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Classic
Cook Books
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page 492
The hands of the cook should be always thoroughly cleansed before touching or
handling anything pertaining to the cooking. Next there should never be any
wasted or thrown away that can be turned to account, either for your own family
or some family in poor circumstances. Bread that has become hard can be used for
toasting, or for stuffing and pudding. In warm weather any gravies or soups that
are left from the preceding day should be boiled up and poured into clean pans.
This is particularly necessary where vegetables have been added to the
preparation, as it then so soon turns sour. In cooler weather, every other day
will be often enough to warm up these things.
In cooking, clear as you go; that is to say, do not allow a host of basins,
plates, spoons, and other utensils, to accumulate on the dressers and tables
whilst you are engaged in preparing the dinner. By a little management and
forethought, much confusion may be saved in this way. It is as easy to put a
thing in its place when it is done with, as it is to keep continually moving it
to find room for fresh requisites. For instance, after making a pudding, the
flour-tub, paste-board, and rolling-pin, should be put away, and any basins,
spoons, etc., should be neatly packed up near the sink, to be washed when the
proper time arrives. Neatness, order, and method should be always observed.
Never let your stock of spices, salt, seasonings, herbs, etc., dwindle down so
low that some day, in the midst of preparing a large dinner, you find yourself
minus a very important ingredient, thereby causing much confusion and annoyance.
After you have washed your sauce-pans, fish-kettle, etc., stand them before the
fire for a few minutes to get thoroughly dry inside, before putting them away.
They should then be kept in a dry place, in order that they may escape the
deteriorating influence of rust, and thereby be quickly destroyed. Never leave
sauce-pans dirty from one day's use to be cleaned the next; it is slovenly and
untidy.
Do not be afraid of hot water in washing up dishes and dirty cooking utensils.
As these are essentially greasy, lukewarm water cannot possibly have the effect
of cleansing them effectually. Do not be chary also of changing and renewing the
water occasionally. You will thus save yourself much time and labor in the long
run.
Keep a cake of sapolio always on hand in the kitchen--always convenient for
rubbing off stains, from earthenware, tin, glass, in fact, almost every thing
but silver; it is a cheap and valuable article, and can be purchased at nearly
every grocery in the United States.
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