It was
from six to eight or ten feet wide, with a great chimney.
In many houses you could stand on the hearth and look up the
chimney and see the stars on a winter night. Across the fireplace
hung an iron crane, which swung on a hinge or pivot, from
which hung a large number of what were called pothooks and
trammels. From these were suspended the great kettles and
little kettles and the griddles and pots and boilers for the
cooking processes.
The roasting was done in a big "tin kitchen," which stood
before the fire, in which meats or poultry were held by a
large iron spit, which pierced them and which could be revolved
to present one side after the other to the blaze. Sometimes
there was a little clockwork which turned the spit automatically,
but usually it was turned round from time to time by the cook.
As you know, they used to have in England little dogs called
turnspits, trained to turn a wheel for this purpose. A little
door in the rear of this tin kitchen gave access for basting
the meat. In the large trough at the bottom the gravy was
caught.
No boy of that day will think there is any flavor like that
of roast turkey and chicken or of the doughnuts and pancakes
or griddle-cakes which were cooked by these open fires.
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