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The Chafing Dish

The revival of the chafing dish at suppers is somewhat of a protest against the inefficiency of the cook. The present complaint of servants is a very old one, and it is a satisfaction to know that the cooks of the present time, though far from perfect, are a vast improvement on those of many years ago.

There are certain dishes that demand rapidity of action on the part of the cook and intense heat; these are often neglected in the kitchen. Such dishes may be served in perfection from a chafing dish. They are seldom cooked in the kitchen and carried to the dining room in time to be eaten in perfection.

Oysters, lobsters a la Newburg, clams with cream, and many delightful lenten dishes are at their best served in this way. Rechauffes of various kinds, especially those of game, belong to chafing-dish cookery, while lovers of terrapin prefer to prepare their famous stews with the assistance of a chafing dish. Deviled eggs, and Welsh rabbit owe their popularity to the same cause. The list of various excellent dishes which are doubly delightful because they are cooked before one's eyes by the fair hands of the mistress of the house or, quite as often, by the master, might be increased almost without limit.