Miscellaneous
French Words in Cooking
Aspic:—Savory jelly for cold dishes.
Au gratin:—Dishes prepared with sauce and crumbs and baked.
Bouchées:—Very thin patties or cakes, as name indicates—mouthfuls.
Baba:—A peculiar, sweet French yeast cake.
Bechamel:—A rich, white sauce made with stock.
Bisque:—A white soup made of shell fish.
To Blanch:—To place any article on the fire till it boils, then plunge it in cold water; to whiten poultry, vegetables, etc. To remove the skin by immersing in boiling water.
Bouillon:—A clear soup, stronger than broth, yet not so strong as consommé, which is “reduced” soup.
Braisé:—Meat cooked in a closely covered stewpan, so that it retains its own flavor and those of the vegetables and flavorings put with it.
Brioche:—A very rich, unsweetened French cake made with yeast.
Cannelon:—Stuffed rolled-up meat.
Consommé:—Clear soup or bouillon boiled down till very rich, i.e. consumed.
Croquettes:—A savory mince of fish or fowl, made with sauce into shapes, and fried.
Croustades:—Fried forms of bread to serve minces or other meats upon.
Entrée:—A small dish, usually served between the courses at dinner.
Fondue:—A light preparation of melted cheese.
Fondant:—Sugar boiled and beaten to a creamy paste.
Hollandaise Sauce:—A rich sauce, something like hot mayonnaise.
Matelote:—A rich fish stew, with wine.
Mayonnaise:—A rich salad dressing.
Meringue:—Sugar and white of egg beaten to sauce.
Marmade:—A liquor of spices, vinegar, etc., in which fish or meats are steeped before cooking.
Miroton:—Cold meat warmed in various ways, and dished in circular form.
Purse:—This name is given to very thick soups, the ingredients for thickening which have been rubbed through a sieve.
Poulette Sauce:—A bechamel sauce, to which white wine and sometimes eggs are added.
Ragout:—A rich, brown stew, with mushrooms, vegetables, etc.
Piquante:—A sauce of several flavors, acid predominating.
Quenelles:—Forcemeat with bread, yolks of eggs highly seasoned, and formed with a spoon to an oval shape; then poached and used either as a dish by themselves, or to garnish.
Remoulade:—A salad dressing differing from mayonnaise, in that the eggs are hard boiled and rubbed in a mortar with mustard, herbs, etc.
Rissole:—Rich mince of meat or fish rolled in thin pastry and fried.
Roux:—A cooked mixture of butter and flour, for thickening soups and stews.
Salmi:—A rich stew of game, cut up and dressed, when half roasted.
Sauter:—To toss meat, etc., over the fire, in a little fat.
Soufflé:—A very light, much whipped-up pudding or omelette.
Timbale:—A sort of pie in a mold.
Vol au vents:—Patties of very light puff paste, made without a dish or mold, and filled with meat or preserves, etc.
Catherine Owen, in Good Housekeeping.
ARTICLES REQUIRED FOR THE KITCHEN.
The following list will show what articles are necessary for the kitchen, and will be quite an aid to young housekeepers when about commencing to furnish the utensils needed in the kitchen department, and may prove useful to many.
3 Sweeping brooms and 1 dust-pan.
1 Whisk broom.
1 Bread box.
2 Cake boxes.
1 Large flour box.
1 Dredging box.
1 Large-sized tin pepper box.
1 Spice box containing smaller spice boxes.
2 Cake pans, two sizes.
4 Bread pans.
2 Square biscuit pans.
1 Apple corer.
1 Lemon squeezer.
1 Meat cleaver.
3 Kitchen knives and forks.
1 Large kitchen fork and 4 kitchen spoons, two sizes.
1 Wooden spoon for cake making.
1 Large bread knife.
1 Griddle cake turner, also 1 griddle.
1 Potato masher.
1 Meat board.
1 Dozen patty pans; and the same number of tartlet pans.
1 Large tin pail and 1 wooden pail.
2 Small tin pails.
1 Set of tin basins.
1 Set of tin measures.
1 Wooden butter ladle.
1 Tin skimmer.
1 Tin steamer.
2 Dippers, two sizes.
2 Funnels, two sizes.
1 Set of jelly cake tins.
4 Pie pans.
3 Pudding molds, one for boiling, two for baking, two sizes.
2 Dish pans, two sizes.
2 Cake or biscuit cutters, two sizes.
2 Graters, one large and one small.
1 Coffee canister.
1 Tea canister.
1 Tin or granite-ware teapot.
1 Tin or granite-ware coffeepot.
4 Milk pans, 1 milk strainer.
1 Dozen iron gem pans or muffin rings.
1 Coarse gravy strainer, 1 fine strainer.
1 Colander.
1 Flour sifter.
2 Scoops, one for flour, one for sugar.
2 Jelly molds, two sizes.
1 Can opener, 1 egg beater.
1 Cork screw.
1 Chopping-knife.
2 Wooden chopping-bowls, two sizes.
1 Meat saw.
2 Large earthen bowls.
4 Stone jars.
1 Coffee mill.
1 Candlestick.
2 Market baskets, two sizes.
1 Clock.
1 Ash bucket.
1 Gridiron.
2 Frying pans or spiders, two sizes.
4 Flat-irons, 2 number 8 and 2 number 6.
2 Dripping pans, two sizes.
3 Iron kettles, porcelain lined if possible.
1 Corn beef or fish kettle.
1 Tea-kettle.
2 Granite-ware stewpans, two sizes.
1 Wire toaster.
1 Double kettle for cooking custards, grains, etc.
2 Sugar boxes, one for coarse and one for fine sugar.
1 Waffle iron.
1 Step ladder.
1 Stove, 1 coal shovel.
1 Pair of scales.
2 Coal hods or buckets.
1 Kitchen table, 2 kitchen chairs.
1 Large clothes basket.
1 Wash boiler, 1 wash board.
8 Dozen clothes pins.
1 Large nail hammer and one small tack hammer.
1 Bean pot.
1 Clothes wringer.
An ingenious housewife will manage to do with less conveniences, but these articles, if they can be purchased in the commencement of housekeeping, will save time and labor, making the preparation of food more easy—and it is always economy in the end to get the best material in all wares, as, for instance, the double plate tin will last for years, whereas the poor kind has to be replaced in a short time; the low-priced earthenware is soon broken up, whereas the strong stoneware, costing but a trifle more, lasts almost a lifetime.
In relation to the economy and management of the kitchen, I might suggest that the most essential thing is cleanliness in cooking, and also cleanliness with your person as well as in the keeping of the kitchen.
The hands of the cook should be always thoroughly cleansed before touching or handling anything pertaining to the cooking. Next there should never be anything wasted or thrown away that can be turned to account, either for your own family or some family in poor circumstances. Bread that has become hard can be used for toasting, or for stuffing and pudding. In warm weather any gravies or soups that are left from the preceding day should be boiled up and poured into clean pans. This is particularly necessary where vegetables have been added to the preparation, as it then so soon turns sour. In cooler weather, every other day will be often enough to warm up these things. In cooking, clear as you go; that is to say, do not allow a host of basins, plates, spoons, and other utensils, to accumulate on the dressers and tables whilst you are engaged in preparing the dinner. By a little management and forethought, much confusion may be saved in this way. It is as easy to put a thing in its place when it is done with, as it is to keep continually moving it to find room for fresh requisites. For instance, after making a pudding, the flour-tub, paste-board, and rolling-pin, should be put away, and any basins, spoons, etc., should be neatly packed up near the sink, to be washed when the proper time arrives. Neatness, order and method should be always observed.
Never let your stock of spices, salt, seasoning, herbs, etc., dwindle down so low that some day, in the midst of preparing a large dinner, you find yourself minus a very important ingredient, thereby causing much confusion and annoyance.
After you have washed your saucepans, fish-kettle, etc., stand them before the fire for a few minutes to get thoroughly dry inside, before putting them away. They should then be kept in a dry place, in order that they may escape the deteriorating influence of rust, and thereby be quickly destroyed. Never leave saucepans dirty from one day’s use to be cleaned the next; it is slovenly and untidy.
Do not be afraid of hot water in washing up dishes and dirty cooking utensils. As these are essentially greasy, luke-warm water cannot possibly have the effect of cleansing them effectually. Do not be chary also of changing and renewing the water occasionally. You will thus save yourself much time and labor in the long run.
Keep a cake of sapolio always on hand in the kitchen—always convenient for rubbing off stains from earthenware, tin, glass, in fact, almost everything but silver; it is a cheap and valuable article, and can be purchased at nearly every grocery in the United States.