Boston Cooking-School Cook Book/Chapter 40

by Fannie Farmer

Chapter XL. HELPFUL HINTS FOR THE YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER.

To Scald Milk. Put in top of double boiler, having water boiling in under part. Cover, and let stand on top of range until milk around edge of double boiler has a beadlike appearance.

For Buttered Cracker Crumbs, allow from one-fourth to one-third cup melted butter to each cup of crumbs. Stir lightly with a fork in mixing, that crumbs may be evenly coated and light rather than compact.

To Cream Butter. Put in a bowl and work with a wooden spoon until soft and of creamy consistency. Should buttermilk exude from butter it should be poured off.

To Extract Juice from Onion. Cut a slice from root end of onion, draw back the skin, and press onion on a coarse grater, working with a rotary motion.

To Chop Parsley. Remove leaves from parsley. If parsley is wet, first dry in a towel. Gather parsley between thumb and fingers and press compactly. With a sharp vegetable knife cut through and through. Again gather in fingers and recut, so continuing until parsley is finely cut.

To Caramelize Sugar. Put in a smooth granite saucepan or omelet pan, place over hot part of range, and stir constantly until melted and of the color of maple syrup. Care must be taken to prevent sugar from adhering to sides of pan or spoon.

To Make Caramel. Continue the caramelization of sugar until syrup is quite brown and a whitish smoke arises from it. Add an equal quantity of boiling water, and simmer until of the consistency of a thick syrup. Of use in coloring soups, sauces, etc.

Acidulated Water is water to which vinegar or lemon juice is added. One tablespoon of the acid is allowed to one quart water.

To Blanch Almonds. Cover Jordan almonds with boiling water and let stand two minutes; drain, put into cold water, and rub off the skins. Dry between towels.

To Shred Almonds. Cut blanched almonds in thin strips lengthwise of the nut.

Macaroon Dust. Dry macaroons pounded and sifted.

To Shell Chestnuts. Cut a half-inch gash on flat sides and put in an omelet pan, allowing one-half teaspoon butter to each cup chestnuts. Shake over range until butter is melted. Put in oven and let stand five minutes. Remove from oven, and with a small knife take off shells. By this method shelling and blanching is accomplished at the same time, as skins adhere to shells.

Flavoring Extracts and Wine should be added if possible to a mixture when cold. If added while mixture is hot, much of the goodness passes off with the steam.

Meat Glaze. Four quarts stock reduced to one cup.

Mixed Mustard. Mix two tablespoons mustard and one teaspoon sugar, add hot water gradually until of the consistency of a thick paste. Vinegar may be used in place of water.

To Prevent Salt from Lumping. Mix with corn-starch, allowing one teaspoon corn-starch to six teaspoons salt.

To Wash Carafes. Half fill with hot soapsuds, to which is added one teaspoon washing soda. Put in newspaper torn in small pieces. Let stand one-half hour, occasionally shaking. Empty, rinse with hot water, drain, wipe outside, and let stand to dry inside.

After Broiling or Frying, if any fat has spattered on range, wipe surface at once with newspaper.

To Remove Fruit Stains. Pour boiling water over stained surface, having it fall from a distance of three feet. This is a much better way than dipping stain in and out of hot water; or wring articles out of cold water and hang out of doors on a frosty night.

To Remove Stains of Claret Wine. As soon as claret is spilt, cover spot with salt. Let stand a few minutes, then rinse in cold water.

To Clean Graniteware where mixtures have been cooked or burned on. Half fill with cold water, add washing soda, heat water gradually to boiling-point, then empty, when dish may be easily washed. Pearline or any soap-powder may be used in place of washing soda.

To Wash Mirrors and Windows. Rub over with chamois skin wrung out of warm water, then wipe with a piece of dry chamois skin. This method saves much strength.

To Remove White Spots from Furniture. Dip a cloth in hot water nearly to boiling-point. Place over spot, remove quickly, and rub over spot with a dry cloth. Repeat if spot is not removed. Alcohol or camphor quickly applied may be used.

Tumblers which have contained milk should be first rinsed in cold water before washing in hot water.

To keep a Sink Drain free from grease, pour down once a week at night one-half can Babbitt's potash dissolved in one quart water.

Should Sink Drain chance to get choked, pour into sink one-fourth pound copperas dissolved in two quarts boiling water. If this is not efficacious, repeat before sending for a plumber.

Never put Knives with ivory handles in water. Hot water causes them to crack and discolor.

To prevent Glassware from being easily broken, put in a kettle of cold water, heat gradually until water has reached boiling-point. Set aside; when water is cold take out glass. This is a most desirable way to toughen lamp chimneys.

To Remove Grease Spots. Cold water and Ivory Soap will remove grease spots from cotton and woollen fabrics. Castilian Cream is useful for black woollen goods, but leaves a light ring on delicately colored goods. Ether is always sure and safe to use.

To Remove Iron Rust. Saturate spot with lemon juice, then cover with salt. Let stand in the sun for several hours; or a solution of hydrochloric acid may be used.

Iron Rust may be removed from delicate fabrics by covering spot thickly with cream of tartar, then twisting cloth to keep cream of tartar over spot; put in a saucepan of cold water, and heat water gradually to boiling-point.

To Remove Grass Stains from cotton goods, wash in alcohol.

To Remove Ink Stains. Wash in a solution of hydrochloric acid, and rinse in ammonia water. Wet the spot with warm water, put on Sapolio, rub gently between the hands, and generally the spot will disappear.

Cut Glass should be washed and rinsed in water that is not very hot and of same temperature.

In Sweeping Carpets, keep broom close to floor and work with the grain of the carpet. Occasionally turn broom that it may wear evenly.

Tie Strands of a New Broom closely together, put into a pail of boiling water, and soak two hours. Dry thoroughly before using.

Never wash the inside of Tea or Coffee Pots with soapsuds. If granite or agate ware is used, and becomes badly discolored, nearly fill pot with cold water, add one tablespoon borax, and heat gradually until water reaches the boil- ing-point. Rinse with hot water, wipe, and keep on back of range until perfectly dry.

Never put cogs of a Dover Egg-beater in water.

Never wash Bread Boards in a sink. Scrub with grain of wood, using a small brush.

Before using a new Iron Kettle, grease inside and outside, and let stand forty-eight hours; then wash in hot water in which a large lump of cooking soda has been dissolved.

To clean a Copper Boiler, use Putz Pomade Cream. Apply with a woollen cloth when boiler is warm, not hot; then rub off with second woollen cloth and polish with flannel or chamois. If badly tarnished, use oxalic acid. Faucets and brasses are treated in the same way.

A bottle containing Oxalic Acid should be marked poison, and kept on a high shelf.

To keep an Ice Chest in good condition, wash thoroughly once a week with cold or lukewarm water in which washing soda has been dissolved. If by chance anything is spilt in an ice chest, it should be wiped off at once.

Milk and butter very quickly absorb odors, and if in ice chest with other foods, should be kept closely covered.

Hard Wood Floors and Furniture may be polished by using a small quantity of kerosene oil applied with a woollen cloth, then rubbing with a clean woollen cloth. A very good furniture polish is made by using equal parts linseed oil and turpentine.

Polish for Hard Wood Floors. Use one part beeswax to two parts turpentine. Put in saucepan on range, and when wax is dissolved a paste will be formed.

To clean Piano Keys, rub over with alcohol.

To remove old Tea and Coffee Stains, wet spot with cold water, cover with glycerine, and let stand two or three hours. Then wash with cold water and hard soap. Repeat if necessary.

Before Sweeping Old Carpets, sprinkle with pieces of newspaper wrung out of water. After sweeping, wipe over with a cloth wrung out of a weak solution of ammonia water, which seems to brighten colors.

Platt's Chloride is one of the best Disinfectants. Chloride of lime is a valuable disinfectant, and much cheaper than Platt's Chloride.

Listerine is an excellent disinfectant to use for the mouth and throat.

To Make a Pastry Bag. Fold a twelve-inch square of rubber cloth from two opposite corners. Sew edges together, forming a triangular bag. Cut off point to make opening large enough to insert a tin pastry tube. A set comprising bag and twelve adjustable tubes may be bought for two and one-half dollars.

Smoked Ceilings may be cleaned by washing with cloths wrung out of water in which a small piece of washing soda has been dissolved.

For a Burn apply equal parts of white of egg and olive oil mixed together, then cover with a piece of old linen; if applied at once no blister will form. Or apply at once cooking soda, then cover with cloth and keep the same wet with cold water. This takes out the pain and prevents blistering.

Curtain and Portère Poles allow the hangings to slip easily if rubbed with hard soap. This is much better than greasing.

Creaking Doors and Drawers should be treated in the same way.

To Remove Dust from Rattan Furniture use a painter's small brush.