between tlie eook busy at his pastry board and the fire which
requires fresh fuel, is a vast aid in preventing the thousand
and one trivial accidents and dangers that beset the culinary
art. Only those who have actually cooked a whole dinner
know the immense relief it is to have some one at hand to
prevent those sudden.interruptions, which seem invariably to
come at the most critical moment.
The musolchi, then, finds his proper place amongst the
pots and pans, and the utmost he should have to do with
])lates and dishes should be the clearing away of bones and
fragments from the dinner-plates, and, perhaps, a preliminary
washing of the same, — the khitmntgdr, however, being held
entirely responsible for the cleanliness of every dish, plate,
cup, saucer, or article of any kind or sort which he puts on
his master’s table. By keeping the musolchi in the kitchen,
and at the same time recognising him as your servant and
not a general drudge, another advantage is secured. He can
be trained as a regular cook, and should be taught to look
forward to promotion during the time his sujDcrior may be
on leave, or sick. It is an immense comfort to know that
a sudden attack of ague in the kitchen need not result in
starvation to the dining-room.
The Duties of the Bheesti.
With the implements required by the hhecsti the mistress
has little to do beyond providing him with a few clean
dusters and seeing that he has a sufficiency of hot and cold
water cans, and at least one filter.
Bheesties are, as a rule, the cleanest servants in an Indian
household, and are, as a class, more ready to turn their hands
to an odd job than any of the others. The duties, however,
in which he comes absolutely under the misp-ess’s eye are few.
The first is to bring daily a supply of drinking water from
.some approved source, see it boiled in the vessel set apart
for the purpose, and jHit it to cool in earthen pots beside the
filter. These earthen pots should be emptied out every day,
as also the filter and every recejitacle of filtered water As
often as not, if this rule be not strictly enforced, filtered
water is quite, if not more unsafe, than that drawn fresh
from the well.
Housekeeper and Cook 83
The hheeslis next duty is to keep a supply of fresh water
in the bathrooms, and to heat the water required for the
morning baths. It will be found a good plan to give out, or
allow, the wood or charcoal for this purpose quite separately
from the kitchen fuel ; for complaints of stinting on the one
side, or extravagance on the other, are sure to arise as an
excuse for tepid baths, or large consumption. The water-
jugs, carafe, sponge, and soap dishes are in the hheesiiH
charge, and it is his duty to keep them clean and duly filled
with fresh watei’. We strongly advise the placing of an
ordinary three-gurrah filter close to the servants’ houses, so
that those who desire it can always have a supply of fresh
w'ater. Such little evidences of care for their health are duly
appreciated by the servants ; and, in addition, the removal
of one of the chief causes of epidemic disease — impure drink-
ing water — is a source of safety to the entire household.
In regard to the supply of water in bathrooms, the
bheesti must be made to scrub out the earthen vessels at
least once a week, and boiled water should be put in the
carafes.
Page 56
Presented as published in 1898. 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
between the cook busy at his pastry board and the fire which requires fresh fuel, is a vast aid in preventing the thousand and one trivial accidents and dangers that beset the culinary art. Only those who have actually cooked a whole dinner know the immense relief it is to have some one at hand to prevent those sudden interruptions, which seem invariably to come at the most critical moment.
The musolchi, then, finds his proper place amongst the pots and pans, and the utmost he should have to do with plates and dishes should be the clearing away of bones and fragments from the dinner-plates, and, perhaps, a preliminary washing of the same, — the khitmntgdr, however, being held entirely responsible for the cleanliness of every dish, plate, cup, saucer, or article of any kind or sort which he puts on his master’s table. By keeping the musolchi in the kitchen, and at the same time recognising him as your servant and not a general drudge, another advantage is secured. He can be trained as a regular cook, and should be taught to look forward to promotion during the time his superior may be on leave, or sick. It is an immense comfort to know that a sudden attack of ague in the kitchen need not result in starvation to the dining-room.
The Duties of the Bheesti.
With the implements required by the bheesti the mistress has little to do beyond providing him with a few clean dusters and seeing that he has a sufficiency of hot and cold
water cans, and at least one filter.
Bheesties are, as a rule, the cleanest servants in an Indian household, and are, as a class, more ready to turn their hands to an odd job than any of the others. The duties, however, in which he comes absolutely under the mistress's eye are few.
The first is to bring daily a supply of drinking water from .some approved source, see it boiled in the vessel set apart for the purpose, and put it to cool in earthen pots beside the filter. These earthen pots should be emptied out every day, as also the filter and every receptacle of filtered water As often as not, if this rule be not strictly enforced, filtered water is quite, if not more unsafe, than that drawn fresh from the well.
Housekeeper and Cook 83
The bheesti's next duty is to keep a supply of fresh water in the bathrooms, and to heat the water required for the morning baths. It will be found a good plan to give out, or allow, the wood or charcoal for this purpose quite separately from the kitchen fuel ; for complaints of stinting on the one side, or extravagance on the other, are sure to arise as an excuse for tepid baths, or large consumption. The water jugs, carafe, sponge, and soap dishes are in the bheesti's charge, and it is his duty to keep them clean and duly filled with fresh water. We strongly advise the placing of an ordinary three-gurrah filter close to the servants’ houses, so that those who desire it can always have a supply of fresh water. Such little evidences of care for their health are duly appreciated by the servants ; and, in addition, the removal of one of the chief causes of epidemic disease — impure drinking water — is a source of safety to the entire household.
In regard to the supply of water in bathrooms, the bheesti must be made to scrub out the earthen vessels at least once a week, and boiled water should be put in the carafes.