192 On the Construction of Kitchen 



Of the Imperfections of the Kitchen Fire-places now 

 in comment Use. 



The great fault in the construction and arrangement 

 of the kitchens of private families now in common use 

 in most countries, and particularly in Great Britain and 

 Ireland (a fault from which all their other imperfections 

 arise), is that they are not closed. The fuel is burned 

 in a long open grate called a kitchen range, over which 

 the pots and kettles are freely suspended, or placed on 

 stands ; or fires are made with charcoal in square holes, 

 called stoves in a solid mass of brick-work, and connected 

 with no flue to carry off the smoke, over which holes 

 stewpans or saucepans are placed on tripods, or on bars 

 of iron, exposed on every side to the cold air of the at- 

 mosphere. 



The loss of heat and waste of fuel in these kitchens 

 is altogether incredible ; but there are other evils attend- 

 ing them, which are, perhaps, still more important. All 

 the various processes in which fire is used in prepar- 

 ing food for the table are extremely unpleasant and 

 troublesome in these kitchens, not only on account of 

 the excessive heat to which those are exposed who are 

 employed in them, but also and more especially on 

 account of the noxious exhalations from the burning 

 charcoal, and the currents of cold air in the kitchen, 

 which are occasioned by the strong draught up the 

 chimney. 



It is sufficient to have once been in a kitchen when 

 dinner was preparing for a large company, or even 

 merely to have met the cook coming sweltering out of 

 it, to be convinced that the business of cooking, as it is 

 now performed, is both disagreeable and unwholesome ; 



