Kitchen Essential

For a celebration dinner or lunch at Easter, choose colours to create a spring flavour. A bright yellow, green and yellow, or white and yellow cloth with matching or contrasting napkins will set a sunny mood, and napkins can be folded into rabbits’ ears for a bit of fun. Bright, flowery china with a predominantly yellow or green pattern will look good against the cloth. Fill a large jug with masses of bright spring flowers — daffodils, jonquils, narcissi, etc. — and place in the middle of the table.

If there are children at the party lay a brightly-wrapped Easter egg and a little fluffy chick or rabbit at each place. Hand-painted eggs also make very good decorations to brighten up the table. At intervals on the table lay little dishes filled with one or other of the following: green Turkish delight, pale green fondant mints, yellow and white sugared almonds, or green grapes dipped in beaten egg-white and castor sugar. Continue Reading »

Canework and rush

Canework should be vacuum-dusted using a rubber upholstery nozzle. Old and grubby cane can be cleaned using a soft brush and a minimum of warm, slightly soapy water. Do small sections at a time; wipe away any soap traces with a clean damp cloth and pat dry with a colourfast towel. Rush seating should be similarly vacuumed. Avoid using water unless advised otherwise when purchasing.

Most modern bamboo, cane and rushwork is `sealed’ during manufacturing stages with chemical agents. Be extra careful to make a permanent note of the furniture maker’s cleaning instructions. Continue Reading »

Herbs, spices, flavourings, colourings and decorations are just as important
to good cookery as the basic ingredients

THERE are a number of things, apart I from basics- like tea and flour, which everyone ought to keep in their kitchen. They crop up, as apparently minor ingredients, in countless recipes, but they are important. They are as vital, in their way, as the contents of a sewing basket, and a cook will need them to work on the basic materials. If you have not got them at hand, you must either forgo the dish you intended to make, or make it imperfectly. Continue Reading »

Dry salting and other methods

In addition to the strong brines which I favour for use in most of my own smoking and curing operations, and the sweet pickle brine already described for use during other processes, I will also outline alternative brining methods and seasoning techniques, and dry salting methods for fish curing which you may prefer since dry salting removes more water from the fish during the curing process than does brining. The smoking process can then be shortened, as the fish only needs to make half the total required weight loss during actual smoking as the other half has already been lost during dry salting. Continue Reading »

Shrimps can either be cold smoked whole or as peeled meats. For the former method, the shrimps should have the heads removed and are then washed and drained for 30 minutes. They are then brined for 30 - 60 minutes (according to preference) in 40% brine (1 lb 3 oz salt to 1 gallon water), then boiled in the brine or in plain water, again according to taste, for 30 minutes. The shrimps are then allowed to air dry on racks for 2 hours.

Smoking

The shrimps are then placed in the kiln and smoking is carried out for 1 - 1¹/2 hours at a temperature of 80^° F. The yield of smoked meats after shelling is approximately 36% of the whole raw shrimp weight. Continue Reading »

Razor clams should first be steamed for 10 minutes to open them. The meats should be shaken out and the clams should be cleaned by removing the stomachs and splitting open the necks. They should then be washed and cut into sections. The clams should be soaked in 60% brine (1 lb 14 oz salt to 1 gallon of water) for 5 minutes, then rinsed in cold water and drained on racks for 15 minutes. Continue Reading »

At its most basic, the kitchen is the engine room that drives the long food processing chain. This stretches from the farmlands and oceans that produce our food to the landfills, rivers, and seas that take the eventual wastes and rubbish. But the chain does not start with the food growers and processors — it starts with you. For it is what each individual consumer decides to buy that ultimately determines the produce — and the price — from the growers and the food industry. The purse is very influential and we, as consumers, have both power and responsibility for making choices. Continue Reading »

The kitchen is the heart of the house, the centre of consumption, the hub of daily life. It is the place where family and friends gather to eat, drink, and chat, share their joys, or solve their problems. It is the base of all domestic operations and the one place where we can “act locally”, and play an active part in protecting the health of ourselves and that of the wider environment.

The kitchen of childhood dreams is a place full of appetizing and tantalizing smells, a farmhouse kitchen, perhaps, hung with polished copper pots and pans and warmed by a glowing fire. However, behind that dream lay the reality for the housewife of long hours of tiring work stoking fires, heating water, hand-washing and ironing, scrubbing and polishing, and cooking. Continue Reading »

For many people a country walk at Easter is a good old tradition. It gets you out into the country and you are able to enjoy the fact that spring has arrived to the full. Also, Easter is a traditional time for visiting; relatives or friends come to stay for a couple of days for a short holiday with you, or the children are back home again. If you want to surprise your guests, then maybe this idea will appeal to you — round off your Easter walk with a rustic, country Easter celebration.

What to do:

Create a mossy dell on your table! A moss arrangement stands in the centre, which you can design with the help of the whole family. All of you can also bring together the other components and prepare them. Continue Reading »

The table illustrated here is not just a still life; it is a compilation of a small selection of things which are used as decorations for various tables in this book. This should give you a fewideas about the many accessories whichsurround you in your house.

Every container, every sculpture, pretty stones or shells, decorative ribbons or marbles can provide you with ideas for table decorations. Don’t be afraid to use simple, everyday items from house and garden, or even foodstuffs. What about wire, pieces of cloth, sand, old pots or flasks, balls, candles, mirrors or even toy cars? What is wrong with a large cabbage or asparagus as a replacement for, or addition to, flowers? Why not use fifty sharpened pencils for an accountant’s fiftieth birthday party table? Or why not put brown leaves on the table, when we enjoy them so much outdoors in autumn? Continue Reading »

The history of crockery is a chequered one. There were times when nobles and merchants tried to outdo each other with beautiful china. In fact the splendour on the table was more important than the food on the plates. The finest porcelain (known as white gold) was painted with in several layers and decorated with gold leaf. Simplicity was the last thing anyone had in mind.

More recent times have provided us with cheap paper and plastic crockery. It didn’t matter whether it looked good or not — the most important thing was that it was practical. Decorated and disposable items are all crockery, but there is a world of difference between them. Continue Reading »

Work surfaces

A good cook will insist on an efficient kitchen that saves unnecessary work. Careful planning must go into the kitchen layout. The most satisfactory plan often links, in a triangular path, the three basic elements — cooker, sink, and food storage — to the preparation centres. They should be located in a compact sequence and not too far apart in order to save unnecessary movements. But personal preferences and styles and methods of working are also important, and you may want to have cookware and utensils within easy reach, as well as such ingredients as oils and condiments. If you spend much time cooking and baking, you may decide to have mini work centres conveniently located around the kitchen for such activities as chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients, baking, and other space-demanding tasks, such as bottling and making preserves, beer, and wines. Continue Reading »

When you change from processed to fresh and whole foods you will need less room for packaged, canned, and frozen produce, but at the same time more space for fresh leaf and root vegetables, fruit, dry staples, such as pulses, rice, pasta, dried fruit, and home preserves. Modern kitchens are rarely designed for storing bulky items and hardly ever have access to the old, efficient larder or pantry, or to a cellar or basement. A healthier diet, with raw or lightly cooked vegetables and less meat, will cut down on cooking but requires more varied preparation space. You will also need extra bins for sorting waste for recycling and composting.

A simpler lifestyle requires fewer gadgets and less equipment, necessitating fewer built-in cupboards. Ideally, you will have a larder, but if this is not possible, you will need a food cupboard sited against a cool external wall with several vents to the outside. Continue Reading »

The kitchen should, ideally, be a warm and friendly place, somewhere full of activity, busy, and comfortable so that family or friends will naturally gravitate there to chat or eat or even to read or work. For some, the traditional farmhouse kitchen with its central table is the ideal; while others prefer a clear and uncluttered space in which to prepare and cook food and a separate area for eating and relaxing. With young children, you will need a corner out of harm’s way but where you can keep an eye on them; you will also want a clear view of any outdoor play area.

Since food is handled in the kitchen, it, more than any other space, must be toxin and pollution free. Hygiene is obviously important, but there is no point using products that leave surfaces with a “sparkling clean” shine disguising a residual slick of harmful chemicals. Many safe, natural alternatives are available. Continue Reading »

Serving

As long as there is sufficient work surface beside the hob, the oven or the free-standing cooker on which to put plates and serving dishes, there should be few problems.

Within the serving area there should be convenient storage for oven gloves, serving spoons, plates and serving dishes.

Dishwashing

This is often a part of the preparation area. However, if the kitchen is large enough, it may be worth considering a separate dishwashing zone, close to the eating area. This zone will accommodate the waste disposal unit or a rubbish bin and, ideally, a dishwasher. Twin sinks should be large enough to hold a grill pan.

The hob should be linked by a worktop to the sink. It should also have ample work surfaces on both sides of it. Kettle, tea, coffee, cups and saucers are best kept close to the sink. Toasters should be on a work surface or shelf near to the bread. Deep drawers for bread storage are preferable to bins on the work surface. Continue Reading »

How should you cook in a healthy and conserving way and yet still be able to enjoy the results of your efforts? Consider in the first place whether the food, in fact, needs to be cooked for lengthy periods of time. A healthy diet depends to a large degree on foods that are as near to their natural state as possible, thus retaining their vitamin content and nutritional value.

Vegetables should be absolutely fresh, preferably young, and they should be prepared with the minimum of wastage. Fresh raw vegetables and fruit are highly nutritious and retain most of the minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and fibre often destroyed by cooking. They are also good for the teeth and digestion. You can eat the overwhelming majority of vegetables raw, after thorough preparation, which includes washing them thoroughly to remove any trace of possible pesticide residues. You should peel some vegetables, including commercially grown carrots, for the same reason. Raw root vegetables, potatoes apart, are excellent grated and have better, more distinct flavours than when cooked. Leaf and stem vegetables should always be perfectly fresh whether you intend to eat them raw or cook them, since the vitamin and mineral contents decline rapidly once they are harvested. Continue Reading »

Do you like visiting the countryside, tracking down plants and animals and perhaps spending a few happy,relaxed hours in the open-air?

If you enjoy rustic meals in the country, then this table decoration will surely fire your imagination as a hostess. Enchant your guests with the magic of a rural still life on the table. This decorative idea can be put into practice very easily in any little green corner.

What to do:

The materials and objects used here should all reflect the natural, rural atmosphere. Continue Reading »

Table decorations can tell a story - either to suit the occasion, or with reference to the guests, the host or the hostess. The example here is for the birthday of an architect, which is celebrated in a fitting setting.

The table here is not meant to be a work desk, but one for relaxation. The materials and equipment which surround the birthday boy or girl at work appear here and act as interesting conversation pieces.

What to do:

Of course, the basis of the table should be plans or blueprints spread across the table. Don’t be afraid to lay plans and drawings at angles across each other. Your guests will have more to discover and the individual plans won’t look like place mats. You can also position a few rolled-up blueprints decoratively on the table. Continue Reading »

Everyone has their own pet ideas on storing items that no standard kitchen unit could accommodate. For example, units don’t provide little hooks for all those rubber bands we can’t bear to throw away! So full marks to those British kitchen unit manufacturers who do look beyond merely what their Continental rivals provide, and actually try to see what the housewife really needs.

Recipes and recipe books are never provided for. Recipe cards or small notes are not easy to handle whilst making a new cake for the first time. A bulldog clip and a cup-hook attached to the underside of the wall unit solves this problem. Attach the recipe to the bulldog clip and simply hang it on the hook! Winchmore Kitchens have produced a recipe book holder which looks, when closed, like part of the pelmet concealing the strip light under the wall cupboard. When it is pulled out it holds the book — just like a mini-lectern. Continue Reading »

Tinned ware

Tinned ware is mild steel coated with tin, and is used for cake tins, ring moulds, baking tins, wire whisks, etc. The tin is silvery when new but darkens with use. Don’t use abrasive cleaners which will scratch the tin coating. Soak off burned-on food. If pieces get really dirty, soak in weak solution of bicarbonate of soda or boil up in a solution of washing soda. Rinse. Always dry very thoroughly so there is no chance of the base metal rusting.

Flameproof

If a cooking pot is flameproof it can be used on top of the stove. Continue Reading »