HOME SCIENCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 278, 5 September 1936, Page 7

HOME SCIENCE

MODERN HOUSEKEEPING.

WISE BUYING OF FOODS QUALITY AND ECONOMY. (By an Otago University Graduate.) Housekeeping in these, days is a business, and the keeping of the household accounts can no longer be done on oldfashioned lines. Housekeepers in the past may have been economical in the extreme, but they kept a record of their expenditure after they had spent it. In these days, if we would be trulj economical aud keep the. affairs of the home on an even keel, let us adopt the planned-in-advance scliemo of spending, instead of keeping track of what has ueen spent, wo shall, in tho future, plan what will be spent. Perhaps the purchasing of the food supplies is tho most important oc all buying for tho average liousewilo. as the amount set aside in tho budget should be 40-50 per cent of the whole income. Fortunately there is no relation between the cost of food and its nutritive value. "When treated in the correct way by the cook, the cheaper cuts of meat and inexpensive fish, the vegetables and fruit etc. —provided they are in the best condition —supply just as much nourishment as thoso that are highly priced. Good buying is based upon knowledge, which, is obtained only through practice and study. ’Therefore be alert to .seize every opportunity to know more about the production of the foodstuffs and the costs of every requirement of you kitchen. A good buyer will visit tlie market or shop personally, with exceptions of course in the emergency calls, or the buying of standard products such as flour, sugar, cereals or well-known brands of goods. In buying wisely the housewife must use her senses of sight, touch and smell and of course commonsense judgment Can you test for good quality? Here are a few hints to remember.

Choose beef for its deep red colour and fine texture; mutton, although, paler than beef, should also he fine-grain-ed. Poultry should bo firm. If the end of the breastbone be cartilaginous the bird is young, but should hairs replace the pinfeathers the bird will ho at least one year old. Fish should ho chosen fo • its firm plumpness, and, should the head be still on, for the biightness of the eyes. Hie principal rule in buying vegetables and fruits is to see that they are really fresh. If wilted, reject them at once', and always give first choice to those of moderate—not overfarge—size. Should they not he cooked immediately, green vegetables are best kept on a stone floor or on cool-aired racks.

Learn to buy foods in their proper seasons, then they are naturally more plentiful and therefore more economi ml and also in the best of condition.

For your supplies cupboard let the flour have a clear fresh smell and no suggestion of mustiness, and it is more economical to buy several pounds at a time. Remember oatmeal does not keep sweet over long periods, and cof fee, if bought ground, should, like tht oatmeal, be purchased often and. therefore, in smaller quantities to ensure freshness. Give preference to un polished*or brown rice, which is of greater food value, than the polished variety. _ . An emergency shell in the pantry is an economy. On it we should find carefully chosen ready-to-serve foods to which the. housewife may turn should something he needed urgently. To bo unprovided with these emergency provisions often means buying hastily and not to the best advantage. Do not trust to memory, but replace the commodity as ’c is ustd and it will not bo forgotten. The saying and budgeting of the foods allowance is a problem really casilv solved if you are prepared to give‘it a little careful thought. So next week we will begin to study our menu-planning with regard to liealth and true economy as well as the saving of time and energy. Let mo help you with your problems —suggesting more interesting ways of serving youc favourite foods, planning your menus and offering help ful hints to uso up those left-overs which so often nicau a waste that is an extravagance.

The writer of these notes will he pleased to answer in this column any question, addressed “Home Science,” “Guardian” Office.