HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 155, 27 March 1926, Page 16

HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE

HOME COOK 1 apple ginger. If you like preserved ginger, you will be sure to appreciate apple ginger as a. welcome addition to llje store cupboard. Scrape Ooz- of whole ginger and put it into a jug with I 7 pints of boiling water. Put the jug into a pan of boiling water over low heat, and leave it for about an hour to infuse. Strain off the water from the ginger, and put this liquid into a preserving pan with 31b. of preserving sugar. Boil for ten minutes. Peel, core, and slice 31b. of apple. Add them to the ginger syrup, and simmer gently until tender, but not broken. Lift out the apple slices, put them into jars, and pour the syrup over. Cover like jam. The whole ginger left from the infusion can be used to flavoui curries. TOMATO FRITTERS. Tomato flitters are delicious,' and make a nice accompaniment to the breakfast bacon. The batter should be prepared overnight, both to save time in the morning and to give the starch grains a chance to swell. Choose firm tomatoes, cut them into rather thick slices, sprinkle them •with salt and pepper. dij> into the butter, and fry in hot fat. Drain on soft paper and serve at once. To serve at luncheon or dinner, tomato fritters many accompany poultry, kid.ney, liver, or fish dishes. CHELSEA TOMATOES. Choose four firm tomatoes of as much the same size as possible. Cut a piece from the stalk end of each and scoop out Ohe centres without breaking the skins. Place each tomato in a greased china or paper ramakin case. Mince an ounce of ham and place a little in each tomato. Beat up an egg in a gill of milk, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, add a suspicion of grated onion and the tomato pulp. Mix well, and fill the tomatoes with this custard. Bake in a moderate oven until the custard sets. Sprinkle each tomato with chopped parsley, and serve in the cases. PEAR GINGER JAM. Six pounds pears, 61b. sugar, juice of six lemons, one pint water, one good tablespoonful ground ginger. Eating pears should be used at the stage at which they are just eatable sweet, and well flavoured, but not at all soft. Pare and core them and cut them into fairly small pieces. Put them into the preserving pan and add the sugar and ginger, aiid pour the lemon juice and water over the sugar. Let it stand all .night. Next' morning stir the pears up well and put on the stove in a moderately hot place or over a low gas. Stir' occasionally, until the sugar is completely-dissolved. Then bring-to boiling-point and boil for an hour, not too . fast;, then, test the. jam, and as soon as the colour ano flavour are good take it up and pour into jars.*lt will hot set firm as the pears have practically no. jellying quality.

DOMESTIC JOTTINGS CLEANING HANDBAGS. When a handbag is to be cleaned it is best to take it to the shop wheie it was bought. At one big store customers are advised to treat hiarks on box calf and suede bv brushing with powdered pumice, or, even better, by rubbing very gently with a small emery hoard used for manicure. They are also reminded that bags should not be allowed to become very soiled before bringing them back for cleaning. Kid and other soft leathers can be cleaned with an application of a highclass colourless furniture or shoe cream. Only a litte cream is required, and obviously it is essential that it should be thoroughly well and completely rubbed off with the polishing cloth. If this is not done then one need not be surprised if marks are later made on the gloves or gown. STOCKING HINTS. If you wash your stockings prior to wearing them the first time you will find that they last much longer, as the washing process tightens them up and makes them less likely to "run.” If you buy two or three pail's of exactly the same pattern you will find that when one stocking of a pair absolutely gives out—as is frequently the case —you can utilise the survivor in conjunction with a similar survivor from another pair, to form a perfectly fresh pair. If you will only have the strength of mind to darn any part of the toe of your stockings where you know-you always create a vulnerable spot, you will 'circumvent this and double the life of the stocking. TO WASH'’ASSAM'SILK.'’ “Assam” asks how to launder a light Assam silk dust coat. She does not know whether to iron it wet or to Jet it dry first. . ' ' The soft-soap and' borax mixture, is the best thing to use when washing Assam silk, arid it. is as well to soak the silk in it for a couple of. hours, as hard rubbing 'is apt spoil the look of the silk. To make the soft soap and borax mixture dissolve a .tablespoonful of soft soap and a desertspoonful of borax in boiling water,' and add enough cold water to soak the coat. When it is washed, rinse it very thoroughly, and hang out to dry without wringing. Assam silk is very'hard to iron satisfactorily. If vou cannot obtain good results by ironing it m the ordinary way, try pressing with a hot iron over a damp cloth. At best it is a long and tedious task. IMPROVING SUGARY JAM. The cause of crystallisation in jam is boiling the jam at too high a temperature. ■ Gentle boiling is necessar-y to avoid "sugaring.” If the jam is not too much ' crystallised it can be made usable by putting the jar into a saucepan of cold water and bringing it to the boil, then boil .gently until the sugar in the jam is melted'. When cold the jam will be like new jam, but it .will crystallise again in a few days’ time.