Some purchasers have wasted time in their zeal to kill entirely the wood tradition and substitute metals in every instance. To save this time, this article is written and dedicated to you who would have the right thing, be it of the darker ages or of this so-called sanitary or enlightened era. For example, could you ever use a metal plank for planked fish or meats? Of course not! The wood itself in this case gives up its own essence as it combines, through the medium of heat, with the juices of the food cooked on its surface. What metal could do this without imparting the metallic taste to the bill of fare? These planks come in different sizes and shapes. The best are of oak. Some cost more than others. But the thing to remember is that a plank is like wine, the older it is, that is, the more it is used and becomes impregnated with the empyreumatic flavors of the food stuffs, the more exquisite become its quality and the better flavor it imparts to the food. According to Nicholas Sabatini, Chef of Delmonico’s the best thing to do with a plank when you buy it is to keep it for at least six weeks, to be sure that it is seasoned sufficiently. After using a plank, do not soak it in water, but clean it off with a damp cloth only. Then keep it under a weight of some sort to prevent any probable warping of the wood. Mr. Sabatini was very insistent about the plank being of oak, as any other wood imparts too definite a flavor of its own to the food stuffs cooked on it. Ironing boards have never been replaced with metal to any large extent. It is their “give” when swathed in “white stuff” that makes them comforting and usable. Even the modern bracketed ironing boards are wooden with the exception of their metal joints and arms, enabling them to be folded against the walls or put out of the way. So, too, the sleeve and skirt board. Time would be wasted in hunting for a more modern material to use for these staples. Ironing folding tables are neat little things for the small house. These are made of white wood. They will not last a lifetime but they are inexpensive and useful. Skirt boards come from 3′ to 6′ long and the sleeve board around 18″ to 20″ long. In some cases where there is available both a wooden article and a china or metal, it is often better to get the non-wooden. For example, the wooden salt box; good enough in its way but it is out-ranked by the china, porcelain or composition boxes, because these materials look better, wear better and cannot help being smoother and less fibrous than the wooden variety. So would you rather buy sharpeners, flour sieves, some of the pot racks and sink racks in metal garb than wood, although there are some sink racks of wood which not only have a porcelain lining but save breakage of china.