Home & Housecraft

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18382, 28 September 1929, Page 16

Home & Housecraft

GLASS CLEANING MADE EASY.

Glassware is difficult to keep in a really sparkling condition, but the following hints render the task surprisingly eaSy:— The best method of washing glass is to use warm, soapy water which has been softened by the addition of a little powdered borax. Remember to rinse the articles in clean, cold water, and to turn them upside down on a tray to drain before drying them well with a linen glass cloth. If a brilliant polish is desired, give a final rub with a chamois leather. A little vinegar or laundry blue added to the rinsing water once or twice a week will also help to impart a bright and clear appearance, to the glass. Decanters, need never become stained if they are rinsed thoroughly with cold water immediately they are emptied. But if they have been neglected it is best to treat them in the following manner:—Half fill the bottle with warm water, add a teaspoonful each of salt and vingear and a handful of washed tea leaves. Allow this mixture to remain in the decanter for two or three hours, shaking occasionally during that time. Then rinse in cold ;vater. Dry the outside with a soft cloth, polish with a chamois leather, and place neck downward in a jug to drain. NEW USES FOR STEEL-WOOL. Fine steel-wool has innumerable uses in the household, its more familiar ones being for cleaning and polishing aluminium and parquet floors. In the Institute it has also been found excellent for cleaning windows without the use of water and with a minimum of effort. Needless to say, the very finest grade of wool should be used for this purpose. Everyone who has used an oven thermometer knows how difficult it is to remove all traces of burnt-on food, fat, etc. After cleaning as far as possible with hot soda dater, rubbing with fine steel-wool will usually remove all or most of the stains. Where a considerable amount of the wool is used it its best to purchase it by the pound. The cost, of course, varies according to the fineness, the least expensive costing Is 4d the halfpound packet. SAUCES WITH FISH. Cod.—Oyster, parsley, egg or shrimp if boiled, tomato, white, cream, anchovy, or tartare if fried. Salmon. —Boiled: Parsley, Hollandaise, lobster or shrimp. Grilled: Maitre d’hotel, tartare, lobster. Soles.—Steamed: White or cream sauce, anchovy, shrimp. Mackerel. —Fennel, parsley or gooseberry, mustard. Herrings.—Grilled: Mustard. Trout. —Boiled or Grilled: Oiled butter, Hollandaise. Red Mullet.—Tomato, piquante, or parsley. Whiting.—White or anchovy. ORANGE FOAM. Ingredients: One cup sugar, 2 good tablespoonfuls cornflour, 2 good-sized deep-coloured oranges, 2 cups hot water, whites of two or three eggs. Method: Put sugar and hot water in stewpan, bring to boil, boil one minute; blend cornflour with cold water, add the dissolved sugar and water while hot, and cook five minutes. Then add juice of the oranges and grated rind of one. Allow to cool one minute, then add stiffly beaten white of eggs. Beat rapidly till white and foaming. When well beaten in. place in a shape to set. Custard may be made, using yolks of eggs and one pint of milk, and a little cornflour and sugar. USE DRY CLOTH. Never use a damp cloth when taking pyrex-ware out of the oven, as it is liable to crack the glass. Always keep a clean, dry cloth handy.

GENERAL HINTS.

To remove grease-stains from leather, moisten round the edge of the stains with water, then paint with rubber solution. In a few minutes the layer of rubber may be peeled off, when the grease-stain, having been absorbed by the rubber, will have vanished. Save all white blankets from which the nap is worn and use them instead of sheets in winter for the children. No hot-water bottles are needed, and they dry almost as quickly as sheets. Worn blankets make dressing-jackets for small children to sleep in. When re-footing a man’s seamless hand-knitted sock, cut the foot off just above the heel, turn the latter to the instep and pick up the stitches for the heel from what was originally the front of the sock. This will add greatly to its wear. Substitute honey for the sugar in baked custard (the same quantity is required) and omit the flavouring essence. This is a delicious change. Keep a small glass funnel for filling salt and pepper castors. There will be no waste and all unpleasantness from flying pepper will be avoided. Before donning rubber gloves powder the hands thoroughly and they will slip off and on easily. When a weak spot appears in the glove fix adhesive tape over the spot inside the glove. Stewed apricots added instead of the usual lemon or acid to pumkin mixture for pies, tarts, etc., is a delightful variant. Add a little custard-powder to any cake. It lightens the flour and improves the flavour. To keep cut dahlias fresh, immerse about six inches of the stem in boiling water immediately the flowers are cut and leave in the water until all danger of “bleeding” is past. As an alternative, plunge the stems into hot paraf-fin-wax. The best cure for mosquito bites is ordinary boracic ointment. Rubbed on the bite, it soothes instantly and there is no swelling left. If the burners of the gas-stove are not giving satisfaction boil them in a strong solution of washing-soda and thus remove all traces of grease. Wipe them dry before replacing, and run a piece of wire into the holes to remove rust. WASHING LIGHT CRETONNES. All cretonnes with light colourings, cream, grey, or jaspe grounds, and choose a bright day for drying. Wash the cretonnes quickly in warm (never hot), soapy water. Squeeze and knead out the dirt, rubbing only when really necessary. Wring and rinse by squeezing in plenty of clean, warm water. Give a final rinse in cold, salted water (a good handful of salt per gallon). This rinse is most important, as it fixes and intensifies the colours. Fold carefully, wring and starch, using the starch warm, not hot. Starch quickly and evenly. Wring again and hang out to dry. TO KEEP SALT DRY. Trouble with salt pourers is often experienced, especially in damp weather, or by the sea, on account of the tendency of the salt to absorb moisture and so cake. This may be obviated to a large extent if the pourers are placed in a closed tin of suitable size immediately after each meal. This protects the pourer from the atmosphere, and if a piece of quicklime is also placed in an old cup or saucer and kept in the tin, no difficulty should be experienced in shaking out the salt even in the dampest weather, provided the quicklime is renewed at intervals.

PHYSICAL JERKS FOR BABY.

Don’t keep him wrapped up all the ! time in shawls and garments and napkins, so that he never has the joy of stretching his limbs freely. Don’t keep him in your arms most of the time when awake. He kicks out ! more happily lying flat on a big arm chair or cushion. Don’t go to him as soon as he wakes, Let him kick for a while in his pram or cot and enjoy stretching out after his sleep. Don’t let him get chilled by having his limbs exposed too long, and remember that baby soon tires, and so, do see that he has just ten minutes unhampered kicking several times in the course of the day during his first few months, and longer periods as he grows older. Don’t over-stimulate him by too much attention or by surrounding him with toys. SCOTCH MARMALADE. Take your Seville oranges, wash them, and cut into thin slices. Weigh them, and to every pound put three pints cold water. Place in a large bowl and leave for 24 hours. Then put into the preserving pan and cook for one and a-half hours. By this time the slices should be nice and tender. Leave for another 24 hours. Measure the result, juice and pulp alike, and to every pint allow 12-lb of sugar. Boil from an hour to an hour and a-half. Bottle while hot, and tie down securely. Watch the jam carefully as it boils, remove every little bit of scum, and test every now and then by allowing a little to cool on a plate. When it crinkles it is ready. This is real Scotch marmalade, and has won many prizes at shows. TWO HINTS FOR THE COOK. Dip in water the string with which you fix the pudding before it is steamed or boiled. Tie it around the basin while the string is still wet. It will then remain tight and not slip. In these salad days the oil bottle is much in use during the preparation of in consequence of which it becomes unpleasantly oily upon the outside. A collar of blotting paper around the neck of the bottle kept in place with a rubber band will keep the bottle clean, and is easily renewed from time to time. Cut a double strip and snip the edges, and pull them over to form a frill. This wil soak up any drips that may overflow. FISH IN ASPIC. Line a plain mould, previously rinsed out in cold water, with aspic jelly, and when set decorate with slices of hardboiled egg or cooked vegetables. Set the decorations with more aspic. Fill up the mould with shredded cold cooked fish mixed with cold cooked vegetables such as carrots, pets, turnips, beetroot, cucumber, French beans, cut into fancy shapes. » Mix a gill of rather stiff mayonnaise with a gill of liquid aspic, stiffened with one or two sheets of gelatine, and pour this into the mould. Leave in a cold place until set. Turn out and garnish with small salad. FISH PUDDING. Chop one pound of hake or fresh boneless fillets, removing skin and bones, mix with three ounces of breadcrumbs, three ounces of suet, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and one tablespoonful of lemon rind. Season with salt and pepper, and add two beaten eggs and a gill of milk. Place the mixture in a greased caketin, twist greased paper over the top and steam for an hour. Turn the pudding out and strain melted butter over it. Garnish with parsley and when cold stand on ice until ready to bring to the table. A fork should never be stuck into a steak of chop when it is being fried or grilled, as it lets the juice out.

HOW TO CLEAN KITCHEN UTENSILS. Aluminium ware is gradually superseding most other metals for kitchen utensils. It is light to handle, and the acid juices of fruit and vegetables do not act upon it. It heats quickly and retains the heat so that it is invaluable for gas and electric cooking. There are various grades of aluminium, but it is invaluable for gas and electric cooking. There are various grades of aluminium, but it is cheaper in the long run to buy best-grade ware, as it lasts so much longer, and food is less liable to burn when using it. Aluminium does, however, ' require some care in cleaning. Ordinary methods of cleaning saucepans should not be employed. Those who use aluminium should note the following facts: Never use soda or soda water when cleaning aluminium, nor soap containing soda or any strong alkalis, acids, or caustics; they corrode the metal, and cause it to wear out. Do not use ammonia or ammonia powders, as they blacken aluminium. Do not use cleaning powders; they scratch and wear out the metal. Salt and lemon juice help to remove deep stains. Do not scrape aluminium with a knife or any sharp instrument. Do not use ordinary metal pot scourers, as they scratch and wear out the metal.

Do not use steel wire scrubbing brushes; they speedily wear holes in the aluminium. Directly the' pans are emptied, fill them with cold water. If any food has stuck to the bottom, bring the water slowly to the boil, and continue to boil for a short time. This loosens the food, which then may be worked off the pan with a wooden spoon. If stained or burnt, put some lemon, from which the rhind has been grated and the juice squeezed, into the water. Lemon dipped in salt will remove deep stains. The best and quickest way to cleaning aluminium after these preliminaries is to use a patent aluminium cleaner consisting of pads of fine steel wool, which cannot scratch the surface, and a special soap containing no soda or alkalis. Wet the pad in hot water, rub on plenty of soap, and wash the utensils thoroughly inside and out with it, applying more soap if necessary. Rinse well, and dry with a cloth. The ware shines like silver, and if never allowed to become dirty, takes but a few minutes to clean. Naturally, if pans have been neglected, and are black outside, two or three applications of soap will be required to restore them to their pristine freshness. All aluminium ware, such as colanders, perforated spoons, forks, tea and coffee pots, and kettles may be cleaned in this way. If one is not using a patent cleaner, scrub the pans with a bristle pot brush , or a dish cloth (after filling them with ! hot or boiling water to loosen any ( stains), removing stains with flannel dipped in salt and lemon juice. Rinse the pans well and dry them. All saucepans should be filled with cold water directly the contents are emptied out. If they are burnt or very dirty, add a little soda and place on the hot plate to heat the water and loosen the dirt. Unless the pans are very dirty, it is not worth while to use gas or electric current for this purpose. Iron Saucepans.—lron saucepans . must be scrubbed inside and out it hot j water and soda with the pot brush, j Then scour well with a flannel on j which some silver sand and soap have - been rubbed, and rinse with clean water. If badly burnt or stained, use ! I the wire scrubber and sifted ashes or

sand to remove the marks. Wipe with a clean, dry swab, and place wrong side up on a pot stand or shelf.. Clean the lid also. If a saucepan is kept on a shelf, allow a small space for the passage of air. If the pan fits exactly on the shelf the inside is apt to become sour. The Frying Pan and Omelette Pan.— These should be wiped out with paper, and, if they have become black inside, washed out with hot soda water. An omelette pan, however, should not need this treatment if properly used. If made of enamelled iron, they may be cleaned like ordinary enamelled saucepans. Tin, Enamelled, and Steel Saucepans.—Proceed as for iron saucepans but tin and steel pans must be kept bright outside, as well as inside. Stains are removed from enamelled pans by mixing salt with sifted ashes or silver sand. Lemons from which the yellow rind and juice have been used, if sprinkled with salt and rubbed on the stains, cause them to disappear very quickly. Copper Pans.—These should be washed well with hot water and soda, and then scrubbed with silver sand and salt until the stains are removed, using the wire scrubber and a little lemon or vinegar if they are badly stained. Rinse them well with warm water, dry the inside; then clean the outside in the same way. Brass pans must be finally dried in front of the fire, as if any moisture is left on them, verdigris is apt to form, and verdigris is, of course, highly poisonous. Brass and copper pans are not recommended for ordinary household use. Copper pans must be re-tinned as required. Earthenware Casseroles—Clean these inside and out with soapy water, to which a little soda has been added; remove the stains with sifted ashes or silver sand. Rinse with warm water, wipe them dry, and place them wrong side up on the shelf. Tins. —Cake tins, strainers, and pan lids should be washed in hot water and soda, scrubbed with sand or sifted ashes and soap, dried, and then polished. To polish, mix a little whitening to a paste with some cold water, but it on the tins with a soft rag; when dry polish with a dry rag or duster, and finally with a leather. Tins not much in use only require polishing.

USEFUL SEALING WAX. Besides its recognised use—that of sealing packages—sealing wax may be employed for decorative work, such as the shaping of beads for necklaces, and the ornamenting of jars and bowls, says a fashion writer. The wax is made in such lovely colourings that really good effects may be obtained with little labour. It is best to begin by moulding beads, in addition to sealing wax of various colours, you will need a bundle of steel knitting needles, coarse and fine for softening wax; an old piece of thick plate glass or a discarded mirror to work on; a bowl of very cold water; soft pieces of rag and an old knife for shaping the wax. You may shape with your fingers if you prefer it. To shape the beads select the wax you intend to use, and divide it into pieces as nearly the same size as possible. Now, still keeping the bead moving, shape it according to any design you fancy—round, square, flat, or oval. Occasionally dip it into your bowl of cold water to harden, and then wipe dry. Never let the wax be wet when you put it into the flame, and after wetting always dry and heat again.