K I T 
with and fufpended in the fluid. On the fame principle, 
he attempts to explain why the French nation has been 
remarked for its fondnefs of foups: “It is frequently 
n(eful, and is always amuflng, to trace the differences in 
the cuftoms and ufages of different countries to their 
caufes. The French have for ages been remarkable for 
their fondnefs of foups, and for their fkill in preparing 
them ; now, as national habits of this kind mult necefi'a- 
rily originate at a very early period of fociety, and mud 
depend on peculiar local circumftances, may not the pre¬ 
valence of the culfom of eating foup in France be afcribed 
to the open chimney fire-places and wood-fires, which 
have ever been common in that country? It is certain 
that in the infancy of fociety, before the arts had made 
any confiderable progrefs, families cooked their victuals 
by the fame fire which wanned themfelves. Kitchens 
then were not known ; and the utenlils ufed in cooking 
were extremely fimpie, an earthen pot perhaps fet down 
before the fire. We have jult feen, that with fucli an ap¬ 
paratus foups of the very belt qualities would naturally 
be produced ; and it is not furprifing, that a whole na¬ 
tion fliould-acquire a fondnefs for a fpecies of food, not 
only excellent in its kind, but cheap, nutritious, and 
wholefome, and'eafily prepared. Had coals been the fuel 
ufed in France, it is not likely that foups would have 
been fo generally adopted in that country; for a common 
coal-fire is not favourable for making good foups; al¬ 
though with a little management the very beft foups may 
be made, and every other procefs of cookery be perform¬ 
ed, in the kigheji perfection, with any kind of fuel.” 10th 
EITay, ad part. 
The 3d part of the fame efl'ay is chiefly occupied with 
the confideration of the belt materials for making kitchen- 
utenfils. At prefent, copper is generally adopted ; but 
objections have been frequently urged againlt it, and are 
forcibly Itated in this work, founded on the poifonous 
quality which that metal poflefles, when fullered to ac¬ 
quire the leaft portion of ru(l. So far as health is con¬ 
cerned, iron is a l'ufnciently-good fubftitute; but the dif¬ 
ficulty of keeping it clean is very great; and it is apt to 
communicate to the food both an unplealhnt colour and 
an aftringent tafte. To prevent this evil, the count pro- 
pofes that caft iron only fliall be employed ; it is lefs lia¬ 
ble to ruft ; and, by proper management, it may have its 
infide coated with a folid cruft of brown oxyd, which 
will not communicate any tafte or colour to the food, and 
will prevent the metal from being farther corroded. On 
the whole, however, earthen vefiels are recommended as, 
in many refpeCts, the molt proper to be employed ; yet 
thefe are frequently covered with a kind of glazing, into 
the compofition of which lead enters, and which is liable 
to be afreCted by acids ; and, though this objection to the 
ufe of earthen vefiels may be removed by their being 
glazed with common fait, ftill their brittlenefs prevents 
them from being employed in thofe operations in which 
they are to be expofed to fudden alternations of heat and 
cold. This defeCt, however, is in fome meafure counter¬ 
acted by conftruCting the vefiels as nearly as pollible in the 
globular form, and making them as thin as may be confid¬ 
ent with the ufe to which they are intended to be applied. 
The next chapter is devoted to 1 'ome remarks on cook¬ 
ing by Iteam. The author obferves that, in the ufual way 
in which this procefs is conducted, there is an unnecef- 
fary expenditure of heat, in confequence of the vefiels 
and tubes being expofed to the air; hut this lol's of heat 
is prevented by having the fleam-veflel coated with wood, 
and by the adoption of a contrivance which he calls a 
Jleam-rim, to prevent the efcape of the fteam round the 
edge of the lid. This invention confilts in a daplicature 
of the upper part of the fides of the vefiels into a kind of 
groove, and in a circular rim fixed to the under furface 
of the lid which fits into this groove. The count points 
out, at fonie length, the advantages of fteam-cooking, in 
which we are much inclined to agree with him; §nd he 
K I T 771 
enlarges, as ufual, on the fuperior goodnefs of meat boiled 
in this manner. 
In the gth chapter, the author proceeds in his account 
of various kitchen-utenlils, and particularly directs the 
attention to the different kind of boilers. He defcribes 
what he calls an univefal kitchen boiler, in which feveral 
articles may be drefl'ed at the fame time, without inter¬ 
fering with each other, or confuming a large quantity of 
fuel. Hence he is led to propofea new method of warm¬ 
ing rooms, by means of a Jieam-Jiove. It confifts of a vef- 
fel in which water is to be boiled over a clofed fire-place ; 
above tlie boiler, a large refervoir is placed to receive the 
Iteam; and, by the heat thrown out from this veflel, the 
air in the room is warmed. There are fituations in which, 
we conceive, an apparatus of this kind might be conve¬ 
nient and economical; but we have no expectation nor 
defire of feeing it fubftituted in our apartments for tire 
open grate. Rumford's EJfays, Political, Economical, and Phi - 
lofophical, 1805. 
The kitchen in the king’s houfehold is under the di¬ 
rection and management of a clerk-comptroller, who has 
a falary of 500I. a-year, fubordinate clerk at 2501. a-year, 
firft clerk at 150I. a-year, junior clerks, two malter- 
cooks, the falary of the firft being 237I. 10s. a-year, and 
of the fecond 217I. xos. a-year; yeomen, grooms, &c. 
An army-kitchen is a fpace of about lixteen or eighteen 
feet diameter, with a ditch furrounding it three feet wide ; 
the oppofite bank of which ferves as a feat for the men 
who drefs the victuals. The kitchens of the flank com¬ 
panies are contiguous to the outline of the camp ; and 
the intermediate fpace is generally diltributed equally for 
the remaining kitchens ; and, as each tent forms a mefs, 
each kitchen muft have as many fire-places as there are 
tents in the company. 
KIT'CHEN-GAR'DEN, f. Garden in which efculcnt 
plants are produced.—Gardens, if planted with fuch things 
as are fit for food, are called kitchen-gardens. Bacon. —A 
kitchen-gar den is a more pleafant fight then the finefi: 
orangery. Spectator. 
KIT'CHEN-MAID, f. A maid under the cook, whofe 
bufinefs is to clean the utenlils of the kitchen. 
KIT'CHEN-STUFF, f. The fat of meat feummed off 
the pot, or gathered out of the dripping-pan: 
As a thrifty wench ferapes kilchen-Jhf, 
And barreling the droppings and the fnuff 
Of walling candles, which in thirty year, 
Reliquely kept, perchance buys wedding cheer. Donne. 
KIT'CHEN-WENCH, f. Sculiion ; maid employed to 
clean the inllruments of cookery.—Laura to his lady was 
but a kitchen-wench. Skakejpeare. —Roafting and boiling 
leave to the kitchen-wench. Swift. 
KIT'CHEN-WORK, f. Cookery ; work done in the 
kitchen. 
KIT'CHIK-IOURLOU', or K itsik-iourlou, a town 
of Afiatic Turkey, in Natolia: lixteen miles north of If- 
barteh. 
KITCHWA'RA, a circar of Hindooftan, in Malwa, 
bounded on the north by the circar of Cotta, on the ealt 
by Chundaree, on the fouth by Malwa, and on the weft 
by Oudipour and Banfwaleh. 
KITE, f. [cyta, Sax.] A bird of prey that infefts 
farms, and fteals chickens. See Falco.— The heron, 
when file loareth high, fo as fometimes lhe is feen to pafs 
over a cloud, Ihoweth winds; but kites, flying aloft, fhevv 
fair and dry weather. Bacon. —A leopard and a cat feem 
to differ jult as a kite doth from an eagle. Grew. 
More pity than the eagle fiionld be mew’d. 
While kites and buzzards prey at liberty. Shakefpcare. ■ 
A name of reproach denoting rapacity.—Detefted kitet 
thou lieft. Shake/p. King Lear. —A fiffiticus bird made of 
paper.—A man may have a great eftate conveyed to him j 
but, if he will madly burn, or childiflrly make paper kites, 
ot'y 
