adapted to a greater variety of work and are safe
against downfalls of soot, and the saucepans and stew-
pans are not blackened with smoke. The hot-plate
top is a great advantage, but a closed range makes
the kitchen very hot, and if anything boils over there
is not sufficient ventilation to carry off the smell which
finds its way all over the house. Kitcheners are
rather complicated in their construction, and there-
fore require more care in their management. Some
are of opinion that roasting can be done quite as well
in the roaster of a kitchener as before an open fire, but
I believe in constantly basting roast meat, which can-
not be done conveniently in an oven, and what is not
easily done is easily neglected.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
“ Whatever is worth doing is worth the trouble of doing.”
At the head of each recipe, I have mentioned the
ingredients ; but I have not thought it desirable to
give either the price or the time required for cooking
— unless these are given with accuracy they are liable
to mislead ; nor have I thought it necessary to give in
every recipe such ingredients as bread, water, pepper,
salt, flour, sugar, and such things as are to hand in
every kitchen. Remember a gill is a quarter of a
pint, and before cooking, arrange all your things as
nearly as possible in order; no time is lost with this
preliminary arrangement, it saves a good many steps ;
and as soon as you have finished with an article put
it out of your way ; this will save overcrowding,
or perhaps in the middle of your cooking you
will have to leave off to make room for your
work. I have already referred to the proper manage-
ment of a fire. Wash your hands, clean your nails,
and read over slowly and carefully the recipe. No
two cooks work exactly to the same recipe, nor is it
desirable with persons who think about what they are
doing. There are some recipes more difficult than a
proposition in Euclid ; and, as a rule, I do not advise
the inexperienced resorting to recipes in which the
24
Buckmaster $ Cookery .
cook feels doubtful. Rain water is best for all cook-
ing purposes — but it will sometimes be necessary t<?
filter it. About half a pint of soup may be calculated
for each person. Thick glutinous soups and sauces
lequire constant stirring, because the heated particles
are not so free to move upwards. The scum should
be removed before the soup comes to the boil ;
thick soups should be more strongly flavoured than
thin soups. Always use wooden spoons. A small
tcaspoonful of powdered loaf-sugar may be added to
all vegetable soups, and green vegetables. Good oil
may often be used instead of butter, or with butter,
especially with lentils, beans, and peas.
In seasoning, be careful with vegetables, herbs and
spices remarkable for strong flavours, such as nutmeg,
cloves, mace, cayenne, chervil, Tarragon, and garlic.
Page 8
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
adapted to a greater variety of work and are safe against downfalls of soot, and the saucepans and stewpans are not blackened with smoke. The hot-plate top is a great advantage, but a closed range makes the kitchen very hot, and if anything boils over there is not sufficient ventilation to carry off the smell which finds its way all over the house. Kitcheners are rather complicated in their construction, and therefore require more care in their management. Some are of opinion that roasting can be done quite as well in the roaster of a kitchener as before an open fire, but I believe in constantly basting roast meat, which cannot be done conveniently in an oven, and what is not easily done is easily neglected.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
“ Whatever is worth doing is worth the trouble of doing.”
At the head of each recipe, I have mentioned the ingredients ; but I have not thought it desirable to give either the price or the time required for cooking — unless these are given with accuracy they are liable to mislead ; nor have I thought it necessary to give in every recipe such ingredients as bread, water, pepper, salt, flour, sugar, and such things as are to hand in every kitchen. Remember a gill is a quarter of a pint, and before cooking, arrange all your things as nearly as possible in order; no time is lost with this preliminary arrangement, it saves a good many steps ; and as soon as you have finished with an article put it out of your way ; this will save overcrowding, or perhaps in the middle of your cooking you will have to leave off to make room for your work. I have already referred to the proper management of a fire. Wash your hands, clean your nails, and read over slowly and carefully the recipe. No two cooks work exactly to the same recipe, nor is it desirable with persons who think about what they are doing. There are some recipes more difficult than a proposition in Euclid ; and, as a rule, I do not advise the inexperienced resorting to recipes in which the
Buckmaster $ Cookery .
cook feels doubtful. Rain water is best for all cooking purposes — but it will sometimes be necessary to filter it. About half a pint of soup may be calculated for each person. Thick glutinous soups and sauces lequire constant stirring, because the heated particles are not so free to move upwards. The scum should be removed before the soup comes to the boil ; thick soups should be more strongly flavoured than thin soups. Always use wooden spoons. A small teaspoonful of powdered loaf-sugar may be added to all vegetable soups, and green vegetables. Good oil may often be used instead of butter, or with butter, especially with lentils, beans, and peas.
In seasoning, be careful with vegetables, herbs and spices remarkable for strong flavours, such as nutmeg, cloves, mace, cayenne, chervil, Tarragon, and garlic.