The Kitchen

The sitting room may be the heart of the house, but the kitchen is the house's stomach and the center of its nervous system. For in it everything must be arranged in the light of thought and good sense, so that the work there may be done capably, quickly, and with the least possible effort and trouble.

The present design of the kitchen, its annexes, and its equipment varies with the size of the house and the quarter in which it lies. Houses in the suburbs and in country districts generally have larger areas, in which one place is built for keeping the kitchen vessels and another for keeping provisions.

If the house is in the modern style and is small or medium in size, then a place is set apart in the kitchen for keeping the vessels, with a sink for draining off the water; right beside it is fitted a slab of marble, sloping toward the basin of the sink, on which the dishes are placed after they are washed. If the house is large, it can be furnished with a large cupboard, an electric refrigerator, and the rest of the furniture that must be bought to equip the kitchen; and in it are installed the cooking appliances, whether fired by electricity or by gas.

The walls of the kitchen should be faced halfway up with white glazed tile, and the upper half painted in any color of washable paint, or papered with washable paper.

Care should be taken to clean the stove pipes thoroughly and to arrange them out of harm's way, so that the housewife is safe from any accident; and the sink should be near the stove.

As for the floor, it should be laid with tile that washes easily, or covered with squares of rubber; plain brown linoleum may serve instead, for decorated colors are quickly spoiled.

Curtains should be hung on the kitchen windows, of any kind of glossy, water-resistant cloth. As for the question of lighting, it is of the greatest importance — the lamps placed in the kitchen should be of white glass from which the light radiates abundantly — and it should be noted that there ought to be a small lamp directly over the kitchen stove, in addition to the large lamp hung from the ceiling, and that the corners of the kitchen should be provided with electric sockets (prises) for use with the iron, the refrigerator, the kettle, and the like, to save time and fatigue.

Cooking Stoves

The kind of cooking stove the lady uses depends to some extent on circumstances — that is, if she lives in a district that has electricity, she can use it in the kitchen if her circumstances allow; otherwise she can cook on coke, on coal, or on the ordinary kerosene burners.

The manufacture of these stoves has advanced perceptibly in form and kind; they are almost free of danger when properly used, and they are clean, easy to use, and not costly either in fuel or in the work itself.

These stoves are easy to clean, and it is essential to use pure and suitable kerosene, for the poor grade causes a loss of heat by reason of the deposits it leaves, which clog; and among their advantages is that they are easy to move from one place to another.

Kitchen Equipment

When setting about furnishing the kitchen, certain important matters must be observed: ease of cleaning, the saving of effort, and roominess; and there should be attached to it cupboards for keeping provisions and the china and earthenware vessels, and a table topped with a slab of marble. As for the important articles that must be

placed with order and arrangement in the kitchen, they are these: a small shelf on which to put the books on cooking and household management; hooks on which to hang the keys; a basket set apart for keeping eggs; a small box lined with zinc for keeping bread and cakes; then a drawer set apart for the silver and the cutting implements; a shelf on which the pots and vessels are arranged; then a board of thick wood for mincing and cutting meat, and another, larger in size, for making pastry; a bin set apart for flour; a small rack on which to hang the kitchen towels; a mirror fixed to one of the walls, and a calendar for knowing the day, the month, and the year; a slate; and a clock — this last is very necessary — and a lighter, to economize in matches. As for the cleaning implements, they are placed in order in one of the cupboards.

The lady should begin by buying the necessary things first, then go on by degrees to buy the other things whenever necessity requires. She should choose the best of every kind, according to what her financial circumstances permit, and she should observe that pots and similar cheap articles are worthless, for they spoil the food.

Table Ware

There is no excuse whatever for the lady's not possessing the finest kinds of china to use at table, so that the food may appear something delicious, of a charming, enchanting look! The lady should remember that she uses china daily, some three or four times a day; so let her buy only the good kind, for the shoddy kinds will vex her after a little while by spoiling, or cracking, or the like.

The lady should possess an ample number of white plates as a reserve for general service in the house; and she can buy a dinner set, another for breakfast, and a tea set — each set in the color that suits the purpose for which it is used — and she should be tasteful in her choice of colors.

The medium-sized china set usually consists of six soup plates, six for vegetables, and six for dessert; six small plates for cheese; two large covered dishes for vegetables; a tureen for broth; a sauce boat; and three platters for meats, of different sizes.

The breakfast set usually contains six breakfast cups, six saucers for the cups, and six breakfast plates; two large platters, a milk jug, and six egg cups. The tea set contains six cups, six saucers, and six tea plates, a plate for cakes, a teapot, and another pot for milk. The lady may buy other things besides those we have pointed out, so long as she sees herself in need of them. And since she uses these things daily, she should possess some of them in reserve, to take the place of whatever may chance to be broken in use.

Besides the three principal sets, she may also buy a set for coffee and another for early-morning tea, for these two sets are useful in the house.

The best kinds of silver are those that are good and lasting and do not change; so the lady should acquire the costliest of them she can, for cheap articles are quickly spoiled, and in a short time.

She should likewise begin by buying the most necessary articles first, and then go on buying whenever need requires. Spice sets and vegetable dishes, large platters, and sandwich or cake plates are all necessary and useful; and if the lady does not mind the trouble she takes over cleaning, coffee and tea seem sweet to the taste in silver cups. But these things are not among the necessities — they are secondary — and the lady may be spared buying them by the presents given her; and many presents nowadays include silver articles for the table.