Château du Plessis

House Guide: Kitchen

The back door provides a convenient entrance to the kitchen.  Nearest the parking area, at the back of the house it provides direct access to the Sas (where theALARM keypad is located) and to the kitchen .

The kitchen was completely remodeled in the winter of 2006. It offers modern cooking conveniences in a design reminiscent of French Country houses with the comfort and ease of modern American kitchens.  Informal dining for four is available at the counter as well as for two at the small round table by the French doors.  Just outside the kitchen, dining for four (or five) is available at the round table located on the terrace just beyond the French doors, right next to the gas barbeque.  Comfortable dining for six (and a little tight for eight) is also available in the adjoining “Salon d’été” a.k.a. “family room”.  The dining room is of course available for more formal meals, seating eight comfortably and ten more intimately.

You enter the kitchen entry hallway (a.k.a. “Sas”) from the outside by unlocking the back door, or inside from the dining room or from upstairs via the spiral staircase.   

• Lights
• Doors, Windows, Shades & Shutters
• Appliances
• BBQ
• Dishware, Flatware, Cookware
• Cleaning supplies
• Bathroom & Laundry Room
• Linens
• Miscellaneous

Lights

Since there are perhaps a few too many switches scattered around the room, the following is a list of the switches locations as well as their purposes:

The lights in the "Sas" (entry hall) and in the stairwell are turned “on” by a motion detector when daylight is dim enough to require electrical light.  They switch off automatically within approximately 30 seconds.  There are no manual switches for these lights.
All the other lights are on manual switches, many are dimmable (via a variety of dimmer switches guaranteed to create some confusion).  The switches are located as follows:

By the Kitchen Door (in the "Sas"). To operate the “ambient” light (fluorescent lights hidden on top of the kitchen cabinets):
- The left (white) upper double switch turns the kitchen’s “ambient” lights on/off.
- The right switch (with a little light window) turns the outside flood lights on/off.  The little green light is lit when the flood lights are lit. 
- The bottom black flicker switch operates the external lantern above the kitchen door and should always be in the “auto” position (the lantern is turned on automatically at dusk and off at 11:30 PM)
At the bottom of the spiral staircase. The full switch simply turns the kitchen lights on/off.
On the right side of the right sliding door (toward the salon d’été, there is a double switch).
- The left switch turns the kitchen ambient lights on/off. 
- The right switch is a dimmer switch operating the spot lights above the island.  On this type of switch you turn the lights on/off by pressing briefly on the switch.  To dim the spot lights you maintain the pressure until the desire intensity is attained.  NOTE:  as with the all the dimmer switches one should be careful NOT to dim the lights to a minimum as they then appear to be off but are still dimly lit.  A good practice is to push the dimmer to full power before tapping the switch to turn the lights off.
On the left side of the left sliding door (toward the salon d’été, there is a double switch).
- The left switch turns the kitchen ambient lights on/off. 
- The right switch is a dimmer switch operating the spot light above the island (see above for dimmer operating tips).
Above each counter. There are dimmable spot lights or “task” lights on each counter (either in the ceiling or in the cabinet directly above the counter).  Each counter light is operated individually by a dimmable double switch located directly above each counter.  These switches are for some mysterious reasons totally counter intuitive.  The left switch turns the light ON by pressing briefly on the top part of the switch and turns the light OFF by pressing briefly on the bottom portion of the switch.  The right switch operates the dimmer portion (it does not turn the lights off but simply dim them down to practically nothing).  To fully illuminate push and hold the “+” portion of the switch, to lower the lights push on the “-“portion of the switch (avoid lowering the lights all the way as they will appear to be off).

Alarm, Doors, Windows, Screens & Shutters

Alarm: To turn the alarm on or off, lift the keypad cover (it is most convenient to keep it lifted at all times) and enter “2” followed by the four digit code provided to you by the gardien followed by the little house key (white colored house to turn the alarm “on” #7, crossed out house to turn the alarm “off #1).  Press each digit slowly as they transmit digital radio signals to the alarm company.  Rushing the entry will provide a transmission error.  You should then call the alarm company (the number is written on the keypad) and give my name “Gerald de Kerchove” and the code name the gardien gave you “xxxxxxx”
Doors: The back door locks with an automated four point dead bolt system.  Close the door firmly and use the key to lock the door from the outside.  Close the door firmly and lock the key from the inside. It is a good idea to leave the key in the door when inside the house.
Windows: The kitchen French doors open toward the inside with a three point lock and is locked with the same keys as all the other French doors.  Before opening the door, make sure that the shades are rolled up all the way.  To close the door, make sure that the left half is secure (upper and lower sliders pushed to a close position).  Then lock the right side by lifting the handle and locking with the key.  Once locked the door handle will be impossible to push down. 
The small double hung window behind the sink opens by turning the handle to the vertical position and lifting the lower portion.  Unfortunately this operation requires a rather tall person due to the counter depth.  To close the window, press the lower portion down and lock the window by turning the handle to the horizontal position.
Screens: The kitchen French door and the double hung window are protected with screens.  The screen outside the double hung window is fixed.  The French door screen can only be closed when the doors are open.  The sliding screens lock in the middle from the inside with the door opened by lifting and lowering the right portion into the locked position.  Be sure to hold each side when closing the screens as the spring is rather strong and the screen might break if it is allowed to slide open without restrain.
Shutters: To close the shutters of the French Doors, one must first go outside.  Then, flip the shutters’ locking pins open, and push both shutters to the closed position (left first, making sure that the hook is lifted out of harms way).  Then, with the French doors opened, flip the handle into the locked position before closing the French doors (see above). 

Appliances

All kitchen appliances work effectively, but operating them is not always intuitive and requires a graduate degree in reading pictograms, as well as some familiarity with French passion for peculiarity.

Stove:  This is a gaz stove, with a gaz oven.  It works very well.  So well that simmering is doubtful and burning pots and pans (and their content) is likely if one is not watchful.  Lighting a burner is a two hands operation for safety reasons.  To light a burner, requires pushing and turning the desired burner’s knob and simultaneously flicking down the lighting switch.  Once the burner is lit, can one first release the pressure on the flicking switch and then on the burner’s knob.  This is a safety precaution but it is totally counter intuitive to a right handed person.  Identifying knobs for the front and back burners is another challenge.  A cheat sheet diagram is provided in the drawer at the bottom of the stove (where the cast iron grill and warming plate are also located). 
The electric oven is simple to operate.  However the icons on the selector button (regular heat, convection heat, broiler, etc.) resemble Egyptian hieroglyphs.  A translation into English is provided on the cheat sheet in the bottom drawer.  To heat the oven simply turn the button to the position with the pasted label “ON”, and then select the appropriate heating level by turning the heating knob to the position 1 to 8 where 6 is about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
The left unit is not an oven but an “étuvée”.  This is a remarkably handy warming unit.  It keeps dishes warm and/or warms up plates. Simply fill the bottom pan with water and turn the étuvée “on”.  When hot, it will reach a top temperature of slightly below 200 degrees F.
The hood fan is located just inside the hood.  It is a 4 speed fan and we find it best to use the 3rd or 4th speed when cooking up a storm, and the 2nd speed for moderate cooking.  The first speed is adequate when simmering a casserole or keeping food warm.
Wall Oven:  There is a convenient built-in small oven on the opposite side of the kitchen.  It is a convenient full service electric self cleaning oven.  Rotate the right hand dial to the position marked “ON”.  Rotate the left dial to the appropriate temperature (as a rule of thumb, multiply by 2 to get the equivalent temperature in Fahrenheit).  To turn it off, turn both dials back to zero.  As long as you limit yourself to this simple manual operation, it will work flawlessly.  Never touch the clock and you will stay out of trouble.  Detailed operating instructions are on a sheet located below the microwave oven (hidden behind the upper swinging white door just above the oven).
Microwave:  The Microwave oven is hidden behind the upper swinging white door.  It has a number of complex automated features that we find mostly unnecessary.  To operate by time, select the desire power and turn the round knob until the desired cooking time is reached, then press the “green”-start button.  To stop, open the door and push the “red”-stop button (note: the fan will continue for a few seconds after the oven stops)
Dishwasher:  The dishwasher works quite effectively and is remarkably quiet.  Its mode of operation can be complex due to the many options, but is rather simple if one uses the fully automated mode. Since the water is rather hard, there is a container inside the dishwasher that needs to be filled with special “salts” about once a week with heavy use.  There is another reservoir in the door for glass cleaning detergent.  You won’t need to worry about those as the housekeeper is instructed to refill the dishwasher before your arrival.  Please load the dishwasher carefully and do not overload.  It is easy for plates, glasses, or cups to rub against each others resulting in probable chips.  It is better to run it more often than overload it.  Before running the dishwasher, insert a detergent tablet in the little compartment, or fill with the gel dishwashing soap. Make sure you close the soap lid by sliding it into the lock position. Push the large button on top as indicated above, check that the button “auto55-65” is lit, and close the door.  It will start automatically. A little red light on the floor indicates that the dishwasher is ON (do not open during operation). DO NOT interrupt the cycle.  After completion of the washing cycle (about 1 ½ hour), turn the dishwasher OFF by depressing the large button on the left.
Sinks & Garbage Disposals:  There is a garbage disposal in the sink in the island.  The air switch is on the right side of the sink.  Be sure to keep the cold water running when running the disposal.  DO NOT OVERLOAD.
Be sure to keep the little filters in two blue sinks and the adjoining drain boards to prevent anything other than liquids from falling into the drain.  They are not fitted with a garbage disposal.  When a little filter fills up, simply pick it up and shake it into the trash compactor.  We find it convenient to use a plastic bucket in the sink for hand washing dishes.
Trash Compactor: The trash compactor is well hidden in the cabinet left of the sinks next to the wine rack.  To operate, simply turn the knob a quarter turn to the RIGHT.  to prevent the compactor from getting stunck, make sure that the knob returns to its starting position. If it get stucks (and it occasionally does), simply rotate the knob gently right and left. Do not pull the knob.  The replacement bags are a little difficult to change and the front panel needs to be open to remove the full bag.  A full week of trash fits easily in one bag under normal use.  The housekeeper will be able to deal with changing the bag after you leave.
Recycling: The French are very good about recycling.  There are 3 categories and there are separate containers (plus a spare) for each in the cabinet at the extreme right side of the sink.
- Bottles and glass go into the upper left container. 
- Paper items (but not cardboard) go into the upper right container. 
- Almost everything else (tin cans, plastic bottle, food boxes – plastic or wax paper – all go in either lower container, preferably crushed
Garbage collection is on Tuesday morning.  Just leave any filled plastic garbage bags and recycle bags (see below) outside the door on Monday night and the gardien will take them to the “voirie”.
TV: The TV is connected to both satellite dishes (with channel 1 through 6 on the French dish and channel 7 on whatever channel the international dish is currently selected (see separate TV instructions).  To turn the TV “ON” or “OFF”, just push the red button.  To select a channel push the desired channel number or 7 for the satellite dish (you need to use the black TPS remote to change channels on the international satellite).
Heater:  The heater is programmed to keep the kitchen at about 67 degree during the cool season, and is off during the warm season.  Check with the gardien if the temperature is inadequate.
Refrigerator/Freezer:  the refrigerator is on the top and the freezer on the bottom.  There is an automatic ice maker in the top left compartment of the freezer.  The doors are not self closing. PLEASE make sure that the doors are securely closed every time you open either door (it will beep after a few seconds if you don’t). 
Small Appliances:  On the counters you will find a coffee pot, an electric tea kettle, a small food processor, a mixer, an espresso machine, a warming tray and a toaster (the toaster has a crumb’s tray on the left lower side – please clean it once or twice a week).  Operating each of them is pretty intuitive, although you will need to carefully examine how to open and close the lids.  It is not always obvious.  The espresso machine accessories and instruction notice are in the right hand drawer below the machine (if you frequently use an espresso machine, you will find it works pretty much like all of them, if you have never used a espresso machine, now is probably not the time to learn.  Note: this machine can be used with fine coffee grounds, or with Illy coffee pods which can be shipped overnight from Paris should you wish to get a box – Tel: 01 45 22 00 10 and Fax: 01 45 22 00 11). 
In a large drawer in the island below the counter you will find 2 waffle iron/croque-monsieur grills, a beater, a scale, a salad spinner, and a coffee grinder. 
Pantry:  Left of and below the oven and microwave is the pantry.  Dry goods are on the upper pull-out shelves of the left cabinet.  The lower section includes the blender as well as a juicer and large items.  Below the microwave the pull out baskets are intended for produce, fruits, and vegetables.

BBQ
There is a Weber "propane" BBQ on the terrace. Please keep the cover on the BBQ when not in use. After removing the cover, give the grill a quick brushing with the wire brush before starting the BBQ. The propane bottle is always shut off. First turn the bottle knob to the left. Then push the little button on the bottom of the red valve to release the automated shutoff valve. Then turn the left burner on, and push the ignition button below the front knobs. Once lit, you can turn the next one two or three burners on as desired.
After use, let the grill cool down before giving it a thorough brushing with the wire brush. Do not forget to shutdown the propane bottle (turn the knob to the right) and cover the BBQ.

Dishware, Flatware, Cookware

All glasses and dishes for dining room and/or kitchen use are found in the upper glass cabinets.  The white porcelain dishes are made by Philippe Deshoulieres and the name of the set is “California”.  Should you be unfortunate enough to break or damage any piece they are easily found in Tours in a couple of different stores (see brochure elsewhere in the House Manual)
Oven proof bake ware is generally found in the three lower cabinets below the dishware.  Pots and pans are in the cabinets on both sides of the stove.  Most of the pots and pans are Teflon coated, with the obvious consequence that metal utensils should not be used when cooking but only wood or plastic utensils.  All dishes are dishwasher safe.
Flatware is located in the drawers below the glass cabinets.  Various knives and kitchen utensils are in the drawers next to the stove.  Small manual appliances (potato mashers, manual egg beater, etc.) are in a drawer in the island.  Napkins and place mats are found on the cabinet in the island below the counter. Storing bags (refrigerated or garbage) as well as aluminum foil and plastic wraps are found in the upper drawer of the island (opposite the refrigerator). 
Notes: 
- The glass cabinet above the double sink is locked and contains our own china set.  This is a old “Porcelain de Paris” china set and the company no longer exists, making the items irreplaceable (we did not lock it for any other reason!).
- The sinks are made of enameled baked terra cotta and as a result are very fragile. The plastic liners are there to prevent dropping dishes or heavy pots and cracking the sinks.
- The single faucet conveniently moves from sink to sink.  However, with the faucet turned on to full power, moving the faucet can result in soaking the entire counters, the window sill and also provoking involuntary surprise showers.  It is wise to turn the faucet OFF before moving it from one sink to the other.

Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning supplies are stored in the cupboards below both sinks and below the island sink.  There should be adequate supplies to meet any circumstances.  Left of the refrigerator is the broom closet with brooms, dustpans, mops, vacuum cleaner, aprons, spare vacuum bags as well as a stepping stool, and other cleaning necessities.  Please use CIF for cleaning the sinks.  Please do not use bleach products on the tile counters and in the sinks.

Bathroom/Laundry Room

There is a small bathroom just above the spiral staircase.  It also serves as a laundry room.  The washer and dryer are hidden inside the tall cabinet. 
The Miele washer and dryer are quite effective, but as you will immediately notice do not hold the huge amounts of loads more familiar to US washers and dryers and it seems to take forever to complete a cycle. 
Washing Machine:  To operate the washing machine:
- Push the orange “PORTE” button to open the door.  After loading (do not overload), make sure the door is securely closed. 
- Open the tray and in the largest compartment and put 1 washing tablet + 1 CALGON tablet (both are found on the shelf above the washing machine) and 1 “white” tablet (even with color clothes, it help prevent colors from running). You can also pour a half lid of liquid softener in the front compartment (do not use more than a half lid). 
- After closing the tray, push the white power button (directly above the “orange” porte button), then select the desire wash cycle (the most versatile is “MULTI-TEXTILE 40”) and then push the small “DÉPART” button.  It will take over 1 hour to complete the cycle.  At the end, it seems to go on for an extra 10 minutes in short bursts when it appears to be finished.  Wait for the light indicating “ARRET” before opening the door and then push the power button (directly above the “orange-porte” button) to disengage the machine.
Dryer:  to operate the dryer:
- Make sure that all three filters (the main filter is located inside the door, the other 2 are at the lower portion of the opening) are clean and that the washing machine is OFF.
. Push the “PORTE” button to open the door and load the dryer.  You can add 1 sheet of softener (Soupline) into the load.  Close the door, select the desired drying cycle (SYNTHÉTIQUE-SÉCHAGE NORMAL + ) seems to work well in most cases.
- Push the power button (directly above the “orange” porte button). The “chime” will warn you when the drying cycle is complete (probably well over 1 hour!).  After emptying the dryer, and turning the power OFF, remember to empty the main filter located in the door of the dryer.  It comes out by raising the lint tray.  After removing the lint replace the tray in the door.
- Clean the 2 small lint filters at the front of the dryer.  They pop out and are easy to clean with a wet finger.  Be sure that they pop into place before closing the door.
It is a good idea to keep the armoire’s wooden door open when running the washer or the dryer as they generate quite a bit of heat, even though they are vented from the top.

Linens

There are linens (tablecloths and napkins) for the kitchen table, the kitchen counter in the cupboard below the kitchen counter.  Additional napkins are in the drawer next to the island sink.  Linen for the outside tables are in the “Salon d’été” buffet.

Miscellaneous

- In 2005, supermarkets and other groceries stores stopped providing plastic bags at the check-out stands for environmental reasons.  As a replacement, they sold large shopping bags that one can re-use ad infinitum.  There are four of those large bags in the kitchen hidden below the spiral staircase.  Be sure to take one or two of those bags with you whenever you go shopping.
- Bird watching is a treat at “Le Plessis”.  There are binoculars hanging from the kitchen bulletin board.  If you like bird watching, just get birds seed at the grocery store and keep the birdfeeder in front of the kitchen French doors filled at all time.  You will be treated to a multi colored symphony of hungry birds at all meal times (including a most attractive woodpecker). 
- Below the spiral stairwell you will find a cooler handy for sightseeing on hot days and a picnic basket for excursions. 

We welcome your comments on how we can make it more agreeable, practical,  or enjoyable.  Feel free to comment on  these instructions if anything is confusing or incomplete (or unnecessary for that matter).