The San Francisco call., 1904-02-25
The Complete Kitchen.

BY CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK.
(Author OF In City Tents Liberal Living
on Narrow Means" etc)
Copyright 1904 by Joseph B. Bowles)
Readers of Mrs. Whitney's books will
not have forgotten that in one of them
she makes a woman speak of her bottle
Of household ammonia as her kitchen
maid" That name has been gratefully
applied to ammonia by many woman
who has seen the magical effects a
few spoonfuls of it will have in cut
ting the grease in pot or frying pan,
or in cleansing a soiled silk, or in bright
ening silver or glass If one could
choose but one kitchen help the am
monia bottle would surely be that one
There are helps besides this. On the
same principle that moves her to buy
washing powders and fluids and pastes
the hOusekeeper should provide herself
with all the mechanical labor saving
appliances she can secure, if they real
ly save labor. For this name is often
a missioner. The kind of utensil that
economies time for the worker and
turns out a poorly pref ared product
that is unsatisfactory TO the people
extravaganza in the long run-or in the
short run, either. Such as these are
one or twO-meat choppers that have
been put upon the market, which seem
to crush the Juice from the meat they
chop and turn it out powdery, taste
less mass. Such also are certain pat
ented egg heaters, which In frothing
or thickening the eggs make so close
grained d product that the lightness of
effect for which the eggs were to be
used is entirely lacking.
Meat choppers and egg beaters there
are, however, that are among the
housewives chiefest blessings, and in
addition TO these there are other con-
veniences, some cheap, some more cost
ly, which save her time and strength.
As many of these as she can afford she
should have in her kitchen or pantry.
know of nothing that is more an
noying to a housekeeper than a dearth
Of the commonplace. every day kitchen
utensils. Yet 1 have known persons of
wealth who were poor in such things.
I have been in the pantries of women
in good circumstances where the flour
sitter was rusted and broken, where
the one strainer must be used for cof-
fee, soup or jellies, where there was
but one frying pan for all uses of saute-
ing and boiling or frying OF any sort,
and where there was a single broiler
to serve for fish and meat-a broiler
which was also used as a toasting rack.
In these kitchens l have round such
I helps as vegetable press or a lemon
! squeezer, or an apple corer or a suffi-
cheney Of mixing bowls and spoons alb
/ solutely lacking. 1t is like asking for
/ bricks without providing straw to ex-
pect a cook to do good and brisk work
when she has to make shifts to take
the place of inexpensive utensils. These
! things are not costly, and there is no
/ reason except carelessness or positive
poverty why there should not be
enough bowls and cups for mixing,
/ knives for meat and vegetables, cups
! for measuring and the like in even
a tolerably well furnished pantry and
/ kitchen.
The lists that are given for the neces-
sary furnishing of the kitchen are
! sometimes discoura ging. The woman
who can have but one table, even al
/ though that be a double decker. and
must supplement the lack of such space
by hinged shelf over the one table
she has. is likely to be annoyed and
J discouraged when she is told that a
marble slab is a requisite for the man
ufacture of good pastry. It is a help
undoubtedly, but it is like good many
other things of the sort.
Il have been housekeeping for thirty
( years" 1 heard a woman say the other
day. She had always been a hospita-
bic soul and notable housekeeper, and
her table was a synonym for good liv-
/ ing. Il flatter myself" she contin-
! ued, that 1 am a tolerable cook,
and that the dishes which come
on my table are fairly attractive.
1 have never owned a marble topped
pastry table or pastry bag or tube
or a set of dariole molds or a frying
kettle or half dozen other things that
/ am always told are essential to good
housekeeping. They are all very nice,
but 1 have managed to get along with
out them very comfortably"
So have a good many other women
None the less, many of these things
are a great belp in dainty cookery. But
if there is a choice between these and
plenty of the palmer things, the latter
should be chosen. / have already
spoken of the necessity of enough mix
ing bowls and cups. There should be
dishes or nappies in which to put away
food, cooked or uhcooked, so that the
dishes kept for the table should not be
used for this purpose. There should
also be a half-pint measuring cup and
a graduated quart measure, two OF
three double boilers of different sizes
large sharp knives for meat or fish OF
bread, and smaller and equally SHARP
knives for cutting and peeling vegeta-
bles and for removing the meat from