The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-06-22
yz;.!!sM,oneHS
:s.:E - Nasal|lh .tI;EilEIi;Rl;lEs
BIG HOTEL KITCHENS.

PatrOns.o of the great new hotels of New
York see many things to wonder about and
if they happen to come from some way
back town they can speedily collect enough
grandeur material TO tell about for several
months to the jewellers of their native
heaths.
The new otcl indeed, is source Of
w nder ard admiration to the dyed-in the.
wool NV Yorker himself and in fact, the
old time hotel,keeper has been absolutely
lost in the deluse of innovations, soswiftly
h e they come in the past year or two
To day New York is the greatest hotel
city the world over, but mt satisfied with
this record the mania for new structures
and more wonderful Improvements is
spreading, and there are now half dozen
gigantic hostt lries under way which prom
Use to leave..the present peers of the hotel
world as much in the shade as the old time
ones now are.
The wonders of these new hotels have
b. en- described many times. Most people
are familiar with the details of three
room suite which it cost 81, 600 to decorate
So, 900 to furnish and for which the
astonished occupant pays $50 day. But
there is'onc phase of these hotels which
has not h'en touched upon I" any extent,
and that is the kitchen. Ii the inns
of olden time the chief glory was the pro-
duct of the kitchen, and while much has
been done in 1.-THE .hostelries of today to
fascinate thu eye and tickle the artistic in
the guest, the kitchen has not been for
gotten and countless Improvements have
been made in its management and furnish
ings to bring it up to the high standard of
the other departments.
The hotel kitchen is deep mystery to
m ,st people, who glance over the long
menu three times day and wonder where
all the foods come from, and how they are
PREF AIRED so that they can be had at a mo-
mrnts notice. They don't know of the
ar ny of people below stairs, the minute
s.stem in vogue, and the studied general
snip of the managers, who daily turn out
enough food to abundantly feed the popu
lation of fair sized town.
There are two great men in the lower
section of the big, modern hotel One of
them is the steward and the other is the
steward and the other is the chef The
first supplies 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 as a profess
ional stock speculator. AT night he makes
list of what he is to buy the next morn
ing. This list would read like bit OF
tict on to the average housewife. 1t is the
regular thing for the steward of one of the
new fifth avenue hotels to buy each morn.
ing twenty five different kinds of fresh fish,
fifteen sorts of shell fish, ten of smoked
AMI salt fish; twenty five varieties of meats
and the same number of butchers mis-
llanies, such as sweetbreads, calf's head
etc. fifteen varieties of game; thirty five
of vegetables, and dozen Of fruit, and a
like number of cheeses.
A number of smaller items are also
bought each day such as olives, jelles and
syrups, milk and eggs. OF course there
are regular days for the purchase of vast
quantities of groceries, but these give the
stewart comparatively little trouble, as
trey require no skirmishing about to Sc.
cure. An order is sent by telephone or
messenger to.the wholesaler, and the goods
are delivered.
Great care is taken in the purchase of
milk, butter and eggs. Four of the large
fashionable. hotels. pay a contract price of
81 pound the'year round for this butter
and this item alone cost each of them in
the neighborhood of 800, 600 year, includ
ing butter.
None of the milk supplied to these hotels
is of the skinned variety. 1t is bought
b. contract FROM large dealers, and from
e;ch can.s taken enough to fill a small glass
jar, which.is at once placed in refrigera-
tor at'l5 degrees and kept locked up for
tHenty-four hours. At the expiration of
that time it is tested by an expert to dis,
cover the exact proportion of cream and
milk. The season of the year has much
to do with these proportions, which, for
the cream, vary from II to % per cent If
the cream falls below the minimum the
dealer stands the immediate danger of
loosing fat contract.
Eggs are tender subject with the large
hotel men, and the steward invariably
buys the costliest in the market. An egg
of bad character may lose for the hotel one
of its best patrons and may indirectly
Cause others to change their quarters as
the man who leaves on account of dis
reputable egg is sure to tell about it. Not
only that but IL has the nower tn ruin