Cooking Alone

by Kathleen Le Riche

  This was the end of all garbage hoarding, and not a fly was to be seen.

  His accommodation was lavish, he was told, though it seemed to him skimpy enough, “But what”, said his friend, “if you had only a bed-sitter, like mine?”

  IV

  THE BED-SITTER

  “Are you really a bed-sitter, or is it that you rent a bedsitter?”

  “In truth it is a studio. Not that I paint. But it is large enough for all the functions,” said he. “In one corner I sleep, in another I dine, in another I have my desk for work and in the fourth I cook.”

  “And wash up?”

  “Fortunately there is an offshoot with a bath and washing facilities. But my cooking equipment is arranged around and under my table cooker, all quite decently concealed, as you see, by that rather smart washable curtain.”

  Against the wall was a wooden kind of plaque screwed with many pegs like a dart-board for the things which can hang, and in a white-wood cupboard were the things which stood. The minimum needs he counted carefully.

  EQUIPMENT

  A strong steady TABLE with smoothly running drawers for cutlery and linen, with a projecting edge on which can be screwed a mincer, vegetable peelers, etc., and on which may be safely stood a TABLE COOKER, whether gas or electricity; these are now made conveniently with a boiler-griller top and tiny oven, so that the food on cooking plates or dishes can be made hot over the top and under it without wasting any heat. See Note page 24.

  A metal COLD SAFE for storing quickly perishable foods.

  A plastic BOWL—dirt resistant and unbreakable, in which to wash vegetables, mix dough, and for washing up.

  Strong SAUCEPAN with two short handles, for use over the heat and inside the oven as a casserole dish.

  COLANDER with graduated base to fit various sizes of saucepans.

  GLASS LID that is a dinner plate with a graduated base to fit any pan and which is thus made hot—ready to eat from.

  Fireproof glass, enamel which does not chip, or earthenware DISHES:

  One shallow, which can be used over the heat and under the grill, from which food may be eaten.

  One deep dish for cooking larger quantities.

  CASSEROLE of clear oven glass, with wide lips to grip, and without food-trapping ridges.

  MEASURING JUG and a BASIN for mixing.

  TIN OPENER.

  CORKSCREW.

  CROWN BOTTLE CAP OPENER.

  NUTCRACKERS.

  KNIVES with blades running right through the handles and riveted, not glued on at the hilt, and all stainless:

  One long for carving meat and slicing bread.

  One short, very sharp and pointed for vegetable peeling.

  One short and serrated for shredding vegetables, slicing slippery things like tomatoes and other fruits.

  One wide and flexible for lifting and scooping.

  A perforated EGG or FISH SLICE for lifting, turning and draining foods.

  Strong, stainless SCISSORS.

  Strong FORK for mixing dough and batters.

  EGG WHISK.

  STRAINERS—stainless, and cast in one piece, thus eliminating the usual dirt trap at the join. A large one for sieving flour, making fruit or vegetable purée. A small, fine one for straining tea or coffee.

  Flat open-backed GRATER.

  Stainless LADLE for lifting and transferring anything fluid—soups, stewed fruits, jams, drinks.

  Flat wooden CHOPPING BOARD, (reversible) for bread, pastry and vegetables.

  Flat-ended WOODEN SPOON and MEASURING SPOONS.

  PASTRY ROLLER.

  Enamelled or plastic TRAY for every kind of purpose

  BRUSHES for cleaning vegetables and dishes.

  Folding PLATE RACK for dripping dishes.

  Enamelled or plastic washable REFUSE BIN.

  Nylon woven PAD and a MOP for dish washing.

  This seemed an exhaustive list for a bed-sitter, but lack of an adequate implement could inhibit him from cooking at all, so that, impatiently, he would go out to eat and spend more than he had intended. Besides it amused him to try out various gadgets. A new one spurred him to fresh cooking experiments when his interest had flagged.

  In time he acquired a long-handled SANDWICH TOASTER, a COFFEE GRINDER, which he screwed to the back of his door, the GLASS COFFEE-MAKER which can be put directly upon heat, a MEAT MINCER, screwed to the table, a ROTARY GRINDER for nuts and cheese, a PEPPER MILL, a VEGETABLE PEELER, a POTATO CHIPPER, a PRESSURE COOKER, and a “ticker timer” MINUTE CLOCK which he could set for the prescribed cooking-time and so occupy himself otherwise until recalled by the ping of the bell.

  Eventually he gained quite a reputation among his friends as an admirable host, though he always practised with every gadget and every dish at first quite alone.

  THE COOKER

  Note: Before bed-sitting with a table cooker, he had to give it quite a deal of thought. Safety, competence, space, appearance and cost he considered, in that order.

  SAFETY

  GAS. Provided he didn’t turn on a gas tap inadvertently, or that the wind didn’t blow the flame out when he wasn’t paying attention, thereby accumulating unburned gas, it was safe to strike a match (or the patent lighter) to light the cooker. Any gas escape announces itself by the smell, so, having a sensitive nose, he was well armed against possible accident. Kitchen cloths, or any clothing which could wave in a breeze, would have to be watched, as well as spitting fat under the grill, in case the flame flared up. A similar precaution would have to be taken in the case of toasting bread in front of the gas fire—if the bread became alight by holding it too close.

  The gas connection must be fitted by a skilled and responsible person, and all tubing must be tested carefully for possible leakages.

  ELECTRICITY. An electric fire, unprotected by a guard, was also a danger, he knew. Any jab through with a fork or other metal implement he might be holding which touched the naked, live element might cause a short circuit, even a shock, especially if one were standing on a stone floor or a wet one. The naked element, which is the finely coiled wire, is exposed on a fire and on the kind of grill which is covered by a SOLID HOT-PLATE. There are protecting meshes or rods, but, even if unlikely, it is possible for a metal instrument to get through and touch it. It is better therefore, always, to pull a grill pan away from under the heat while turning the food.

  A RADIANT PLATE, however, has its element enclosed entirely in a metal tube. This tube is formed into an open zig-zag or twirl, and the reflector underneath causes the red-hot glow to shine upwards. If the reflector is placed over the tubing, the glow shines downwards. A saucepan poised above the hot-plate also sends the heat down, while becoming hot itself. By this means there is a saving of heat—one plate for grilling and boiling which is safe. A radiant plate becomes hot very quickly, whereas a solid plate takes a time to become really hot. If there is a naked element underneath it, however, this becomes red-hot very quickly indeed. On no account should one cook over a naked element if one seeks absolute safety.

  Whichever type of electric cooker one chooses, the essential thing is to have it earthed; that is, to have it fitted with a three-point plug, and have the three wires fixed to it by an expert, never by an amateur. Also the power or light point to which it is connected must be adequate, and the cable or flex must be entirely insulated and securely placed where it cannot be trodden on or caught with the foot or other object.

  *

  Having absorbed these elementary points concerning safety, he felt free to take into account the other questions in his head, commenting to himself that it is always dangerous to play with fire!

  CHOOSING

  After some exploration among so many kinds, he began to dream about cookers—tall, short, handsome, squat, Dutch ovens, boiler-grillers, waterless cookers, breakfast cookers, baby ovens—all the kinds that end in “ette”. But always he was baffled by the unnecessary food-trapping crevices.

  When his brain had cleared, he chose! He b
ought a boiler-griller (with a hot-cupboard for plates and a wide top to stand pans on), the heat of which could be controlled and graduated.

  Later on he bought a portable, shining oven, the heat of which remained steadfast so that he could neither hurry a dish nor spoil it, and which confined the juices and the smell entirely. It was surprisingly cheap.

  V

  THE HAPPY POTTERER

  “I adore pottering”, she said, “and there’s no one left to stop me.” Her brothers used to call her “Andfauna” just because she was christened something that went with it. “But brothers always tease, don’t you know,” she would say good-humouredly, watering her window-box of herbs—chives, thyme, lemon thyme, sage, mint, a trailing nasturtium,—even parsley which is a petulant plant.

  “I like to have everything at hand, so that I can suit my dish to my whim. Perhaps I am rather whimsical. I spend as much as half an hour sometimes preparing my coffee—grinding it, infusing it, filtering it, or percolating it, whipping the cream—just as I fancy. But I’m forgetful. That’s why I’ve written out the various dishes I make from time to time—just in case I wander off to do something else. A descriptive recipe keeps me to heel as it were. Not that I stop inventing. I always do something a little differently. But I enjoy it—preparing my food—and, for the first time in my life My Time Is My Own. No one hustles me. The clock can stop, for all I care.”

  “How do you know it’s meal time?”

  “By my hunger. I never munch intermittently; I mean indiscriminately. I wait, sometimes hours, I’m sure. I become absorbed in reading, or walking or sewing—something, or re-arranging things—just pottering, especially in my sunny little kitchen. Would you like to borrow my book of words? Really, you can have it. I’ll soon make another.”

  So I quote freely from her collection of recipes which are pinned together in an envelope marked “Sur Le Plat”—to be cooked on the plate, which must be one which can be used over the heat, and under the grill, to cook top and bottom.

  LAMB CHOP AND OLIVES, WITH TOAST

  Turn on the grill. Cut away the thick fat from the chop with scissors. Chip it up and put it on the fireproof shallow dish to melt as the heat mounts. Peel a clove of garlic; cut it up on the lean of the chop on a separate plate. Sprinkle lemon juice or vinegar over it, too. Turn it over and do the same. When the grill is red-hot, dip sliced bread in the melted fat and leave it on the plate. This absorbs the surplus and stops much splutter. Put the lean chop on the hot fireproof dish with the melted fat, and half a dozen black olives, under a red-hot grill. Turn the chop after one minute to let it brown. Turn it again once or twice until it is cooked through. Don’t overcook or it will be hard. When it is nearly done, put the soaked bread on top and let it toast. Turn it to toast the other side, so that it will be crisp dripping toast. By that time the chop will be cooked.

  Eating from the dish means one dish and a plate to wash up. As the dish will be so hot, protect the tray or table by putting down a non-slip cork, composition or other heat-resisting mat first. Never neglect this.

  SAUSAGES, GHERKINS AND TOMATOES

  One can’t really buy less than half a pound of sausages, which is too much for me for one meal. Even so, I prefer to cook them all at once. While the grill is becoming hot, prick the sausages with the points of the scissors, all over. This prevents a burst skin.

  (Scissors are excellent for gripping hot things and turning them under the grill, provided you don’t poke them upwards and touch the naked element if it’s an electric grill. Even if it’s gas, pull the pan out to do the turning.)

  Slice several pickled gherkins, and halve whatever tomatoes you wish to eat. Leave the skin on so that they keep their shape. Set the sausages on the fireproof plate and let them sizzle under the red-hot grill. Turn them, and put the tomatoes and gherkins alongside to become hot. Soak bread in the liquid fat which emerges, and toast it both sides.

  DIET

  These meals provide the protein (meat, nuts, eggs, or fish), carbohydrate (starch), the warming fats and vitamins with what the Americans call “salts” (vegetables), as well as variations of colour for a balanced meal.

  It’s easy to remember if you have always something brown, white, green and red. Also yellow, if you can. Make up what is missing by a fruit or creamy sweet course afterwards, or later on in the day. That’s all I want to remind myself about diet just now.

  SAUSAGES FRIED

  It’s no good trying to fry sausages from the raw. They spit and break asunder. Once they are grilled the way is prepared. Those grilled yesterday are easy to slice, lengthwise, or across in rings. Instead of a frying-pan or frying-plate, I sometimes use a saucepan for shallow frying. Get it quite hot with a lump of dripping or margarine in it. When the fat is really hot, not before, put in the sausages slices. Keep turning them until they are hot right through.

  BACON FRIED WITH MUSHROOMS

  Fry bacon in a deep pan, too. It confines the spraying fat fumes. Cut the fat off first, and nip the rind here and there with the scissors to prevent it from curling. When it has melted in the saucepan, put in the lean bacon and let it fry in its fat. Keep turning it, but don’t wait for it to go brown or it will be as hard as a nutshell. Rub the button mushrooms over with a linen cloth dipped in salt, to clean them. Or rinse the open ones in a bowl of cold water. Don’t bother to peel them. Slice them down through the stems and put them in when the bacon is taken out. Keep turning them until they darken, when they will be cooked through. For this dish a plate must be heated separately. Toast bread on it under the grill while the top is being used for the bacon. A bowl of watercress goes very well with this instead of a green cooked vegetable.

  BACON GRILLED WITH EGG

  When the bacon is grilled it can be made truly crisp. The fat runs off it. Put a piece of bread under it to catch the melting fat, which is afterwards toasted as dripping toast. Take the bacon and the toast off the grilling-plate, which should have enough fat left to cook an egg. If not, add a knob of margarine, slide in the egg and let it grill gently. The hot plate will set the underneath, and the grill will set the top. Put the bacon back to become hot again in a few minutes, and it is ready to eat.

  HOT SAUCE

  Heat any tomato ketchup you may like to use, when the egg is nearly set, under the grill, or over the top. It is much nicer than putting it on cold, as is usual.

  GRILLED STEAK

  Sometimes one is lucky and the beef steak is tender as a lamb; soft and finely grained. If so, simply slide it on its dish under a red-hot grill. This will sear it and so seal in the juices which will keep the flavour intact. But do the same the other side in one minute. Turn it with the scissors. Turn the grill down a little, so that the rest of the cooking may be moderate and penetrating. The tenderness will remain if it is not overcooked. Ten minutes in all should be adequate.

  No spot of the escaping juice should be wasted, so soak bread in it, or some cooked rice, or cabbage cooked above the grill. (Recipes later on.)

  If the steak is a little tough (the butcher must warn you, but you can recognize it by the coarse fibre of the lean) sprinkle lemon juice over it, a teaspoonful of sugar and some salt. Then begin beating it with the back of a wooden spoon—both sides—on the chopping board to break down the fibres. In this way it is made tender enough to grill. As before.

  FRIED STEAK

  Any steak which is tender enough to grill will remain just as tender if it is fried. Snip off the surrounding fat and let it melt in an open pan or plate over moderate heat. When enough has melted and the bits are becoming crisply brown, put in the lean steak. Turn it over in a minute to sear the other side, and let it fry until slightly brown. Keep turning it.

  BRAISED STEAK

  When the steak is really tough, nothing will soften it except stewing. First fry it on either side for one minute in its own melted fat or in margarine in an open saucepan. Also put into the saucepan some peeled, uncooked root vegetables; carrots, parsnips, turnips—one of each—and
an onion. Let them fry for a few minutes, then shake on salt and pepper. Put in a teacupful of stock or water and a good splash of red wine if possible, or tomato juice. Clamp the lid on. When it comes to the boil, turn the heat to a simmer and let it cook for an hour and a half. At any rate until the steak is yielding when a fork is turned in it. Look at it half way through the time to see that the moisture has not all evaporated. If so, add some more water, which must be boiling so that the heat isn’t reduced.

  Vary this dish, especially if you have made enough for two days, by putting in on the second day some dried herbs; a teaspoonful of thyme, or one leaf of sage, or perhaps two or three cloves and peppercorns, a shake of red pepper or a chilli.

  KIDNEY AND MUSHROOMS

  If the kidney is smothered in its own fat, put it under the grill (moderate heat) just as it is, on a plate which must be fireproof. Drain away the surplus fat and keep turning the kidney as it cooks. It should be tender in about fifteen minutes.

  If the kidney is not encased in its fat, grilling will only harden it. So it must be softened by simmering first. Enclose it with a little water or stock (and possibly a sliced onion) in a saucepan, closely lidded. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat low to let it simmer for twenty minutes or so. Test it with a fork to see when it is tender. Then brown it by putting it with the juices on the plate under the grill; or over the heat to fry a little.