Part 12

For larger families, where the operations of cooking are multifarious, an horizontal iron plate or hearth, (See fig. 2, plate facing the title page,) at one end heated by a fire-place, so that the flame may traverse in a serpentine direction underneath the hearth, before it reaches the throat of the chimney, is very convenient and economical. Upon this hearth or iron plate, which is provided with holes, fitted with stoppers, (and which in fact resembles the sand bath of the chemists), the cooking utensils for boiling and stewing are placed; and as the different parts of the plate become unequally heated, the hottest part being of course over the fire-grate, and the least heated at the farthest extremity of the flue, near its communication with the chimney, the cook has the advantage of placing the pans and kettles, which require a strong and lasting heat, at the precise spot where they will be soonest heated; and those farthest from the source of heat, which require only a moderate degree of warmth.

To economise the heat of the iron plate, a small oven is sometimes placed at the extremity of the flue of the fire-place, which heats the plate. It is convenient for a variety of culinary purposes requiring a very gentle heat, or if it be wanted for baking meat, or bread, a small fire-grate fixed underneath it, will render it extremely fit for those purposes.

The front wall which supports the iron plate or hearth, should be constructed of brick-work, not of iron, as the former retains the heat very effectually, whereas the latter enables it to pass into the kitchen, to the great annoyance of the cook.

The open fire-place, connected with this cooking hearth, is furnished at the left hand side with a baking closet, and at the right hand side is a steam boiler for heating the vessels _a a_. Underneath of these is another hot closet, likewise heated by steam.

Mr. Marriott, an ingenious ironmonger in Fleet-street, has greatly improved the construction of kitchen ranges; the design exhibited, on the title page of this Treatise, is copied from an apparatus of his construction.

Fig. 1, is a Dutch oven; a description of it has been given, page 88.

STEWPANS AND SAUCEPANS

Should not be made with flat bottoms, but rounded a little at the edges--they must by no means be made with corners that are square like tin vessels, for such can never be completely cleaned, and do not wear near so long--that is the sides should not be soldered to the bottom with a square joint, as sand and grease that lodge there can never be completely got out.

These utensils should be scoured on the outside round the rim, and a little way down the sides, but not low on the sides or on the bottom, as that only wears them without any sort of advantage. For small families, we recommend tin saucepans, as being lightest and safest; and if proper care is taken of them, and they are well dried after they are cleaned, are by far the cheapest, for the cost of a new tin saucepan is little more than the expense of tinning a copper one. The covers of the boiling pots should fit close, not only to prevent unnecessary evaporation of the water, but to guard against the smoke of the fire insinuating itself under the edge of the lid.

PRESERVING PANS.

The best sort are those which are heated by means of steam, the temperature of which can never be such as to burn, or cause adherence to the bottom of the pan.--Fig. 3, exhibits a steam preserving-pan; the steam enters from a common steam-boiler, at the extremity _a_, and passes between the pan, which is double, as shown in the design. The condensed water may, from time to time, be drawn off by the cock and pipe _b_.

COPPER COOKING UTENSILS.

Copper cooking utensils are attended with so much danger, that the use of them ought to be laid entirely aside. They have not only occasioned many fatal accidents, (which have been made public), but they have injured the health of great numbers, where the slower, but not less dangerous effect has not been observed. If not kept very clean and bright, they become covered with verdigris, for all fat, oily, or buttery substances corrode copper; and if they are kept clean and bright, the rubbing or scraping that takes place when making stews, or cooking dishes that require stirring, and remaining a considerable time on the fire, always wears off some of the metal which impregnates the food, and has a deleterious effect.

The inexcusable negligence of persons who make use of copper vessels has been productive of mortality, so much more terrible, as they have exerted their action on a great number of persons at once.

Though, after all, a single dose be not mortal, yet a quantity of poison, however small, when taken at every meal, must produce more fatal effects than are generally apprehended; and different constitutions are differently affected by minute quantities of substances that act powerfully on the system.

Some years ago, the death of several persons was occasioned, at Salt-hill, by the cook sending a ragout to the table which she had kept from the preceding day in a copper vessel, badly tinned. Another instance of death occasioned by the eating of pickles, prepared in copper vessels, is mentioned by Dr. Percival.[41]

[41] See a Treatise on the Adulteration of Food and Culinary Poisons, and Methods of Detecting them, p. 249.

Dr. Johnson gives an account of the melancholy catastrophe of three men being poisoned, after excruciating sufferings, in consequence of eating food cooked in an unclean copper vessel, on board the Cyclops frigate; and, besides these, thirty-three men became ill from the same cause.

If, however, copper utensils are to be used, they should be employed with the precautions as used in France, where the tinning of the vessels on the inside is done as regularly as the shoeing of horses in a farm-yard.--If the least occasion is thought to exist, the vessel is immediately tinned; but to prevent all risk, it is generally done _once a month_ with stew-pans that are in daily use. Moreover, the victuals are never stirred with any thing of metal, but with a wooden spoon, or flat stick made for the purpose.

The following wholesome advice on this subject is given to cooks by Dr. Kitchiner.

“Stewpans and soup-kettles should be examined every time they are used; these, and their covers, must be kept perfectly clean and well tinned, not only on the inside, but about a couple of inches on the outside; so much mischief arises from their getting out of repair; and, if not kept nicely tinned, all your work will be in vain; the broths and soups will look green and dirty, and taste bitter and poisonous, and will be spoiled both for the eye and palate, and your credit will be lost; and, as the health, and even the life, of the family depends upon this, the cook may be sure her employer had rather pay the tinman’s bill than the doctor’s.”

Various kinds of food used in domestic economy are liable to become impregnated with lead.

The glazing of the common cream-coloured earthen ware, which is composed of an oxyd of lead, readily yields to the action of vinegar and saline compounds; and therefore the jars and pots of this kind of stoneware, should not be used for marmalades and other conserves. Pickles should in no case be deposited in cream-coloured glazed earthenware pots.

The baking of fruit tarts in cream-coloured earthenware is no less objectionable All kinds of food which contain free vegetable acids, or saline preparations, attack utensils covered with a glaze, in the composition of which lead enters as a component part.

_Wooden Tubs_ lined with lead, should not, as they often are, be used for salting meat, as the salt brine corrodes the lead, and all compounds of this metal are dangerous to health.

FINIS.

C. GREEN, 15, LEICESTER STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE.

Transcriber’s Notes

The language from the source document, including inconsistencies and unusual spellings, has been retained, except as listed below.

Missing accents in French words and phrases have not been added.

Page 140, Before the trumpets calls ...: as printed in the source document.

Page 304, ... in Adea, in Arabia, ...: possibly an error for ... in Aden, in Arabia, ....

Changes made

Footnotes have been moved to immediately underneath the text element to which they belong.

Some minor obvious punctuation and typographical errors have been corrected silently.

Page xiii: page number 356 changed to 336

Page 7: rabit changed to rabbit

Page 16: Gastronomque changed to Gastronomique

Page 24: The pleasure of the table changed to The pleasures of the table

Page 138: “ added before _Point des Legumes ..._

Page 140: qui fail le Soldat changed to qui fait le Soldat

Page 158: parsly changed to parsley

Page 161: gelantine changed to gelatine

Page 200-204: several opening and closing quote marks inserted

Page 202: vogages changed to voyages

Page 261: Chery Paste changed to Cherry Paste

Page 262: ORANGE AND LEMOM PASTE changed to ORANGE AND LEMON PASTE

Page 325: covenient changed to convenient