metropolis as ugly as possible ; who have chopped
clown thousands of trees without ever planting one ;
who have discovered that trees are unhealthy ; who
have run up dreary rows of houses with narrow streets,
and at every corner planted a beershop, which deve-
lops into a public-house • such enterprisers are the
enemies of the working classes. No one can ever
reproach me with any affection for these men ; they
are not my affinity ; I have spoken against them over
and over again in the vestry, which is often made up
of enterprising builders and publicans. I speak
strongly because I feel deeply. -I live in a place
which was once open and rather pretty, but it has
now become a waste howling cvilderness of narrow
streets and ugly houses shut out from everything in
nature except the sky. With improved dwellings for
the working-classes, such as I see on the Shaftesbury
estate, I hope we shall have improved arrangements
for warming and cooking, with plenty of pure air and
water. Science has not yet produced a good economic
fireplace suitable for the homes of the working-classes.
You do not want a large kitchen or large range ; the
French cook in a very small space ; but you do want
a fireplace which costs more than p. 6d., at which a
woman can cook without being suffocated with smoke,
or the grate falling into the room. One of the greatest
comforts in a house is a sweet well-ventilated and
well-lighted kitchen, with a good range and a clean
good-tempered cook. Kitchens in large towns are
mostly underground, next door to the coal-cellar and
even more objectionable places. Kitchens, if possible,
should be on the same level with the dining-room and
Gas Stoves and Kitcheners.
19
well-lighted from the roof, or so lighted that the light
falls full on the surface of the saucepans and stewpans.
Cooks now have to work half their time by gaslight,
which is always a disadvantage ; and where the gas is
not convenient, a lucifer match or a piece of lighted
paper or a candle is used to see how things are pro-
gressing ; and the ashes and drops of tallow some-
times fall into the saucepan. In the construction of
a house architects think too little of the arrangements
of the kitchen ; but it would be much better if they
would occasionally consult the opinion of a cook. In
this school most of our cooking has been done by gas;
and I am often asked What would you recommend ?
It is not my business to recommend anything. Gas
Stoves are very cleanly and are always ready for use ;
ladies can cook at them without inconvenience ; and
when no open fire is required they are a great comfort;
they should always be fitted up, however, with a layer
of white tiles round the edges. But if a constant fire
is required gas becomes costly, especially where it is
used for heating a regular supply of water. On the
whole, a gas stove is not desirable as the only
apparatus for cooking in moderate sized families, but
properly managed it is economical.
Utensils. — If better articles cost a little more you
will be amply repaid in the comfort you have in their
use, and with care they may last a lifetime. A lady
must be the best judge of what she really requires and
what she can afford. If you purchase ever so few things
let them be good ; there is really no saving, but rather
waste, in buying cheap kitchen utensils. Cheap
knives made of soft-iron ; a saw made of tin-plate ;
20
Buckmaster s Cookery.
Page 6
Presented as published in 1887. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
metropolis as ugly as possible ; who have chopped down thousands of trees without ever planting one ; who have discovered that trees are unhealthy ; who have run up dreary rows of houses with narrow streets, and at every corner planted a beershop, which develops into a public-house • such enterprisers are the enemies of the working classes. No one can ever reproach me with any affection for these men ; they are not my affinity ; I have spoken against them over and over again in the vestry, which is often made up of enterprising builders and publicans. I speak strongly because I feel deeply. -I live in a place which was once open and rather pretty, but it has now become a waste howling wilderness of narrow streets and ugly houses shut out from everything in nature except the sky. With improved dwellings for the working-classes, such as I see on the Shaftesbury estate, I hope we shall have improved arrangements for warming and cooking, with plenty of pure air and water. Science has not yet produced a good economic fireplace suitable for the homes of the working-classes. You do not want a large kitchen or large range ; the French cook in a very small space ; but you do want a fireplace which costs more than 6d., at which a woman can cook without being suffocated with smoke, or the grate falling into the room. One of the greatest comforts in a house is a sweet well-ventilated and well-lighted kitchen, with a good range and a clean good-tempered cook. Kitchens in large towns are mostly underground, next door to the coal-cellar and even more objectionable places. Kitchens, if possible, should be on the same level with the dining-room and
Gas Stoves and Kitcheners.
well-lighted from the roof, or so lighted that the light falls full on the surface of the saucepans and stewpans. Cooks now have to work half their time by gaslight, which is always a disadvantage ; and where the gas is not convenient, a lucifer match or a piece of lighted paper or a candle is used to see how things are progressing ; and the ashes and drops of tallow sometimes fall into the saucepan. In the construction of a house architects think too little of the arrangements of the kitchen ; but it would be much better if they would occasionally consult the opinion of a cook. In this school most of our cooking has been done by gas; and I am often asked What would you recommend ? It is not my business to recommend anything. Gas Stoves are very cleanly and are always ready for use ; ladies can cook at them without inconvenience ; and when no open fire is required they are a great comfort; they should always be fitted up, however, with a layer of white tiles round the edges. But if a constant fire is required gas becomes costly, especially where it is used for heating a regular supply of water. On the whole, a gas stove is not desirable as the only apparatus for cooking in moderate sized families, but properly managed it is economical.
Utensils. — If better articles cost a little more you will be amply repaid in the comfort you have in their use, and with care they may last a lifetime. A lady must be the best judge of what she really requires and what she can afford. If you purchase ever so few things let them be good ; there is really no saving, but rather waste, in buying cheap kitchen utensils. Cheap knives made of soft-iron ; a saw made of tin-plate ;
Buckmaster s Cookery.