Evening star., 1901-04-27
DOORS FROM The KITCHEN
HOW TO COOK WITHOUT CNPLEAS-
ANT SMELLS IN THE HOUSE.
Preventiyes Are All Simple and
Easily to Be
Had.

Written for The Evening Star.
Odors are subtle withal searching. In
dealing with those in the kitchen an
ounce of prevention is worth at least ton
of cure. The heavy smell of stale grease.
most clinging and most offensive of all,
comes more than anything else from slop-
ping or spUttering over. which Il very little
care in range management prevents. The
acrid smell of burnt OF scOrched things is
positively painful-so much so that cook S
first lesson ought 10 be that fire was given
for cooking, not burning. Leaving un-
washed pots and stewpans to dry and SIM
mer on the range is a fruitful source of ill
odors, easily re1nedicd. Dissolve two pounds
of washing soda in a gallon of boiling
water, and keep 4 bottle of it handy. AS
You empty cooking vessels pour in soda
water an inch deep. shake il we'll all around
the sides and leave until washing time. If
the pots and pans keep warm, so much the
better-the soda Will do its work more per-
fectly.
Onions. tUrnips and All the cabbage tribe,
which smell to heaven. may have their
scent somewhat ahated hy Il little care in
the boiling. The Odur comes from their CS-
sential oIIs-which voiatilizc. If the Vege-
tables are prepared some lours before they
are wanted and left to soak in weak. C Id
water. rinsed and put over the tire. in
fresh. cold water. they throw up this eS-
syntidl oil largely. in the form of scum.
Let them come To 4 bod before putting in
the salt. and skim very clean. After the
salt is in. add It dash of g'id water-it will
throw up q second scum. which must he
removed at once CUui, II such vcget !es
uncovered; a lid Strengthens Jb" od5r ten
fold. and makes it NOR offensive.
Another preventive l. q bread crust, very
hard and very stale Drop il into the water
just as it strikes hni! and let il stay ten
minutes. then skim it Out. Most Of the oil
Will come with it-IIrther. The spongy crust
will have kept it from vJporizns. Cauli-
flower not quite fresh always smells tre-
mendOUSly. The best thing for it is u sea ld
in weak salt water. boiling hot, before the
cold soaking Ii the heads are big, cut
them into pieces, SO as to make sure Of Ie-
moving every bit Of di>Col0red curd.
Even when summer heat puts an open
fireplace ont OF commission. 4 quick flare
aS OF straw, excelsior. Hgat shavings. even
newspapers, Will set up q purifying draught
and help 10 free the kitchen Of unpleasant
odors. Failing an open fireplace. the kitchen
ought 10 nave range mood. There are
hoods and hoOds-at almost any price YOU
choose, from the big FURNISHED copper af-
fairs. in the great hotels. to the modest
sheet iron ContriVancc, which is an integral
part of SD many among the newest stoves.
There is a movable hood. working I'D and
down like the shutter of a roII-top desk
that is. in theory, all hood ought to be
with something to spare - but in practice
has proved much less satisfactory than the
stationary ones
No mechanical contrivaucc can wholly
make up for the lack Of care and intelli-
Eence in the Cook-nOJwithsta it is a
fact that hood well set. in large meas
ure, carries away the fumes of food. The
manner of setting will depend on the size
and location of the tiue. The lower edge
ought to be high enough to be quite out OF
the way, yet not so high as to either miss
or defect the ascending hot-air column II
may seem at first costly betterment for
no direct material benefit. but a years use
Will show the money to have been well
spent Not to name present and every
day comfort, all things keep much better
In well-aired house. Smells are but the
cognizable signs of air conditions that
breeds mold, rust and must. Metal tar
nishes and fabrics decay twice as quickly
In heavy and musty air as in that which Is
clean and bracing-
4 kitchen with neither hood nor fireplace
should at least have a trumpet ventii4tor
This is only a tin tube with widely fiarins
mouth. crooked body and narrow upper
end 1t should be set in the wall above
the range, with the fiaring mouth which
curves over and downward, against the
ceiling. The narrow ends go inside the
fue, projecting just enough to secure a
good draught- The efficacy Of this device
O makeshift at best, depends mainly upon
the size and smoothnesS of the flarine
mouth. and the tightness of the setting in
the fue ~