HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10683, 1 February 1913, Page 4

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Clothes-linea and clothes pegs should' be boiled once a month for a- few minutes and then quickly dried. By doing this they will last much longer. When cooking a. cauliflower, after washing, tie up iu a thin muslin bag. By boiling it in tho muslin tho flower will not break, and will bo whiter when cooked.

Flower vases with long necks can be cleaned by filling them with clean hot water and small .pieces of newspaper. Shako vigorously, and the paper will remove all the dust and sediment from them. Take a good-sized pearl button and sew it to one corner of a dishcloth. This will prevent tho necessity of fetching a knife to scrape a dish or piate, as the button will answer the purpose admirably. When cutting new bread and butter dip tho knife into boiling water, wipe it dry, and use immediately. liepeat the process from tlmo to lime while cutting, and the bread will siics smoothly, and can be cut thinly. To remove iodine spots, place the article instantly, before the spot dries, in coid water and let it soak. Slightly warm the water. Kub laundry soap over tho spot and pour boiling water through it, All traces of iodine instantly leave. To Glaze Fruit.—Dry the fruit thoroughly if it is freshly gathered. Dissolve halt a pound of sugar in half a cupiul of water, add a few drops of lemon juice, and boil until tho mixture cracks slightly in cold water. Piunge the stewpan into cold water, to prevent a too groat point of cooking being reached, and at once dip the fruit in ono by one. Place them well apart on an oiled tin until cold; then transfer to sheets ci white paper. ' Sardines and Tomatoes. —One tin of sardines, four tomatoes (large), pepper, salt and a little stock. Prepare sardines, then mash and heat them. Skin the tomatoes by throwing into boiling water and then pceliiij off the loosened jackets. Cook the tomatoes then with the stock, pepper, salt, and & little flour. Pile the sardines on pieces of buttered toast, pour the tomato xr.i-.ture upon them, and serve. Worm-eaten Wood.—lnject kerosene ottor hvdrogen peroxide of tho strength usually obtainable at the chemist's shop with the aid of a fine syringe or machiuo oii-ean into the affectod parts. The operation should be repeated every thro 3 days for n fortnight. Then melt together an ounce and a i'uui of beeswax and half an ounce of rosin, mis in a little aniline dye of the necessary c-hact. and appiy whilst hot to the holes. A .flexible knifo is tho best thins to use. French Pancakes.—Half a pint oi mil.!*, two ounces of butter, two eggs, two ounces of flour, two ounces of sugar, a pinch of salt, half a tsaspoonful of baking powder. Cream the butter, and add the sugar, flour, ini'.k and est-s. The flour and sugar should be warmecT and the baking powder and salt- aifted with the flour, llix well, and pour iato buttered saucer;). Bake from twenty m:i> uttis to haii ?.n hour in a fairly quick oven. This quantity will make sis. Serve with cream and jam. Macaroons.—-Take half a pound of almonds. blanched aim chopped, o ; o. ca «ior sugar, live or six whiter <<f the fir.civ-grated rincl of one lemon. Dry the ahriond-. thcreuehly iu a c;ol own. pound them finely. audi::-: the whites of jhe egsa 1 i V. Vi '' 1 .-iUi.O'.h. 1. dd lile SUl'.aF R-.:d lemon rincl. Turn ike mixture into a.

ewpan, ftnd stir it over r« moderate firo itil lukewarm. Havo ready a. baking-tin ivered with water paper; arrange the mlx " ire quickly in small, round portions, ana iko in a- moderato oven. Tlio economy oi brushes is quite worth tidying, as they quickly mount up to a i-nvy item in the year's A irubbing brush that is loft to soak in a lcket quickly rots. Sweeping brooms iould never touch the floor except when i actual use; thev should at once be stood i the. point of the handle, head upwards srninst the wall, if there is not a broomLck. Dusting brushes should have a on the handle and be hung' up after se. Brushes should all bo washed from me to time, as they get dirty, just as u?t?vn do, I?*rsiaii Fish.—Break up °'ie pound of cold joked fish carefully, removing all pkin and ono, et-0., End finite up quite small. Boil ivo eggs hard, and throw them into coid •utor (o preserve their colour. Boil six unces of rice, boinp careful to dry it well lell ono ounco of butter, and utir into it ono unco of flour, and when well blended and mooth add to it half a pint of milk, and let . all cook together for ten to twelve minutes, casonins? this sauce with salt, white popper, nd a dessertspoonful of essence of anchovy nd some capers. l>utt«r a- piedifdi lightly, nd place in it first ft layer of fish, then a. jyer of rice, moirteninj» this ■with some of ho r-tuice, and nest, a layer of sliced, hardoiled repeat these layer? till iho dish ; full, finishing with the ejgs; strew tiny ieces of butter over flio top. and placo in the ven till thoroughly hoi. and eorvo. To Preserve Fruit Whole.—Select sound, ipo fruit, "being careful to exclude all that s the least over-ripe, rack it as closely as >osfiible in the ?lass jars, which then must is filled with cold water tin to half an inch if tlie top.' The rubber rings and glass ops are then adjusted, and the metal rincf lartialiy screwed down. Bo particular .bout covering l the fruit with water, or it rill discolour. Kow placo the filled jars in lis boiler or copper, and pour in cold vatcr until they are immersed ud to the houlders, they must be separated from each ilher by bits of board, cloths or hay. and nust also stand upon a thin layer of hay ir cloth, or in boiling will knock against ■rich other. When tho water boils rake out Jio fire, or turn off tho gas. and let the ari remain in the water until they aro roo! . enough to handle. Then screw down :ho metal rings.es tichtlv as possible, and ,vhen the iars are cold the frle.ssi caps will :e found firmly fixed by atmospheric pressure. The cold water absorbs the flavour Mid colour of the fruit, and is \ised for preparingl it iov table and in various ways. THE VEGETARIAN'S CORKER. French Bean Soup.—Trim and wash one pound of young French beans; boil for ten minutes; strain off tho water, and pdd to tho beans four sliced onions, ono fresh lettuce, shreS finely, one sliced carrot, two bay leaves, and a small bunch of herbs. Stir in about ono ounce of butter, nnd fry all for fiva minutes. Pour in three pints of white stock, and simmer slowly for an hour. Dutch Pudding.—Take eight ounces of flour, r.nd mis with a teaspoonful of baking powder, twc. ounces of butter, and an ounce of grated cheese. Wet and make into a stiff paste, and lino.a pudding basin with it. Fill with butter beans, previouflv boiled and removed from, their skins, add a small onion chopped, tho pulp of <i tomat-o, one ounce of butter, cut into pieces and seasoning: to taste. Moisten with the water in which the baans were boiled. Cover and steam for two hours. Curried Lentils.—Wash and dry half a pint of lentils, add sufficient stock to cover, and simmer gently till they ' ero tender, addin? more stock as required. When cooked, the lentils should be nearly dry. Then heat two ounces of clarified butler or dripping, and fry in it three sliced onions till thev are a light brown. Sprinkle oil them a tablespoonful of curry powder, and stir for two or three minutes. Then add the lentils, and allow the whole to cook for twenty minutes. Serve pilad in tho centre of a dish, with a, border of boiled r i ce -