Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-12-23

METHODS BY WHICH they handle
THEIR IMMENSE PRODUCT.


Ten TO Fifse~s Thousand pies made
~nd Baked I'm Nixht-The cwust-,
the Filling aud the Frostfnx-Abso-
lutte Cienniiness In the shops
visit to one OF the largest pie con-
structing plants Ia a city would make
the average housewife who prides her
self In her baking green with envy.
The maker OF old fashioned domestic
pies cannot easily conceive of a system
by which barrel OF apples and a bar
rel of -four can. hgurativeiy speaking,
start at one end Of long bench aud
leave the other end a thousand or less
finished pies. but this system is In use
in all the large pie bakeries.
The baking force goes on duty at 10
O'Clock az night. During the day girls
have bee, pairing and slicing apples
and pumpkins. and the foreman has
been splicing and sweetening the cook
ed fruit or mince, the custards and
other prepared filling which have also
been cooked by steam fin large stone
stew watts When the bakers 20 on
duty the filling is In place in front OF
the great dough board in tubs holding
half barrel each, aud the stewed ap-
Piles in full sized barrels. At one end
or the bench is a great stack OF -four,
near which stands a pail OF water into
which u saucer OF baking powder has
been dumped. The dough mixer at
tacks this heap and makes In II a deep
depression, into which the water is
10 L..
rapidly turned into the water and
stirred with the hands until a thick.
pasty dough has been formed. This is
showed along until a tall heap is form
ed at the mixers right, and the knead-
er, spry young fellow. working with
an instrument resembling a plasterer's
trowel. cuts OF large masses and rolls
them until the mixing is completed
ana then chops them into chunks of
suitable sizes for forming bottom crusts.
The men beyond roll the bottom crusts
and place them In the pans, which are
arranged i'm large wooden trays, heap
ed one upon another In stacks as tall
as man. The stacks of trays are then
hauled TO the filler by means OF a hook
inserted in a ring i'm the truck at the
bottom.
The pies, whether 10000 or 1900 a
night are baked, are all filled by one
man. With long handled cup similar
TO that used in dipping milk from
can he stands over q tub OF steyyed
pumpkin. mince or custard and Ellis
pies so rapidly that all of one mans
time is required 10 bring the trays 10
his side and that of another TO take
them away. he works like an autom-
atom. n filled pie resulting from every
drop and rise OF his two hands. Nearly
a hundred pies a minute look like an
impossibility. but he sends them 10 the
men who put on the top crusts and the
meringues at that rate for many min
utes at a stretch. He has. by actual
test. put half a barrel Of mince meat
into pies within ten minutes.
The filled pies 20 into the big wooden
trays 10 the men who cover them with
the top crust or who put the meringue
ON with cOnical shaped canvas bag
open at the smaller end. out Of which
they squeeze the frosting on the fancy
pies. The fancy pies and the plain
ones do not come together again until
o'clock in the morning.
The top crust pies so to the draw
plate ovens and the pumpkins. Gus
tards, meringues and tarts 10 the older
fashioned ovens. where they are han
died with long. slender shoves. Out
or the larger drawplate oven is pulled
with steel hook plate OF iron half an
inch thick or more already heated. The
thermometer in front OF the oven shows
n temperature of $50 degrees. As
many pies as Will lie on this plate
about 100 at time-are placed on II
and IL is pushed into the oven. The
hands OF dummy clock M the side are
set to Indicate the moment at which the
baking will be finished. Another plate
is then drawn out and filed. and the
proceeding is repeated until the nights
work is finished. The pies. after baking.
so into wooden trays. as before. and
are taken TO the shipping room. where
they are counted and loaded into the
wagons for delivery.
About forty girls. boys and men by
this system produce from 10000 TO TO-
600 pies day. They use about fifteen
barrels OF -four, six to ten barrels Of
apples, nine or ten half barrels Of
mince meat, nearly as much stewed
pumpkin and perhaps half as much
each of other fruits and custards. bar
rel or more of lard, about two barrels
OF sugar and large quantities Of spices.
Contrary 20 all popular notions on
the subject. the wholesale manufacture
OF pies in a modern establishment is
thoroughly cleanly. Workmen are not
allowed TO enter the work rooms in
their street attire or to change their
clothing there. The use Of tobacco at
all stages of the work is prohibited
Splitting on the floor or on or into any
thing else in the work rooms is ex-
pressly and emphaticaliy forbidden.
The walls are white, and the floors OF
concrete are dustleSs. Every scrap Of
anything that can sour is daily washed
from the vessels used for filling, from
the cooking watts. from the trays and
from the benches and they are all ster-
iliZed with steam OF boiling water.
The shortening. sweetening and spic
Ing are carefully and accurately weigh
ed in exact proportions. The baking
Is timed to a constant temperature, so
that there is absolute uniformity, and
all the mixing and flavoring, while
done on large scale. are so conducted
as to insure uniform quality.-New
York Tribune.