To economise the heat of the iron plate, a small oven is sometimes placed at the extremity of the flue of the fire-place, which heats the plate. It is convenient for a variety of culinary purposes requiring a very gentle heat, or if it be wanted for baking meat, or bread, a small fire-grate fixed underneath it, will render it extremely fit for those purposes. The front wall which supports the iron plate or hearth, should be constructed of brick-work, not of iron, as the former retains the heat very effectually, whereas the latter enables it to pass into the kitchen, to the great annoyance of the cook. The open fire-place, connected with this cooking hearth, is furnished at the left hand side with a baking closet, and at the right hand side is a steam boiler for heating the vessels _a a_. Underneath of these is another hot closet, likewise heated by steam. Mr. Marriott, an ingenious ironmonger in Fleet-street, has greatly improved the construction of kitchen ranges; the design exhibited, on the title page of this Treatise, is copied from an apparatus of his construction. Fig. 1, is a Dutch oven; a description of it has been given, page 88. STEWPANS AND SAUCEPANS Should not be made with flat bottoms, but rounded a little at the edges--they must by no means be made with corners that are square like tin vessels, for such can never be completely cleaned, and do not wear near so long--that is the sides should not be soldered to the bottom with a square joint, as sand and grease that lodge there can never be completely got out. These utensils should be scoured on the outside round the rim, and a little way down the sides, but not low on the sides or on the bottom, as that only wears them without any sort of advantage. For small families, we recommend tin saucepans, as being lightest and safest; and if proper care is taken of them, and they are well dried after they are cleaned, are by far the cheapest, for the cost of a new tin saucepan is little more than the expense of tinning a copper one. The covers of the boiling pots should fit close, not only to prevent unnecessary evaporation of the water, but to guard against the smoke of the fire insinuating itself under the edge of the lid. PRESERVING PANS. The best sort are those which are heated by means of steam, the temperature of which can never be such as to burn, or cause adherence to the bottom of the pan.--Fig. 3, exhibits a steam preserving-pan; the steam enters from a common steam-boiler, at the extremity _a_, and passes between the pan, which is double, as shown in the design. The condensed water may, from time to time, be drawn off by the cock and pipe _b_. COPPER COOKING UTENSILS.