Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 2 September 1909, Page 31

Domestic

By MAUREEN

" ' New Curtains. \ . " - When washing new curtains^ put into cold water with a good handful of common salt over night, then rinse well and wash as usual in plenty of good soapy water. Fenders/ Fenders which are put down on a fresh-whitened hearth every day will be found very rusty underneath. Rub off the rust with a rag, and then apply linseed, machine; or any kind of oil until thoroughly saturated. This will stop it, and the fender will last much longer. An Easy Way to Pluck a Fowl. As soon as the birds are dead, plunge each into a pail of boiling water, to which one pint of, cold water has been added. One minute's soaking is sufficient. Every feather can now be pulled out quite easily. In fact, they can almost be brushed off, and the skin never tearsl To Clean Dirty or Stained Engravings! Place flat on a board, fine salt over, then squeeze juice of a lemon- to dissolve salt. Now elevate one end of the board, and pour boiling water from "a kettle ,over salt and lemon till they disappear. The stains will be now removed, and the engravings should be left stretched on the board till quite dry. Do not put near the fire, or in the sun, as this turns them yellow. A dull, fireless rdom, with no dust, is best. . ' Thinness and Temper. No thin woman can afford to lose her temper. ' Nothing/ says an authority, 'will make you look so angular or give your face such an undesirable look as the free indulgence of your own will.' A girl thin to a painful degree gained thirty pounds in sixty days on the following regime: Twelve hours' sleep a day; a well-ventilated and cold room to sleep in, with plenty of fresh air all night; light down coverlets for warmth, and hot-water bags at the feet if cold; loose, light clothing at all times, with plenty of space about the chest, shoulders, and waist; a diet of cereals, cocoa, fresh fruits or starchy vegetables, potatoes, beans, etc., milk and cream —everything of a warming, fat-producing nature in the way of food; warm baths, but not too frequently. In Buying Meats. Young housekeepers who are good cooks often slip up in buying meats. This is from lack of knowledge of what good meat should look like. Good beef will be a smooth, fine grain, the color will be a clear bright red, the fat white, and it will feel tender when pinched in the fingers. There should be an abundance of kidney fat or suet. Veal should have firm and dry flesh, fine grained and of a delicate pinkish color. The joints should be stiff, and there should be plenty of kidney fat. Mutton or lamb should have bright red flesh, firm and juicy, and of a close grain. The fat should be very white and firm. Pork should never have a rough and hard rind, as it is old; there should never ,be yellow streaks through it. Hints on Making Salads. There are one t>r two things to be borne in mind by the salad maker, and these are: First, the green stuff must be absolutely dry before putting on the dressing, and, of course, shoiild be quite fresh. Second, a salad should never be mixed till the last moment in order that none of the crispness of the green stuff be lost. Third, use none but the best ingredients, such as the best olive oil and vinegar. Lemon juice is used by some to take the part of vinegar by those who do not care for it. The proportions of oil and vinegar for a salad should be two-thirds of oil to a third of vinegar. If oil is not liked, the quantity should be small at first, and increased gradually till it is liked. A simple salad dressing is made with .oil and vinegar in the above proportions, flavored with salt and pepper. With regard to the oil, a well-known culinary authority says:,,' The oil is a very nourishing part of the affair itself, and takes the place in the system of much food; indeed, to those for whom cod-liver oil is ordered, the olive oil of salad dressings is" very useful.' Sometimes a liking for it has to be cultivated by taking it in less quantity and more disguised, increasing the quantity a drop or two every time till -it becomes agreeable and grateful.