The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-13
A CHATTING DISH.
Some of the Good Time,
You Can Have With 1t.
Bessie's at the chatting dish,
Stirring, mixing,
will tell you. if you wish,
What she's fixing.


l will tell you if you wish,
What she's fixing.
| A good many ,chafng dishes have
been bought simply because it is the
! fashion to have one on your sideboard
or in your bachelor quarters, and have
served merely as a bit of bright fur
nishing. Many more, however, show
that they have figured at jolly suppers
and have been used or abused accord
ing to their owners skill in cooking
over alcohol. Young women who never
would cook if obliged to go into the
rarebits in a polished chatting dish, and
before they realize it they become in
terested in the art of getting up good
meal TAe chafng dish pleases the
| bachelor who delights to stir up some
! thing savory over its gentle flame for
his guests, and even at the family table
Fit is useful Sunday nights when the
mistress must get the supper herself,
while in light housekeeping it is invalu-
able.
You may buy chatting dish for from
two dollars to one hundred. Nothing
costing less than four dollars will give
real satisfaction long, and such a dish
| will do just as good work as one cost
| ing ten times as much This is all the
expense actually needed beside a tray.
The tray protects the table from
scratching, and then again an over-full
| lamp or a draught or air may cause the
flame to flash out and injure the table
or cloth beneath; if the flame touches
the tray it merely burns itself out with
no further harm
| If one wants a, pretty outfit for serv-
| ing chatting dish suppers she might like
! two chatting dishes each with a tray.
1 The part called the blazer corresponds
/ to the frying pan and is to be used
/ directly over the flame, The second part
1 Is used with the blazer like a double
! boiler with hot water in the lower dish
Both pans should have long handles,
although one pan is frequently found
with two short handles on the sides. All
! dishes now have the patent eXtinguish-
! er which either puts out the flame or
reduces it to the size required. There
are no wicks but the lamp is filed with
| asbestos and covered with fine wire
cloth and the alcohol is poured directly
on to the wire. A complete outfit would
include a flask with silver screw top
for the alcohol, wooden spoons. alum
mum spoons with ebony haNndles like
! those on the dish, a glass measuring
cup which is less suggestive of the
! kitchen than the tin cup, and also
shows how full it is being filed more
readily than china or tin. Have also a
few small bowls of pretty china, a.
bright Russian bowl or two to hold the
| cooking materials, a teaspoon and a
tablespoon for measuring; tiny salt and
pepper shakers and a knife should also
4 be included.
/ If coffee is to be served, one of the
Russian drip pots over an alcohol lamp
Is an addition to the table Have the
table bare with generous-sized doilies
under the plates.
/ The amateur who is to entertain a
/ Few guests at chatting dish supper
| would do well to practice a bit bv her
self, or as 1t often happens, by himself.
1t VIII not do at all to expect to take
a cook book and sit down to the chafing
dlsn ana have everything go well. The
unexpected is sure to happen, and the
guests Will grow faint through expecta
tlon of the long deferred feast. But on
q conlparallVely short acquaintance the
1 cnaflng dish may be relied on.
1t pays in the long run to use high
proof alcohol, for although wood alco-
| mol is cheaper it will not burn without
some odor and will smoke and discolor
the metal of the blazer. +
A good deal of the success depends on
having everything ready and measured
petorehand that is possible If a lemon
/ IS TO be used have the yellow part NJ tbe
rind grated and the juice measured nv
phe tablespoonful. Have the butter
made into balls measuring a level table
spoonful each. Tomatoes for sal1ca
should be strained, oysters freed from.
smell and cold meats cut into dice ready
for reheating 4''A'
A chating dish always brings to mind
q fareblt, and / give two REGIMES one
requiring ale and the other cream Eo,,
the hrst, melt one of the butter halls
and add one-third of a cup of ale or
peer, and when hot. one-half pound
OF finely cut cheese one level teaspoon-
tul OF mustard, one-quarter teaspoon-
fui OF paprtca and one-quarter tea
spoonlui OF salt. When the cheese is
melted, add the yolks and whites of
Two eggs beaten separately and then
folded together. Stir until all is well
| mixed, and then serve on thin crack
| ers..
For the cream rarebit, put one of the
butter balls into the dish and when
melted add half pound of cheese cut
me winch should measure about one
and two-thirds cups when pressed
lightly, one saltspoonful of salt and one
| quarter as much cayenne. When
creamy add gra 7ually one cup of cream
and the beaten yolks Of two eggs. Pour
ov pnyrettes.
| AZ tHe laSJ lecture at the Boston
cooking school, bean rarebit was
given which was extremely good. Melt
two butter balls in the dish, add one
half teaspoonful of salt one-quarter
teaspoonful of paprica and one cup of
sifted cold baked beans. AS soon as
the mixture is heated through, add
gradually one-half cup of milk, and
when well mixed two-thirds of a cup
of soft cheese cut finely and scant
teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce.
Stir until the cheese has melted, then
| serve on crackers.
Eggs cook well in the chatting dish.
Put half butter ball into the dish,
set over hot water, and when melted.
add one-half cup of good milk Drop
in four eggs, one at time, without
breaking, season with salt and pepper
and speck of cayenne. When the
whites are nearly firm, sprinkle with
two tablespoonfuls of cheese grated,
and finish the cooking. Serve on
toast. Another way is to cook four
eggs in one tablespoonful Of butter un-
It'll the whites are firm. Season with
salt and pepper and remove from the