HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8309, 6 May 1905, Page 3

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

A bit of camphor put- in the reservoir of a kerosene, lamp will make it give a better light. Wine stains will come out of linen if • the stained part, is held, in! boiling milk, for a minute or two. . ' ._ . ' Place an ap_ile in a tin with a cake that you want to keep; the cake wil ?e____a beautifu-ly- moist. ■„ - *; Clean, windows in damp weather with a little' methylated spirit, and . you will have no difficulty in polishing them. Cheese should never be kept near butter, milk or .ream. All these things absorb iihe flavour o_ -he cheese, an.d -hup spoil their own: ■ „,...'.■ • ■ ' i To test tike purity ' of . coffee, pour cold I water on it. If tte water -.suines a brownish hue, it maybe concluded that there is cbiccry with it. . I For a shampoo mixture . make a froth ;of j good toilet soap,:' and when lukewarm .add to it the beaten yolk of an egg aha a dessertspcoriful of spirits- of '-rosemary.' _ When the hair splits it should be cut by a. gcod. hairdresser :and singed: Have this treatment carried out at least once a month, end the, condition of the hair will soon improve. ' "'■' "•'" r' .. Fishy Dishes and Plates.— TH.^pleasant odour that arises when washing, plates that have been used for fish entirely disappears if a little vinegar is added to the washing-up water. • ■'■_-■-■■ ■ ' "'•' : v ■ To revive cut flowers after packing? _»lunge. the stems into boiling water; by the -time the water is cold the flowers will have revived. Cut the ends and put in fresh cold waiter. . To CTesta Stained Knife Bardies-- Rub with fine flannel, moistened with lemon-, juice and salt, and : polish, afterwards with flannel dipped in flour. This; keeps ivory handles! beautif^liy white.. '. • .. To keep, -ponges soft and white, wash them in warm water with a little tartaric _c_d:in it,- thenerit-je in plenty of cold water. Care must- be taken >ot to put. too , much tartaric acid,, or the sponges will be spoil. -,_' Borax., water is useful for the toilet. Make it by dissolving as much' borax as ihe boiling water will take up. Use a tab-eapoohful of this -olution in about one pint of boiling water, -for,, washing tie hands, at night. "An _t_v_l-d may be spared much unnecessary pais -j. the followmg precautions _ be) taken in ndixing a mustard plaster:— Mix it with the well-beaten whitej>f <an egg instead of water; it will not ihe^biist.r the skin. To Clean Gilt; Frames.^These .may be made to look life ne<w by using a mixture of i 'gill "of water, i ounce of kitchen . salt, 1 ounce of alum, and 2 ounces of purified -litre. Apply with a email brush, and dry gently. Cover paint B-'ots on wood with a paste made of soda, lime and cold water, leave it on for twenty-four hours, and then wash

off -with hot water. If the spots have got very dry this treatment may need to be repeated. A Substitute ior 'Cream. — Beat the yolks of three eggs, and mix gradually, with them, about three-quarters of a pint of milk. Strain into a saucepan, and stir constantly until quite hot; on no account must it boil. This is excellent to use with stewed fruit, etc. A gcod metal polish may be made as follovs: — Take half a pound, of powdered rottei.ston., one pound of soft soap, and one quart of soft water; boil all together for half an. Hour, snd then set in tins for nse. Apply with a flannel, and' polish with sofrags- , Kemedy for Soft Corns.— Touch the spot with turpentine every day, and the comwili come out entirely. Take great care .hat the turpentine doe 9 not' run down on to the adjoining skin, or it will make it sore. Use a spent match for this purpose, and only a , drop of turpentine is sufficient. An Inexpensive Substitute for Gum. — Mix together with cold water 2 ounces flour and 2 of _n ounce of brown sugar. Pour boiling water over, stirring all the time, till the paste is a little thicker than, starch. Then add six drops of carbolic aoid to prevent the paste turning. sour. When this is stirred in th. compound^ will be. fit for use. Ink stains are so unsightly on furniture and clothes that him_. on their removal are int_re_ting. If ink is spilt on. colourless material, rub the- spot at once with yellow soap, then with a cut . remon, and th© stein will be removed. On coloured materials use dry Puller's earth <at once, and leave •it on all night, repeating the application if necessary. Preserving' Eggs. — Cove. th. bottom of a box or barrel with salt. Lay in as many eggs a» will . stand without touching each other. Threw in fine salt to cover them. Hepeat « layer of eggs, and salt alternately. Cover the top half an, inch thick with salt, and cover with a blo-ih and tight-fitting . lid to exclude -the air. Keep in a. dry place. Eggs, will thon keep quite fresh. .Oysters au Gratin. — Have ready small rounds of. lightly fried bread. Place on each three, bearded oysters, seasoned with cayerne pepper, salt and lemon-juice. Cover them entirely with grated Parmesan cheese, and a little melted butter. Brown •them either in the oven or with a salanrander. Serve very hot, and garnish with grated cheese and par-ley. A~ roast ham is superior to a 'boiled one, flit -is more full of gravy, has a finer flavour, and ..will keep longer. Soak the ham. thoroughly for at least twelve hours, wipe d-y, and cut away musty parts. Cover the ham •with a flour' and' water crust, taking care that it is of sufficient thickness a.l over to keep in the gravy. Place in a good steady oven, and bake for four hours. To de-troy moths in carpets, send them to your gasworks tot be treated. If this is not possible, carefully go over the surface on both sides, and with -a stiff brush remove ail signs of' moths, rubbing eadh place thoroughly with flannel dipped in spirits of naphtha. •Scatter insect powder under the carpet when putting it down again, and watch carefully for any reappearance of the. pest. An ordinary egg weighs from one and a quarter to .two ounces. A duck's egg weighs from two to three ounces. Two ounces of ur-__elted butter equal in size an ordinary ef g Two table-poonfuls of liquid weigh one ounce; Two heaping tablespoonfuls. of powdered eugar weigh one ounce. One heaping tabl -spoonful of granulated sugar weighs one o__ce. Two rounded tablespoonfuls of flour weigh one ounce. A Cure for Stiff Buttonholes.— There is frequently much difficulty in inserting studs or sleeve-links into over-starched cuffs or neckbands. The consequent crur_pled appearance may be avoided by a very simple expedient. If the finger be dipped in water, and the under edjge of the buttonholes moistened all dif-xuHy will- disappear, without any detraction from the gloss or stiffness of the upper surface. Baked' beetroot, served with a little melted butter saiice, salt and pepper, makes a delicious vegetable course.- After boiling the beetroot until nearly done, remove jho skin, and arrange it whole in a baking dish. Pour a little water over the beetroot, and' bake, .turning .frequently, taking care not to break it "Vraen quite done, place on a hot dish, pour some nice butter sauoe over, scatter chopped parsley «_ad hard-boiled- yolk of egg over, and serve very hot. _ ,' How to Stew Meat. — Stewing has been-de-Boribed as the most economical method of cooking ever invented. No great heat is. .required, and practically no attention is neected, ai__ "by thia process we are enabled to make use of pieces -of meat which, while very nutritious when carefully dressed, would otherwise be too .tough fox food. The meat is put in the atewpan with a very little cold water — riot enough to cover it — and then gradually heated; 1 " -.emember that *tewa must never boil. When, the meat is half done, vegetables may be put in. Melon J«<m.— »l6 lemons, 151 bof melon, 151 b of sugar, lib of grtan ginger. Cut the melon irito small dice after peeling and seeding it. Put - 1 into a -large basin, and strew lib of the sugar over; put aside for -24 hours. Peel the lemons, amd shred the peel .verj* fin>e; put into. a basin. Peel the g_o> ger, and out into small, fine pieces. Add it ti the lemon-peel; just cover it with "boiling waller Set aside for 24 hours. "When the time is up, put the melon, ginger, lemon-peel and the v strained juice of the lemom. into a preserving-pan. Bring it to a boil, «nd boil it for an hour or more. Then add the rest of the sugar, and boil again for Another hour, or until it will jelly when a little is put on a. plate to cool. Pour into glass jars, and cover when cold in the usual way.