
Some Of Its Points OF Difference From tho
American Kitchen.

American kitchfns
The French cooking room Is found 70 be
"sui ecnoris" a delightfully."- convenient
little a. lF, although tho lrst impression
its brick Ecor and conservative dimensions
give is OF primitiveness. Il Is always
smcll--that Is, the average kitchen-and
in tho French apartment any nook answers
for It, for French economy rec, Ae.s time
and space in its ratio, and 1t stands to
reason that much useless time is speEt in
walking about large room in search Of
materials or utensils. It was a 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 kitch-
en-, since in that way she had everything
ready TO hand.
No matter how small the French ktch-
en-, it always boasts OF o generous range,
with an artistic wall setting of blue and
white tiling corresponding with the like
setting of the water pipes and sink. This
tiling is not the least attractive pecullarity
of the kitchen, forming, as it docs, with
the red bricks of the floor, q fascinating
color scheme. So in the beginning, even
in the kitchen, you find tho 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 Ia a fixture of the French
kitchen-thero is seldom q large boiler at
tachment, but in its stead queer little
copper boiler let down at one side of the
oven is supposed to hold enough water to
meet the needs Of the average householder
in France Hot water, as consequences,
is at premium, which perhaps accounts
| for the indifference of the French to the
| luxurics os tho bath. Even the friendly,
| Kissing teakettle, that most appealingly
cozy bit of kitchen furnishing, is guam
| tity unknown. It's place in the French
| cuisine is taken by o queer little tin pitch
| or. with cover. These come in assorted
| sizes, and no matter how sizable or inpos-
ing the dimensions they always seem to be
makcshifts,
Thcrc is seldom dipper. 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 sweepers, are to be found
in France, but nothing along the practical
| lines of the article SO familiar to the new
| world household. Tho merits of the chop
| ping bowl have not found place in the
/ French cooks heart, square board and
a peculiar two handled chopping knife,
held in both hands when used, answering
/ 49, ho. c,,ft hDf dala ntnlOI dicb hoc cI1
or the sayory ragouts and croquettes a la
| Francais.
Such implements of Kitchen warfare as
tho poker, tongs, shovel and dustpan OF
France are all strangely unfamiliar and
decidedly primitive in appearance. So also
are tho baking dishes and saucepans of un-
baked clay, which, however, are most de-
sirable on account of their cleanliness
Most of the apartment kitchens and
many Of those in private houses are pro
vided with an icebox attachment, built out
under a window and fitted about with
wooden Stats lined with very fine wire
gauze, this answering every need In win
ter and proving convenient even in sum
mer, as it usually iuts into shaded court
The most cheering note in French kitch
en- furnishings is the copper saucepan. L
is omnipresont, and in well appointed hab
itations you sec rows of them, of all sizes
from the half pint up, hanging along thu
high wainscoting above OF beside the range
The higher the state of polish to whicl
these may be brought bg the usually i'm
maculate femme de naepage, the more sh'
seems to consider they standgin tho ligh
Of q satisfactory roferehcb, and from ,th
fact perhaps that the French kitchen con
tains no closets, and at tthe best nothin;
but drcssers, may be deduced reason TO
the immaculate maid and the delightful
suggestion Of absolute cleanliness whicl
pervade this apartment. = New Yorl
Times.