TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19771, 19 February 1927, Page 14 (Supplement)

TALKS ON HEALTH

• BY A FAMILY DOCTOR. ——————— ■ »

*lways rinse scrubbing brushes after: and txira them on their sides. If! the bristles are always wet the brushes will not wear so well. Linoleum should be washed with a soft cloth and lukewarip water. Hot! water and soap are injurious to the pattern. Silver articles and ornaments soon; Jurnish when exposed to the air, esp^c-1 ially in damp and foggy weather. The! brightness can be restored by dipping the articles in a strong solution of am i monia and hot water. Where blinds are of cream linen, dirty marks show clearly. For clean-1 ing these there is nothing so good asj finelv-powdered bath-brick. This should; be applied, nor too roughly, with a perfectly dry and clean nail-brush. Rub the dirty places briskly until the marks disappear. To prevent buttons being broken when shirts and blouses are washed, take the buttons off, and in their place make button-holes. Then stitch the buttons on to a broad piece of tape and slip them through the made buttonholes. They may then be removed for washing. and one set of buttons will serve for several garments. Patent leather can be kept in good condition, and is not so liable’ to crack, if it is rubbed occasionally with turpentine and sweet oil. Do not throw away bones after one boiling; they will boil again and again. Nourishment has not been extracted until tiny holes appear all over them. Tq remove rust from steel, nickel, or iron, rover the affected parts with grease, leave for a few days, and then wipe with a rag dipped in ammonia. To Make Coal Last Longer. To make coal last longer, dissolve a handful of washing soda in a gallon of water and throw the liquid over the coal when you get in a fresh supply. Aluminium Saucepans. Clean aluminium saucepans with fine wire, wool and soap, which is made especially for cleaning aluminium. Specially prepared packets can be obtained from almost any grocer’s or household s ores, and directions for use are given with the packet. To Blacken Brown Shoes. Well brush the shoes to remove all dust. Mix together half an ounce of ivory brick, the stained juice of one lemon, and sufficient vinegar to make a thin liquid-like ink. Apply this dye .evenly to the shoes, using a small, Stic brush. Leave to dry, then give a second coat. When that is dry, apply a good cream and polish well. To Fry Fish. First wash the fish, dry it and cut into convenient pieces for serving. A deep pan containing sufficient fat completely to cover the fish is best to use when frying fish. The pieces of fish should be dipped into well-seasoned hatter or rolled in a little seasoned flour to dry them, and then coated with egg and breadcrumbs. The fat in the pan should be heated till a thin blue smoke rises from it. and it is quite still and not sizzling. If the fish is coated with batter, put it straight into the fat and. when cooked, remove with a fish slice. If the fish is covered with ••gg and breadcrumbs, put the pieces in a wire frying basket and then Iow?r into the boiling fat. When the fish is cooked it should be well drained on paper and served very hot. Oil and clarified fat can be used for frying; Loth should be re heated before each batch of food is put in. Smells -lorn Cooking. It is very unpleasant to have smells from the kitchen, such as that from cabbage boiling or fish frying, rising info other parts of the house. The kitchen window should always be open, and the door kept closed as much as possible. Whilst a cabbage is boiling a piece of crust tied in a bit of muslin and placed in the saucepan will prevent any strong smell. Cabbage water must be thrown away in the garden directly, not poured down the sink, and' the saucepan must be rinsed out at once. Ovens should be washed after' meat has been cooked, and the pan at * the bottom must always be. clean. i Birthday Cakes. Before you begin cake-making, sec that all the ingredients are at hand and properly prepared. See, too, that the oven is of the right temperature. The - currants should be washed in several waters and well dried. Candied peel should be sliced as thinly as possible. Raisins must be opened and stoned. Almonds should be blanched and sliced lengthways, while a few cut lengthways are useful for decorative purposes. Flour should be dry and finely sifted. If damp the cake will be heavy. Butter and eggs should be fresh. Too many eggs make the cake of a heavy consistency. Whole eggs make a close kind of cake. If a lighter kind is required, whip the whites separately. and fold them in at the last. The cake tin should be lined with greased paper. The top should project about threo inches above the sides of the tin. which should not be more than two-thirds full. A little salt brings out the flavour of the other ingredients. The oven must be hot at first, i.e., about 350 degrees. If you have not an oven thermometer, put in a piece of white paper, and if in a few minutes it turns dark brown, the oven is right for a large cake. If the oven is too hot at first it will brown the cake too soon, and so stop it rising. If not hot enough the cake will fail. Leave rhe cake for ten or twenty minutes at this temperature, then lower the gas, and again lower it to finish off the baking. Be careful not to bang the oven door when opening it to see how things are going on. To know if the cake is done, insert a knife in the. centre. If it comes out clean it is .done, then turn the cake on to a wire tray or upturned sieve, to allow rhe steam to escape, and prevent it from getting sodden. A Plain Cake.-Half a pound of butter. 41b castor sugar, fib sultanas, lib mixed peel, 1 lemon, 4 teaspoonful baking powdeY, lOoz flour, 4 eggs.

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each one. Stir in very lightly the flour, then add the fruit and finely shredded peel and grated rind of lemon. Mix very thoroughly with I a wooden spoon, turn into a paperlined tin well buttered.' and bake for: two hours a moderate oven. A Rich Cake.—One pound each of flour and sultanas. |lb each currants, butter, mixed peel, castor sugar, jib ' each glace cherries, shredded almonds, 1 6 eggs, a little milk if necessary, the | grated rind of 3 lemons and 1 orange. | a pinch of salt, a pinch of mixed spice. | Warm the butter slightly and beat to a cream, add the eggs one at a time, heating each one well to the butter and sugar. Mix in the' dry ingredients, lightly. Grease and paper cake tin. Bake in a slow oven about four hours. This rake may be iced in any style desired and it will keep well. Cauliflower au Gi'atin. Cook a large cauliflower until tender in boiling salted water, then drain and plunge into cold water. Drain and dry, divide into small pieces and place in a greased casserole; cover with a well-seasoned white sauce, sprinkle over one Ifalf-cup bread crumbs and the sam c quantity grated cheese mixed together and brown in a quirk oven. Servo hot. Curry en Casserole One pound cold m.eat, 1 tablespoon flour, 2oz. dripping, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped apple, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, half a clove or garlic (grated), half a teaspoon mixed powdered spice, two tomatoes, about one pint of stock. Cut the meat into cubes and dip into the flour, -after well seasoning it with pepper and salt. Heat the dripping in a casserole, fry the meat in it, and when w'ell browned lift it out and add to the fat the onion, apple, curry powder, and garlic. Fry all these for about five minutes, then put back the meat, add the sliced tomatoes, stock, and lemon juice, and simmer all for about one hour and a-half. Buttered Apples Peel, core, and cut in eighths ten large apples and arrange the pieces neatly in a greased fireproof dish; add l*alf a cupful sugar or honey and one teaspoonful vanilla extract. Cover the top with small pieces of butter, then cover and bake until the apples are tender. Decorate with cherries and serve with cream.