HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9092, 23 November 1907, Page 3

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

A Hint for Cooks.— When stewing a fowl which appears to bo rather tough, put a small lump of soda in the water. The flesh will be most de.icate and tender when done.

Tea and coffee stains will disappear if the stained part is spread over a .basin, robbed well with powdered borax, and boiling water ia poured through. The article should then soak for a little time.

To Remove Ironmould. — Dissolve oxalic acid in -water, wet the spot, rub it a little, and hang it by the window in the sun; be careful that the liquid is not so strong aa to eat the fabric. It is rank poison; keep it from children.

To revive black lace, lay it on a piece of clean, smooth board, and moir<ten with & piece of back silk dipped in a solution of a teaßpoonful of borax to a pint of warm water. Iron while damp, after coveting the lace with a white handkerchief or soft piece of rag. A Darner's Hint. — An excellent way of plain darning children's stockinps at the knee or heels is to cover the hole with a coarse black net, and then darn in and out of the ret. This looks neat and also gives tho stocking a second life, and is not uncomfortable to wear.

To Remove Ink or Marking Ink Stains from Washing Materials.— Fill a saucer with milk and soak the stained snot in it. At tho same time rub the spot with a piece of plain household yellow soap. If the stain is newly made it will disappear at once. If of longer standing, leave a plaster of >"soap on for twenty-four hours, then wash, or send to the laundry. . "When washing an eiderdown quilt, first of all mend any Tittle hole* there may be in the sateen. Than prepare suds with warm water and boiled soap, and in this plunge the quilt. Squeeze with the hands till the water b-x-nmea -irtv. then place in fresh water (suds), and repeat the process until dean. Rinse in as many waters as necessary, squeezing out the water. Shake the quilt, nnd tiang out fo dry. While drying, shako it till it is soft and full. On no account use a wringer, else the quilt will be utterly stmvll.

Nursery Pudding. — Break some crusts of eta!© bread .nto small pieces and place in a basin. Pour over enough boiling water to crver, md press a -late on the top; leave fi.T half an hour, then beat well and remove any _u»rd pieces that refuse to break. To a pint of this mixture add two tablesnnnnfuls eaoh of Busrar, sultanas, stoned raisins and chopped peel. Be.it up an egsc and strir in, together with a piece of butter the siza cf a walnut. Greaso a basin, pour in the pudding, tie down with a floured cloth, md steam for an hour. Almond Tnrt.— lngredients: A Jib of almonds, a pint of milk, a teaspoonful of grated lemon rind, nutmeg, three epgs, sugar to teste, three tablespoonfuls of grated breadcrumbs, a little butter, and enough Soste to lino a moderate-sized pie-dish, [ethodti Soak the breadorumba in a little

milk. Melt a piece of butter in tho remainder of the milk, sweeten it to taste, add the lemon And, nutmeg and the almondblanched end well pounded. Stir into the breadcrumbs. Lastly, mix in the eggs, previously well beaten. Pour into the lined piedish, and bake in a moderate oven until nicely set. A Hint for Cleaning Bedroom Water Caraffes. — Break up an egg shell and put it in the caraffe, with a few teaspoonfu s of cold water. Shake well, and then rinse out with cold water. This 18 a French custom, and most successful in removing stains. A Doctor's Hint for Cooking a Mutton Chop.— Place the chop in a colander," and pour soma boiling water over it. This sea.s the tissues and keeps the nutritious juices m. Now cook in the usual way on a gridiron over a hot, clear fire. Turn with a knife, and do not prick the surface anywhere. Serve with a nut of good butter and a dust of pepper and salt. Marzipan.— lngredients : _lb of almonds, 6oz of castor sugar, a ilb of icing sugar, and a little orange flower water. Method: Blanch and cut up the almonds finely, then pound them, adding the orange flower water drop by dropl Only add just enough to form a firm paste. Then put it with the castor sugar into a basin. Place the basin in a saucepan of boiling water, and stir until the preparation when touched does not -tick to the fingers. Turn out on to a large dish, add ih© icing sugar by degrees, using a wooden Kpoon to mix with until it is oooJ enough to handle. Then use the fingers anxl knead until it is perfectly smooth. Colour and flavour to taste can also be added. Almond and Fruit Cakes.— Jib of puff paste, cut into squares one inch thick; cut out an inner square, leaving a border; brush over with egg, and pinch the borders; put a 'ayer of fruit where the paste was half taJ-eii out ; cover one inch thick with almond past*, and put in a quick oven. Bake a deep; golden colour, dish on lace paper. The fruit for cakes.— Two table-poonfuls pineapple 3am, one of raspberry jam that has been rubbed through a sieve; mix these with 4__ of any nico dried fruits, cut into small dice shapes, lo_ desiccated cocoanut, a few drops essence vanilla; mix together and 'use. Almond paste for fruit cakes.— Jib icing sugar two raw whites of eggs, 3o_ blanched and finely «hr-ciaed _._-on__. three drops essence vani'-la; mix tog-ther into a dry paste, roll out and use. „ _ „., Gingerbread.— lngredients : lib flour, a lib tin of golden syrup or common treaole, whichever may be preferred. Jib castor sugar, the same amount 'of fresh butter, 2o_ of sweet almonds (blanched and split), Job o. ground ginger, half ft teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, a pinch of powdered cloves, the gTated rind of half a lemon, and one egg. Method. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a basia, mix well together, and make a well in the centre. Put the sugar and treacle into a saucepan and beat oveT the fire until they come to th© boil. Add the butter and stir well. When thoroughly melted and amalgamated with the sugar and treacle P°ur slowly into the dry ingredients. Add tho e»<* previously well beaten, and beat aU together for ten minutes. Put the mixture into a well-greased shallow tin, and bake in * very moderate oven for an hour. The importance of fresh air m bedrooms smd clothes-presses oannot be over-estimated. It- is not at all unusual foT people to come in from the street, remove their clothing, hang it up in a small, close cupboard, perhaps against a warm chimney, and then phut the doo_ and go away,, without a thought of the dangers that lurk in th© Ptnffv atmosphere thus created. __ The heme of the skirts have swept up all sorts of rubbish and disease germs in the mud and dnmpness of the pavement, and these are allowed to propagate in this sfcflraer air. ■n_very house oueht to be provided with an open-air c! ©set, where all garments worn in the street could be hung until they could receive a good bruphing, which should bo done in the oT>en air in a, good breeze if oossible. Sunshine, while it unquestionably harms the clothing, helos to preserve tho I health, and garments that can be » «■ ! nosed should be put into the bnght sunhghf. for some portion of the day after they havo i been worn in the streets of 1 a city.