Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 265, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1916 — ABOUT THE KITCHEN [ARTICLE]

ABOUT THE KITCHEN

SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS FOR EVERY CAREFUL HOUSEWIFE. How to Remedy Several Possible Defect* and Lighten the Work of the Home—Proper Lighting

Many of us read newspaper articles and books, listen to lectures and give advice on household management. But we forget to look at our own kitchens. Here are some pointed and pertinent questions for you to.ask yourself:. Is your kitchen properly lighted? Is a shadow cast on the sink by the person who washes dishes? Very often the only light in a small kitchen is In the center and, as the sink is always at the side of the room, it is awkwardly placed for the one who washes dishes after lights are on. An old-fashioned oil lamp placed on a wall bracket to the left of the sink and a foot or so above the head remedies this defect Another remedy consists In screwing a double fixture In the electric light socket in the center of the room and from one socket of this running a drop light to a hook above the sink.

Probably you cook by gas. If you do, is the stove in perfect working condition? Is the force of the gas what it ought to be? Do all the stops turn easily and are they tight? Is there any odor of escaping gas about the stove? It costs only a few cents to keep a gas stove In ship-shape, and if there is any defect in yours you should send immediately for a repair man. If you cook bv coal: Are the draughts clear and what they, ought to be? It not only saves fuel, but saves your own strength to have all these things attended to.

Is your'refrigerator in a convenient place? Ideally it should be in a recess accessible to both the kitchen and the porch, so that the ice man can fill it without going through the kitchen. It should not be*near the stove. Yet the amount of ice saved by having the refrigerator in the cellar is usually counteracted by the consequent fatigue of the cook or housewife. So have your refrigerator placed as conveniently for everybody as possible. See that the drain is clean and that it does not leak. If there are any very large cracks in the refrigerator lining, they should be repaired. Are the cooking implements convenient to the places where they are used? Are the kettles and frying pans within arm’s reach of the stove? Are soup ladles, basting spoons and meat forks within the same easy distance? Are dishpan and draining pan, with dish mop, clothes, soap and scouring implements, all neatly placed about the sink? Have you a comfortable place to mix cakes, puddings and other dishes? There is no reason why you should not be seated for a good deal of the Cooking. A high stool is comfortable and easy to move about. If possible, a shelf or table beneath a window is a good work table for the cook or housewife.