For a long time the man or woman — it
was usually a man — who achieved a suc-
cessful product in the chafing-dish was
regarded by the uninitiated as hardly sec-
ond to a magician of the Middle Ages.
But we have changed all that ! The
dish that has for so long been a valued
t$t Cffaftng^te^ ^upper
stand-by to the few who appreciated its
possibilities and knew how to make the
most of them, has leaped into sudden
popularity. Classes of women, of men,
of women and men, are organized for the
study of chafing-dish cookery. Clubs
are formed where the only refreshments
served are those prepared in the chafing-
dish. Books have been written in which
recipes for chafing-dish compounds are
given with more or less accuracy. Even
the very poor are learning that by the
help of a chafing-dish they can prepare
hot food in the middle of the day without
cooking themselves as well as the dinner
over a blazing fire in a wood or coal stove.
The chafing-dish deserves all that is
said in its praise. It is simple, clean,
easily managed, less expensive and cum-
brous than a gas stove, less odorous and
dirt-compelling than an oil stove. It
gives practically no lateral heat, so that
<VD$tn to (Use f0e ef5aftng;©tG(5 5
it may be used with comfort on even the
hottest days.
Like every other Id ranch of cookery,
that conducted in the chafing-dish de-
mands due study. But when certain
points have been mastered, when one has
learned the degree of heat required for
different dishes, and has become familiar
enough with the appearance of her work
to know when it is progressing favorably,
she need fear no contretemps so long as
she follows rules and uses her judgment.
Perhaps the chafing-dish is more useful
on the Sunday supper-table than anywhere
else. With its assistance that meal ceases
to be the cheerless, cut-and-dried affair it
often is in those houses where one maid —
who is sometimes the only servant — is
given her Sunday evenings out. Then is
the time for the mistress of the house to
display her skill in concocting lobster a la
Neioburg, or cheese fondii, or broiled
6 Z$i COcvftnc^isfl puppet
oysters, or curried eggs ; or in making a
savory rechauffe from some of the remains
of the Sunday dinner.
There are a few people who possess so
little appreciation of cookery as an art
that they are bored by the sight of the
workings of a chafing-dish. These per-
sons are, happily, in a small minority.
Nearly everyone feels a keen interest in
watching the preparation of the dish that
is soon to gratify his palate, and the
hostess who presides over a chafing-dish
is usually flattered or fluttered by finding
herself the centre of observation. Unless
she is an exceptionally skilful cook, and
has a clear and steady head, she will show
wisdom if she tries no experiments on a
large audience, and reserves her efforts
with unfamiliar dishes for a time when
she has but few spectators.
As an aid in making appetizing dishes
of left-overs, the housekeeper will find
<VQ§m to QJlse f^e £^afing;©i0^ 7
Page 1
Presented as published in 1894. 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
For a long time the man or woman — it was usually a man — who achieved a successful product in the chafing-dish was regarded by the uninitiated as hardly second to a magician of the Middle Ages. But we have changed all that ! The dish that has for so long been a valued
The Chafing-Dish Supper
stand-by to the few who appreciated its possibilities and knew how to make the most of them, has leaped into sudden popularity. Classes of women, of men, of women and men, are organized for the study of chafing-dish cookery. Clubs are formed where the only refreshments served are those prepared in the chafingdish. Books have been written in which recipes for chafing-dish compounds are given with more or less accuracy. Even the very poor are learning that by the help of a chafing-dish they can prepare hot food in the middle of the day without cooking themselves as well as the dinner over a blazing fire in a wood or coal stove. The chafing-dish deserves all that is said in its praise. It is simple, clean, easily managed, less expensive and cumbrous than a gas stove, less odorous and dirt-compelling than an oil stove. It gives practically no lateral heat, so that
When to Use the Chafing-Dish 5
it may be used with comfort on even the hottest days.
Like every other Id ranch of cookery, that conducted in the chafing-dish demands due study. But when certain points have been mastered, when one has learned the degree of heat required for different dishes, and has become familiar enough with the appearance of her work to know when it is progressing favorably, she need fear no contretemps so long as she follows rules and uses her judgment.
Perhaps the chafing-dish is more useful on the Sunday supper-table than anywhere else. With its assistance that meal ceases to be the cheerless, cut-and-dried affair it often is in those houses where one maid — who is sometimes the only servant — is given her Sunday evenings out. Then is the time for the mistress of the house to display her skill in concocting lobster a la Newburg, or cheese fondu, or broiled
6 The Chafing-Dish Supper
oysters, or curried eggs ; or in making a savory rechauffe from some of the remains of the Sunday dinner.
There are a few people who possess so little appreciation of cookery as an art that they are bored by the sight of the workings of a chafing-dish. These persons are, happily, in a small minority. Nearly everyone feels a keen interest in watching the preparation of the dish that is soon to gratify his palate, and the hostess who presides over a chafing-dish is usually flattered or fluttered by finding herself the centre of observation. Unless she is an exceptionally skilful cook, and has a clear and steady head, she will show wisdom if she tries no experiments on a large audience, and reserves her efforts with unfamiliar dishes for a time when she has but few spectators.
As an aid in making appetizing dishes of left-overs, the housekeeper will find
When to Use the Chafing-Dish 7