HINTS AND RECIPES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 424, 15 November 1930, Page 20 (Supplement)

HINTS AND RECIPES

Brass rubbed once a week with a piece of flannel moistened with sewing-ma-chine oil is unlikely to tarnish. Floor matting should be sponged with warm water and a little borax. Grease stains will disappear if rubbed with a little prepared chalk, moistened with turpentine. When making egg custard mix the beaten eggs with milk that is slightly warm, and the custard will not turn watery.

If a lemon is well heated before spucczing it will yield almost double the normal quantity of juice.

Bracken leaves will sometimes attract and poison beetles, in the same way as cucumber rind, but if a large plate is partly filled with stale beer, or yeast and water, this makes a good bottle trap, and it is a quicker method of ridding a house of these pests. The grated rind of lemon or an orange added to a cake not only gives a nice flavour, but prevents it from becoming stale.

The skins of plums, currants, etc, often become tough when cooked. To avoid this, boil the fruit for five minutes before adding the sugar. An obstinate cork can be removed if a piece of flannel is dipped in boiling water and tightly wrapped round the neck of the bottle.

When washing-up, put a piece of lemon peel in the bowl. It will remove all traces of the smell of fish, uni >us, etc., and will put a fine gloss on the china. Fruit used for making jelly should not be over-ripe. Use it slightly underripe ami y>u will be sure your jelly will “jell” properly.

To Clean a Bath.—An excellent bathcleanser can be made by dissolving a lump of whitening about the size of an orange in sufficient boiling water to make a creamy paste, then : dd a packet of soap powder. The whole mixture forms a thick paste which hardens. Rub a piece of damp flannel over the paste and it will remove dirty marks from a bath.

To Save Gas.—Have lids to all saucepans, for the contents will then take less time to get hot, and the flavour and quantity of what is beiug cooked is preserved. Never allow the flame to flare up the sides of kettles and pans. Make good use of steamers sufficiently; keep burners perfectly clean.

When Tiles are Stained.—To remove stains from tiles, rub them with a mixture of turpentine and candle wax. Put the turpentine into an old cup and stand the cup in a bowl of hot water. Then melt a little of the wax in a tin and pour this into the warm turpentine. Allow about one part of the wax to ten parts of turpentine. Stir the mixture and use in a warm state, rubbing well into the tiles with a cloth.

Washing Blankets.—Choose a fine, dry breezy day for washing blankets. First shake them well, then prepare the water —just warm enough to be comfortable —with soap jelly or shredded soap, in a large tub. Press well in the water,-then put in a second tub and repeat the process. Rinse well till free from soap, then wring, or better still, pass through the rollers of the mangle, letting them lie as loose as possible. Shake the blankets well before hanging out, and hang them perfectly straight and singly on the clothes line. Shake them occasionally while they are drying. When dry, remove from the line, stretch well, and then rub over with a piece of clean rough flannel to raise the pile.' Then put in a warm place to air thoroughly. Ink Stains on Carpets.—To remove the stain wash it at once with skim milk. Pour the milk on the stain and rub it into the carpet with clean flannel. Sometimes cut lemon rubbed on the stain will remove it. To Clean Decanters. —Salt and vinegar make an excellent mixture for cleaning water-bottles and wine-decant-ers. Put a dessertspoonful of rough salt into a decanter, moisten it with vinegar and then shake the decanter till the stains arc removed. Puddings for Every Day Dutch Apple Pudding.—Line a greased Yorkshire pudding tin with thin suet crust, cover with thick layer of sliced apples, sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice, and add a spoonful or two of golden syrup, cover with crust, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake. The crust should be crisp.

Sultana Betty.—Four apples, 1 cupful of breadcrumbs, 1 cupful oT sultanas, 1 cupful of brown sugar, 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon, 4 teaspoonfuls of butter. Peel, core, and slice the apples and arrange a layer of them in a greased bak-ing-dish. Cover with breadcrumbs and sultanas. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter. Repeat the layer until all the ingredients are used up. Bake in a moderate oven until the apples are soft. Recipe for Hasty Pudding. One egg, three-quartern pint milk, one ounce flour, half-ounce sugar, pinch of salt. Stir the flour and salt into a basin, add the sugar. Break the egg into it and stir gradually, beating until smooth. Add a third of the milk and mix well. Put the rest of the milk into a pan to boil, then pour it gradually on to the barter, stirring well all the time. Return to the saucepan and stir until it thickens. Pour it into a greased piedish and put. it in the oven to finish cooking and to brown. The addition of a handful of cleaned currants to the batter will give it flavour and more nutriment.

Manchester Pudding.—Half-pint of milk, the rind of one lemon, 2 oz. butter, some raspberry jam and some puff paste. Boil the lemon rind in the milk and pour this on to the breadcrumbs. Let it stand for five minutes, then remove the peel, beat in the yolks only of the eggs and the butter and sugar. Line a piedish with short crust and put in a layer of jam. Cover with the breadcrumb mixture and bake gently for three-quarters of an hour. Whip up the white stiffly with some castor sugar, and arrange smoothly on the top, then dredge a little more sugar over and put in the oven to set. Serve this pudding hot or cold. Baked Sponge-cake Pudding.— Cut some stale spongecakes in thin slices, butter one side and spread the other with jam. Then place the slices in layers in a plain mould or pie-dish with the butter side downwards, pour custard over each layer, and repeat till the dish is full. Let the pudding soak for an hour, then bake in a quick oven. Turn out before serving and send to the table with custard sauce flavoured with jam.