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.
By the side of the fireplace, with a flue entering the chimney, was a great brick oven, big enough to bake all the bread needed by a large family for a week or ten days.

The oven was heated by a brisk fire made of birch or maple or some very rapidly burning wood.