ON A PROPER SUPPLY OF UTENSILS AND CONVENIENCES FOR HOUSEKEEPING.
What is the proper supply of kitchen utensils, depends very much on
the style of living adopted, and on the character of the domestics
employed. Where a person’s means are small, there must be a sacrifice
of _time_ and _convenience_ to save expense; and where domestics are in
such habits that no proper care will be taken of utensils, the supply
must be more limited.
But where a housekeeper has abundant means, and where she can, by a
reasonable effort, secure proper attention to the care of utensils, it
greatly contributes to the ease and success of housekeeping to have
a full supply of them. And there is much economy, both of time and
comfort, in securing such a supply. Where there are a few utensils,
and these are to be used for a great variety of purposes, there is a
loss of time in stopping to clean articles used for one thing, when
wanted for another; there is a loss of time in running about to look
for them; and there is a loss of _patience_ in finding them out of the
way at just the wrong time, so that good success is often thus entirely
prevented.
Moreover, many processes of cooking and housekeeping are performed
with much more success, when the cook is well provided with suitable
utensils; while the use of the same article for various kinds of
dishes, or for different modes of cooking, often destroys the delicate
flavor of food, and makes all dishes taste very much alike. This is the
case often, in steam and canal boats, where every article on the table
seems to have imbibed one and the same flavor.
In pointing out the various conveniences to be used in housekeeping,
reference will be had to those chiefly who have means to purchase
everything they deem useful, and also who can obtain such domestics,
that proper care will be taken of whatever is provided.
In the Domestic Economy at p. 319, is a list embracing a _full
supply_ of all those articles which some of the best housekeepers in
our country deem useful and desirable, for the various processes of
housekeeping, in a family of _medium size_, and of abundant means;
where everything is done for _comfort_, and nothing for _show_.
_Kitchen Furniture._
The kitchen floor should be covered with an oil cloth. Carpets, or bits
of carpet, are not so good, because of the grease and filth that must
accumulate in them, and the labor of sweeping, shaking, and cleansing
them. Nothing is cleansed so easily as an oil cloth, and it is much
better than a painted floor, because it can be removed to be painted.
If the cook is troubled with cold feet in winter, small bits of
carpeting can be laid where she sits and stands the most. Otherwise
they had better be kept out of the kitchen.
Directions for preparing a kitchen oil cloth will be found page 317 of
the Domestic Economy.
There should always be a clock in the kitchen, as indispensable to
success in cooking, and regularity of meals.
Two tables, a large one for cooking, and a small one for meals, should
be provided.
Besides this, a settee ironing-table is a very great comfort and
convenience, which is represented at Fig. 9, and is a better pattern
than the one described in the Domestic Economy.
[Illustration: Fig. 9.]
The back is made to turn on pivots at CC, and rests when turned on the
sides. At AA, are projections, with a hole that meets the holes in the
sides at BB, and then the peg at E is put in to hold it firmly. The
box, or seat, is divided into two parts, with lids at DD, and in these
boxes are kept, on one side the ironing sheet, wipers and holders, and
on the other side, the irons, rings, &c., used in ironing. When the
back is not used for ironing, it is put down, and the article is a
good settee, and if provided with cushions, is as comfortable as most
parlor sofas. It can be put on castors, and have handles at the sides,
and then it can be moved up to the fire winter evenings for use; the
back serving both to reflect the warmth of the fire, and to keep off
draughts of air.
The following are the dimensions. Length, six feet. Width of seat,
twenty inches. Height of seat, fourteen inches. Height of back, from
the bottom, four feet. This makes the width of the table when it is
turned down. Height of the ends where the table rests when turned over,
two feet six inches.
In some families, it is sometimes necessary to have a domestic sleep
in the kitchen. In this case, a _bunk settee_, like the one which is
represented as open at Fig. 10, is very convenient.
[Illustration: Fig. 10.]
The following are the dimensions. Six feet long. Seat two feet wide,
and sixteen inches high. The parts c c pass within the ends d d. The
seat a, when it is shut up, rests on the ledge that runs along the back
at b. The bed and bed-clothing are at the bottom of the box, and are
shut up in it by day.
At Fig. 11 is represented a kitchen table, with shelves and drawers
fastened over it, which, if made and furnished in the manner described,
every housekeeper would find an invaluable aid to system, and it would
save many steps, and much inconvenience. The shelves are to be nailed
or screwed on the wall at a convenient height over the table.
[Illustration: Fig. 11.]
[Illustration: Fig. 12.]
The following are the dimensions of the two articles.
_Table._--Six feet long. Three feet two inches broad. Thirty inches
high. The top to project only two inches over the frame. The box
divided by three drawers. Two of the drawers divided by partitions into
three equal parts, as seen by the dotted lines in the drawing.
The shelves over the table are three feet in height, three feet six
inches wide, and a foot deep. The drawers are four inches deep, and
the part above the drawers is divided by the shelves into three equal
portions. It is better to have two doors in front of the shelves to
shut the dust out. Some would prefer a curtain to slide on an iron
wire. At A is hung the salt box, made with a lid, and at B is the
coffee mill, and the other side the soap dish is at C.
To furnish this complete, there should be tin boxes made with tight
lapping covers, like that at Fig. 12, and of three sizes. The largest
should be eight inches in height, and three and a half in diameter. The
next size should be six inches high and three inches in diameter. The
next should be four inches high and two inches in diameter. These can
all be made at a tinner’s for a small sum. In the largest size put two
kinds of sugar, and the starch. In the medium size keep tea and coffee,
table salt and ginger. In the smallest size keep cream tartar, indigo,
mustard, sweet herbs, and spices. In junk bottles, keep a supply of
vinegar, molasses, and catsup. In a wide-mouth glass jar, with tight
glass stopper, keep soda, or saleratus. Write labels and paste on to
each, and arrange them on these shelves in one division. On the shelves
of the other division, put the following articles:--those that can be
suspended, hang on nails at the side, over the shelves. A dredging
box, kitchen pepper box, two-sized graters, two small sieves, a bottle
brush, a vial funnel, a larger funnel, a quart, pint, and gill measure,
a gravy strainer, a corkscrew, half a dozen bowls, as many cups,
saucers, and two small pitchers. On the top of the shelves put the
spice mill, and the balance and weights. Fig. 16 shows the best kind.
In one of the drawers of the shelves, put needles, thread, twine, wax,
and bits of cotton and linen. In the other drawer put the Receipt Book,
bits of paper and pencil for writing notes and memoranda, an account
book, and a pen and ink.
In the table drawer which is not subdivided, put these
articles:--Rolling-pin, griddle spad, iron meat fork, coffee stick,
mush stick, gridiron scraper, skewers, saw knife, chopping knife, egg
and cake beaters, apple corer, potato beetle, meat hammer, butter spad,
whetstone.
In the middle drawer, put, in the front part, the kitchen knives
and forks, and carver, the iron spoons, and other spoons used in
the kitchen. In the centre part of this drawer put the kitchen
table-cloths, and in the back part, the bags for all kinds of family
uses, the pudding cloths, jelly strainer, and starch strainers.
In the other drawer, keep in one division, the clean dish cloths and
towels; in another, the roller and tumbler towels, and in another the
clean lamp towels, and a good supply of holders and dust cloths. Let
the cleaver and board be kept on the top of the shelves.
By this arrangement the cook will find every article she has occasion
to use close at hand, and when she washes dishes, her towels and soap,
and the place where to lay up all utensils as she washes them, are in
immediate reach. No one knows, without trial, how many steps are saved,
and how much confusion and waste avoided, by such an arrangement. And
the expense for securing it is a trifle, far less than is often spent
for some showy but useless article for the parlor.
[Illustration: Fig. 13.]
Another arrangement is a great aid to system and order. Have a closet
made as represented at Fig. 13. In these partitions place these
articles, the largest in the largest part, and hanging all that can be
suspended, on pegs. A large and small clothes frame. A skirt board.
A bosom board. A press board. A yard stick. Three or four brooms. A
floor brush for sweeping oil cloths and painted floors. A cobweb brush.
A long brush to wash windows outside. A carpet stretcher. A whitewash
brush. A long-handle upright dust pan, and a common dust pan. A rag
bag. Scrubbing brushes.
In the part with shelves, place, in the upper partitions, in one, the
shoes, brushes, and blacking. In another, articles for cleaning brass
and silver. In another, sponges, rags, and stain mixtures. In the
next division, below, put the lamps and candlesticks, and the waiter
containing all the articles used in cleaning lamps.
At the bottom of this closet, keep a box containing the following
articles:--A hammer, a small saw, three sizes of gimlets, papers of
tacks, nails, screws, two chisels, a bedscrew, a carpet claw.
In another box, keep old newspaper, wrapping paper, and a large ball of
twine.
Have a clothes broom and clothes brush hung here, and keep the
table-rug here.
All other articles in common use are to be kept in the pantry, or china
closet, or in the pot closet.
By thus arranging articles together in one place, and with so complete
an assortment, much time and many steps are saved, while they are
preserved in good order. A housekeeper who chooses to do without some
of these conveniences, and spend the money saved in parlor adornments,
has a right to do so, and others have a right to think she in this
shows herself deficient in good sense.
The accompanying drawings are designed to show some of the most
convenient kitchen and other utensils.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.]
Fig. 14 represents a _Tin Baker_, or _Reflector_. The iron hooks
running out in front, fit it to use with grates. It can be made without
them, or made so that they can be drawn out and put in. This bakes
bread, cakes, apples, &c., as well as an oven.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.]
Fig. 15, called a _Footman_, is made of brass, or sheet iron, and is
used with a grate, to heat irons, and for other purposes.
[Illustration: Fig. 16.]
Fig. 16 is the best kind of _Balances_ to use in weighing cake, and for
other purposes.
[Illustration: Fig. 17.]
Fig. 17 is a tall-handle _Dust Pan_. The pan is half a yard in
length, ten inches in width, and the handle two feet high, and set up
perpendicularly. It is a very economical arrangement to save carpets
and labor, as it is set down in spots, and the common broom used
to throw the dust and rubbing from the carpet on to it, instead of
brushing them all across the carpet.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.]
Fig. 18 is a _Saw Knife_, being a saw on one side, and a knife on the
other. It is very useful in preparing meats.
[Illustration: Fig. 19.]
Fig. 19 is a _Lemon Squeezer_. At A is a concave place with holes bored
through. At B is a convex projection to fit into the concave portion,
and here the half lemon is put to be squeezed.
[Illustration: Fig. 21.]
[Illustration: Fig. 20.]
Fig. 20, a _Case_ for lamplighters. It is made of tin, like a tumbler,
with a lid fastened at the top by a hinge. It stands in the parlor,
to receive the remnants of extinguished lamplighters and matches, to
prevent smoke and rubbish, and is a great convenience. It can be made
for a trifle at a tinner’s.
Fig. 21 is a tin _Match Safe_, which should be hung in the kitchen, and
the matches be kept in it. It is not only convenient, but important for
safety.
[Illustration: Fig. 22.]
Fig. 22 is a _Meat Mallet_, or beef steak hammer. It is a block of wood
six inches square, cut in checks, so as to make sharp points on the
face, and is used to make tough steaks more tender.
[Illustration: Fig. 23.]
Fig. 23 is an _Egg Beater_. It is made of iron wire, fastened to a tin
handle. It is fine for beating eggs and cake, and saves labor. The tin
should be six inches long and an inch wide.
[Illustration: Fig. 24.]
Fig. 24 is a small brush, useful to dust ledges in parlors, and the
frames of windows.
[Illustration: Fig. 25.]
Fig. 25 is an _Apple Corer_. It is a scroll of tin soldered together,
about seven inches long, an inch in diameter at the largest end, and
tapering to half an inch at the smaller end, where it is cut off
obliquely. It costs but a dime, and every housekeeper can have one made
at a tinner’s, and needs one.
[Illustration: Fig. 26.]
Fig. 26 is a _Gridiron Scraper_. It is fitted to the bars of gridirons
that have scooped bars. It has a convex scraper on one end of the
transverse piece of iron, and a concave one at the other, so as to fit
both sides of the gridiron bars.
[Illustration: Fig. 27.]
Fig. 27 shows the best shape for a _Rolling Pin_.
[Illustration: Fig. 28.]
Fig. 28 shows a _Fish Kettle_, with the strainer drawn out above it.
It should be large enough to use sometimes for boiling a ham. This and
the sauce pans following can be used on a cooking stove, or be set on a
_trivet_ when an open fire is used.
[Illustration: Fig. 29.]
Fig. 29 is a _Preserving Kettle_ with a cover.
[Illustration: Fig. 30.]
Fig. 30 is another _Preserving Kettle_, without a cover. The advantage
of these is, that they are shallow, so that the fruit will not need to
be piled. The cover preserves the flavor more perfectly. The best are
of copper or bell metal. Porcelain ones are apt to crack.
[Illustration: Fig. 31.]
Fig. 31 is a _Cast Iron Sauce-pan_, lined with tin.
[Illustration: Fig. 32.]
Fig. 32 is a _Tin Sauce-pan_.
[Illustration: Fig. 33.]
Fig. 33 is a _Copper Sauce-pan_.
Every housekeeper needs at least four different sizes of sauce-pans.
The copper ones are the best, and most durable. The iron lined with tin
the next best. The tin are the poorest.
[Illustration: Fig. 34.]
Fig. 34 is a _Trivet_, and is very useful in heating articles over
coals to prevent burning. Three or four of different sizes are needed
with an open fire. Food cooked for the sick demands them.
[Illustration: Fig. 35.]
Fig. 35 is a _Tin Bonnet_, and is very useful to keep articles warm, to
roast apples, to warm plates, &c. Two or three will be kept in constant
use when it is found how useful they are.
[Illustration: Fig. 36.]
Fig. 36 is a brush to clean bottles, made of bristles twisted into wire.
[Illustration: Fig. 37.]
Fig. 37 is a _Tin Safe_. It is to be made five feet high, five feet
wide, a division in the middle, and three shelves each side. Two doors
in front, with a lock and key, and all the panels of perforated tin. It
is very useful to preserve food in hot weather, and to protect it also
from mice.
_Refrigerators_ are very excellent to keep meat, butter, milk, and
cream, during hot weather. They are made in a superior manner, and kept
for sale, but the following is a mode of securing a cheap one.
Take a barrel and bore holes in the bottom. Lay some small sticks
crossing, and set a half barrel within, with holes bored in the bottom.
Nail _list_ along the edge of each, and make a cover to lay on each, so
that the cover resting on the list will make it very close. Then put
ice into the inner one, and the water will filter through the holes in
the bottom, and while the ice is preserved, it will make the inner half
barrel a perfect refrigerator. Those who buy ice every day will find
this a great convenience if they have no other refrigerator.
[Illustration: Fig. 38.]
Fig. 38 represents an excellent pattern for a _Sofa Bedstead_, such as
a common carpenter can make. Its dimensions are as follows:--Length,
six feet. Width, two feet two inches. Height of the seat from the
floor, fifteen inches. Height of the back and sides from the seat,
eighteen inches. The seat is a frame with slats to be laid across
_lengthwise_, as this gives more ease than crosswise slats. The back
is a frame, with slats crosswise, with two frame legs, as at A and B,
swinging on hinges, and when pulled out they serve to support the
back. The back is hooked up to the sides, and when laid down rests on
the frame legs A B. These legs turn with pintles, or wood hinges. The
ends of the sofa have grooved slides for the head and foot boards to
slide in, as at C C, and have brown linen nailed on both inside and
outside, on which to fasten the sofa cover. Two thick cushions of hair,
or of moss and cotton, are made, one to serve for the seat, one to set
up against the back. These serve for the bed when the back is laid
down. A frill is fastened around the frame of the seat, and the box D,
underneath, is to hold the bedclothes, and runs on castors, as also
does the sofa.
[Illustration: Fig. 39.]
Fig. 39 is a very convenient and cheap article for a light seat to use
in a chamber, or in gardening. It is made just like a cross bedstead or
cot, with a bit of stair carpeting used as the seat. Handles fastened
to it make it more convenient to carry about, as it can be doubled up,
and taken in one hand. These are the dimensions: Sticks for the seat,
one foot long. Sticks for the legs, one foot six inches long.
[Illustration: Fig. 40.]
Fig. 40 is an article for a bedchamber, and remarkably convenient for
dressing the feet. In one drawer are kept stockings of all sorts,
and in the other shoes; it has a cushion and handles, and is set on
castors. It is to stand by the bedside, and a person can change the
dress of the feet with the greatest comfort and convenience. These
are the dimensions:--Twenty inches square and twelve inches high from
castors to cushion.
Housekeepers are much troubled to keep _dippers_ in order. The only
sure mode is to have _two_ made of _copper_, with iron handles fastened
on very tight, one to hold a pint, and another two or three quarts.
These will never rust or leak, and may be kept for years. Let them be
hung by the fire. Keep _trivets_ on which to set kettles over coals, so
as not to burn the articles while cooking.
The most successful mode of securing the proper care of utensils, is
to make a definite agreement with the cook, on hiring her, that after
dinner, she shall examine kitchen, cellar, and pantry, and wash every
article that needs cleansing; and that once a month she shall scour all
that need scouring. Then, at least once a week, and once a month, the
housekeeper should examine herself whether this agreement is fulfilled.