Below is the ad with a picture of the item:
Showing posts with label Cookware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookware. Show all posts
Monday, August 7, 2017
1855 Portable Oven
Yup that's what the advertisement in the Oct. 12, 1855 Burlington Free Press says. It was made by Blodgett & Sweets and advertised to be useful for hotels, steamers and private families. It was made with galvanized steel and was to cook with less fuel.
Below is the ad with a picture of the item:
Below is the ad with a picture of the item:
Friday, May 19, 2017
Measuring Cups
This is not a thorough study on measuring cups during the 19th century. However there are a few tidbits to be aware of.
For example in the 1810 The New Family Receipt Book they don't have a measurement of one cup. They refer to a common tea cup, ordinary tea cup, one coffee cup.
I have found images of (Victorian) pewter measuring cups on the Internet. I've also found tin measuring cups dating back around 1840.
The earliest cookbook that I found any measurements for was in the 1830 Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry Cakes and the measurements were in pounds, ounces and quarts, pints. However there do have "A tea-spoonful of salt." The only cup measurement was again a tea-cup. 1/2 pint I started to referenced around this time as well, but never referred to as one cup.
By the end of the century I found glass measuring cups available as well as some high end copper and brass measuring cups.
For example in the 1810 The New Family Receipt Book they don't have a measurement of one cup. They refer to a common tea cup, ordinary tea cup, one coffee cup.
I have found images of (Victorian) pewter measuring cups on the Internet. I've also found tin measuring cups dating back around 1840.
The earliest cookbook that I found any measurements for was in the 1830 Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry Cakes and the measurements were in pounds, ounces and quarts, pints. However there do have "A tea-spoonful of salt." The only cup measurement was again a tea-cup. 1/2 pint I started to referenced around this time as well, but never referred to as one cup.
By the end of the century I found glass measuring cups available as well as some high end copper and brass measuring cups.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Salamander
Yesterday, I received an email request for information concerning the 19th century salamander. In Mrs. Hale's New Cookbook ©1857 I found a diagram and brief description of a salamander, pictured below. This 19th century kitchen tool was the beginnings of what Salamander ovens are used for today. Enjoy.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 2
This excerpt pertains to the types of food and food items one ate in Michigan during the frontier days. This excerpt comes from Pioneer Collections Volume Five by A.D.P. Van Buren.
The settler's daily fare, from a lack of abundance and variety in his larder, was necessarily frugal. The provision in store was wheat, corn, pork, and potatoes. There was no fruit save the wild plums and the various berries that grew in the woods and lowlands. The bill of fare for the table was bread, pork, and potatoes. Pork, as we have said, was often very scarce, families often going without meat, save the wild game they killed, for a whole season at a time. Salt was also often very scarce; at one time it was twenty-one dollars per barrel. Thomas Kewney's family went without a particle in their house for six months. We were told when we first came to this State that we would get the "Michigan appetite" after we had lived here a short time. We found this to be true. And when it did come, which was during the first year, it was ravenous. With this appetite pork and potatoes were dainties. We relished them, as such, for a good square meal; and when we got through with that, we had only to reverse the order and eat potatoes and pork for the richest dessert—such was the keenness and relishing power of our appetites. It seemed that all we labored for was—to get enough to eat. Fruitless toil, for we were hungry all the time.
Mrs. Thomas Kewney and her daughter Ann, afterwards Mrs. Stevenson, came to visit us one afternoon. My mother was really puzzled to know what to get for supper, for we had no bread in the house, nor anything of which to make it; but like a good housewife she was fruitful in expedients. Looking over her store she found about two quarts of wheat, which she requested me to grind in the pepper-mill. This I did. She then took the unbolted flour, and of it made a shortcake for her company. We had an amusing time at table over our frugal repast, which consisted principally of this Grahamitish cuke.
Tea, coffee, sugar, and butter were rarely seen on the settler's table. An herb called the tea-weed, a kind of wild Bohea that grew in the woods, was used by some of the settlers. The leaves were steeped like our imported teas and the decoction was drank. But it was soon abandoned when the green or black teas could be had again. Crust coffee, or a coffee made from wheat or other grains browned, was in common use for drink at table. Our pioneer mothers and their daughters found many occasions when they could not enjoy the accustomed tete-a-tete with their lady visitors over cups of fragrant Young Hyson or Bohea. But their tea-table chats were had over their flowing cups of crust coffee, and there was many a wish, from the young ladies, for the good time coming when they could once more "turn up their tea-cups" and have their "fortunes told." Tea-pots were ransacked and old tea-grounds were saved by the girls for the purpose of having their fortunes told by some of the older matrons, who knew something of the gipsy art of divination. The usual meal consisted of a platter of boiled potatoes, piled up steaming hot and placed on the center of the table; bread or Johnny-cake; perhaps some meat boiled or fried; and an article largely partaken of was a bowl of flour gravy, looking like starch and made something like it, of flour and water, with a little salt, and sometimes it was enriched by a little gravy from a piece of fried meat. This was the meal; and it was eaten and relished more than the sumptuous meals on many of our tables now-a-days. The table was, at any rate, swept erf all the edibles on it. Nothing but the dishes was left after a meal. The dog, the pigs, and the chickens fared slim. "Tell me what a people eat and I will tell you their morals." The old pioneer bill of fare was simple and wholesome, its morals can easily be deduced. What shall we say of the modern bill of fare? There have been various reasons adduced as to the cause of this appetite. To me there has ever been but one good cause, that is—hunger. We seldom got enough to eat, and hence were always hungry and ready to eat. "Quit eating while you are hungry," the health reformers say. We carried out the letter and spirit of this rule, and will vouch for its producing a splendid appetite. It was called the Michigan appetite, as though it was aboriginal and belonged to this State. Perhaps it did, and originated with the Indians. The first settlers may be said to have fared like the Indians for the first year or two after they pitched their tents here, and hence got their appetites and a little more; for, as the rude phrase had it, the pioneers were usually hungry enough to eat a "biled Indian." We had no cases of dyspesia—our digestion was as sound as our sleep. The dyspepsia was with the rich and dainty dishes east.
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 1
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 3
The settler's daily fare, from a lack of abundance and variety in his larder, was necessarily frugal. The provision in store was wheat, corn, pork, and potatoes. There was no fruit save the wild plums and the various berries that grew in the woods and lowlands. The bill of fare for the table was bread, pork, and potatoes. Pork, as we have said, was often very scarce, families often going without meat, save the wild game they killed, for a whole season at a time. Salt was also often very scarce; at one time it was twenty-one dollars per barrel. Thomas Kewney's family went without a particle in their house for six months. We were told when we first came to this State that we would get the "Michigan appetite" after we had lived here a short time. We found this to be true. And when it did come, which was during the first year, it was ravenous. With this appetite pork and potatoes were dainties. We relished them, as such, for a good square meal; and when we got through with that, we had only to reverse the order and eat potatoes and pork for the richest dessert—such was the keenness and relishing power of our appetites. It seemed that all we labored for was—to get enough to eat. Fruitless toil, for we were hungry all the time.
Mrs. Thomas Kewney and her daughter Ann, afterwards Mrs. Stevenson, came to visit us one afternoon. My mother was really puzzled to know what to get for supper, for we had no bread in the house, nor anything of which to make it; but like a good housewife she was fruitful in expedients. Looking over her store she found about two quarts of wheat, which she requested me to grind in the pepper-mill. This I did. She then took the unbolted flour, and of it made a shortcake for her company. We had an amusing time at table over our frugal repast, which consisted principally of this Grahamitish cuke.
Tea, coffee, sugar, and butter were rarely seen on the settler's table. An herb called the tea-weed, a kind of wild Bohea that grew in the woods, was used by some of the settlers. The leaves were steeped like our imported teas and the decoction was drank. But it was soon abandoned when the green or black teas could be had again. Crust coffee, or a coffee made from wheat or other grains browned, was in common use for drink at table. Our pioneer mothers and their daughters found many occasions when they could not enjoy the accustomed tete-a-tete with their lady visitors over cups of fragrant Young Hyson or Bohea. But their tea-table chats were had over their flowing cups of crust coffee, and there was many a wish, from the young ladies, for the good time coming when they could once more "turn up their tea-cups" and have their "fortunes told." Tea-pots were ransacked and old tea-grounds were saved by the girls for the purpose of having their fortunes told by some of the older matrons, who knew something of the gipsy art of divination. The usual meal consisted of a platter of boiled potatoes, piled up steaming hot and placed on the center of the table; bread or Johnny-cake; perhaps some meat boiled or fried; and an article largely partaken of was a bowl of flour gravy, looking like starch and made something like it, of flour and water, with a little salt, and sometimes it was enriched by a little gravy from a piece of fried meat. This was the meal; and it was eaten and relished more than the sumptuous meals on many of our tables now-a-days. The table was, at any rate, swept erf all the edibles on it. Nothing but the dishes was left after a meal. The dog, the pigs, and the chickens fared slim. "Tell me what a people eat and I will tell you their morals." The old pioneer bill of fare was simple and wholesome, its morals can easily be deduced. What shall we say of the modern bill of fare? There have been various reasons adduced as to the cause of this appetite. To me there has ever been but one good cause, that is—hunger. We seldom got enough to eat, and hence were always hungry and ready to eat. "Quit eating while you are hungry," the health reformers say. We carried out the letter and spirit of this rule, and will vouch for its producing a splendid appetite. It was called the Michigan appetite, as though it was aboriginal and belonged to this State. Perhaps it did, and originated with the Indians. The first settlers may be said to have fared like the Indians for the first year or two after they pitched their tents here, and hence got their appetites and a little more; for, as the rude phrase had it, the pioneers were usually hungry enough to eat a "biled Indian." We had no cases of dyspesia—our digestion was as sound as our sleep. The dyspepsia was with the rich and dainty dishes east.
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 1
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 3
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier
The next few days I'll be posting excerpts from various sources on the use of the Fireplace in the family home, specifically as it pertained to those on the frontiers.
The first excerpt comes from a frontier home in Michigan. This is taken from Pioneer Collections, Volume 5 ©1904. This particular section comes from the memory of A. D. P. Van Buren
The log house of the pioneer with its plain furnishing and its old-fashioned fireplace was a comfortable and cheerful abode. I am sorry that the old fireplace has gone out of use. It contributed much to the health and happiness of the old settler's home, much more than the modern stove does to our modern homes. The settler, after a hard day's work, seated with his family around his glowing ingle, with an abundance of wood in the corner, enjoyed the luxury of his magnificent fires. There is an art in building a good fire; it was cultivated to a great degree of perfection in the olden time. It appears to be one of the lost arts now, as the dull and cheerless stove has banished it from the household. It belonged to the old fireside, where it was kept in constant practice in laying down aright the backlog and fore-stick, and building thereon, with small wood, in so secure and artful a manner, that with a little kindling the fire could be started and give out the most heat and light to the household. As we are writing, distance still lends enchantment to the memory of those by-gone scenes around the old pioneer's fireside.
For lights in the evening, if the fire was too dull, some fat was put in a saucer, a piece of pork was sometimes fried for that purpose, a rag was twisted for a wick and then coiled about in the grease, one end being left out on the edge of the saucer. This was lighted. Sometimes a button was tied up in a rag, the top part of which was twisted into a wick, and was put into the grease in the saucer and the end lighted. This was our evening taper. But beef and pork were often scarce, and tallow or grease of any kind could not be had. There were no pine trees in this region, hence pine knots could not be found. But in their stead we gathered the bark from the shagbark walnut tree, and when we needed light, pieces of this bark were thrown on the fire. This created a bright blaze that was nearly equal, and full as lasting, as that from the pine knots.
The old iron crane, tricked off with its various sized pot-hooks and links of chain, swung from the jams at the will of the housewife, who hung on it the kettles containing the meal to be cooked for the family, and pushed it back over the fire where the kettles hung till the meal was prepared for the table. Pigs, chickens, and spare-ribs were roasted splendidly by suspending them by a wire before the fire. The baking was mostly done in the old brick oven that was built in one side of the chimney, with a door opening into the room. The old iron covered bake kettle sat in the corner under the cupboard, and was used for the various baking purposes. Many will remember the much used "tin reflector" that was placed before the fire to bake bread and cakes, and how finely it baked the Pink-eye and Meshanic potatoes.
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 2
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 3
The first excerpt comes from a frontier home in Michigan. This is taken from Pioneer Collections, Volume 5 ©1904. This particular section comes from the memory of A. D. P. Van Buren
The log house of the pioneer with its plain furnishing and its old-fashioned fireplace was a comfortable and cheerful abode. I am sorry that the old fireplace has gone out of use. It contributed much to the health and happiness of the old settler's home, much more than the modern stove does to our modern homes. The settler, after a hard day's work, seated with his family around his glowing ingle, with an abundance of wood in the corner, enjoyed the luxury of his magnificent fires. There is an art in building a good fire; it was cultivated to a great degree of perfection in the olden time. It appears to be one of the lost arts now, as the dull and cheerless stove has banished it from the household. It belonged to the old fireside, where it was kept in constant practice in laying down aright the backlog and fore-stick, and building thereon, with small wood, in so secure and artful a manner, that with a little kindling the fire could be started and give out the most heat and light to the household. As we are writing, distance still lends enchantment to the memory of those by-gone scenes around the old pioneer's fireside.
For lights in the evening, if the fire was too dull, some fat was put in a saucer, a piece of pork was sometimes fried for that purpose, a rag was twisted for a wick and then coiled about in the grease, one end being left out on the edge of the saucer. This was lighted. Sometimes a button was tied up in a rag, the top part of which was twisted into a wick, and was put into the grease in the saucer and the end lighted. This was our evening taper. But beef and pork were often scarce, and tallow or grease of any kind could not be had. There were no pine trees in this region, hence pine knots could not be found. But in their stead we gathered the bark from the shagbark walnut tree, and when we needed light, pieces of this bark were thrown on the fire. This created a bright blaze that was nearly equal, and full as lasting, as that from the pine knots.
The old iron crane, tricked off with its various sized pot-hooks and links of chain, swung from the jams at the will of the housewife, who hung on it the kettles containing the meal to be cooked for the family, and pushed it back over the fire where the kettles hung till the meal was prepared for the table. Pigs, chickens, and spare-ribs were roasted splendidly by suspending them by a wire before the fire. The baking was mostly done in the old brick oven that was built in one side of the chimney, with a door opening into the room. The old iron covered bake kettle sat in the corner under the cupboard, and was used for the various baking purposes. Many will remember the much used "tin reflector" that was placed before the fire to bake bread and cakes, and how finely it baked the Pink-eye and Meshanic potatoes.
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 2
Fireplaces & Life on the Frontier Part 3
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Cookware Utensils Part 2
This is a continuation of yesterday's post from Domestic Economy and household science by Robert Mann ©1878
Knives are, on the whole, the most difficult to keep in good order of all the hardware utensils of the house. They require to be very carefully cleaned whenever they have been used ; and, in order to keep the easily corrod- able surface of the steel polished and bright, they have to be rubbed with firmness and strength against a knife- board, furnished with a dressing of emery. If, however, the strength be not applied in the right way, very much of it is expended in turning and blunting the edges, and in bending and twisting the half-worn, thin ends of the blades, instead of in polishing their surfaces. The practical result of such clumsy handling is, not only that the knives are unduly worn away and destroyed, but, over and above this, that they are never fit at any time for convenient or comfortable use. It requires a very skilful hand indeed to cut a slice of bread with a knife whose edge is bent at right angles to the general direction of the blade, or to separate a mouthful of meat from a piece upon the plate, when the end of the knife turns up into the form of a bow under the slightest pressure.
Yet, all that is necessary for the avoidance of this annoying form of mischief is that the knife should be held quite flat upon the cleaning board whilst it is moved backwards and forwards, and that it should not be turned up with a sudden flourish and sweep when it is taken from the board. The movement, by which the metallic surface of the blade is carried along the board, should be firm and smooth, rather than violent, and as little abrupt as possible. The good habit, by which such handling becomes unconsciously, and as a matter of course, practised, is quite as easy to acquire as the vicious and uneconomical one which is more generally adopted, if the object to be aimed at be understood, and if attention be given to the attainment of the right method. As a general rule, however, both explanation and looking after
Knives are, on the whole, the most difficult to keep in good order of all the hardware utensils of the house. They require to be very carefully cleaned whenever they have been used ; and, in order to keep the easily corrod- able surface of the steel polished and bright, they have to be rubbed with firmness and strength against a knife- board, furnished with a dressing of emery. If, however, the strength be not applied in the right way, very much of it is expended in turning and blunting the edges, and in bending and twisting the half-worn, thin ends of the blades, instead of in polishing their surfaces. The practical result of such clumsy handling is, not only that the knives are unduly worn away and destroyed, but, over and above this, that they are never fit at any time for convenient or comfortable use. It requires a very skilful hand indeed to cut a slice of bread with a knife whose edge is bent at right angles to the general direction of the blade, or to separate a mouthful of meat from a piece upon the plate, when the end of the knife turns up into the form of a bow under the slightest pressure.
Yet, all that is necessary for the avoidance of this annoying form of mischief is that the knife should be held quite flat upon the cleaning board whilst it is moved backwards and forwards, and that it should not be turned up with a sudden flourish and sweep when it is taken from the board. The movement, by which the metallic surface of the blade is carried along the board, should be firm and smooth, rather than violent, and as little abrupt as possible. The good habit, by which such handling becomes unconsciously, and as a matter of course, practised, is quite as easy to acquire as the vicious and uneconomical one which is more generally adopted, if the object to be aimed at be understood, and if attention be given to the attainment of the right method. As a general rule, however, both explanation and looking after
Cookware Utensils Part 1
Below is an excerpt from "Domestic economy and household Science" by Robert James Mann ©1878
LESSON LIV.
KITCHEN UTENSILS AND EARTHENWARE.
DEBIVATIONS.
Utensil.—An implement or vessel used in domestic service. Fr, Ustensile, a tool for use.
Corrosion.—A gnawing, or eating away. Lat. corrodo, to gnaw to pieces.
Molecular.—Belonging to molecules. Lat. mules, a mass.
Deteriorate.—To make worse. Fr. deteriorer, to damage, or injure.
Retort.—A glass vessel with a long bent neck, used in chemical processes. Lat. retortus, turned back.
The kitchen appliances are an important part of the furniture of a house, because they are all, more or less, directly connected with the preparation of food. The cooking of necessity suffers from inadequate provision in this department.
Cooking utensils are, almost without exception, made of metal, because they have to bear exposure to great heat. The two kinds of metal principally in use for their construction are copper and iron. Copper is preferred for kettles, saucepans, stew-pans and frying-pans in all cases where its greater cost is not of importance, and where adequate care can be given to keep it in a fit condition for use. It is more durable and more easily polished bright than iron.
Both copper and iron cooking utensils are tinned on the inside to preserve them from corrosion. It fortunately happens that tin is not easily acted upon by water and air at moderate heats, and that it is easily kept bright and clean. It is also readily attached to surfaces of both copper and iron, by an intimate kind of adhesion which amounts to the actual molecular joining together of the two metals where they touch. All that is necessary to produce this union is the placing of the melted tin in direct contact with the copper or iron made very clean and hot. This is readily done, because tin melts at a temperature which is only a trifle more than as hot again as boiling water. Tinned vessels, however, gradually deteriorate from the wearing away of the tin lining, and on that account they need to be tinned over again from time to time. If this be not carefully attended to, a poisonous compound, called verdegris, is apt to be formed in the case of copper, from the corrosion of that metal under the combined influence of air, moisture, and heat; and if any trace of this poisonous compound be left in the vessel when it is used in the preparation of food, it may be productive of great injury to the health of a household. The similar compound that is formed from the corrosion of uncoated portions of iron, is not poisonous in the same way. But it is also soluble in hot liquids, and communicates to them a metallic, ink-like taste, and, in many instances, an undesirable, dark colour. The interior tinned surfaces of cooking utensils are liable to be spoiled by the running of the tin into irregular patches and ridges, if the vessels are exposed to great heat when not containing water, or some other kind of liquid. When this has occurred, it is impossible for the irregularly ridged and wrinkled surface to be kept properly bright and clean.
The cheaper kinds of saucepans and kettles, which are spoken of as made of tin and which have the colour and gloss of tin inside and out, are in reality constructed of thin plate-iron, which is tinned on both surfaces. They are very cleanly and serviceable, but are easily injured by careless exposure to dry heat. They take the heat more quickly and also part with it more speedily than utensils of thicker metal.
The best iron saucepans are such as are lined with a kind of enamel, because this is even a more perfect and enduring protection against the corrosion of the iron by the moisture of the food, than tin. These enamelled linings are so beautifully hard and smooth that their surfaces can be washed as easily and perfectly as a plate of glazed earthenware. The enamelled saucepan, however, requires more judicious and tender handling than tinned vessels, because the enamel is apt to be cracked by a careless exposure to great heat, and, when it is cracked, it cannot be renewed as inside tinning can.
With all kinds of cooking utensils, it is essential to proper management that they should be cleaned as soon as they have been used. The soil which they acquire from the combined influence of the oily and other sticky constituents of the food, and of heat, is very much more easily removed if it be attacked at once than if it be left to dry and harden upon the metal before the cleaning is carried into effect.
Some of the utensils used for cooking, such as paste- and meat-boards, rolling pins, and spoons employed for some purposes, are made of wood. With these, prompt and unintermitting cleanliness is even more important than it is with utensils of metal, because grease and soil can soak into the actual substance of wood, and, when they do so, may go so far that they cannot easily be got back again. Implements of wood should always be washed with soap, or soda and water, directly after they have been in use, and, if this is properly done, they are easily kept in good order.
The most perfect, in point of cleanliness, of the utensils provided for domestic use unquestionably are those which are made of earthenware and glass. In both, the surface is formed of a hard glazed substance, which is quite impervious to water or grease, and which, therefore, can be washed thoroughly clean with the utmost ease. Both are, however, unfortunately brittle, and can be broken by rough and careless handling; and neither can bear great heat, or even sudden change from heat to cold, such as is produced by pouring cold water into a vessel directly after it has been filled with hot, without risk of fracture. Earthenware, however, is a perfect material for all those cooking processes which are performed before the fire is brought into play ; such as the mixing of sauces, puddings, cakes, and other food-preparations. If wood were used for these processes instead of earthenware, it would be almost impossible to prevent the flavour which hung about the wood, after it had been employed for one mixture, from finding its way into the next. The impenetrable glaze of earthenware is also unassailable by any of the acids which are used in preparing food, and which are especially prone to corrode metals.
Earthenware, in some of its forms, is made capable of withstanding a considerable amount of heat. This is illustrated in the case of pie- and tart-dishes, which have to remain in hot ovens during the baking of their contents. The glaze of these dishes in the end gets discoloured by the heat, but it even then continues to perform its work of keeping the ware itself impervious to liquids, so long as its own substance is not actually cracked.
The finer kinds of earthenware, of which are made the plates, dishes, cups, and saucers that are employed in the serving of food and drink after they have been prepared, and glass which is so universally seen upon the dinner table, are amongst the most beautiful and serviceable of the substances employed for the construction of household utensils. In both of them, the object of cleanliness is as perfectly obtained as it is possible for the most fastidious and exacting taste to desire. Everybody is aware how- very easily all articles of china and glass are washed after they have been used, and what an irresistible charm well-kept china and glass have when they are set out for a meal upon the table. The brittleness is the chief defect with either ware, and this is unhappily increased in proportion to the delicacy and excellence of the articles : with the notable exception that thin glass bears the sudden application of heat, such as is caused by the pouring in of a stream of hot water, better than the thicker kinds do. The thick kinds crack when hot water is suddenly poured into them, because the thick substance expands unequally as the heat slowly finds its way in, and the parts which are most expanded by the heat are then apt to be actually torn asunder from those that are so acted upon in a less degree. In thin glass, the heat gets through the entire thickness at once, and then all expands equally, without disrupture of the particles. On this account utensils of glass which are intended for heating, such as the retorts used by chemists, are always made very thin.
In the washing up of china and glass, deliberation and care are necessary; and the habit should be acquired of handling in this way articles that are at once so slippery and brittle. Such a habit must of necessity be formed by the exercise of thought and method, but is easily acquired when it is set earnestly and resolutely about.
LESSON LIV.
KITCHEN UTENSILS AND EARTHENWARE.
DEBIVATIONS.
Utensil.—An implement or vessel used in domestic service. Fr, Ustensile, a tool for use.
Corrosion.—A gnawing, or eating away. Lat. corrodo, to gnaw to pieces.
Molecular.—Belonging to molecules. Lat. mules, a mass.
Deteriorate.—To make worse. Fr. deteriorer, to damage, or injure.
Retort.—A glass vessel with a long bent neck, used in chemical processes. Lat. retortus, turned back.
The kitchen appliances are an important part of the furniture of a house, because they are all, more or less, directly connected with the preparation of food. The cooking of necessity suffers from inadequate provision in this department.
Cooking utensils are, almost without exception, made of metal, because they have to bear exposure to great heat. The two kinds of metal principally in use for their construction are copper and iron. Copper is preferred for kettles, saucepans, stew-pans and frying-pans in all cases where its greater cost is not of importance, and where adequate care can be given to keep it in a fit condition for use. It is more durable and more easily polished bright than iron.
Both copper and iron cooking utensils are tinned on the inside to preserve them from corrosion. It fortunately happens that tin is not easily acted upon by water and air at moderate heats, and that it is easily kept bright and clean. It is also readily attached to surfaces of both copper and iron, by an intimate kind of adhesion which amounts to the actual molecular joining together of the two metals where they touch. All that is necessary to produce this union is the placing of the melted tin in direct contact with the copper or iron made very clean and hot. This is readily done, because tin melts at a temperature which is only a trifle more than as hot again as boiling water. Tinned vessels, however, gradually deteriorate from the wearing away of the tin lining, and on that account they need to be tinned over again from time to time. If this be not carefully attended to, a poisonous compound, called verdegris, is apt to be formed in the case of copper, from the corrosion of that metal under the combined influence of air, moisture, and heat; and if any trace of this poisonous compound be left in the vessel when it is used in the preparation of food, it may be productive of great injury to the health of a household. The similar compound that is formed from the corrosion of uncoated portions of iron, is not poisonous in the same way. But it is also soluble in hot liquids, and communicates to them a metallic, ink-like taste, and, in many instances, an undesirable, dark colour. The interior tinned surfaces of cooking utensils are liable to be spoiled by the running of the tin into irregular patches and ridges, if the vessels are exposed to great heat when not containing water, or some other kind of liquid. When this has occurred, it is impossible for the irregularly ridged and wrinkled surface to be kept properly bright and clean.
The cheaper kinds of saucepans and kettles, which are spoken of as made of tin and which have the colour and gloss of tin inside and out, are in reality constructed of thin plate-iron, which is tinned on both surfaces. They are very cleanly and serviceable, but are easily injured by careless exposure to dry heat. They take the heat more quickly and also part with it more speedily than utensils of thicker metal.
The best iron saucepans are such as are lined with a kind of enamel, because this is even a more perfect and enduring protection against the corrosion of the iron by the moisture of the food, than tin. These enamelled linings are so beautifully hard and smooth that their surfaces can be washed as easily and perfectly as a plate of glazed earthenware. The enamelled saucepan, however, requires more judicious and tender handling than tinned vessels, because the enamel is apt to be cracked by a careless exposure to great heat, and, when it is cracked, it cannot be renewed as inside tinning can.
With all kinds of cooking utensils, it is essential to proper management that they should be cleaned as soon as they have been used. The soil which they acquire from the combined influence of the oily and other sticky constituents of the food, and of heat, is very much more easily removed if it be attacked at once than if it be left to dry and harden upon the metal before the cleaning is carried into effect.
Some of the utensils used for cooking, such as paste- and meat-boards, rolling pins, and spoons employed for some purposes, are made of wood. With these, prompt and unintermitting cleanliness is even more important than it is with utensils of metal, because grease and soil can soak into the actual substance of wood, and, when they do so, may go so far that they cannot easily be got back again. Implements of wood should always be washed with soap, or soda and water, directly after they have been in use, and, if this is properly done, they are easily kept in good order.
The most perfect, in point of cleanliness, of the utensils provided for domestic use unquestionably are those which are made of earthenware and glass. In both, the surface is formed of a hard glazed substance, which is quite impervious to water or grease, and which, therefore, can be washed thoroughly clean with the utmost ease. Both are, however, unfortunately brittle, and can be broken by rough and careless handling; and neither can bear great heat, or even sudden change from heat to cold, such as is produced by pouring cold water into a vessel directly after it has been filled with hot, without risk of fracture. Earthenware, however, is a perfect material for all those cooking processes which are performed before the fire is brought into play ; such as the mixing of sauces, puddings, cakes, and other food-preparations. If wood were used for these processes instead of earthenware, it would be almost impossible to prevent the flavour which hung about the wood, after it had been employed for one mixture, from finding its way into the next. The impenetrable glaze of earthenware is also unassailable by any of the acids which are used in preparing food, and which are especially prone to corrode metals.
Earthenware, in some of its forms, is made capable of withstanding a considerable amount of heat. This is illustrated in the case of pie- and tart-dishes, which have to remain in hot ovens during the baking of their contents. The glaze of these dishes in the end gets discoloured by the heat, but it even then continues to perform its work of keeping the ware itself impervious to liquids, so long as its own substance is not actually cracked.
The finer kinds of earthenware, of which are made the plates, dishes, cups, and saucers that are employed in the serving of food and drink after they have been prepared, and glass which is so universally seen upon the dinner table, are amongst the most beautiful and serviceable of the substances employed for the construction of household utensils. In both of them, the object of cleanliness is as perfectly obtained as it is possible for the most fastidious and exacting taste to desire. Everybody is aware how- very easily all articles of china and glass are washed after they have been used, and what an irresistible charm well-kept china and glass have when they are set out for a meal upon the table. The brittleness is the chief defect with either ware, and this is unhappily increased in proportion to the delicacy and excellence of the articles : with the notable exception that thin glass bears the sudden application of heat, such as is caused by the pouring in of a stream of hot water, better than the thicker kinds do. The thick kinds crack when hot water is suddenly poured into them, because the thick substance expands unequally as the heat slowly finds its way in, and the parts which are most expanded by the heat are then apt to be actually torn asunder from those that are so acted upon in a less degree. In thin glass, the heat gets through the entire thickness at once, and then all expands equally, without disrupture of the particles. On this account utensils of glass which are intended for heating, such as the retorts used by chemists, are always made very thin.
In the washing up of china and glass, deliberation and care are necessary; and the habit should be acquired of handling in this way articles that are at once so slippery and brittle. Such a habit must of necessity be formed by the exercise of thought and method, but is easily acquired when it is set earnestly and resolutely about.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Kitchen Knives
Dexter Harrington & Son, Southbridge, Mass, manufacturers of the Dexter knives and blades, refer to their goods as made solely for cutting purposes, and not for show, and advise us that all knives are ground sharp and honed before leaving the factory. This cutlery business was established in the Harrington name at Southbridge in 1818, or 80 years ago. The business has increased to such an extent as to necessitate additions to capacity of plant from time to time. The concern have recently completed a substantial addition, which will largely increase their output. New and special machinery is being installed, and they expect to double last year’s production during 1899. The line of goods shown in their illustrated catalogue include shoe knives in a variety of shaped blades; kitchen, carving. butcher, skinning and bread knives. Rubber, shoe and cloth blades in various shapes are also shown. The kitchen knives are furnished in five styles of blade, with either black or light enamel handles put on. In the same grade are made 6 inch meat and 7-inch bread knives. A line of butcher knives. not shown in the catalogue, are now being made in sizes from 5 to 14 inches.
Source: Iron Age 1899
A list of Kitchen Knives from "Seeger & Guernsey's Cyclopadeia" ©1890
Banana Knife,
Boning Knife,
Bread Knife,
Carving Knife,
Cheese Knife,
Fish Knife,
Fish Scaling Knife,
Fruit Knife,
Lemon & Orange Knife,
Mincing Knife,
Steak Knife,Table Knife
One of the knives in the list above, I'd not heard about is a Banana Knife. Below is a picture of one.
Another is the Orange and Lemon Knife, note the grated edge on the upper part of the knife.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Portable Cooking Stoves
Today when we think portable cooking stove, we picture camp stoves or propane grills. So, when an author is researching and comes across the term "portable cooking stoves" our 19th century characters do not have the same picture in their minds. I found this brief article on kitchen ranges and portable cooking stoves in "The Sanitary Record" 1876. I believe this will help clarify the term for writers of history and historical fiction.
KITCHEN-RANGES AND PORTABLE COOKING-STOVES.
BY W. EASSIE, C.E.
As we consider that some mention of these classes of goods cannot but be interesting to the readers of the Sanitary Record, we append the result of a visit to several establishments where such articles are sold.
The close ranges manufactured by Messrs. Brown and Green, of Luton and Bishopsgate Street, London, have often been lauded for the peculiar advantages which they possess over the'many common ranges. Instead of the usual door to one of these patterns the upper portion of the fire is enclosed with a cast-iron plate, so constructed as to fall down and form a trivet, upon which boiling can be performed when the fire is low. Should this trivet be used for roasting purposes its position excludes the usual current of cold air from passing over the fire, the effect of which is only to waste the fuel inside the bars. When this cast-iron plate becomes redhot it serves the purpose of roasting quite as well, in fact, as the open fire below. A series of small perforations in the upper part of the plate admit air-jets and so tend to assist in the consumption of the smoke. The grate space in which the fuel is burnt, though wide enough for roasting a good-sized joint, is, nevertheless, proportionately narrow from back to front, and by this arrangement the utmost value of the coal or; other fuel is realised. The sliding plate over the fire which forms the close range is also more handy than the lifting style of cover, which necessitates the use of a lever. As for ventilation two conical pipes, scientifically placed, assist the action of the door. The double oven range, five feet long, is fitted up with porcelain panels, and is a marvel of clean casting, whilst the polished wrought-iron mountings of the oven doors, etc., are equally commendable. Perhaps the most unique pattern of the series is that in which the fire is entirely enclosed with plates, which are allowed to get red-hot when roasting is going on, the draught being under command by a ventilator in the door of the ashpit— which latter is also enclosed. By this construction slow combustion is fairly attained, and coke can be used, the whole being free from dust and smoke. Where ranges are in request for burning all night without attention this last-described pattern is a most valuable desideratum.
The kitchen ranges proper made by this firm are equally commendable—and possess the great advantage of allowing meat to be roasted in front of the fire whilst the ovens are being used. They are also fitted up with boilers for bath and lavatory use, and the water before being withdrawn can be made to course in pipes so as to heat halls or conservatories. Some of the largest-sized ranges are fitted with several ovens and steamers, and these are admirably adapted for use in hotels, hospitals, and in public or large private establishments of every kind. They are simple of management, and avoid the annoyance of that close heat which prevails in most of our kitchens. The new patent' close ranges with an open chimney' are well adapted for use in kitchens badly ventilated, and where an absolutely close range would be found unbearable.
There is a class of cooking-stove which is inexpressibly valuable, not only in the house, but in temporary buildings, on board yachts, and the like— we mean a portable cooking-stove. The ' gem ' pattern of this firm is most worthy of commendation, having all the good points of the lightly-made foreign stove and all the solid advantages of the best English ones. They are fitted up immediately, and consume the very minimum amount of either coal or wood. We have often wondered that the working-classes, pestered as they often are with the apologies for cottage-ranges which arc found in the houses rented by them, do not remove, if only temporarily, these miserable scarecrows of iron, and replace them with effective and cheap articles, such as the portable cooking-stove now under review. It could be moved with their other effects when they leave the house, and would be even a valuable heirloom. We have just learnt that they are largely exported for foreign use, and are not surprised, as they will stand the roughest usage.
There are many other equally useful articles, large and small, to be seen in the establishment of Messrs. Brown and Green, but which we cannot particularise. We will, therefore, forbear to explain a range of theirs, fourteen feet in length, with four evens and three boilers, which is able to plain-cook for over 2,000 persons at a cost of less than an ounce of fuel per head, as this would take up considerable space. Neither can we describe their valuable ventilating-stoves, now so well known amongst us, and which are made of all sizes. In taking leave of this firm—who were the pioneers of close-ranges—we will only add that they were the recipients of the medals in 1862, 1865, and 1867; and that anything in the way of warming, cooking, and ventilating media can be seen, and seen well at their establishment It is a pleasure to be able to recommend it, for it is in itself an exhibition of all that is sound and enduring in cooking-machinery.
There is another genus of cooking-apparatus which, whilst not boasting the permanent character of those just mentioned, owing to their comparative slightness of structure, are nevertheless valuable beyond compare in small families.
We have just seen a stove of this description (the invention of Mrs. Amelia Lewis), at 420, Strand, London, which combines in itself economic heating with superior cooking. It is even handsome in its appearance, and fit for the sitting-room, but it is in - the saving of fuel where its chief forte may be said to lie.
Like other portable cooking-stoves it can be inserted into any flue, but, unlike some others, it has not too much iron surface, and in consequence of this it does not give off a superabundance of that close smell which is so often felt when near the common cooking-stoves. It can be lit rapidly and burns freely, but the draught is nevertheless held in good check, and its economy is perfect. It is almost impossible to overrate this stove as an adjunct to a kitchen-range in the scullery or still-room, but we quite agree with a critique which we have seen passed upon it to the effect that here is exactly the stove for use in the schools of cookery, which it is to be hoped will now speedily abound in the land, and for the delectation and convenience of those young ladies who wish to reproduce at home the viands which they have learned to prepare at those institutions. For the rest, the ' People's Stove' is equipped with all the accessories, and requires only cleaning out twice a week with a brush. The stew-pans are used in the ordinary way, and when not in use the pans can be
systematically packed away and occupy but littlespace. If an oven is required it is only necessary to place a baking-cover over the iron saucer, and that is fairly achieved. A one-opening stove will cook meals for two persons—a very good investment for a solitary bachelor or spinster; a two-opening stove • j with its utensils will cook for a small community; I and the three and four-opening ones will provide for 'the largest families. The larger sizes are roasters, j steamers, stewers, and bakers, one and divisible. The draughts of these stoves are regulated by dampers in the ordinary manner.
We cordially recommend our readers to visit for themselves the show-rooms of the National Food and Fuel Reform Association, and see these goods^ in full operation.
Another marvel in cooking-ranges is the 'Treasure ' range, sold by Mr. Constantine, of Fleet Street, and we spent a considerable time in examining the system upon which they are constructed; and after such examination we were bound to confess that theword 'treasure' was not unfairly assumed by theinventor of this economical stove. It is a homeproduced article, which will bear the utmost inspection, well made, well fitted up, and, unlike many others, endurable.
The 'design' is also recommendable; they leave no fuel unconsumed ; but what is most astonishing; is the small amount of fuel which they require. Wedo not know a better cooking-range of this particular kind, where a low first-cost is wanted, and at the same time an efficient labour-saving and spaceeconomising article. Many of our readers may recollect having seen it in a room in the south galleries of the International Exhibition of 1873; but even if they did so, and are on the look-out for a cooking contrivance of its special kind which will guarantee really an immense saving in coals, they will do wisely in sending for Mr. Constantine's illustrated catalogue.
We have also just paid a visit to the establishment of Messrs. Murdoch and Co. Lawrence Pountney Hill, Cannon Street, City, and have been much struck with the 'Livingstone' Range, which they manufacture in Scotland and sell very largely in England and all parts of the globe.
Like some of their other ranges it can be placed either in a fireplace or in front of a fireplace. It has the uncommon advantage moreover of being available away from a fireplace altogether, all that is wanted being a funnel for the withdrawal of the smoke. The range possesses a hot plate available for all purposes, a ventilated oven for baking or roasting, but besides this, the front of the fire can be used for the cooking of joints. This is a great desideratum, for game is spoilt by being baked in the oven. The fire can, however, be covered up when not required to be exposed, and in this manner the maximum of saving in fuel secured.
The hot-water supply is also admirable, the water cistern being made of copper tinned inside and standing above as well as below the level of the hot plate. This enables the ' Livingstone' range to hold a larger supply of hot water than any other stove kitchener or range that we remember to have noticed. And the upper part of the hot-water cistern can be used as a bain-marie, which is a wonderful adjunct in cooking. The cistern can easily be made to supply itself automatically. The heating of thfr water is done on a novel and economical system, and the cistern itself can be easily taken out and cleaned^
It is, however, in the small consumption of coal where the worth of these ranges lie. Only a little coal need be provided and the full value of such coal is extracted. Either wood or peat will also suit these stoves. As for the ashes, they fall into a secured pan. The range needs no particular setting, and in conclusion we can only repeat that we have been greatly taken with the 'Livingstone' kitchener.
KITCHEN-RANGES AND PORTABLE COOKING-STOVES.
BY W. EASSIE, C.E.
As we consider that some mention of these classes of goods cannot but be interesting to the readers of the Sanitary Record, we append the result of a visit to several establishments where such articles are sold.
The close ranges manufactured by Messrs. Brown and Green, of Luton and Bishopsgate Street, London, have often been lauded for the peculiar advantages which they possess over the'many common ranges. Instead of the usual door to one of these patterns the upper portion of the fire is enclosed with a cast-iron plate, so constructed as to fall down and form a trivet, upon which boiling can be performed when the fire is low. Should this trivet be used for roasting purposes its position excludes the usual current of cold air from passing over the fire, the effect of which is only to waste the fuel inside the bars. When this cast-iron plate becomes redhot it serves the purpose of roasting quite as well, in fact, as the open fire below. A series of small perforations in the upper part of the plate admit air-jets and so tend to assist in the consumption of the smoke. The grate space in which the fuel is burnt, though wide enough for roasting a good-sized joint, is, nevertheless, proportionately narrow from back to front, and by this arrangement the utmost value of the coal or; other fuel is realised. The sliding plate over the fire which forms the close range is also more handy than the lifting style of cover, which necessitates the use of a lever. As for ventilation two conical pipes, scientifically placed, assist the action of the door. The double oven range, five feet long, is fitted up with porcelain panels, and is a marvel of clean casting, whilst the polished wrought-iron mountings of the oven doors, etc., are equally commendable. Perhaps the most unique pattern of the series is that in which the fire is entirely enclosed with plates, which are allowed to get red-hot when roasting is going on, the draught being under command by a ventilator in the door of the ashpit— which latter is also enclosed. By this construction slow combustion is fairly attained, and coke can be used, the whole being free from dust and smoke. Where ranges are in request for burning all night without attention this last-described pattern is a most valuable desideratum.
The kitchen ranges proper made by this firm are equally commendable—and possess the great advantage of allowing meat to be roasted in front of the fire whilst the ovens are being used. They are also fitted up with boilers for bath and lavatory use, and the water before being withdrawn can be made to course in pipes so as to heat halls or conservatories. Some of the largest-sized ranges are fitted with several ovens and steamers, and these are admirably adapted for use in hotels, hospitals, and in public or large private establishments of every kind. They are simple of management, and avoid the annoyance of that close heat which prevails in most of our kitchens. The new patent' close ranges with an open chimney' are well adapted for use in kitchens badly ventilated, and where an absolutely close range would be found unbearable.
There is a class of cooking-stove which is inexpressibly valuable, not only in the house, but in temporary buildings, on board yachts, and the like— we mean a portable cooking-stove. The ' gem ' pattern of this firm is most worthy of commendation, having all the good points of the lightly-made foreign stove and all the solid advantages of the best English ones. They are fitted up immediately, and consume the very minimum amount of either coal or wood. We have often wondered that the working-classes, pestered as they often are with the apologies for cottage-ranges which arc found in the houses rented by them, do not remove, if only temporarily, these miserable scarecrows of iron, and replace them with effective and cheap articles, such as the portable cooking-stove now under review. It could be moved with their other effects when they leave the house, and would be even a valuable heirloom. We have just learnt that they are largely exported for foreign use, and are not surprised, as they will stand the roughest usage.
There are many other equally useful articles, large and small, to be seen in the establishment of Messrs. Brown and Green, but which we cannot particularise. We will, therefore, forbear to explain a range of theirs, fourteen feet in length, with four evens and three boilers, which is able to plain-cook for over 2,000 persons at a cost of less than an ounce of fuel per head, as this would take up considerable space. Neither can we describe their valuable ventilating-stoves, now so well known amongst us, and which are made of all sizes. In taking leave of this firm—who were the pioneers of close-ranges—we will only add that they were the recipients of the medals in 1862, 1865, and 1867; and that anything in the way of warming, cooking, and ventilating media can be seen, and seen well at their establishment It is a pleasure to be able to recommend it, for it is in itself an exhibition of all that is sound and enduring in cooking-machinery.
There is another genus of cooking-apparatus which, whilst not boasting the permanent character of those just mentioned, owing to their comparative slightness of structure, are nevertheless valuable beyond compare in small families.
We have just seen a stove of this description (the invention of Mrs. Amelia Lewis), at 420, Strand, London, which combines in itself economic heating with superior cooking. It is even handsome in its appearance, and fit for the sitting-room, but it is in - the saving of fuel where its chief forte may be said to lie.
Like other portable cooking-stoves it can be inserted into any flue, but, unlike some others, it has not too much iron surface, and in consequence of this it does not give off a superabundance of that close smell which is so often felt when near the common cooking-stoves. It can be lit rapidly and burns freely, but the draught is nevertheless held in good check, and its economy is perfect. It is almost impossible to overrate this stove as an adjunct to a kitchen-range in the scullery or still-room, but we quite agree with a critique which we have seen passed upon it to the effect that here is exactly the stove for use in the schools of cookery, which it is to be hoped will now speedily abound in the land, and for the delectation and convenience of those young ladies who wish to reproduce at home the viands which they have learned to prepare at those institutions. For the rest, the ' People's Stove' is equipped with all the accessories, and requires only cleaning out twice a week with a brush. The stew-pans are used in the ordinary way, and when not in use the pans can be
systematically packed away and occupy but littlespace. If an oven is required it is only necessary to place a baking-cover over the iron saucer, and that is fairly achieved. A one-opening stove will cook meals for two persons—a very good investment for a solitary bachelor or spinster; a two-opening stove • j with its utensils will cook for a small community; I and the three and four-opening ones will provide for 'the largest families. The larger sizes are roasters, j steamers, stewers, and bakers, one and divisible. The draughts of these stoves are regulated by dampers in the ordinary manner.
We cordially recommend our readers to visit for themselves the show-rooms of the National Food and Fuel Reform Association, and see these goods^ in full operation.
Another marvel in cooking-ranges is the 'Treasure ' range, sold by Mr. Constantine, of Fleet Street, and we spent a considerable time in examining the system upon which they are constructed; and after such examination we were bound to confess that theword 'treasure' was not unfairly assumed by theinventor of this economical stove. It is a homeproduced article, which will bear the utmost inspection, well made, well fitted up, and, unlike many others, endurable.
The 'design' is also recommendable; they leave no fuel unconsumed ; but what is most astonishing; is the small amount of fuel which they require. Wedo not know a better cooking-range of this particular kind, where a low first-cost is wanted, and at the same time an efficient labour-saving and spaceeconomising article. Many of our readers may recollect having seen it in a room in the south galleries of the International Exhibition of 1873; but even if they did so, and are on the look-out for a cooking contrivance of its special kind which will guarantee really an immense saving in coals, they will do wisely in sending for Mr. Constantine's illustrated catalogue.
We have also just paid a visit to the establishment of Messrs. Murdoch and Co. Lawrence Pountney Hill, Cannon Street, City, and have been much struck with the 'Livingstone' Range, which they manufacture in Scotland and sell very largely in England and all parts of the globe.
Like some of their other ranges it can be placed either in a fireplace or in front of a fireplace. It has the uncommon advantage moreover of being available away from a fireplace altogether, all that is wanted being a funnel for the withdrawal of the smoke. The range possesses a hot plate available for all purposes, a ventilated oven for baking or roasting, but besides this, the front of the fire can be used for the cooking of joints. This is a great desideratum, for game is spoilt by being baked in the oven. The fire can, however, be covered up when not required to be exposed, and in this manner the maximum of saving in fuel secured.
The hot-water supply is also admirable, the water cistern being made of copper tinned inside and standing above as well as below the level of the hot plate. This enables the ' Livingstone' range to hold a larger supply of hot water than any other stove kitchener or range that we remember to have noticed. And the upper part of the hot-water cistern can be used as a bain-marie, which is a wonderful adjunct in cooking. The cistern can easily be made to supply itself automatically. The heating of thfr water is done on a novel and economical system, and the cistern itself can be easily taken out and cleaned^
It is, however, in the small consumption of coal where the worth of these ranges lie. Only a little coal need be provided and the full value of such coal is extracted. Either wood or peat will also suit these stoves. As for the ashes, they fall into a secured pan. The range needs no particular setting, and in conclusion we can only repeat that we have been greatly taken with the 'Livingstone' kitchener.
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