The palate of a cook must be in the highest state
of perfection, so that the least fault in cooking may be
perceived in a moment.
To succeed as some of our great chefs have suc-
ceeded, a cook must not only be a cook, he must be a
draughtsman, a sculptor, and a colourist ; and the time
and taste which a cook spends on the arts of design
to prepare food for the eye are so much time and
taste diverted from the more important business of
preparing food for the mouth.
The most experienced artists in cookery cannot be
certain of their work without " tasting." The spoon of
a good cook is continually passing from the stewpan to
his tongue, and only frequent tasting the sauces &c.
can discover to him what progress he makes, or enable
him to season a soup or ragout with certainty of
success.
The constant fumes and heat of the stove neces-
sitate frequent drinking to moisten the parched-up
throat ; and this is done in most cases with the aid of
alcoholic drinks, which often cause a man to lose his
head, and, alas ! his taste, the organs of which are
42 PRACTICAL GASTRONOMY
thus quickly vitiated, and the palate becomes blunt.
It cannot be too strongly advised to every cook to
abstain while he is at work from drinks which are
excitable ; there are so many harmless drinks, such as
lemonade, gingerbeer, soda and milk, cold tea, coffee
TN-ith milk, syrups with water, &c., which will quench
the thirst in a hot kitchen, so that one need not avail
himself of intoxicants. Common beer quenches the
thirst only momentarily, and will soon give rise to a
craving for more. Claret, although an intoxicant, is
considered the best drink of any to allay thirst, but it
must be mixed with plenty of water, when it is
practically unintoxicating.
Honesty, cleanliness, and economy should be the
first items of a cook's study. It is of the utmost im-
portance in a cook to be honest ; and to obtain and
preserve, in spite of the many temptations to which
he is exposed, a character for firmness and spotless
integrity, for this will help towards obtaining inde-
pendence. " Cleanliness is next to godUness " is a
very old saying, and cannot be more appropriately
apphed than here. Cleanliness and proper ventilation,
to carry off smoke, smell, and steam, are the first con-
siderations in a kitchen. The stove, which is, so to
speak, the grand scene of action, should be so placed as
to be accessible to light and ventilation. There are,
however, many kitchens where such is not the case, and
the poor cook is continually bathed with his, or her,
perspiration. No place has a greater need for cleanUness
than the kitchen : it is here that dirt and untidiness
THE COOK AND THE KITCHEN 43
are much more conspicuous than in any other part of
an estabhshment. Cleanliness is the most essential
ingredient in the art of cooking, and at any sacrifice
should be maintained in the kitchen.
Page 16
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
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The palate of a cook must be in the highest state
of perfection, so that the least fault in cooking may be
perceived in a moment.
To succeed as some of our great chefs have suc-
ceeded, a cook must not only be a cook, he must be a
draughtsman, a sculptor, and a colourist ; and the time
and taste which a cook spends on the arts of design
to prepare food for the eye are so much time and
taste diverted from the more important business of
preparing food for the mouth.
The most experienced artists in cookery cannot be
certain of their work without " tasting." The spoon of
a good cook is continually passing from the stewpan to
his tongue, and only frequent tasting the sauces &c.
can discover to him what progress he makes, or enable
him to season a soup or ragout with certainty of
success.
The constant fumes and heat of the stove neces-
sitate frequent drinking to moisten the parched-up
throat ; and this is done in most cases with the aid of
alcoholic drinks, which often cause a man to lose his
head, and, alas ! his taste, the organs of which are
42 PRACTICAL GASTRONOMY
thus quickly vitiated, and the palate becomes blunt.
It cannot be too strongly advised to every cook to
abstain while he is at work from drinks which are
excitable ; there are so many harmless drinks, such as
lemonade, gingerbeer, soda and milk, cold tea, coffee
TN-ith milk, syrups with water, &c., which will quench
the thirst in a hot kitchen, so that one need not avail
himself of intoxicants. Common beer quenches the
thirst only momentarily, and will soon give rise to a
craving for more. Claret, although an intoxicant, is
considered the best drink of any to allay thirst, but it
must be mixed with plenty of water, when it is
practically unintoxicating.
Honesty, cleanliness, and economy should be the
first items of a cook's study. It is of the utmost im-
portance in a cook to be honest ; and to obtain and
preserve, in spite of the many temptations to which
he is exposed, a character for firmness and spotless
integrity, for this will help towards obtaining inde-
pendence. " Cleanliness is next to godUness " is a
very old saying, and cannot be more appropriately
apphed than here. Cleanliness and proper ventilation,
to carry off smoke, smell, and steam, are the first con-
siderations in a kitchen. The stove, which is, so to
speak, the grand scene of action, should be so placed as
to be accessible to light and ventilation. There are,
however, many kitchens where such is not the case, and
the poor cook is continually bathed with his, or her,
perspiration. No place has a greater need for cleanUness
than the kitchen : it is here that dirt and untidiness
THE COOK AND THE KITCHEN 43
are much more conspicuous than in any other part of
an estabhshment. Cleanliness is the most essential
ingredient in the art of cooking, and at any sacrifice
should be maintained in the kitchen.