When you roast a long joint of meat, be careful only about the middle, and leave the two extreme parts raw, which may serve another time, and will also save firing. When you scour your plates and dishes, bend the brim inwards, so as to make them hold the more. Always keep a large fire in the kitchen, when there is a small dinner, or the family dines abroad, that the neighbours, seeing the smoke, may commend your master’s house-keeping: but when much company is invited, then be as sparing as possible of your coals, because a great deal of the meat, being half raw, will be saved, and serve next day. Boil your meat constantly in _pump_ water, because you must sometimes want river or pipe water; and then your mistress, observing your meat of a different colour, will chide you when you are not in fault. When you have plenty of fowls in the larder, leave the door open, in pity to the poor cat, if she be a good mouser. If you find it necessary to go to market in a wet day, take out your mistress’s cloak, to save your clothes. Get three or four chair-women to attend you constantly in the kitchen, whom you pay at small charges, only with the broken meat, a few coals, and all the cinders. To keep troublesome servants out of the kitchen, always leave the winder sticking on the jack, to fall on their heads. If a lump of soot falls into the soup, and you cannot conveniently get it out, stir it well, and it will give the soup a high French taste. If you melt your butter to oil, be under no concern, but send it up; for oil is a genteeler sauce than butter. Scrape the bottoms of your pots and kettles with a silver spoon, for fear of giving them a taste of the copper. When you send up butter for sauce, be so thrifty as to let it be half water; which is also much wholesomer. If your butter, when it is melted, tastes of brass, it is your master’s fault, who will not allow you a silver saucepan; besides, the less of it will go the farther, and new tinning is very chargeable: if you have a silver saucepan, and the butter smells of smoke, lay the fault upon the coals. Never make use of a spoon in any thing that you can do with your hands, for fear of wearing out your master’s plate. When you find that you cannot get dinner ready at the time appointed, put the clock back, and _then it may be ready to a minute_. Let a red-hot coal now and then fall into the dripping-pan; that the smoke of the dripping may ascend, and give the roast meat a high taste. You are to look upon the kitchen as your dressing room; but you are not to wash your hands, till you have gone to the Privy, and spitted your meat, trussed your fowl, picked your salad, nor indeed till after you have sent up your second course: for your hands will be ten times fouler with the many things you are forced to handle; but when your work is over, one washing will serve for all.