The Portland daily press., 1895-03-27
GEMS IN POTS AND PANS.
Palatial New York kitchens that are
Filled with Silver Utensils.

careful treatment and costs almost as
much as the State apartments. The day
has gone by when, after every room has
received it's quota of space, little por-
ton of the basement was dubbed the
kitchen and duly provided with range
and sinks, and it may be set of wash
ubs.
The 10,000-a-year chefs of the Have
meyers. Gerrys, Vanderbilts and Astors
need $4,000 kitchens in which to prepare
their wonderful CONNECTIONS. These
Kitchens are worth coming long way to
see. Theodore A. Havemeyer has the flu
est kitchen in America in his beautiful
home in Madison avenue and Thirty
seventh street. 1t is not in the house
proper, but in sunny, airy apartment
built on an extension to the great house.
with windows on two sides, and such
perfect ventilation that on the hottest
days in summer there is not a suggestion
in the beautiful house that dinner,
luncheon or breakfast is being prepared.
The walls, ceiling and floor ATE of
white tiles, which are kept Immediately
white. The range is a stately affair OF
sheet iron and steel, and cinks for wash
ing vegetables are of white marble, for
the reason that the white enameled sinks
crack and dissolve so easily. Every pot
and saucepan is of copper, lined with
silver. The copper utensils are eons1d-
cred to give the best results, and the sill
YER lining prevents any injurious com BIZ
nation of the copper with the substances
cooked in it. The ventilation and light
ing OF this. kitchen are perfect, all OF the
odors from the cooking of food being
drawn off by forced ventilation. The
light by day is sunlight, and at night
there are floods Of electric light, for the
chef needs to see the color of the dishes
he is preparing, for it would be an i'm
possibility for him to taste them all, and
he depends upon his sight, and rarely
does this sense play him false. The
force required in this kitchen in addition
to the chef are first and second cook,
pastry cook, and two kitchen maids.
Elbridee Z. Gerry's kitchen is a poem.
Walls, ceiling and floor are of spotless
white marble. The sink, the mortars
for preparing forcemeat and similar edl-
bles are all of the glistening white stone.
All of the pots and pans are silver lined
copper, except those for frying. which
are of iron. Beside the ten-foot range
is charcoal broiler for meats and fish,
for particular people decline to eat any
food which is cooked over ordinary coal:
they contend that the fat dropping upon
the fire develops a gas which is very
offensive to their dainty pals ties.
The cook table is of wood, OF course:
it is of snowy white birch, formed of
strips four or five inches thick, set on
the edge. The chef can pound away on
this and feat and hammer his materials
into perfection without any danger OF
awakening the sleeping household. The
refrigerator is in a separate room just
hal,ipH tho Eit0hQn The nOn<
has an apartment to himself. In this is
small bakers oven, which is superior in
every respect to the ordinary range for
baking all kinds of delicious bread and
cakes.
Besides the chef, the culinary force
employed by Mr.. Gerry includes second
cook, pastry cook and three kitchen
maids. The menus they prepare all out
rival any service in New York. There is
birds nest soup and oyster crabs. new
delicacy, which costs two dollars for
every cover; French snails, toothsome
filets, terrapin and numberless delicacies
that it would be impossible to get even at
Delmonico's unless arranged for several
day in advance.
The fact that Mr.. Gerry is credited with
having the most sumptuous table in New
York Indicates that his kitchen is most
elaborate affair. On wines and foods
alone Mr.. Gerry spends in the neighb or-
hood OF 500, 900 year. His wine cellar
contains vintages costing $40 and SIS
a bottle, and at a banquet of only TWEEN
ty covers a vast amount of money can be
drunk in an evening.
Cornelius Vanderbilt has a great,
roomy, sunshiny kitchen, which is Kept
so shining and clean that it is no wonder
his chef prepares the daintiest and most
delicious CONNECTIONS at every meal. The
floor is of oak, the walls are tiled, and
the sinks and pots. of heavy white porce-
lain. The range is placed against the
rear wall, land there is a serving table in
front of oak, covered with zinc, on which
the pots and pans can rest without burn
ing the surface of the fine, heavy wood. |
There is a large balm marie, hich is
vessel filled with hot water, into which
the vessels containing soups and vegeta-
bles are placed for the purpose of keeping
them hot after they are thoroughly well
done and all ready for the service.
There are big windows ON the side, and
ventilators, which keep the kitchen even
at the busiest hour, sweets and clean
smelling as in the parlor. The refrigera-
tors ard cold ana warm storage rooms
are off the Aitchen, and so is the baking
department.. The pastry oven is so well
regulated that bread and the most fluffy,
airy pastry can be baked at the same
time with perfect success.
Johu Jacob Astor's kitchen in his new
house on Fifth in his new house on Fifth
avenue and Sixty-fifth street is just re-
ceiying the finishing touches. It is tiled
in white, cherry-looking touches of
bright red. This kitchen seems perfec-
tion, for the use of coal is done away
with entirely; the ranges, bake ovens
and lighting are all ..done by electricity.
The chef could go on duty any day, #
he desired to give up his we'll paid art
ofscooking, as an electrician, and he per-
suaded Mr.. Astor to introduce this novel
ty in his grand new kitchen. The clever
young millionaire has experimental a
great deal with electrical currents, and
his new kitchen ranges were made from
designs which he himself suggested.
The chef is enthusiastic in his praise of
the new process, and assures everyone
that when the house is formally opened
the fashionable folks will be astonished
at the results of fashionable cooking
Baltimore American.