MISS PARLOA’S
Young Housekeeper

Designed Especially to aid Beginners

Economical Receipts for those who are Cooking

for Two or Three

BY

MARIA PARLOA

FOUNDER OF TWO SCHOOLS OF COOKERY AND AUTHOR OF “THE

APPLEDORE COOK BOOK,” “MISS PARLOA’S KITCHEN COMPANION,”

“MISS PARLOA’S NEW COOK BOOK AND

MARKETING GUIDE,” “FIRST PRINCIPLES OF

HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT,” ETC.

ILLUSTRATED

BOSTON

ESTES AND LAURIAT

1894

Copyright, 1893,

By Maria Parloa.

University Press:

John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A.

PREFACE.
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WHEREVER I have gone in the last fifteen years in following my calling as a teacher of cooking, earnest appeals have been made to me to plan my next book for the especial benefit of those who have just begun, or who are about to begin, to keep house for two or three. The young wives want to know how to buy supplies for a small family; how to cook economically and well; what to do with food that is left over from any meal; and numerous other things pertaining to their daily work. At last I have set about telling them. They will find that it is not necessary to have an immense income in order to live well. Strict adherence to careful instructions will, with a little good sense thrown in, enable a young housekeeper to accomplish wonders. She can practise economy and at the same time have a table that is attractively and wholesomely spread,—something for which most housekeepers strive without knowing the best way to reach the goal. Of course, not all who begin to build a home are obliged to count every dollar they expend. For the benefit of those who can start in their married life with a servant to aid them and money enough to indulge in luxuries, some special information and advice are given. But, after all, the aim has been particularly to lend a hand to those whose incomes are moderate; to make the book a simple one,—one that even a girl may take interest in studying. If it prove of value to those young women who are establishing homes for themselves, its chief mission will be accomplished.

M. P.

Roxbury, Mass., 1893.

CONTENTS.
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MISS PARLOA’S

YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER.

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CHAPTER I.
A WORD WITH THE YOUNG HOUSEWIFE.

IF one were to get a hundred reputed good housekeepers to come together and give their ideas of what constitutes good housekeeping, no two would agree upon all points. There are essentials which every one recognizes, but there are many things which one housekeeper considers of the greatest importance, whereas another may think the same things of minor consequence or of no consequence whatever. It is a sad fact that some good housekeepers are not good home-makers. The young housekeeper should bear in mind that, while it is essential that the home should be clean and orderly, and the food well cooked and regularly served, this does not make the home. One can get all these comforts in a well conducted hotel or boarding-house, but the man or woman is to be pitied who has no higher ideal of a home than what is furnished by a hotel or boarding-house, no matter how sumptuous. A selfish woman can make a good housekeeper, so far as the keeping of the house in perfect running order is concerned, but it is difficult for a selfish or lazy woman to make a home. A young woman who would create an ideal home must possess some judgment, and a heart in which charity and sympathy have a large place.

My idea of good housekeeping is where a woman keeps her home sweet and orderly; provides simple, well cooked food; makes her home so restful and cheerful that all who come into it shall be better for breathing the atmosphere of kindness and cheerfulness that pervades the place; and where the household machinery always runs smoothly because of the constant thoughtfulness of the mistress of the house. A place like this is truly a home, and the woman at the head of it deserves the respect and admiration of everybody. I have seen such homes among the rich and among the poor, for neither wealth nor poverty prevents the right person from filling with the atmosphere of comfort and happiness the house of which she is the mistress.

A housekeeper’s duties are many, and, to one nervous and fretful, they are exhausting. What seems to the woman of good digestion and steady nerves a mere trifle, to be laughed at and forgotten, may appear to the delicate, nervous woman a calamity to be wept over. Much of the irritability from which women suffer is due to their expectation of too much of themselves and others. If women would be reconciled to the inevitable, they might make everybody about them much happier. A choice bit of china may be broken. Is it worth the while to make the whole household miserable for what cannot be helped? A dish may be spoiled in the cooking. It will not help your digestion or that of the family to fret over it. You may be naturally very orderly, but some members of the family may not. Will it pay to make them and yourself uncomfortable by worrying over the matter? If your servant or any other member of the household should not come up to your standard, throw the mantle of charity over the faults that you cannot remedy, and pray that others may be equally charitable to you.

The good housekeeper will certainly look well to the ways of her household, but her eyes will be those of the kind, just woman. She will not look for miracles; she will not expect to get the best supplies and service when paying only the lowest price; she will not hope to make something out of nothing; she will be brave enough to live within her means, even if they be small; she will not be afraid to do her work honestly and well; and, finally, she will be so true to herself at all times, and so adjust and simplify her domestic duties that she will not exhaust body and mind in trying to do two persons’ work for the sake of “keeping up appearances.” How many families lose all the comforts of home life in this senseless effort! If you stop to consider what this “keeping up appearances” means it puts the people in a very unenviable light, for it simply means that people want to give you a false impression of their possessions. No member of the family is so much injured by this deceptive life as the housekeeper. All her power of body and mind is bent to the task of making the best possible appearance with the smallest amount of expenditure. Intellect is cramped in the battle and all repose is gone from home life. No matter how good the housekeeping, the spirit of the home-maker is not there. No young woman has a right to dwarf her life for such a purpose. Let her make the most of the means at her command, but let her never sacrifice her physical, moral, and mental well-being to a desire to make a display disproportionate to her circumstances, for that is not good housekeeping.

CHAPTER II.
ABOUT FURNISHING THE HOUSE.

IN these days of lavish ornamentation and bric-à-brac, the young housekeeper must be on guard against filling her house with such furnishings as would make it stuffy and cause it to lack individuality. The home should be an index to the character of the family. Do not furnish your house fully until you have lived in it a while. Buy at first only such furniture as you need for comfort. When you are settled you can study the needs of each part of the house, and, after you have fully determined exactly what you want, buy it whenever you see an advantageous chance.

Never decide hastily upon a piece of furniture; purchase for the future as much as for the present. It is true fashions change in furniture from year to year, but it is only people of large means who can follow a fashion of this kind. The plain, elegant styles are quite expensive as compared with the ordinary pieces which are turned out of factories by the thousand, and which are covered with ornamentation to catch the popular fancy. One quickly wearies of such furniture; besides, it is not so well made as the plainer styles, and therefore gets out of order very easily.

Get the things necessary for kitchen, bedroom, dining-room, and sitting-room before doing anything about the parlor, and let every article be of good quality, no matter how plain. Make an estimate of what you can spend on each room; then get the best things possible.

What to Buy for the Chambers.

One can get a chamber set for as low a sum as twenty-five dollars; but the prices run up rapidly until the hundreds are reached. Handsome, well made sets, with little or no ornamentation (the quality of the wood, and the finish, giving them a simple elegance not found in more showy pieces) cost from forty to seventy-five dollars. The set includes bedstead, dressing-case, wash-stand, towel-rack, a small table, two common chairs, and a rocker. The more expensive sets have the English wash-stand. No marble is used with the finest chamber furniture. The springs, mattresses, etc., must be purchased separately, as a rule. Have good ones. Have shades and plain muslin curtains for the windows. Stain the floors, if possible. If you prefer not to do that, use straw matting, with one rug beside the bed and another in front of the wash-stand. In buying the toilet set select one that has a plain, fine shape and simple decoration.

Dining-room Furniture.

There are two articles which one must have for this room: a table and some chairs. It often happens that the young housekeeper, not realizing the necessity for having these of generous size, and well made, chooses articles that appear good, but which, in a short time, become unstable. Oak is the most satisfactory wood for the dining-room. Have the table of good width, as a narrow one never looks well. The chairs should be strong, broad-seated, and with high backs.

Having the chairs and table, you can wait for the other things, although a sideboard table is a desirable thing, if one can afford it. If you cannot have exactly what you want, be patient. Sideboards, sideboard tables, and china closets of glass all come in such simple yet tasteful designs that one may be sure to like them all one’s life. It will pay to wait for such a piece of furniture. Have a hard-wood floor, if you can; otherwise have the floor stained. Just enough of the floor may be stained to make a deep border, and a simple rug be placed in the centre of the room. Shades, without any draperies, answer very well for this room.

Comfort in the Sitting-room.

In the sitting-room, where the family gathers for the evening, and where some members of the household spend a good part of each day, put all the comfort you can. Let it be one of the largest and brightest rooms in the house. There should be a bookcase, a firm table of good size, several comfortable chairs, a couch with plenty of pillows, a good lamp, with a shade that will not try the eyes, some pictures, a few plants and shades and draperies that will soften, but not exclude, the light. If possible, have an open fireplace. Let this be a room that shall always be remembered as one of the pleasantest spots in the world. When possible, have a hard-wood or a stained floor, with a rug in the centre.

Selecting Carpets and Rugs.

In buying carpets remember that the best are always the cheapest. The more limited one’s means are, the more essential it is that only a good article shall be purchased. The best quality of body Brussels will outwear two or more of the cheaper tapestry carpets. A finely woven smooth ingrain carpet may cost half a dollar more per yard than one of common texture, but it will be cheaper in the end. Nothing is more unsatisfactory than one of the loosely woven straw mattings. A fine matting, costing say from sixty to seventy cents a yard, will last a dozen years or more, with constant wear, too. It is so fine that but little dust sifts through, and the strands do not pull apart, as in coarser grades. Rugs for the centre of the room can be made from a body Brussels, with a border to match. They should be tacked down. Japanese cotton rugs, pretty and durable, cost from three to six dollars. They are good for bedrooms, bath-rooms, and sitting-rooms. Buy handsome rugs whenever you can afford to. They are a good investment; for, unlike carpets, they do not wear out, and you can hand them down in the family the same as silver or diamonds. A beautiful Oriental rug is a joy forever. In selecting one be particular to see that the colors are rich, and have some brightness. In general, when choosing carpets, have the groundwork rather light, and the colors somewhat neutral. Such a carpet will always look clean, and you will not feel the need of shutting out the sunlight through fear of the carpet’s fading.

Choosing a Dinner and Tea Set.

To the young housekeeper of limited means the choice of her table china is quite an important matter. One can get sets for seven and eight dollars, but I should not advise buying anything cheaper than a fifteen-dollar set. If a decorated set be wanted, take one having soft tints, because people soon get weary of seeing pronounced colors or patterns.

Very pretty English sets of one hundred and fifty pieces, decorated in blue, may be had for fifteen dollars. Minton sets of one hundred and thirty-six pieces, basket-pattern border, and decorated in a fine shade of blue, are offered as low as twenty-five dollars.

American china sets in colored decorations are sold at about the same price as the English. Plain white French china sets of one hundred and thirty pieces cost about thirty-five dollars. The quality and prices rise rapidly until sets costing hundreds of dollars are reached.

In making a choice from the great variety displayed there are several things to consider. For instance, what price can you afford to pay? Is the style one that will be lasting, and are the goods durable? It often happens that the decoration of a cheap set is much daintier than that of some of the more expensive kinds.

The English and American wares are thick, and do not chip or break easily; but when they do chip, the broken part soon becomes dark. The glaze on these wares cracks readily when exposed to a high temperature. In a dinner set one does not notice particularly that the ware is thick; but thickness in the cups and saucers is disagreeably noticeable, especially in the English wares. Then, too, unless one get a “stock pattern,” it will often be difficult and expensive to replace a broken piece. The dealers intend to carry a pattern five years; after that one cannot feel sure of replacing a broken piece without much delay and expense. Plain white French china can always be replaced; the glaze does not crack when exposed to a high temperature; if chipped, the broken part does not become discolored; the ware is in good shapes; the cups and saucers are delicate and pretty, so that a full set of the china is desirable, which, to my mind, is not the case with the English or American wares.

In buying the French china it is wise to get plates with rolled edges. It seems to me, all things considered, that the French china is the most satisfactory, unless there is to be rather rough handling, when I would advise the purchase of the English or American productions. In that case I would further advise that only a dinner set be bought, and that something daintier be taken for the tea and breakfast table.

Odd cups and saucers are quite proper, and give variety and brightness to the table. Odd dessert and salad plates, also, are to be preferred to the regulation sets. The dessert plates and cups and saucers that may be picked up here and there in one’s travels are constant reminders of pleasant experiences.

Dainty Things for the Table.

Glass has largely taken the place of silver on some of the most elegant tables, many housekeepers collecting and prizing cut-glass as they would jewels; but the woman of moderate means and good taste will find it possible to set her table with plain, clear glass of dainty and elegant shapes which will add brilliancy to the entire table service. Water bottles, or carafes, as they are commonly called, are much used, and are a great convenience. Individual salt-cellars are again used instead of the salt-shakers which were so popular for many years. These salt-cellars come in glass, dainty china, and silver. A small silver salt-spoon is placed by each one. The china and silver are by all odds the most effective on the table. Pepper bottles of odd designs are placed by the salt. Castors are not in favor.

Bread-and-butter plates may be used at all meals, but are particularly suited for breakfast, luncheon, and tea. They are placed at the left of the regular plate. When the butter and bread are passed, you put them on this plate, dispensing with the small butter plate. These little plates are a great help in keeping the table-cloth clean. They come in several sizes and tasteful patterns.

Fashions in Cutlery.

Table cutlery, as the designation was formerly understood, included all the knives and forks, nut-picks, etc. To-day, among well-to-do people, all the forks, except that which belongs to the carving set, are either sterling-silver or silver-plated. It is astonishing how the table appliances have multiplied in this luxurious age. For the fish course there are sterling-silver knives and forks of special shapes, and a broad silver knife and fork for serving the fish. Oyster forks of another shape are considered indispensable when raw oysters are served. Knives and forks of medium size are used for entrées, the forks being silver and the knives having silver, silver-plated, or steel blades. For the meat course the forks are silver and the blades of the knives steel. The dessert knives and forks are silver-plated; the butter knives that are placed by the little bread-and-butter plates are silver. So it will be seen that the cutlery of to-day does not mean for fine tables what it did formerly. Common knives and forks are made with flat tangs, to which pieces of wood or bone are joined for the handle. In fine knives the tang is made round, and is pressed into a round groove made in the handle. Sometimes this is fastened with a rivet, sometimes with a spring, and again with some cement.

The handles of the finest knives are weighted, unless made of a heavy material like silver. This is important, as it causes the knife to lie flat upon the table. Handles are made of sterling silver, mother-of-pearl, ivory, grained celluloid, plain celluloid, etc. Buckhorn and imitations of buckhorn are used a great deal for carving sets. Ivory has been used the most for the best class of knives and forks, but in furnace-heated houses the ivory is apt to split. Even the greatest care does not insure against it, and dealers find that this often happens while the goods are kept in their stores. As a substitute for ivory, celluloid, grained celluloid, and ivorine are coming into use. These substances neither crack, stain, nor turn yellow, as does the ivory; which, of course, is a great consideration. Mother-of-pearl handles cost about twice as much as ivory. With proper care one can keep them in good condition through a lifetime. Sterling-silver handles are very handsome and satisfactory. Knives and forks with metal handles, which are plated with the rest of the knife or fork, are the most commonly used, because they are so easily cared for and are not liable to get out of order. They are, however, not found upon elegant tables.

WHAT IS NEEDED IN THE KITCHEN.

The kitchen is so important a part of the home that the furnishing should be such as to make the work there both easy and successful. The following list may aid the young housekeeper when making her purchases. The woman with a limited purse may find that she will have to strike out many things from the list, while the woman with a large house and money in plenty will probably extend it.

The Range.

Upon no one article of household furniture do the comfort and well-being of the family depend so much as upon the kitchen range or stove. A poor range will spoil not only food, but also good temper and happiness; whereas the right sort of range, well treated, will be a source of the greatest comfort and economy. No matter what else you feel you must economize in, do not let it be in buying the kitchen range. Some ranges have reached such a degree of perfection that it is hard to see where they can be improved. The plainer the range the easier it will be to keep it clean, and of course the cost will be less than if it be trimmed very much. Before making a choice, examine every part thoroughly. Always try to get one that has a large oven in proportion to the size of the range. There should be plenty of dampers that can be used to hasten the fire or to check it, so that it will keep twelve hours, if necessary. Ranges are made that will do this. Learn all the characteristics of your range, and treat it well; then it will be an invaluable friend to you.

In the kitchen, as in every other part of the house, it is economy to furnish with good articles. Poor cooking utensils are never cheap. In buying iron utensils, be sure to get those that are thoroughly finished. The steel goods come higher than the cast-iron, but they are so smooth that they are four times as valuable in the kitchen as the rougher makes.

The granite or agate ware lightens the labors in the kitchen wonderfully. It is, however, very expensive, and is not so well made as formerly. When buying this ware, examine it closely to see that there is no defect in the enamel. A careful housekeeper who does her own work will find this ware a great comfort, it is so light, smooth, and clean; and with good treatment it will last well.

Mixing-bowls come in yellow and white ware. The white is stone china, and is more durable than the yellow; and although it costs more than the latter, it is cheaper in the end. A steamer of medium size is one of the most useful utensils. If it be light and simple, it will be used frequently for making puddings and for warming over food, etc. The cheapest kind is made of tin, and in two parts, the lower part being a deep saucepan, into which the water is put, and the upper part a round pan with a perforated bottom. Be particular to see that the cover and all other parts fit well.

Here is a list of articles with which all kitchens should be supplied:—

List of Articles most in Use.

Basins, of granite ware,—one three-pint, one two-quart, one one-gallon.

Bowls: yellow,—two two-quart, one three-quart, one one-gallon, two six-quart; white,—six, each holding about a pint; two smooth ones, each holding about a quart.

Bread board.

Bread pans, two, for small loaves.

Broilers,—one for fish, one for other uses.

Broom.

Bucket, or tin box, for sugar.

Cake pans, three,—one deep, two shallow.

Carving knife and fork.

Case knives and forks, six each.

Chairs, three,—one to be low and comfortable.

Chopping knife and bowl.

Coffee-pot.

Colander.

Cups and saucers, half a dozen.

Dipper, long-handled.

Dish-cloths, two,—one being of wire.

Dishpans, two.

Dish rack.

Double boilers, two,—one holding one quart, the other two.

Dredgers for salt, pepper, and flour.

Dripping-pans, two,—large and small.

Duster.

Dustpan.

Egg-beater.

Flour scoop.

Flour sieve.

Frying-basket.

Frying-pans,—one, small, with short handle; four with long handles, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5.

Glass jars for rice, etc.

Graters,—one for nutmegs; one coarse, for general use.

Griddle.

Lemon squeezer, glass.

Measuring cups, two.

Meat board.

Meat rack, small.

Moulding board.

Muffin pans, two,—each holding eight or twelve muffins.

Pitchers, four, for milk, etc.

Plates, one dozen.

Platters, two stone-china, for meat.

Pudding mould, melon, three-pint.

Quart measure.

Range.

Rolling-pin.

Roll-pans, French, holding six or eight rolls.

Scotch bowl, No. 4.

Skewers, set of steel.

Soap-shaker.

Spice boxes or jars.

Spoons,—six teaspoons, two table spoons, two wooden spoons, two large iron spoons.

Steamer.

Stewpans,—two one-quart, two two-quart, two three-quart, one six-quart.

Stone pots, several small ones, with covers, for various kinds of meal.

Stove-brush.

Strainers, two, small,—one for general use, the other for gravy; also one of fine wire.

Tables, two; if possible, have one covered with zinc or enamel cloth.

Teakettle.

Teapot.

Tin boxes for bread and cake.

Tin plates, four, deep.

Tin sheet.

Towels,—three kinds for dishes, and others for the hands.

Vegetable masher.

FURNISHING THE LINEN CLOSET.

In olden times the bride came to her new home with a generous supply of linen, the greater part of which was spun and woven by her own hands; in many cases, indeed, the flax was raised and prepared for the spinning-wheel by her. In some parts of Europe this custom still exists. The bride of to-day takes great pains and pride in providing her household linen, many months being given to dainty sewing and embroidery. Each article has stitched into it many bright hopes and day dreams. Nothing else in the furnishing of the home has blended with it so many tender, loving thoughts, and to the woman of sentiment it is more sacred than almost any other household possession. Once acquired, this love for fine household linen will cling to a woman all her life. Indeed, what material thing can she bring to her new home that will give more pleasure than a generous supply for her linen closet?

Imported Linens.

Irish, French, Scotch and English table linens cover many grades, from the coarsest to the finest weaving and the most elaborate patterns. All the new designs are large, but in some of the choicest damasks it is possible to get small patterns, if they be preferred. The damask sold by the yard rarely reaches a higher price than two dollars and a half. If one wish for especially pleasing designs and extremely fine quality, it will be necessary to buy the set,—table-cloth and one dozen napkins. The usual width of the best table damask is two yards and a half, but it may be three yards in width. The cloths come from two and a half to four yards in length. In these handsome cloths the border is deep, and the centre frequently perfectly plain.

Table-cloths and Napkins.

The range in quality and price of table linen is greater than that of almost any other fabric. It is a long step from the materials that are so coarse, so loosely woven that they might be used for sieves, to the double damask, so fine that even under a magnifying glass it is almost impossible to discern the threads. One can buy three or four yards of the coarse fabric for about a dollar, and it is possible to be asked one hundred times as much for a dozen napkins and a table-cloth, three or four yards long, of the finer quality. But the average housekeeper does not go to these extremes. It does, however, often happen that a woman with a limited purse, and a thousand calls upon it, makes the mistake of buying table linen of too inferior a grade. It is not economy to purchase a mixture of cotton and linen. Better a coarse all-linen table cloth than a fine one with part cotton, which may look attractive in the store, but cannot be laundered well, whereas the pure linen will improve with age and wear. In purchasing table linen the questions that the housekeeper should ask herself are: Will it be subject to hard wear, and be laundered by inexperienced hands? Can I afford to replenish it frequently? Shall it be fine and beautiful, or shall it be durable, with as much beauty as possible under the circumstances?

The finest goods are of Irish and French manufacture; but the German, while coarse, wear wonderfully well, and some of them have very handsome designs. Nothing in the way of linen lasts longer than the half-bleached damask, and if one live in the country, this may be bleached to a snowy whiteness in a few months. In purchasing these German goods it is wise to get a cloth that costs at least one dollar and a half or two dollars per yard. A cloth of this kind will outwear several of the cheaper grades that are mixed with cotton, and if properly laundered it will always look well. Of course, one can get in these goods a fair piece of table linen at seventy-five cents or a dollar per yard, but the better quality will be found to be the cheaper in the end. Dinner, luncheon, and tea sets may be had, the cloth costing no more than if bought by the yard, with the advantage of having a border all around it.

A piece of heavy felt or double-faced Canton flannel will be required under the table-cloth. It will cost about eighty cents a yard. It is a good plan to get one that will answer when the table is enlarged for guests. It can be folded double when the table is small.

Size and Quality of Napkins.

Fashion has decreed that a napkin shall not be put on the table a second time until it has been washed. Few housekeepers, however, have the means to provide themselves with such a supply of napkins, not to speak of the laundress to care for them; so the napkin ring is still a necessity in the average household. It is important, however, that the supply be large enough to admit of their being changed two or three times a week. For general use a dinner napkin is to be preferred, unless a separate set of table-cloths and napkins be desired for breakfast. In that case the napkins should be smaller than for dinner. All napkins are finished with a plain hem, or are hemstitched.

Fringe is rarely used, except on fancy doilies. The plain square napkin comes in all sizes, from twenty inches to the size of the dinner napkins, which measure twenty-seven inches; and the cost is anywhere from one dollar and a half to fifty dollars a dozen. At five or six dollars a dozen one can get napkins that are good enough for ordinary use. The cheaper and smaller ones are unsatisfactory. Whenever possible, the napkin should match the cloth. One cloth will outwear two sets of napkins; therefore it is well to get two dozen napkins to each cloth. One cannot err in laying in a generous stock of plain ones, but the style of the small fancy napkins is constantly changing, and one should not buy too many of them at a time.

A Word about Doilies.

Small square or round doilies are used a great deal under finger bowls, Roman punch, and sherbet glasses. These dainty bits of napery can be purchased in all the stores where embroidery and materials for needlework are sold; also in the linen stores. These doilies are either hemstitched or fringed. The embroidery is usually in washable silks, fine flowers or Dresden patterns being the favorites. Doilies also come in Irish point, Mexican work, and various kinds of lace. Larger doilies for bread, cake, cheese, etc., are embroidered in white or colored silks, with appropriate mottoes. Ladies who wish to do this kind of work for themselves, or their friends, can send to a stamping and embroidery store for a sample doily, and the materials for a dozen or more. One should aim to get as much variety as possible in color and design in the dozen. A very fine linen is the material generally used.

At the Oriental stores there can be found a small doily, of a crêpe-like material, thickly embroidered with silk, or silver and gold thread. They come with and without a fringe, the fringed ones costing more than twice as much as those without. I prefer those without the fringe for table use. These doilies can be washed, but it must be with great care. If the housekeeper will be careful to wash and iron her doilies herself, they will always look fresh and dainty. Make a strong suds with hot water and white castile soap; wash the doilies in this, and rinse them in several warm waters. Squeeze them very dry, and spread them on a clean towel, and cover another towel over them. Roll up tight and iron immediately.

Tea, Carving, and Tray Cloths.

For the small tables that are set for five o’clock teas and card parties, etc., there are many pretty and inexpensive cloths. Plain linen, with a plain or double row of hemstitching, makes a satisfactory cloth. The cost is about one dollar for a cloth measuring a yard square; plain damask, with hemstitching, costs from one dollar and a half to two dollars a square yard, and one dollar more for a cloth measuring two square yards. Some long damask cloths, with open-work borders and a fringe, cost four or five dollars. Small hemstitched cloths of linen and damask come for carving cloths, tray cloths, and centre pieces. They cost all the way from twenty-five cents upward. These are useful in protecting the table, and they may be made decorative by embroidery.

Sheets and Pillow Cases.

Sheets should always be of generous length and width; never less than two yards and three quarters long, with the breadth, of course, depending upon the width of the bed. While linen sheets are desirable, they are not within the means of all housekeepers of even fair incomes. Cotton cloth makes a most satisfactory all-the-year-round sheet, and a good quality can be purchased at from twenty-five cents to seventy-five cents per yard, the cloth being from two yards to two and a half wide. Indeed, one can buy good sheets already made, two yards and a half wide, for one dollar and a quarter or one dollar and a half apiece. It is always more economical to buy the cloth and make them at home, for two hems do not mean much work. Unbleached sheeting may be made up, and bleached on the grass. Buy unbleached cotton for servants’ sheets and pillow cases, but do not make them too small. If the bed linen be made of generous proportions it will protect the bedding, and be more comfortable for the sleepers. Linen sheets three yards long can be bought for from five to fourteen dollars per pair. Pillow cases to match sell from two to three dollars and a half per pair. The finest are hemstitched.

Bed Spreads and Blankets.

For many years the honeycomb and Marseilles spreads have been almost universally used. They are still sold in large quantities, and will always be popular, for they need only to be hemmed in order to be made ready for use. They do not rumple readily, they keep clean a long time, and are, indeed, a most serviceable article. The Marseilles quilts cost from two to fifteen dollars. Some come in colors; but let no housekeeper be tempted by their beauty, for she will find it a difficult matter to make them harmonize with the other furnishings of her rooms. Dimity is being used again. It costs from two dollars and a half to four dollars and a half a spread. If one wish to make a bolster scarf to go with the dimity, it will be necessary to purchase a small spread and cut it in two. These spreads, being dainty and easily washed, are in great favor.

Materials for spreads come in all sorts of fabrics. Gobelin cloth and what is called basket cloth, both soft, pretty goods, are found two yards wide, and cost about one dollar and a half a yard. These materials are made into spreads and bolster scarfs; or, instead of the scarfs, a round bolster may be covered with the material. These spreads and scarfs are often embroidered in washable silks.

Next to bed linen and towels in plenty, one of the essentials for the health and comfort of the household is the stock of blankets. Cotton batting comforters are cheap and warm, but extremely debilitating to the sleeper; and since they cannot be washed, they are uncleanly, as compared with the woollen coverings. Use plenty of blankets instead, and have them washed frequently. For people of limited means, blankets that cost from five to six dollars a pair are serviceable. People are buying more blankets that are made of part wool and part cotton than of the all-wool patterns. This is because they can be washed frequently without shrinking. Select a smooth, soft blanket with white cotton binding. The simpler the border the longer it will please you. If possible, have a pair of summer blankets for each bed. These cost from three to ten dollars a pair. They can be washed as easily as a sheet, and are a source of the greatest comfort in hot weather. As they will last the greater part of a lifetime, get good ones. When blankets are not in use they should be folded smoothly, pinned in sheets, and placed on shelves in the linen closet.

Bath and Bedroom Towels.

In nothing relating to the supplies of her house does the average housekeeper make so many errors as in the matter of towels. It has not been wholly her fault in the past, but it certainly will be in the time to come, if bright borders and deep fringes decorate the towels with which she furnishes her chambers and bath-rooms. As in the past, so it is now: there is nothing so satisfactory for general use as the huckaback towels. They are excellent for absorbing water, and the slight friction is both pleasant and healthful. They are now hemstitched, and cost from twenty-five cents to a dollar and a half apiece, according to size and quality. The goods can be bought by the yard if one prefer to make her own towels. There are huckaback towels of fancy weaving, which, hemstitched, cost from fifty cents to on dollar and a quarter apiece. Some of these are fringed, at thirty-seven and a half cents apiece. Damask towels, which are really more for show than use, cost from twenty-five cents to two dollars and a half. For the bath-room there are really so many good things that it is a difficult matter to choose. There always should be soft coarse towels that will absorb water quickly, and at the same time cause a slight friction. The towels also should be of generous size. The huckaback is always good for drying off, but there should be a good friction towel after this. Among the good bath towels are crash towels, at twenty-five cents apiece. Oxford towels, something like huckaback, but very large—26 × 50 inches—are one dollar apiece. Imperial bath towels, of a peculiar style of weaving, absorbing water like a sponge, cost a dollar apiece. Turkish towels make an excellent friction towel, and are within the means of all. They can be bought for even less than twenty-five cents; but I would not advise anything cheaper than twenty-five or fifty cents, as a towel of this kind should be large. An article which to me seems ideal as a friction towel is the kind made of linen tape, which costs one dollar.

For Kitchen and Pantry.

There should be a generous supply of kitchen and pantry towels. Nothing is more satisfactory for glassware than the plaid linen towels. These should be kept for silver, glass, and fine china. Goods of this same character come in stripes, and cost from twelve and a half to thirty-seven and a half cents per yard. Fine Russian crash, when softened by a little wear, makes the best kitchen dish towel. It grows finer and whiter with each week’s use, whereas the very coarse fabric really never softens. Every kitchen should be supplied with half a dozen stove towels. Get twilled brown cotton crash; cut it into yard-and-a-half lengths and hem it. Keep but two of these towels in the kitchen, and have one washed each day. They are to use in handling the pots and pans about the stove and oven. There should be a generous allowance of crash towels in the kitchen, as every utensil should be carefully wiped with one that is clean and dry.

The hand towels in the kitchen should be soft and smooth. Frequent wiping on the rough Russian crash will soon make the hands red and rough, as this hard fabric scratches and does not wipe dry. A twilled crash of cotton and linen, which may be bought from twelve and a half to fifteen cents a yard, makes satisfactory hand towels. There are many varieties.

CHAPTER III.
DIVISION OF THE HOUSEHOLD WORK.

It is a perplexing task for young housekeepers to divide properly the weekly work of the household. Even when I start to write on the subject, many difficulties present themselves, as no two houses are conducted on exactly the same plan. What would be the right thing for one home would be entirely impracticable in another. The woman who does her own work, or keeps but one servant, must, of course, plan her work quite differently from the woman who keeps two or more servants. Then, too, the place and mode of living will influence the arrangement of household work. For example, in the country the style of living is much simpler than in the city; the hours are more regular, there are fewer stairs to go over, less dirt and dust accumulate, and, in short, practically all the work is done on two floors. This makes the duties of mistress and maid lighter than in the city house. The pure air, quiet surroundings, and long, uninterrupted hours make it possible for a woman to accomplish a great deal of housework in a day, and yet have leisure for reading, sewing, and quiet thinking.

But, on the other hand, the city housekeeper has her advantages, such as the house fitted with all modern conveniences; stores and markets close at hand; and, if extra or heavy work is to be done, easy means of getting men and women to do it. The changing scenes in the city take woman out of herself and the narrowing cares of home life, and keep her interested and in touch with the world, thus making her duties less irksome than they might be in a regular and monotonous life.

Yet, no matter where one resides, there are certain daily duties that must be attended to if people would live decently and in order. I will try to map out programmes of these duties, so that the inexperienced housekeeper will be able to outline her daily work by them. It is not to be expected that these programmes will be followed exactly; they are simply suggestions which each housekeeper may adapt to the exigencies of her own household.

Every-day Duties.

As there are many routine duties that must be performed every day, I will treat of them here. Special work will have a day assigned to it. It is almost appalling to look at the list of daily duties of the household, when one remembers that it frequently happens that there is but one pair of hands to do all the work; yet there are thousands of women who are well and happy in passing their lives that way, knowing that they contribute to the health and comfort of their families. If there be system in doing the work, the burden will be materially lightened. Each member of the family has his or her duties. Habits of order and punctuality should be cultivated. Being late at meals and leaving things out of place will increase the burdens of the housekeeper in a marked degree.

What to do in the Morning.

First, make the kitchen fire; take up and sift the ashes. After brushing all the dust from the range, wash off the surface with a cloth and soap and water; then polish it with stove blacking. Rinse out the teakettle, and after the water has been running from the cold-water pipes for about five minutes, fill the kettle and place it on the fire. Sweep and dust the kitchen. Put the breakfast dishes on to heat. Air the dining-room and set the table; then prepare and serve the breakfast. Clear the breakfast table, assorting the dishes and freeing them from scraps of food. Soak in cold water any dishes that are soiled with mush, milk, or eggs; put the silver in a pitcher of warm water.

Go up stairs and open the chamber windows, if they were not opened the first thing in the morning. Take the clothes from the beds, one piece at a time, and spread over chairs or a low screen, so that the air shall pass through them freely. Beat the pillows and bolsters, and place them in a current of air. Turn the mattresses so that they shall be aired on all sides. Leave the rooms to air for an hour, or longer if possible.

Return to the kitchen and wash the dishes; then put them away at once. Wash the dish-towels in plenty of soap and water, and rinse thoroughly; when possible, dry them out of doors. Air, brush, and dust the dining-room; then draw the shades. Make the beds, empty the slops, and wash and wipe the bedroom toilet china. Put the rooms in order and dust them. Next wash the basins and the bath-tub, if necessary, and dust the bath-room.

Dust the halls and sitting-room, and any other rooms that may require it. Collect the lamps and trim them. Prepare the dinner or luncheon. If you live in the city, the vestibule and sidewalk must be swept, and perhaps washed. The earlier this work is done, the better, as there will be less annoyance from frequent passers early in the morning. If the home be in the country, the front and back steps and the piazzas should be swept at the hour most convenient for the housekeeper. In freezing weather do not, of course, attempt to wash the piazza, steps, or sidewalk, as the result would be an icy surface, dangerous to limb and life.

Special Work for Special Days.

On Monday, as soon as the water is warm, put the clothes to soak in strong suds. After the breakfast dishes have been washed, begin to wash the clothes. While one boilerful is being scalded and a second batch of clothes has been prepared for the boiler, put out the line. Now put the scalded clothes in the rinsing water. Take nearly all the hot suds from the boiler, and replace with clean cold water, putting the second batch of clothes to scald in this. Rinse the first lot and put on the lines to dry; continue the work until everything except the flannels and colored articles have been washed. While the coarse towels are being scalded, wash and hang out the flannels; next wash the colored things. When all the clothes have been hung out, empty the boiler and wash and wipe it until perfectly dry; also clean the laundry. Now take a luncheon. Do the chamber-work, and then prepare the family luncheon or dinner. The brushing up and dusting must be omitted to-day. After the noonday meal, wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Bathe, and change your clothes; and after resting, take the clothes from the lines and sprinkle and fold them. Flannels must be taken in while they are still slightly damp. Iron the flannels, and after that prepare the evening meal. In the short winter days it will be best to wash the flannels and colored clothes before the white articles, as the more rapidly a woollen or colored fabric dries the better it will look.

On Tuesday, directly after the breakfast dishes have been washed and the dining-room put in order, begin ironing, starting with the plain pieces, such as sheets and pillow-cases. As soon as the irons work smoothly, iron the starched clothes. In about two or three hours the fire must be replenished. When this is done, and while it is burning up, do the chamber work. If all the ironing cannot be done in the forenoon, finish it, if you can, in the afternoon. The meals for washing and ironing days should be as simple as possible.

Where one Servant is Kept.

If there be one servant in the house, the mistress can make these two days less burdensome, if she herself will wash the breakfast dishes, put the dining-room in order, and make the beds. If there be children in the family, they can be taught to do the lighter work. In suggesting that the chamber work be left until the fire is renewed, it is supposed that hard coal is used. If wood or soft coal be used, the fire will have to be replenished frequently; and since these substances burn much more readily, the time for chamber work will be limited unless the draughts be closed. Wednesday is often taken by housekeepers for a sort of off day; but if, as is the case in many Eastern towns, Thursday be the servant’s day out, it will be better to sweep on Wednesday, and have the lighter work done on Thursday. Once in two weeks should be often enough for a thorough cleaning of most of the rooms in a well regulated house. A room properly cleaned will be in a better sanitary condition at the end of two weeks than one that is only half cleaned every week. If the floors be of natural wood, or be stained or painted, the dust and lint must be wiped off with a dry cloth every few days, but if the floors be carpeted the thorough sweeping once in two weeks should be sufficient, except in a sitting-room or dining-room. I will give the method of cleaning a room properly. These directions, slightly modified, apply to all rooms.

Cleaning a Room by System.

Remove the draperies, and dust and remove all small articles. Dust all the furniture, removing the lighter articles and covering the heavy pieces; dust and cover the pictures. Brush the walls and ceilings, being careful to remove all dust from the tops of the doors and windows. Brush all dust from the window frames, ledges, and blinds. If there be rugs on a bare floor, roll them up and put them out of doors to be beaten and aired; then sweep the floor with a soft brush. After all the dusting and washing of windows has been finished, rub the floor with a soft, dry cloth. If it be a stained or painted floor, wipe it a second time with a cloth slightly dampened with kerosene; or if it be polished, do the polishing at this time. If the room be carpeted, sweep it with a clean broom; if the carpet be very dusty, sprinkle over it, before sweeping, corn meal or sawdust, slightly dampened; or, if it be more convenient, take dry salt. Let the dust settle, then sweep the carpet a second time. Now dust the room, wash the windows, and remove the covers from the furniture and pictures. After this has been done, put two gallons of tepid water in a pail with four tablespoonfuls of household ammonia. Wring a cloth out of this and wipe the carpet, rubbing hard to remove any dust. Beat the rugs by spreading them face down on clean grass or a smooth board and beating with a switch or rattan beater. If it be impossible to lay them flat, hang them on a line and beat them. Place them on the floors, and put the furniture, ornaments, and draperies in place. Clean one or more rooms in this manner on Wednesday morning. Prepare the noonday meal, and after this has been served, and the dining-room and kitchen put in order, rest until it is time to attend to the evening meal.

The Last Half of the Week.

On Thursday, after the regular work is done, the morning should be devoted to various odd tasks, such as cleaning the refrigerator, and inspecting and cleaning the cellar. See that no decaying vegetation, damp paper, etc., is there. Wash the cellar stairs. Next clean the kitchen and prepare something for the evening meal; then serve the noonday meal.

The remainder of the weekly sweeping should be done on Friday morning. Every two weeks the silver should be cleaned in the afternoon. Many housekeepers clean silver every week, but if it be properly washed and wiped each day this will be unnecessary.

As there must be some extra cooking done on Saturday for Sunday, plan for that on Friday, making all the arrangements possible, so that this work may be done early Saturday morning, while the fire is at its best. All the materials for cooking should be in the house on Friday afternoon or early Saturday morning. If fruits are to be prepared for the next day’s baking, get them ready some time on Friday. Saturday is usually a busy day. Extra cooking and cleaning must be done, that the work on Sunday may be light. Many housekeepers change the beds on Saturday, rather than on Sunday. If this be the practice, when the rooms are put to air, remove the soiled linen and spread out the fresh, that it may be well aired. If possible, rise early enough to clean the steps, piazza, and sidewalk before breakfast. As soon as the regular morning work is done, attend to the extra cooking. When this is finished, clean the kitchen and its closets, the china closets, and the back hall.

A Day of Rest.

Plan to have as little work as possible to do on Sunday, but do not fall into the error of wearing yourself out on Saturday and making all the family uncomfortable on Sunday, simply because you would not break the Sabbath. The woman who manages to keep her family comfortable and happy on this day, even if it be necessary to do a little extra work to attain that end, will have a better moral and spiritual influence than she who makes all the members dread the day as being one of the most uncomfortable in the whole week at home. In most families on this day the breakfast is late and the dinner served about two o’clock, the supper being light and informal. While there are many housekeepers who still cling to the old custom of having cold dinners, the majority have a hot one, as it often happens that this is the only meal throughout the week at which the whole family is sure to meet.

If but one servant be kept, she ought not to be required to perform any duties after the dinner dishes have been washed and put away. The remainder of the day and evening should belong to her. If there be no servant, the housekeeper surely is entitled to what little rest she can get after dinner, and the other members of the family should find it a pleasure to prepare whatever light refreshments may be required in the evening. Remember that there are heavy duties for Monday morning, and do not leave a lot of dishes in disorder to add to these burdens.

Two or More Servants in a Family.

The round of duties for the week having been thus outlined, I wish to make a few suggestions to the woman who keeps two or more servants. The duties must be so divided that each shall bear her proper proportion of the work. In the case where there are several servants, there is greater ceremony in the mode of living. Suppose there be two servants, and the family be fairly large. The second girl must do all the upstairs work, take care of the parlors, halls, dining-room, china closet, etc. It will be her duty to care for the silver, glass, and fine china. Every evening, after the dining-room work is finished, she will go to the chambers, empty all slops, refill the water pitchers, turn back the bed clothes, and lay the night garments on the bed. She will draw the shades and see that there is a stock of matches, towels, etc. In the morning she will attend to the dining-room, put the breakfast dishes on to heat, dust the lower halls and parlors, and sweep the steps and sidewalk. The cook will care for all the lower part of the house, her own room, the cellar, and the back steps and stoop. The washing and ironing must be divided between them. It is usual to have the cook do the plain washing and ironing, while the second girl takes the starched clothes. If, however, the second girl be required to do plain sewing, the cook does the heavier part of the washing.

In the matter of the duties of a servant each housekeeper must make her own laws, but the more servants there are, the more clearly must each one’s responsibility be defined, and the mistress will save herself an immense amount of annoyance if she will take pains to divide the work of the household with good judgment and with justice, not allowing any dictation in the matter. She should not be hasty in reaching a conclusion, but should be firm in her decisions.

CHAPTER IV.
SOME THINGS TO BE LEARNED EARLY.

Proper Management of Fires.

ONE of the first things a young housekeeper must master is the science of managing fires. Now, a coal fire is like some people: it will stand a certain amount of nagging, pressure, and neglect, but it will make you suffer in some way for all your abuse. On the other hand, with uniformly fair treatment, it will repay a hundred-fold in comfort.

The demands upon the kitchen fire are varied. Sometimes we want a very hot oven or surface, and again we must have only a moderate amount of heat. The degrees of heat must be regulated by the various checks and draughts in the range, rather than by the use of a greater or less amount of coal. In the morning remove all the ashes and cinders. Put the shavings or paper on the grate loosely, and then put in the kindling wood, crossing the pieces, that there may be a free circulation of air. Open all the draughts and light the fire. As soon as the wood begins to burn, put on some coal. Let the fire burn for ten minutes; then shut all the dampers, but keep open the draught in front of the fire. When the coal begins to burn well, add enough fresh fuel to come nearly to the top of the lining of the fire-box. Keep the front draught open until all the coal has become ignited, but not until it becomes red-hot. Now close the front draughts, and the fire will be hot enough for anything you may want to do for hours to come. Should you want only a moderate heat, there are checks with all modern ranges which enable you to make the combustion very slow. If greater heat be wanted, open the draughts, and in ten minutes you will have a glowing fire.

These are the great secrets of always having a good fire when you want it: Do not let the coal burn to a white heat; when you do not require a hot fire, open all the checks; when you want a hot fire, close the checks and open the draughts; and, of course, the moment there is no further need of a hot fire, close the draughts and open the checks again. A fire built and managed in this manner can be used constantly for four or five hours.

Points about the Furnace Fire.

The furnace fire should be shaken down and raked perfectly clear in the morning. A few shovelfuls of coal should be put on, and all the draughts opened. The ashes should then be taken up. As soon as the coal begins to burn well and the fire looks clear at the bottom, put in enough coal to come almost to the top of the fire-pot. Keep the draughts open until all the gas has burned off; then close them, and later, if the fire be too hot, open the checks. Except in extremely cold weather, this is all the attention that ought to be necessary through the day. The fire must be raked down and fresh coal or cinders put on in the evening, but a small amount of coal will answer for the night, unless the draughts have been open the greater part of the day.

On an extremely cold day it may be necessary to have the draughts open a part of the time, and some coal put on at noon.

All the clinkers should be removed when the fire is raked down in the morning. The water pan should be replenished at least once a day. Some careless people leave the ashes for a day at a time at the bottom of the furnace, where they absorb the heat, robbing the house of its share.

If the furnace fire be allowed to burn to a white heat it will be ruined for that day, unless more coal be put on a little later. The cold-air boxes must admit enough air to drive the hot air through the house, but not more than can be heated.

Heating stoves and open grates are to be managed as far as possible the same as a furnace. With the stove there is no trouble, there being plenty of checks and draughts. The open grate is not so well provided.

Keeping the Refrigerator Sweet.

Few duties are more important than that of keeping the refrigerator in perfect condition. If the lining be broken in any part, so that the water soaks into the wood, attend to the relining at once; or, if the refrigerator be not worth that, discard it wholly. Never have the waste-pipe connected with the plumbing in the house.

Have the refrigerator placed where it can be flooded with air and light whenever necessary, but, of course, in as cool a place as possible. Once a week have everything removed from it. Take out the shelves and wash them in hot soap-suds; then pour boiling water over them. Place them in the sun; or, if that fails, by the range, that they may be perfectly dried. Now take out the ice rack and wash and scald in the same way, except that, as there are grooves or wires in this, the greatest care must be used to get out every particle of dirt that may have lodged there. Next wash out the ice compartment, running a flexible wire rod down the waste-pipe, that nothing shall lodge there. Put two tablespoonfuls of washing soda into a quart of boiling water and set on the fire. When this boils, pour it into the ice compartment; follow this with a kettleful of boiling water, and wipe dry. Now wash the other parts of the refrigerator with hot soap-suds, and wipe perfectly dry. Be careful to get the doors and ledges clean and dry. Leave the refrigerator open for an hour, and then return the ice and food to it. Plan this work for a day when the iceman is due. The work should be done immediately after breakfast, so that the refrigerator shall be ready when the ice comes.

Should you, after this care, still have trouble, do not use the refrigerator. It will be far better to get along without the comfort it affords than to endanger health and life by using a contaminated article. Food never should be put in a refrigerator while warm, because it absorbs the flavors of other food and also heats the refrigerator.

Getting the Greatest Good out of Lamps.

In these days, when lamps are used so much, the care of them is quite an important matter. If the lamps be good and have proper attention, one cannot wish for a more satisfactory light; but if badly cared for, they will be a source of much discomfort. The great secret of having lamps in good working order is to keep them clean and to use good oil. Have a regular place and time for trimming the lamps. Put a folded newspaper on the table, so that any stray bits of burned wick and drops of oil may fall upon it. Wash and wipe the chimneys and shades. Now take off all loose parts of the burner, washing them in hot soap-suds and wiping them with a clean soft cloth. Trim the wicks and turn them quite low. With a soft, wet cloth, well soaped, wipe the burner thoroughly, working the cloth as much as possible inside the burner, to get off every particle of the charred wick. Now fill the lamps within about one inch of the top, and wipe with a damp towel and then a dry one. Adjust all the parts and return them to their proper places.

Whenever a new wick is required in a lamp, wash and scald the burner before putting in the wick. With a student lamp, the receptacle for waste oil, which is screwed on the bottom of the burner, should be taken off at least once a week and washed. Sometimes a wick will get very dark and dirty before it is half consumed. It is not economy to try to burn it; replace it with a fresh one. The trouble and expense are slight, and the increase in clearness and brilliancy will repay the extra care. When a lamp is lighted, it should not at once be turned up to the full height; wait until the chimney is heated. Beautiful shades are often cracked or broken by having the hot chimneys rest against them. Now, when lighting a lamp be careful that the chimney is set perfectly straight, and does not touch the shade at any point. The shade should be put in place as soon as the lamp is lighted, that it may heat gradually.

Take Good Care of the Plumbing.

The care of the plumbing is an important duty; yet, provided there be nothing wrong about the plumbing at the start, and the supply of water be constant and generous, this duty will not be found a hard one. The housekeeper should impress upon the younger members of her family the importance of thoroughly flushing the water-closets. She should at least once a day personally see to it that there is sufficient flushing. The best time for this is after the morning work is done.

The laundry tubs should be thoroughly rinsed after washing. Be free with the water, that no trace of suds shall be left in the pipes.

After the midday work is done, and again at night, the pipe in the kitchen sink should be thoroughly flushed with hot water, if possible. In case there be no hot water, be generous with the cold. Once a week put half a pint of washing soda in an old saucepan, and add six quarts of hot water. Place on the fire until the soda is all dissolved; then pour the water into the pipes, reserving two quarts of it for the kitchen sink.

Have an old funnel to use in the bath-tub and basins, that the hot soda shall not touch any of the metal save that in the pipes.

Particles of grease sometimes lodge in the sink-pipe and cause an unpleasant odor. The hot soda dissolves this grease and carries it away.

Copperas will remove odors from drain-pipes. Put one pound of the crystals in a quart bottle and fill up with cold water. Cork tightly and label, writing “Poison” on the label. Pour a little of this into the pipes whenever there is any odor.

If thorough flushing and an occasional use of the hot soda will not keep the pipes sweet, there is something wrong with the plumbing, and it should be attended to at once.

It seems as if one need not caution people in regard to throwing into either water-closet or basin anything that may clog the pipes, but it is because of ignorance or carelessness on the part of the people who use these conveniences that much of the trouble with the pipes arises. Here are some of the things that should never have a chance to get into the pipes: hair, lint, pieces of rags, no matter how small; matches, fruit peelings, etc.

If for any reason there should be a bad odor from the drain, two tablespoonfuls of carbolic acid, mixed with a cupful of cold water and poured into the pipes, will prove a good disinfectant. A small bottle of carbolic acid, plainly labelled, always should be kept in the house, out of the reach of the children.

About the Bath-room.

The bath-room should have special attention daily, and once a week a thorough cleaning. A woollen carpet is not desirable for this room. The floor may be of tiles, or of hard wood, stained or painted, or be covered with lignum or oil-cloth. Of course, there must be a rug or two. The Japanese cotton rug is cheap and pretty for this purpose; or, one can make rugs from pieces of carpet.

Not only should the wash-basin be washed clean and the bowl in the water-closet washed every day, but, if the bath-tub has been used, this too should be washed and carefully wiped dry. Dust the room, and hang the soiled towels where they will dry before being put in the hamper provided for such things.

Once a week give the room a thorough cleaning. Wash the toilet articles. Wash all the marble with soap and water, and if there be any spots that are not easily removed, put a little sand soap on the wash-cloth and rub the spot well. The bowl in the water-closet should have a good scrubbing with sand soap. Rub the bath-tub with whiting, wet with household ammonia, and then wash it with plenty of hot water and wipe dry.

Never use for the bath-tub sand soap, or any substance that would scratch, unless it be an enamel tub, in which case no harm will be done. Clean the faucets with whiting. Take a long-handled boot-buttoner and draw from the waste-pipes all the bits of lint that have gathered there. Dust the room and wash the floor, wiping very dry. Now lay down the rugs, which already should have been well beaten and aired.

Do not Neglect the Garbage Barrel.

The garbage barrel or tub should be thoroughly washed once a week. In summer, after the barrel has been cleaned, sprinkle into it one teaspoonful of carbolic acid mixed with half a cupful of cold water. This will keep the barrel free from offensive odors even in the hottest weather.

WASHING DISHES.

Sort the dishes and scrape them free from fragments. Have two pans, one for washing and the other for rinsing. Have also a large tray on which to drain the dishes. Wash the glassware first.

Proper Care of Glassware.

It must be remembered that even a scratch on the surface of a piece of glass often will cause it to break at that point under the slightest shock; therefore, it is essential that it shall not come in contact with a sharp, hard substance. A grain of sand on the bottom of the dishpan, or on the cloth with which the article is washed or wiped, may be the means of breaking a valuable dish. When possible, a wooden or paper tub should be used in washing glass. A soft silver-brush, soft cloths for washing, and soft linen towels for wiping, also are necessary. Have the water cool enough to bear the hand in comfortably. Make a strong suds with hard soap. The second dish of water should be of the same temperature. Wash each piece carefully, rubbing with the soft cloth; then put in the rinsing water. When four or five pieces have been washed, spread a coarse towel on an old tray, and place the glass on this to drain. Wipe the hands dry, and then wipe the pieces of glass with a perfectly clean, dry towel. Rub gently, to polish. Hold the glass up to the light, to see if it is perfectly clear, then place on a clean tray. Always keep the towel between the hands and the glass, and as soon as the towel becomes damp change it for a dry one. The glass should not drain long enough to become cold; for this reason it is best to wash only a few pieces at a time. If the glass be cut, or an imitation of cut, use the soft silver-brush to cleanse all the grooves. As it is almost impossible to get the deeply cut glass perfectly dry, it should not be placed at once on a polished-wood surface. It is a good plan to have a soft cloth on which to place cut pieces for ten or fifteen minutes after they have been wiped. Glass that is ornamented with gold must be treated with great care, to prevent the ornamentation from wearing off. Use only castile soap, and do not have the suds strong. Wash one piece at a time, and wipe immediately.

It will be seen by the foregoing that the care of glass can be summed up in a few words: wash in clean warm suds and wipe perfectly dry, using clean dry linen towels; be careful not to scratch nor hit a piece of glass, and do not expose the surface to sudden heat or cold.

Other Dishes and Utensils.

After the glass the silver should be washed and wiped. Next wash the china in hot suds, and then rinse in the second pan of hot water. Drain on the tray, and wipe while yet warm. The kitchen crockery should follow the china, then the tins, and finally the iron cooking dishes. Change the dish-water often, having the first water very soapy and the rinsing water hot. Be as careful to have clean water and clean dry towels for the pots and kettles as for the china, and wash in the same way as a piece of china, having the outside as clean as the inside. Some kind of sand soap or mineral soap is necessary to keep the tins, granite-ware, and iron saucepans perfectly clean and bright. After wiping such utensils with a dry towel, place them on the hearth, to become perfectly dry, as they rust easily and quickly.

Now rub the steel knives with either Bristol brick, wood ashes, or sand soap. Wash them, and wipe perfectly dry. Next wash the tray, the rinsing pan, the table, and the sink. Finally wash the dish-towels, and then the dishpans.

Some Special Cautions.

Pitchers, bowls, pans, and other utensils used for milk, should have cold water stand in them for half an hour or so, then be washed in plenty of clean soapy water. After this they should be scalded with boiling water, wiped dry, and placed in the sun and open air, if possible, for several hours.

Teapots, coffee-pots, chocolate-pots, and the like, should be washed in hot soapy water and be rinsed in boiling water. Use a wooden skewer to remove every particle of sediment that may lodge in the spouts or creases of the pots. Wipe perfectly dry, and expose to the sun and air, if possible, for an hour or more.

Pans in which fish or onions have been cooked, should be washed and scalded; then they should be filled with water, in which should be put a teaspoonful of soda for every two quarts of water. Place them on top of the stove for half an hour or more. This will insure the removal of the flavor of fish or onions.

Care of Silver.

Silver that is properly washed and wiped every day will require very little extra cleaning. Remove it from the table on a tray and then put it into a wide-mouthed kitchen pitcher containing warm water. When ready to wash it, have a pan of hot soap-suds and a clean soft dish-cloth. Put all the silver, except the knives, into the suds, and wash a few pieces at a time, rubbing well with the cloth. Wipe the silver, while it is still warm, with a fine soft silver-towel, rubbing it until perfectly dry and bright. Always keep the towel between the hands and the silver. As fast as a piece is finished lay it on the tray, and when all the work is done wipe the hands perfectly dry, and then put the silver away.

Should there be any tarnish on any of the pieces, rub with a little wet whiting and a piece of chamois skin. Wash again in the hot suds, and wipe.

When the silver is to have a regular cleaning, put it in a pan of hot suds and wash well. Spread several thicknesses of paper on the table. Have at hand a saucer of French whiting, finely powdered and sifted. Wet a little of this with water, unless the silver is very much tarnished, in which case use half water and half alcohol; or, instead of the alcohol, half household ammonia. Rub the article with this and then with dry whiting and a chamois skin, finally using a soft silver-brush to clean out all the chasing and creases. When all the silver has been cleaned in this manner, wash it in clean hot suds, wipe on a towel kept for silver, and put away.

Do not put silver in woollen bags, as the sulphur in this cloth tarnishes the metal. Rubber should not be placed near silver.

Only substances which are well known have been suggested for the cleaning of the various articles of silver. There are preparations in the market which many housekeepers use because they consider them harmless, and great savers of labor. Each one will decide for herself in these matters.

Do not Slight the Knife Blades.

In nearly all cases the blade of the knife requires different treatment from the handle. If it be of unplated steel it must be thoroughly polished every time it is used. If it be of silver, or be silver-plated, a careful washing with soap and water, and a thorough drying, will be all the daily care that is required,—a thorough cleaning about once a week sufficing to keep the blade perfectly clean. There should be a knife-board for the steel knives. Boards covered with leather that come for this purpose may be purchased at any first-class kitchen furnishing store.

To clean the knives have at hand a pan of clean, soapy water and a soft cloth. Hold the knives in the left hand and wash the blades with the cloth, only wiping the handles with the wet cloth, unless they be silver, in which case wash them thoroughly with the soap-suds and cloth. Sprinkle the board with some knife-polish. Hold the blade flat on the board and rub back and forth until it is polished. If the stain be hard to remove, dip a cork in the strong soap-suds, then in the polishing powder, and, laying the blade of the knife perfectly flat on the board, rub with the cork until the stain disappears. Now wipe the polish off with a soft cloth and rub the blade with a piece of chamois skin. The handles of the knives should be protected while the blades are being polished. Have a long, narrow bag of Canton flannel to slip over the handle while the blade is being rubbed.

Rust and Other Annoyances.

If it should happen that the steel of knives or forks becomes rusted, dip them in sweet oil and let them stand for twenty-four hours, then rub them with powdered quicklime, and the stain will be removed. If the handles of the knives be ivory, and they become stained, rub them with whiting and spirits of turpentine. This will remove all ordinary stains. Still, the appearance of the ivory will be greatly improved by a vigorous rubbing with the whiting and turpentine. Frequent wettings with hot water and soap will dull the mother-of-pearl handles, which should be wiped with a damp cloth and rubbed dry with a soft towel. Silver handles should be rubbed frequently with whiting. Celluloid, ivorine, bone, etc., require the same general treatment as ivory and pearl. The handles of knives, no matter what the material, should never be allowed to stand in water. The water, particularly if it be hot, loosens the handles from the tang, and also dulls them. A tin or granite-ware pail or pitcher should be kept exclusively for knives. When used, it should have some water in it, but not enough to come up to the handle of the knife. As soon as the table is cleared the knives should be put in this, to remain until the time for washing them.

If you have no regular case for the knives, they may be kept in one made of Canton flannel. To make this take a piece of flannel about three quarters of a yard wide and cut off twenty-one inches. Fold over eleven and a half inches of the selvage end, leaving a single thickness of about four inches at the other end. Baste the doubled part together; then stitch it into twelve compartments. Bind the bag with tape, and sew tapes on the single flap at the centre. Of course, the flannel is on the inside. When steel cutlery is to be put away for any length of time, melt pure mutton suet, and dip the steel part of the knives and forks in it. When cool, wrap in tissue paper, and then in thicker paper or Canton flannel.

CHAPTER V.
WORK ON WASHING DAY.

ON washing day arrange the white clothes in this manner: Half fill two tubs with warm suds. Put in one tub the pieces soiled the most; put the remainder of the articles in the second tub. Have a third tub half full of warm water and the wash boiler half full of cold water. Wash the cleaner clothes first, rubbing soap on the parts which are soiled the most. Wring from this water and drop into the tub of clean warm water. When all are done, rinse the clothes well in the warm water; then wring out and soap the parts that were badly soiled. Put these same pieces in the boiler of cold water and set on the fire. Let the water get almost boiling hot; then take up the clothes and put them in a tubful of cold water. Rinse them from this into another of warm water and from this into a third of bluing water. Wring them as dry as possible; then shake them out and hang on the lines. They should become perfectly dry before they are folded. All the white clothing should be washed in this manner. The second tubful can, of course, be rubbed out and rinsed while the first is being scalded. If clothes be not thoroughly rinsed and bluing be used, the soap will combine with the bluing to give a yellow tinge to the clothing. This is especially the case when liquid bluing is used. A thorough rinsing is really one of the most important steps in all the work.

Satines, Ginghams, and Prints.

These kinds of goods look better when no soap is used and they are not starched in the usual way. For two dresses make one gallon of starch by mixing one cupful of flour with one pint of cold water. Pour on this three quarts and a half of boiling water. Pour half of this mixture into a tub containing four gallons of warm water. Wash one of the dresses in this, rubbing the fabric the same as if soap were used. Now rinse in two clean waters and hang out to dry. The starch cleans the fabric, and enough is held in the cloth to make it about as stiff as when new. Wash the second dress in the same way. This method is not for light cambrics, but only for satines, ginghams, and dark prints.

If the colors run, put half a cupful of salt in the second rinsing water. If the color of the fabric be blue and faded, put two tablespoonfuls of acetic acid, or twice as much vinegar, into the last rinsing water. This will often restore the color, but not always, as it depends upon the chemicals used in the dyeing. The acid can be used in the last water in which faded blue flannels are rinsed. Colored goods should be dried thoroughly and dampened only a few hours before you are ready to iron them. They should be ironed on the wrong side.

How Flannels should be Washed.

Have a tub half full of strong soap suds, in which has been dissolved a tablespoonful of borax. Shake all the dust and lint from the flannels, and then put them into the suds. Wash them by rubbing with the hands and sopping them up and down in the water. Wring them out of this water and put them into a tub of clean hot water. Rinse thoroughly in this water, then in a second tubful. Wring dry, shake well, and hang on the lines. When nearly dry, take them in and fold, rolling them very tightly. Wrap a clean cloth around them, and, if possible, iron the same day. Do not have the irons very hot, but press the flannels well. Have clean suds for the colored flannels. To prevent shrinking, the temperature of the water should be the same in all the tubs.

Never use yellow soap for washing flannel, and never rub any other kind of soap upon the cloth.

To wash blankets, make strong suds with some white soap. To every three gallons of water add a tablespoonful of powdered borax. Have the suds as hot as the hands will bear comfortably. Shake the blankets, and, if the bindings be of colored silk, rip them off. Put the blankets in the hot suds and sop them up and down until the suds show that the dirt has been removed. If there be any stains on the blankets, rub the spots well between the hands, but remember the caution not to rub soap on such goods. Have a tub half full of clear water as hot as the suds. After squeezing the suds from the blankets, put them in the rinsing water. Sop them well in this, and then squeeze out the water; finally rinse in a tub of bluing water, having the temperature still as hot as the suds. Press all the water possible from the blankets and hang them on the lines to dry, shaking out all the wrinkles. When dry, fold smoothly and lay on a clean board. Put another board on top, and on this place some heavy weights. In a day or two the blankets will be pressed.

Wash only two blankets at a time, and select a clear day for this work,—a windy day, if possible.

The Right Way to Wash Silk Undergarments.

To three gallons of warm water add three tablespoonfuls of household ammonia. Let the silk garments soak in this for twenty minutes; then rub soap on the parts which are the most badly soiled, and wash the articles with the hands. Never rub them on a board. Rinse in two waters, wring dry, and hang on the line. When nearly dry, take in and fold, and, if possible, iron within a few hours. Never let an iron come in contact with the silk; lay a piece of cloth over the fabric, and iron on that.

The ammonia may be omitted, and the silk garments be washed in strong suds made with white castile soap and warm water.

How to Launder Washable Curtains.

There are many inexpensive cotton or cotton and silk fabrics used for curtains which launder very well if treated properly. Shake out all the dust. Make weak suds with white castile soap. Wash the curtains in this, and rinse them in two waters; then wring dry. Next dip them in a preparation made as follows: Soak half an ounce of isinglass in one quart of cold water for an hour or more. Steep one ounce of saffron on the fire in two quarts of hot water for two hours. Stir the soaked isinglass and half an ounce of alum into this, and then strain into a bowl. Put one fourth of this mixture into another large bowl, and dip one curtain into it, sopping it well, that the color and stiffening may be equally distributed. Shake out and hang on the line to dry.

When the curtains are dry, sprinkle them, making them very damp. Draw out evenly; then fold, and roll up in a cloth; finally iron them, being careful to move the iron lengthwise of the curtain, and to get the fabric very dry.

The alum and saffron may be omitted, and the stiffening be used for washable dresses or thin muslin curtains.

Cleaning Lace Curtains.

Lace curtains will not bear rubbing. All the work must be done carefully and gently. For two pairs of curtains half fill a large tub with warm water, and add to it half a pound of soap, which has been shaved fine and dissolved in two quarts of boiling water; add also about a gill of household ammonia. Let the curtains soak in this over night. In the morning sop them well in the water, and squeeze it all out; but do not wring the curtains. Put them into another tub of water, prepared with soap and ammonia, as on the night before; sop them gently in this water, and then, after squeezing out the water, put them in a tub of clean warm water. Continue to rinse them in fresh tubs of water until there is no trace of soap; next, rinse them in water containing bluing. After pressing out all the water possible, spread the curtains over sheets on the grass; or, if you have no grass, put them on the clothes-line. When they are dry, dip them in hot thick starch, and fasten them in the frame that comes for this purpose. If you have no frame, fasten a sheet on a mattress, and spread the curtains on this, pinning them in such a manner that they shall be perfectly smooth and have all the pattern of the border brought out. Place in the sun to dry. If it be desired to have the curtains a light écru shade, rinse them in weak coffee; and if you want a dark shade, use strong coffee.

If the curtains be dried on a mattress they must be folded smoothly, the size of the mattress. Lace curtains can be spread two or three thicknesses in the frame.

Points on Starching and Ironing.

In making and using starch have all the utensils and the water perfectly clean. Mix the dry starch with cold water enough to make a thin paste. Pour on this the required amount of boiling water, stirring all the while. To each quart of starch add a teaspoonful each of salt and lard. Boil the starch until it looks clear, which will be in about ten minutes. Strain it through a piece of cheese-cloth (it will have to be squeezed through the cloth). White articles should be dipped into the hot starch, but have it cooled a little for colored articles. For collars, cuffs, shirts, etc., have the starch very thick; for white skirts it should be rather thin; for dresses, aprons, and children’s clothing also, the starch must be thin, and for table linen only the thinnest kind imaginable should be used.

Always have starched clothes thoroughly dried; then sprinkle evenly with enough cold water to make them very damp. Fold smoothly and roll up in a clean cloth for several hours. In ironing, begin with the plain pieces, like the sheets and pillow cases. This will get the irons in condition for the starched clothes, which should be done next; and after these finish the plain pieces. Have the ironing blanket and sheet spread smoothly on the table and tacked in place, and have some fine salt spread on a board. Tie a large piece of beeswax in a cloth, and after rubbing the hot iron on the salt, rub the beeswax over it. Finally wipe the iron on a clean cloth. This process will make the iron clean and smooth. Starched clothes must be made very damp; other articles should be dampened only slightly. Starched clothes must be ironed until perfectly dry. In ironing, do the rubbing lengthways when possible,—that is, with the selvage.

A Rule for Making Hard Soap.

18 pounds of clarified grease.

3 tablespoonfuls of powdered borax.

3 pounds of potash.

4 quarts of cold water.

Put the fat on the back part of the range, where it will melt slowly. The potash is put into a large earthen or stone bowl or jar. Upon this is poured three quarts of cold water, and three tablespoonfuls of powdered borax is added. This mixture is stirred with a wooden stick until the potash is dissolved; then it stands until cold.

When the fat is melted pour it into a butter tub. It must not be hot when the potash is added; should it be, it must stand until so cool that it will hardly run when poured. When the potash mixture is perfectly cold pour it in a thin stream into the fat, stirring all the while. When all has been added, continue stirring for about ten minutes, when the soap should begin to look thick and ropy. At this stage pour it into a box, having it about three or four inches deep. Let it stand a few hours; then cut it into bars, and the bars into pieces of a convenient length for handling. It will still be soft, and should not be removed from the box for at least two days. It will be hard and white.

If you attempt to combine the fat and potash mixture while the latter is at all warm it will take a long time to make the soap, and the result will not be so satisfactory. It is well to put paper under the soap tub and the bowl in which the potash is prepared. Remember that potash is very strong, and do not spatter it on yourself or on the floor.

This is a hard soap,—a most desirable quality.

Borax Soap.

2 pounds of good white soap.

3 ounces of borax.

2 quarts of water.

Shave the soap and put it in a porcelain kettle with the water and borax. Place on the fire, and stir frequently until the soap and borax are dissolved and combined. Pour the hot mixture into a clean butter tub, and when cold, cover. This soap is excellent for washing flannels, blankets, etc.

Soft Soap.

It is best to make the soap a few weeks before you wish to use it, as it is rather hard on the hands when new. Here is a good rule for making the soap without heating the grease:—

Put fourteen pounds of crude—not concentrated—potash in a wooden pail and pour over it enough boiling water to cover it. Stir well, and let the mixture stand over night. In the morning pour this mixture into a large kettle and place on the fire. Now add another pail of boiling water, and stir frequently with a stick until all the potash is dissolved. Next put ten quarts of soap grease in a water-tight barrel and gradually pour in the hot potash. Stir until all the grease is united with the potash. Let this stand for three hours; then add a pailful of hot water and stir well. Add another pailful three hours later. After this add a pailful each day for the next six days, stirring well with a long stick each time. The soap should be stirred every day for the next three weeks, when it will be ready for use.

Be sure the potash is pure.

CHAPTER VI.
IN THE DINING-ROOM.

ONE’S dining-room should be large enough to enable a person to pass around the table comfortably when the family or guests are all seated. It should also be light and sunny, and easily heated and ventilated. The most essential pieces of furniture are a table of generous width, capable of being enlarged, comfortable chairs, and a sideboard. After that, if the room be large enough and the purse will admit of the purchase of a cabinet or two, with glass fronts and sides, so much the better. In these there can be kept dainty bits of china and glassware. These cabinets will brighten a dining-room more than anything else you can put into it, possibly excepting pictures. If there be no room for a cabinet, a corner cupboard and some hanging shelves will be a great addition. Pictures that suggest pleasant things are, of course, always desirable. A few thrifty ferns, flowering plants, or evergreens add a great deal to the brightness and beauty of any room, but particularly the dining-room. Have them there if you possibly can.

Setting the Table.

The table should stand in the middle of the room. Cover it with a thick felt or a double-faced Canton flannel cloth. Over this spread the white damask cloth, having the centre fold come exactly in the centre of the table. Pass the hand over the cloth to make it lie smooth. If there be a centrepiece, carving, or tray cloths, or table mats, have them lie perfectly straight and smooth on the cloth. At each seat place on the right the knives, spoons, and glasses; on the left, the forks and napkins. Have the edge of the knife toward the plate. Lay the forks with the tines up, and the spoons with the bowls up. Have the spacing between the seats regular, and the space between the knife and fork about seven inches. Set the glasses at the points of the knives. If individual salt-cellars and pepper bottles be used, they are to be placed at the head of the plates; otherwise, place the cellars and bottles at the corners of the table. The tablespoons may be placed at the corners of the table, or near the dishes where they will be required in serving. In the centre of the table there may be set a dish of flowers or fruit.

These general directions apply to the setting of the table for any meal. Nearly all housekeepers have their own ideas about the arrangement of the table, thus securing variety and individuality.

Refinement not Exclusively for the Rich.

The incomes and style of living in this country have such a wide range that it would be impossible to give here directions for the table service which would meet the wants of all classes. The woman of limited means who does her own work could not serve her meals the same as one who keeps one or more servants. As far as possible she will so arrange her meals that it shall not be necessary to rise from the table more than once or twice. Indeed, it is possible to have everything on the table for breakfast, tea, or luncheon, but at dinner time the meat, vegetables, and soiled plates should be removed before the dessert is put on. No woman, no matter how simply she lives, should get into a slipshod way of serving her meals. The table can be made, and should be, a means of refinement and pleasure. Do not have it ceremonious, yet strive for neatness, brightness, and order. No one has a right to mar the sociability of a meal by bringing a gloomy countenance or disagreeable subject to the table. When the housekeeper has done all she can to make the meal suitable and appetizing, each member of the family should do his or her share to bring life and sunshine into the conversation.

The directions which follow may, it is hoped, be helpful in some degree to the young housekeeper, no matter what her manner of living may be. It is easy to omit all but one or two courses, thus making the table arrangement and service simple; but the general principles may be observed just the same.

At the Breakfast Table.

Breakfast being the plainest meal of the day, the arrangement of the table should always be simple. The cloth should be spotless. At each person’s seat place a knife, fork, teaspoon or dessert spoon, tumbler, and napkin, and if fresh fruit is to be served, a finger bowl, if there be no servant. If you have a waitress, she will place the finger bowls on as you finish with the fruit. If fresh fruit be served, there must also be placed at each seat a fruit knife and plate. Have the dish of fruit in the centre of the table. Have a tray cloth at each end of the table. Place a little butter plate near the top of each plate. Put four tablespoons on the table, either in two corners, or beside the dishes where they will be used in serving. Put the carving knife and fork at the head of the table, and the cups and saucers, sugar and cream, coffee-pot, hot-water bowl, and the mush dishes at the other end.

The mistress of the house serves the mush, and when the fruit and this course have been served, the dishes are removed and the hot plates and other food brought in; the head of the house serving the hot meats, etc., while the mistress pours the coffee. It sometimes happens that a man of business lacks time to serve breakfast, in which case the mistress of the house attends to that duty. If there be a waitress, she passes the plates when they are ready; also the bread, butter, and coffee. The hostess usually puts the sugar and cream in the coffee, first asking each one if he will have these additions. After all have been served, it is quite common to dismiss the waitress, ringing for her if her services be again required. When there is but one servant, the family help each other after the breakfast has been placed upon the table. Fresh water is good for most people, and each person should be served with a tumblerful on taking a seat at the table. If there be hot cakes or waffles, they should come after the meats, and there should be a fresh set of warm plates, as well as of knives and forks.

The Dinner Table.

The silver required depends upon the number of courses to be served, but a few suggestions may help one to decide what is proper for her own table. The silver for all the courses except the dessert may be put on the table when it is set, or it may be placed there by the waitress as needed for each course. Dinner plates are placed on the table or not, when it is set, as one pleases. The silver needed for an ordinary course dinner would be a small fork for raw oysters, tablespoon for soup, fork for fish, knife and fork for meat, and fork for salad; carving knife and fork at the head of the table, soup ladle at the head of the mistress’s plate, and, if the dinner be served from the table, spoons for serving.

In the centre of the table set rather a low dish containing flowers or ferns. On each side of it place some small dishes of pretty design for olives, salted almonds, confectionery, and such things; or these small dishes may be set in the corners of the table. If the dinner is to be served on the table, the small dishes should be put in the corners; but if it is to be served from the sideboard, such dishes may be placed wherever they look best and are most convenient. Lay the tablespoons in pairs; in the corners, of course, if the dinner is to be served on the table. In the fold of each napkin lay a small square of bread or a small roll. The fruit and dishes for the dessert may be disposed on the sideboard. All the dishes for a handsome dinner service may be of one pattern, or for each course a different kind of china may be used. For the olives, almonds, etc., it is desirable to have bits of cut glass, or pretty little china dishes. Such wares are used much more than silver. The dishes on which fish, meats, and entrées are served may be round, oval, square, plain white, or richly colored Chinese or Japanese ware. The plates for the several courses are, of course, carefully to be kept hot or cold, as each course may require, until serving time. After-dinner coffee cups, when all are of different patterns, give a remarkably pretty effect. Indeed, there is so much that is beautiful in table-ware nowadays that one can have a handsome service with means either large or limited.

Luncheon and Tea.

Family luncheons and teas are rarely served in courses. Tea, cocoa, or chocolate is, as a rule, served at these meals, so that the table is set in practically the same manner as for breakfast; but the plates are placed for each person, and unless there be meat to carve, the carving knife and fork are not put on. The bread, butter, cake, preserves, etc., are placed on the table when it is set. If hot meats, vegetables, soup, or cakes be served, the cold plates must be changed for hot ones. When meats, vegetables, or salads have been served at these meals, the plates should be changed before the cake and preserves are passed.

For luncheon, such dishes as these are suitable: eggs in any form, soups, salads, cold meats, with baked or warmed up potatoes, any kind of broiled meat or fish, any simple made dish, fresh fruit, stewed fruit, preserves, cake, gingerbread, etc.

Any dish (except soup and fresh fruit) that you serve for luncheons will be suitable for tea.

Duties of the Waitress.

Although every housekeeper may have some methods peculiarly her own in the matter of waiting upon the table, still there are some customs that are almost universal in refined households.

If the water has not already been poured, the waitress pours it as soon as the guests sit down at the table. If there be raw oysters, they should be served first. Usually they are arranged on the plates, and placed at each person’s seat before the guests come in.

When the oyster plates have been removed, the soup tureen and hot soup plates are placed before the hostess. The waitress lifts the cover off the tureen, inverting it at once, that no drops of steam shall fall from it, and carries it from the room. The hostess puts a ladleful of soup into each plate and hands it to the waitress, who places it before the guests, going in every case to the right hand side. Some hostesses always serve the ladies first, while others serve the guests in rotation.

The meat is set before the host, the vegetables being placed before the hostess or on the sideboard, as one chooses. The waitress passes each plate as the host hands it to her. She then passes vegetables, bread, sauce, etc.

The salad is to be served by the hostess. After that the table is brushed and the dessert is brought in and placed before the hostess. The coffee follows. If fruit be served, it is passed before the coffee.

Finger bowls are brought in after the made dessert has been served. A dainty doily is spread on a dessert plate and the finger bowl placed on this. The bowl should be about one quarter full of water. Each guest lifts the bowl and doily from the plate and places them at the left hand side. The doily is never to be used to wipe the fingers.

A good waitress will not pile one dish upon another when removing them from the table. She should be provided with a tray for all the smaller dishes, and should remove the plates one or two at a time.

All dishes from which people help themselves, such as vegetables, bread, butter, etc., should be passed at the left; those that are set before people, such as soup plates, clean plates, water glasses, finger bowls, etc., should be passed at the right.

Serving Meals without a Servant.

A housekeeper who keeps no servant is often puzzled as to how to serve dessert, how to serve the other dishes at dinner, whether the plates should be distributed on the table or placed beside the carver, and so forth.

The conditions are so different in different families that no arbitrary rules can be given for these things, but here are a few suggestions which may be helpful. Have everything ready in the kitchen to put on the table without delay, and place the dishes where they will keep hot until wanted. Eggs in any form must, of course, be served as soon as cooked; therefore they must be timed very carefully. The mush should be put on the table at the housekeeper’s own place, and served in saucers or little dishes that come for that purpose. Any one who does not eat mush or fruit may decline it, and wait for the next course. After the mush has been served, remove the dishes, and place the rest of the breakfast on the table. The plates should be hot, and be piled before or at one side of the carver. While he is serving, pour the coffee. When there is another member of the family who can put the second course on the table, the housekeeper should be relieved of this part of the work. It is hard on a woman not only to have to prepare the breakfast, but also to rise from the table, bring in the second course and serve this, as she often must, since, as a rule, men are in a hurry in the morning and cannot assist their wives in serving the breakfast.

CHAPTER VII.
BUYING FOOD AND CARING FOR IT.

Going to Market.

WHEN a housekeeper understands just what to do, and can spend the time to go to the market herself, she will find that she can have a better table, with greater variety and at less expense, than when she orders from the provision man who comes to the house each day. It is true that there are a great many housekeepers who have neither time nor strength for daily or even weekly visits to the markets, but the average housekeeper has the time, and she will find that in the end it will add to her mental and physical health, as well as to the attractiveness of her table.

FIRST FIVE RIBS.

In ordering at the house it is a difficult matter to keep in mind all the things that the provision man briskly calls off. Even if he should not miss many little things that one might choose for the sake of economy and variety, it would be almost impossible to remember them all when giving him the order. In the market, however, the articles are spread out before you, and one thing suggests another. Here the prices can be kept in mind when selecting the food; and should the thing that you have decided upon be too expensive, something else that you will find to be nearly or equally good may be substituted. For example, you may have planned to have halibut for dinner, and found that, instead of being eighteen cents, it has gone up to twenty-five or thirty cents. You will naturally hesitate before adding fifty per cent to the expense of the dish. A cod, haddock, whitefish, red-snapper, or something else of moderate price, will make a satisfactory substitute. Although the prices of beef, mutton, pork, etc. are not subject to great changes, the prices of fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, and game fluctuate constantly. Then again, many little savory dishes are suggested by the sight of the various little odds and ends found in the stalls. The sight and odor of a piece of smoked bacon may give you visions of the many savory dishes to which it will give relish,—liver and bacon, chicken livers en brochette, and rashers of bacon with chops or beefsteak.

CHUCK RIBS.

In the market, too, perhaps you will see sheep’s hearts, which when boiled make a cheap and savory breakfast, luncheon, or supper dish. Calves and lambs’ tongues are both cheap and good. They may be kept in brine for a week or two and then boiled, the same as beef tongue; or they may be boiled while fresh. They make an attractive dish when served in jelly, or they may be braised, and served with vegetables à la jardinière, making an elegant as well as an economical dish. Sheep and lambs’ kidneys are delicious when broiled, stewed, or sautéd. They are always cheap. Perhaps you may see a piece of honeycomb tripe which would make a pleasing dish for breakfast. The liver of nearly all animals is used, but beef, calves, and pigs’ livers are the most common. Sheep and lambs’ livers are delicious.

HIND QUARTER OF BEEF.

EXPLANATION OF DIAGRAM.

FORE QUARTER OF BEEF.

EXPLANATION OF DIAGRAM.

SIRLOIN ROAST,—SECOND CUT.

Perhaps you want just about two pounds of the neck of mutton for a broth. You see it cut off and are sure to get nearly what you want. It may be you want a pound or two of the round of beef chopped for a Hamburg steak or for beef tea. If you see it cut, you will not get three or four pounds instead of two. This is true of all the cuts of meat and fish. It is a rare thing that the provision man, who takes your order at the house, does not bring you more than you want. In the fish, vegetable, and fruit market there is constant change, and we cannot be well supplied with the best and cheapest except by a personal visit to the sales place.

If one have a large and cold room to keep stores in, and the family be large, it will pay to buy in quantity, provided the housekeeper knows what to do with the supplies when she gets them.

CARCASS OF MUTTON.

In cold weather I often buy a hind quarter of mutton. To give the housekeeper an idea of what can be done with such a piece of meat, let me explain how I use it. This is for a family of three, with an average of one guest for one meal each day. It must be kept in mind that the part of the hind quarter which will spoil first is the flank; next come the ribs and loin; the leg will keep many weeks if hung in a cold dry place. When the piece of mutton is sent home, I cut off the flank and the thin end of the ribs, leaving the rib and loin chops quite short. Should I want to cook any of the chops that day or the next I cut off the required number, but if I do not care to use them for several days, they are not cut off until that time. The piece of meat is now hung in my cold room, and cut from as required. The flank and thin ribs are freed from every bit of fat; the lean meat is cut into cubes and placed in a stewpan with four tablespoonfuls of chopped onion, a generous half-cupful of pearl barley, two level tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful of pepper, and three quarts of cold water. These materials for a soup are placed on the fire and skimmed carefully when they begin to boil; then the stewpan is set back where the contents will just bubble for three hours. The bones are placed in another stewpan with one quart of cold water. They cook for two hours and then the water is strained into the soup in the other stewpan. When the soup has been cooking for three hours, two tablespoonfuls of butter are put into a small frying-pan and set on the fire. When this becomes hot, two tablespoonfuls of flour are stirred into it, and when the mixture becomes smooth and frothy it is added to the soup; after which a tablespoonful of chopped parsley is added. The result is a gallon of the most delicious Scotch broth. This soup is just as good when warmed over as when first made, and it is so substantial that it answers for luncheon, no meat, fish, or vegetables being required. From the remainder of the hind quarter I get fourteen chops, cutting the last four from the leg, and a good roast. All the fat is rendered for soap grease; and as I make my own soap, this is quite an item.

SIRLOIN ROAST.
A, Tenderloin. B, Back of Sirloin. C, Flank. D, Suet.

The weight of the hind quarter described is about twenty pounds, and I save about one third what it would cost me to buy the soup meat, chops, and roast separately. One must have a good sharp knife, a meat-saw, and a cleaver to cut up meats in this manner.

Before going to market one should look through her supplies, and then make a list of things for use with them. A list of the meals that are to be arranged, and such purchases as must be made for these meals, is next in order. One may find it best to make radical changes in her plans when she gets to the market; still, the list will be a great aid as a guide. With it, one is not likely to buy too much or too little.

RIB CHOP BEFORE TRIMMING.

RIB CHOP AFTER TRIMMING.

In some places it is a great pleasure to go through the markets, especially on the regular market days. This is particularly true where there is a large German or French population. The women of these nationalities have stalls where they sell eggs, butter, cheese, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and flowers,—the product of their own and neighbors’ farms. Nothing can be brighter or more picturesque than are such markets in the spring, summer, and fall, when flowers and vegetables are in abundance. Even the poor laborer’s wife takes home her little growing plant, or a bunch of fresh flowers. Going to market has not been all prose to that poor woman, although she had to calculate very closely in her purchases for her table; for has she not had the sight and odor of the plants and green vegetables, and did not their beauty and freshness fill her mind with visions of a beautiful and fragrant country? What a pity there are not such markets in all our cities!

If you have never made a practice of going to market, try the plan now. It will pay you.

Buying Food for a Small Family.

LOIN.

A woman who has to provide for a large family can plan and buy with greater economy than if her family consisted of only two or three. This is especially the case with meats and some kinds of fish. In buying meats, if the family be small, it is wiser to get only the parts actually wanted than to buy large pieces, simply because they are cheaper by the pound. When planning to cook a large piece of meat or fish, its adaptability to being made over into various little dishes should be considered. Pork is the least desirable of the fresh meats for such purposes. For warming over in various ways the following-named meats are the most valuable: poultry, veal, lamb, mutton, and beef. The white meats are better than the red for this purpose. This is also true of fish; the white, dry varieties are much better for made-over dishes than the dark, oily kinds.

The smallest prime roast of beef is one of the short ribs, weighing from three to four pounds. There are two of these short ribs. In Boston they are called the tip of the sirloin; outside New England, the short ribs or first cut of the ribs. The two ribs are included in the cut, but it is possible to get the cut divided.

A small loin of lamb, mutton, or veal, weighing about three or four pounds, makes a roast that will not last forever. Great care must be used in treating these small roasts. The heat must be moderate after the roast is browned and there must be a generous and frequent basting, else the meat will be dry.

RUMP.

A turkey weighing between six and seven pounds is about the smallest one can find in the market, but it can be served in so many ways that one need not grow to hate the sight of turkey before it is all gone.

In the season of lamb it is possible to get a small leg from which there can be cut one or two cutlets. The remainder of the leg can be roasted the following day. If there be a cold room where meats can be hung, a leg of mutton can be used for several meals. Cut off about one third for a roast. In about two or three days cut off a thick slice, to be breaded and fried, and served with tomato sauce. In four or five days the remainder of the leg can be roasted. The leg of mutton that one can get small enough for this purpose will probably be what butchers call yearling lamb. It is not possible to get the best kind of beef or mutton in so light a weight that it can be used to advantage in a small family.

One grouse or partridge, a chicken, duck, or rabbit, a pair of pigeons or of quail, all can be used as a roast in a family of two.

Here are some of the things that can be bought in small quantities: half a pound of sausages, a thin slice of ham that will not weigh more than half a pound, a quarter of a pound of dried beef, a quarter of a pound of smoked bacon, a quarter of a pound of smoked salmon or halibut, one pound of salt codfish, which will answer for three or four dishes,—fish-balls, fish in cream, fish hash, etc.; one thin slice of round steak, weighing about a pound, can be used for beef olives or roll; a slice of veal from the leg can be used in the same way; a piece of beef, cut from the shoulder, and weighing about two or three pounds, can be braised; about a pound and a quarter of fresh beef, cut from any of the tough parts of the animal, can be prepared in a stew; mutton and veal can be used in the same way.

A short porter-house steak may be made to answer for two meals. Cut out the tenderloin, broil it, and serve with brown or mushroom sauce. The remainder of the steak should be put in a cold place and used a day or two later.

LEG OF MUTTON.

In summer vegetables should be bought from day to day, as they are required. In the fall and winter tuberous vegetables may be bought in larger quantities, if there be a cool place in which to store them. The common white potatoes may be purchased by the barrel, but as the sweet potato decays rapidly, it is best to buy it by the pound. Carrots, turnips, beets, onions, squash, etc., are vegetables that can be stored, and if one live in a country town it will be well to store them; but for the housekeeper in the city it will be economy to purchase these vegetables only as she requires them.

Squash spoils quickly after it has been cut. Since one can purchase as small a quantity as two or three pounds, it would, therefore, be unwise to buy a whole squash simply because it costs a little less per pound than when bought in a small quantity.

If one have a cold cellar, it would be well to put in one or two barrels of apples late in the fall; but as all fruits as well as vegetables require a low, dry temperature, it would be unwise to make large purchases unless one have a proper place to keep them in.

Butter, Eggs, and Milk.

Butter is an expensive article, and should be selected with care. If one have the proper place for storing it, and can get it direct from some trustworthy dairy, it would be economical to purchase the winter’s supply in October. About fifty pounds will be enough for a family of two for six months. This should be put up in two or three small tubs. It must be kept in a cool, sweet place.

Eggs, of course, are best fresh. It is wise economy for the young housekeeper to pay the extra price, and always be sure of the quality of her supply.

Pure milk is a most important adjunct to the table. As far as it is in her power to do so, the housekeeper should see that the supply comes from a wholesome source, and then do her part to keep the milk good by having the vessels perfectly clean and the surroundings such that the milk shall not be contaminated.

About Groceries.

Flour, if stored in a cool, sweet, dry place, will be better for bread-making if kept several months after being made. All the meals are better when fresh, and only a small quantity should be purchased at a time. Sugar is about the same price, whether you buy it in small or large quantities. It saves much bother to buy the granulated and cut sugar in sufficient quantities to last a month or more. Powdered sugar “cakes,” and only a small amount should be kept in store. English breakfast tea improves with age, while the lighter teas do not. The green coffee berry grows better as it grows older; but after coffee is roasted it quickly loses strength and flavor, so that only a small quantity of the roasted berry should be bought at one time.

Buy flavors, spices, etc. in small quantities, and get only the purest. The store closet should always contain macaroni, rice, fine breakfast hominy, tapioca, barley, corn-starch, arrowroot, farina, chocolate, breakfast cocoa, tea, coffee, some of the cereal preparations for mush, white and red pepper, mustard, a small supply of whole spices, such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and pepper; also ground cinnamon, mace, and allspice. The less ground clove one uses the better. It is well to have on hand a bunch each of dried thyme, savory, and sage, and half an ounce of bay leaves, which can be purchased at the grocer’s or druggist’s, a few packages of gelatine, and a small package of sea-moss farina, which insures a foundation for a cold dessert at short notice.

For emergencies, the store closet should always contain some canned peas, tomatoes, corn, fruit, chicken, salmon, a box of fancy crackers, some plain soda crackers, a bottle of olives, and a can of condensed milk. One need never be at a loss to prepare a good meal at short notice with this supply in reserve.

CARE OF FOOD.

One may buy food with good judgment, and yet fail to be an economical provider because she does not take proper care of it. Perfect cleanliness is essential for the best preservation of food. The cellar, pantries, storerooms, refrigerators, and all the receptacles in which food is kept, should be frequently inspected and thoroughly cleaned. Heat and moisture tend to cause decay; therefore it is important that all foods should be surrounded with pure, cool, dry air. When it is possible, expose every closet and food receptacle to the sun and air several times a week.

All kinds of cooked food, particularly the animal foods, spoil quickly when covered closely while still warm. All soups, meat, fish, bread, etc., that are to be kept for many days or hours, should be cooled thoroughly and quickly in a current of cold air. In hot weather it is a good plan, when cooling soups, milk, or any liquid mass, to place the vessel containing the food in another of cold water,—with ice, if convenient,—and set it in a cool draught.

All meat, when not hung up, should be placed on a dish and set in a cool place. If poultry be drawn, and a few pieces of charcoal be placed in the body, it will keep longer than if hung undrawn. It must not be washed until it is to be cooked. The dryer the meat is kept the better.

A dish of charcoal placed in the refrigerator or pantry helps to keep the atmosphere dry and sweet.

Milk and butter should be kept in a cool place, and away from all strong odors.

Bread and cake must be thoroughly cooled before being put in boxes or jars; if not, the steam will cause them to mould quickly. The bread box should be washed, scalded, and thoroughly aired in the sun, twice a week. The crusts and stale pieces of white raised bread, for which there is no other use, should be put in a pan, be dried slowly in a warm oven, and then be pounded, sifted, and put in glass jars for future use.

All the trimmings of fat should be rendered while they are sweet; then strained into jars or pails kept for that purpose. Put beef, pork, and chicken fat together; this will answer for deep frying. Ham, bacon, and sausage fat answers for frying potatoes, hominy, mush, etc. All the strong-flavored fats, such as mutton, duck, turkey, and the skimmings from boiled ham, are to be kept by themselves for making soap.

It should be remembered that pure fat will keep sweet many months, but if water or any foreign substance be left in it, it will spoil quickly. When rendering or clarifying fat, cook it slowly until there are no bubbles. As long as bubbles form, you may be sure that there is water in the fat. If put away in that condition it will become rancid.

Clarifying Fat.

To clarify fat that has been used for frying, put it into a frying kettle, being careful not to let the sediment go in, and place the kettle on the fire. When the fat becomes hot, add three raw potatoes cut into slices, and stir well. The impurities gather on the potatoes. Three potatoes will be enough for four pounds of fat. Whenever there are any trimmings of fat from any kind of meat cut them in bits and place in a frying-pan on the back part of the stove, where they will cook slowly until all the liquid fat has been extracted. Strain this into a pot kept for this purpose.

As soon as the fat is skimmed from soups, gravies, and the water in which meat has been boiled, it should be clarified, as the water and other objectionable particles contained in it will cause it to become rancid if it stands a long time. Put it on the stove, in a frying-pan, and heat it slowly. When it becomes melted, set it where it will simply bubble, and keep it there (being careful not to let it burn) until there is no motion, and all the sediment has fallen to the bottom of the pan. When this stage is reached the fat is clarified.

Sometimes fat that has been used several times for frying, and has not been strained, will become dark and unfit for use. This may be put into a kettle with about six times as much hot water, boiled for twenty minutes, turned into a large pan, and set in a cold place. When the contents of the pan become cold, the fat will be found in the form of a solid cake on the surface of the water. It must be removed, and clarified in the manner already described.

To clarify butter, put it in a stewpan, and set it on the back part of the range, where it will heat slowly. When a clear, oily substance is found on top, and a cloudy sediment at the bottom of the pan, lift the pan gently and pour off the clear substance, which will be the clarified butter.

When the fat is ready to strain, draw it back where it will partially cool; then strain it through a piece of cheese-cloth.

Tin or stoneware vessels are the best in which to keep fat. The pails in which lard comes are very good for soap grease, because, knowing their exact capacity, one knows just how much grease there is on hand. Have the pails covered, and keep them in a cool place.

Save for stock all the bones and trimmings from fresh meat, the bones from roasts or broils, and such pieces of cooked meat as are too tough or hard to serve cold or in made dishes. Put these in a stewpan, with water enough to cover them, and simmer for five or six hours. Strain into a bowl, and cool quickly. No matter how little bone or meat there may be, cook it in this way while it is fresh and sweet. A gill of stock has great value in warming over meats, fish, and vegetables.

Odds and Ends.

It is true that the care of remnants and their preparation for the table is not a slight matter; but in the household where attention is given to this matter there is no waste, and a pleasant change of fare can be made daily. If a housekeeper looks into her larder each morning, and avails herself of the opportunities she finds to make little dishes of the bits of food which she sees before her, the work of caring for the odds and ends may become a pleasure rather than a burden; the preparation of this food giving a bright woman an opportunity to exercise much taste and skill in producing dainty and healthful dishes.

Pieces of cold meat or fish may be divided into small pieces, and warmed in a white or brown sauce; or the sauce and meat or fish may be put in a small baking dish, covered with grated bread crumbs, and then browned in the oven. If there be not enough fish or meat to serve to the entire family, use an extra quantity of sauce, and fill up the dish with either well seasoned mashed potatoes, hominy, rice, or macaroni. Cover lightly with grated bread crumbs, and dot with butter. Bake this for half an hour in a moderately hot oven.

Cold meat or fish may be hashed fine and mixed with potato, rice, or hominy, and a sauce, and made into croquettes.

Bits of cooked ham or sausages may be minced fine and mixed with hashed potatoes; the mixture being then well seasoned and put into a frying-pan, with a little butter or sweet drippings, and browned. If there be a little gravy of any kind, it may be added to any of the above-mentioned dishes.

Nearly all kinds of vegetables may be combined in a salad or a hash.

Tough pieces of meat and bones may be used in making little stews or a little soup stock. All kinds of meats may be combined in making a stew or soup.

A few spoonfuls of almost any kind of meat, fish, or vegetable may be heated in a sauce and spread over a plain omelet, just before rolling it up, thus giving a change in this dish of eggs.

A soft-boiled egg left from a meal may be boiled until hard, and then used in a salad or an egg sauce.

Pieces of bread may be used for puddings and griddle-cakes, and, in the form of dried crumbs, for breading.

Pieces of cake and gingerbread may be used in puddings.

Gravies, sauces, and soups, no matter how small the quantity, should be saved to use in warming over meat, fish, or vegetables.

A few tablespoonfuls of cold rice or hominy are often a pleasing addition to muffins or griddle-cakes. Indeed, it is rarely necessary to waste a particle of food if the proper attention be given to the little details of kitchen management.

CHAPTER VIII.
SOUPS.

A Good Plain Stock.

7 quarts of cold water.

A shin of beef weighing ten pounds.

4 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 generous tablespoonful of salt.

A piece of cinnamon two inches long.

1 teaspoonful of pepper-corns.

A tiny bit of mace.

6 whole cloves.

1/2 pint of minced onion.

4 tablespoonfuls of minced carrot.

4 tablespoonfuls of minced celery.

A bouquet of sweet herbs.

Have the butcher cut the shin of beef into several parts. Wash it in cold water, and then cut off any particles that do not seem perfectly sweet. The lower end of the leg, near the hoofs, is apt to be a little tainted. Cut all the meat from the bones, and then cut it into small pieces. Put one tablespoonful of the butter in the soup pot, and place on the hottest part of the fire. Put the meat in the pot, and stir frequently until it is browned. It will take about half an hour for this. At first the juices are drawn out of the meat, making a great deal of liquid in the pot. The cooking must be continued until all this juice has evaporated, leaving a dry, brown substance on the bottom of the pan. Now add one pint of the water, and stir the meat well, scraping the brown substance from the bottom of the pot. Add the remainder of the water and the salt and bones. As soon as the soup comes to the boiling point, skim carefully several times. Lay a piece of cheese-cloth in a strainer and place in a bowl. Skim into this, and when the soup has ceased to throw up any more scum, pour back into the soup pot the clear liquid which will be found in the bowl. Draw the soup pot back where the contents will bubble gently for eight hours.

Put the minced vegetables and three tablespoonfuls of butter in a small frying-pan, and cook slowly for half an hour. At the end of that time draw forward to a hotter part of the range and stir until they begin to brown; then draw them to one side of the pan and press out the butter. Add them to the soup, and pour the butter into a cup, as it will be useful in making sauces.

Tie up the spice and the bouquet of sweet herbs in a piece of cheese-cloth and put into the soup pot. Cook the soup for an hour and a half longer; then strain through a coarse napkin into two or three bowls, and cook rapidly. Set away in a cold place and it will become a jelly. When about to use it, remove all the fat and turn into a saucepan, being careful to keep back any sediment there may be at the bottom of the bowl. It will then be ready to serve as a clear soup; or it can have any kind of a garnish added to it, such as cooked rice, macaroni, vegetables, etc. It may require a little more salt and pepper.

This soup may be kept for months if sealed in jars. Have the jars hot and the soup boiling hot. On filling the jars, seal at once, and keep in a cool, dark place.

Second Stock.

Put away in a cold place the meat and bones which were left from the strained stock. In the morning add six quarts of water to it, and cook gently for six hours; then strain and put away to cool. This stock lacks the fine flavor of the first stock, but it is useful for thick soups, sauces, and made-over dishes.

Macaroni Soup.

1-1/2 pints of clear soup.

4 sticks of macaroni.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

Break the macaroni into small pieces and throw it into one quart of boiling water containing the teaspoonful of salt. Let it boil for twenty-five minutes with the cover off the stewpan. Drain off the water and add the macaroni to the hot stock. Cover, and cook for ten or fifteen minutes, being careful to have the soup only bubble at one side. It may require a little more salt and pepper.

Vermicelli and any of the smaller forms of Italian paste may be added to the clear stock and cooked gently for about twenty minutes.

Rice Soup.

Wash two tablespoonfuls of rice and cook it the same as the macaroni; then drain it, and add to the pint and a half of hot stock. Cook the mixture gently for ten minutes.

Beef Soup.

2 pounds of beef from the round.

2 quarts of water.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

1/2 pint of potatoes, chopped fine.

1/2 gill of barley.

1 clove.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

Free the meat from fat and cut it into fine pieces. Put it in the soup pot with the cold water and heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim carefully, and set back where the soup will just bubble at one side of the pot. Wash the barley and put it on to cook in one pint of cold water. At the end of half an hour pour off the water and add the barley to the soup. When the soup has been cooking for three hours put the butter, minced onion, carrot, and celery into a frying-pan and cook slowly for fifteen minutes. Skim the vegetables from the butter and put them in the soup. Stir the flour into the butter remaining in the pan. Cook until brown, stirring all the while; then add to the soup. Now add the potatoes and salt and pepper, and cook for half an hour longer.

Oxtail Soup.

1 oxtail.

1 quart of water.

1 pint of stock.

1 heaping tablespoonful of corn-starch.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

20 pepper-corns.

2 whole cloves.

A tiny bit of mace.

A small piece of cinnamon.

1 bay leaf.

1 small leaf of sage.

1 small sprig of parsley.

1 small sprig of thyme.

Free the oxtail from fat and cut into small joints. Wash these in several waters and then put them in a stewpan with the cold water. Place on the range and heat slowly to the boiling point; then skim, and move the stewpan back where the water will just bubble at one side of the stewpan. Cook for one hour. Tie the vegetables, herbs, and spice in a piece of netting, and put them in the stewpan. Add the salt, and cook for one hour longer. Strain the broth into a bowl and set away in a cold place. Rinse the oxtail in cold water and put in a cold place.

When the broth is cold, skim off all the fat. Put the soup stock and skimmed broth in a stewpan, and set on the fire. When this boils, add the corn-starch, mixed smoothly with a gill of cold water. Cook for fifteen minutes; then add the oxtail and cook for ten minutes longer. Taste, to see if seasoned enough, and serve very hot.

A few tablespoonfuls of sherry will improve this soup for many tastes. It should be added just before the soup is poured into the tureen.

Veal Broth.

2 pounds of the poorer parts of veal.

2 quarts of water.

3 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 whole clove.

1 inch piece of cinnamon.

1 level tablespoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1/4 teaspoonful of celery seeds.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

2 tablespoonfuls of flour.

1 pint of raw potato cubes.

Cut the veal into cubes and put the bones and meat into a stewpan with the water, seasoning, and vegetables. Place on the fire, and when the soup comes to the boiling point, skim carefully, and then set back where it will just bubble. Heat the butter in a small saucepan, and add the flour to it. Stir until the mixture is smooth and frothy; then stir it into the broth. Simmer the broth for two hours and a half, and, after adding the pint of potato cubes, cook for half an hour longer.

The potatoes may be omitted and a quarter of a cupful of rice be added when the broth has been cooking for an hour and a half.

Scotch Broth.

1-1/2 pounds of neck or shoulder of mutton.

1 tablespoonful of pearl barley.

1 tablespoonful of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 tablespoonful of minced turnip.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 heaping teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley.

3 pints of water.

Remove all the fat from the mutton and cut the lean meat into cubes, which should be put in a stewpan with the chopped vegetables, salt, pepper, and the barley, well washed. Tie the bones in a piece of coarse white netting and put them in the stewpan with the other ingredients. Add the three pints of cold water and cover the stewpan. Place the soup on the stove where it will heat slowly to the boiling point. When it reaches that temperature, skim it and set back where it will only bubble slightly at one side of the pan. Cook in this manner for three hours, being careful not to let it more than bubble gently in all that time. At the end of the three hours take out the bones. Now put the butter in a little saucepan and set on the fire to heat. When hot, stir in the flour, and cook—stirring all the time—until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Stir this into the broth; then add the chopped parsley, and cook ten minutes longer.

Vegetable Soup.

1 pound of beef.

2 quarts of water.

1 gill of minced carrot.

1 gill of minced turnip.

1/2 gill of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

1/4 pint of potato cubes.

1 tablespoonful of rice.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 generous teaspoonful of salt.

1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.

Cut the meat into cubes; then put it in a stewpan and set on the fire with the cold water. When this boils, skim carefully. Mix the flour to a smooth paste with one gill of cold water, and stir into the boiling ingredients. Next add the rice. Move the stewpan back where the contents will bubble at one side for one hour; then add the onion and carrot. Cook for one hour longer, and then put in the turnips, potatoes, salt, and pepper, and simmer for half an hour longer. Serve hot.

Two quarts of the water in which the bones and hard pieces of meat have been cooked may be substituted for the beef and water. If one choose, half a pint of finely shred cabbage may be added at the same time the onions and carrots are put in the soup.

Chicken Soup.

3 pints of the water in which a fowl was boiled.

2 tablespoonfuls of rice.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced celery.

1 teaspoonful of salt, generous.

1/8 of a teaspoonful of pepper.

1/2 teaspoonful of parsley.

Wash the rice and put it in a stewpan with the chicken stock. Place on the fire and cook for two hours. The soup must not boil in that time; keep it where it will be at the point of boiling, but do not let it bubble. At the end of two hours put the butter and vegetables in a small frying-pan and set on the fire, to cook slowly for twenty minutes. Now draw the pan to a hotter part of the range, and stir for one minute. After pressing the butter from the vegetables, put them with the soup. Put the flour with the butter remaining in the pan, and stir until smooth and frothy; then stir the mixture into the soup. Add the salt, pepper, and chopped parsley, and cook the soup for thirty minutes longer, allowing it to bubble at one side of the saucepan.

If you have a little cold chicken, cut it into small cubes and add it to the soup at the same time the vegetables are put in. If you cannot get celery, take half a teaspoonful of celery salt, and in that case use only half a teaspoonful of the common salt.

This soup can be made with the stock from boiled fowl, or that obtained by boiling the bones of roast chicken.

Cream of Rice Soup.

Make this in the same way as chicken soup, with the addition of one tablespoonful of rice, a slight grating of nutmeg, a tiny bit of mace, and a piece of stick cinnamon about an inch long, and the omission of the parsley.

When the time required for the cooking has expired, take out the spice and pour the soup into a fine sieve. Rub all the rice through, using a wooden vegetable masher. Put the strained mixture in a clean saucepan with a pint of milk, and let it boil up once.

If you have cream in plenty, use half cream and half milk. The soup will be much smoother if it is strained a second time, after the milk has been boiled with it.

Mock Bisque.

1 pint of stewed tomatoes.

1 pint of milk.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1/2 teaspoonful of soda.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

Reserve half a gill of the milk and put the remainder on to cook in the double-boiler. Put the tomatoes on to cook in a stewpan. Mix the flour with the cold milk and stir into the boiling milk. Cook for ten minutes; then add the salt, pepper, and butter. Stir the soda into the hot tomatoes and stir for half a minute; then rub through a strainer. Add the strained tomatoes to the thickened milk, and serve at once.

If canned tomatoes be used, stir the contents of the can before measuring, that the proper proportion of the juice of the tomatoes shall be used. If it be inconvenient to serve the soup when the tomatoes and thickened milk are done, keep them hot in their separate stewpans, and do not mix until just before the time to serve.

Tomato Soup.

1 pint of canned tomatoes.

1/2 pint of stock or water.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of sugar.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 heaped teaspoonful of corn-starch.

2 whole cloves.

Put the tomato and stock in a saucepan and set on the fire. Cook the vegetables slowly in the butter for twenty minutes; then press out the butter and put the vegetables in the soup. Into the butter remaining in the pan put the flour, and stir until smooth and frothy; then add to the soup. Mix the corn-starch with four tablespoonfuls of cold water, and stir into the soup. Add the other ingredients, and simmer for one hour. Strain, and serve with toasted or crisped bread.

Tomato Soup, No. 2.

1 pint of canned tomatoes.

1/2 pint of water.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

1 teaspoonful of sugar.

1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.

Put the tomato, water, and seasonings in a stewpan and set on the fire. Beat the butter and flour together until creamy. When the soup begins to boil, stir this mixture into it, and cook for ten minutes. Strain, and serve with toasted or fried bread.

Tomato and Macaroni Soup.

1 pint of meat stock.

1 quart of stewed tomatoes.

1 teaspoonful of sugar.

2 teaspoonfuls of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 gill of cold water.

2 tablespoonfuls of corn-starch.

1/2 pint of broken macaroni.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

The stock can be made with any bits of dry hard meat, or the bones from roasted or broiled meat; or one can take the water in which a fowl was boiled.

Put the tomatoes and stock in a stewpan and set on the fire. Mix the corn-starch with the cold water, and stir into the boiling liquid. Add also the sugar, salt, and pepper.

Put the macaroni in a stewpan with a quart of boiling water and boil for twenty minutes. Pour off the water, and put the macaroni in the soup. Add the butter at the same time, and cook for ten minutes longer.

If the soup be preferred smooth, it can be strained before the macaroni is added.

Corn Soup.

1/2 can of corn.

1-1/2 pints of milk.

1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 level teaspoonful of salt.

1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 tablespoonful of minced onion.

Mash the corn as fine as possible, and then put it in the double-boiler. Reserve one gill of the milk, and, putting the remainder with the corn, cook for fifteen minutes. Cook the butter and onions together for ten minutes, and add to the corn and milk. Mix the cold milk with the flour, and stir into the hot mixture. Add the salt and pepper, and cook for ten minutes longer. Strain, and serve hot.

Potato Soup.

4 potatoes of medium size.

1-1/2 pints of milk.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced celery.

4 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1/2 teaspoonful of minced parsley.

Pare the potatoes, and, placing on the fire in enough boiling water to cover them, cook for thirty minutes. Reserve one gill of the milk, and put the remainder in the double-boiler with the onions and celery, and place on the fire. Mix the cold milk with the flour, and stir into the boiling milk. When the potatoes have been cooking for thirty minutes, pour off all the water and mash them fine and light. Gradually beat into them the milk. Now add the salt, pepper, and butter, and rub the soup through a sieve. Return to the fire, and add the minced parsley. Cook for five minutes, and serve immediately.

Hub Soup.

1/2 pint of baked beans.

1/2 pint of stewed tomatoes.

1 pint of water.

1 level teaspoonful of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

1/2 teaspoonful of mustard.

Put all the ingredients into a stewpan and simmer for half an hour, with the stewpan covered; then rub the mixture through a coarse sieve and return to the fire. Simmer for ten minutes, and serve with toasted crackers or bread.

Lima Bean Soup.

1/2 pint of beans.

1/2 pint of milk.

2 quarts of water.

3 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

1 bay leaf.

2 whole cloves.

3 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Soak the beans over night in two quarts of cold water. Pour this water off and rinse the beans in fresh water. Now put them in a stewpan with two quarts of cold water. Cook slowly for two hours. Cook the vegetables in the butter for twenty minutes. On taking them out, add them to the soup. Put the flour into the butter remaining in the pan, and stir until smooth and frothy. Add this mixture to the soup. Now add the other seasonings, and cook for one hour longer. At the end of this time take out the spice and rub the soup through a fine sieve. Return to the fire and add half a pint of hot milk. Stir the soup until it boils; then serve.

Dried Pea Soup.

1/2 pint of peas.

2 quarts of water.

4 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

2 tablespoonfuls of drippings or butter.

1 ounce of ham, or a ham bone.

1/2 pound of cold roast or broiled meat.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1 bay leaf.

Soak the peas over night in two quarts of cold water. In the morning pour off the water, and put the peas, the meat and bone, and two quarts of fresh water in the soup kettle, and place on the fire. Cook gently. At the end of three hours put the drippings and vegetables in a small saucepan, and cook slowly for half an hour. When the vegetables have been cooked for this time, draw the saucepan forward where they will cook a little faster for one minute. Stir all the time; then draw them to the side of the pan to press out the fat, and after that put them with the soup. Into the fat remaining in the pan put the tablespoonful of flour, and stir until the mixture becomes smooth and frothy. Stir this into the soup, and add the salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover, and cook for three hours longer. At the end of that time take out the meat and bay leaf, and rub the soup through a coarse sieve or colander. Return to the fire and make very hot. Serve with crisped bread.

The soup must be stirred from the bottom frequently all the time it is cooking, and it must never more than bubble gently. If it cooks too rapidly it will get too thick and be in danger of scorching.

Cream of Dried Pea Soup.

Make the same as the dried pea soup; and, after straining, add a pint of milk and a little more salt and pepper. Stir all the time until it boils; then strain again, and serve.

Bean Soup.

1/2 pint of white beans.

1/4 pound of lean salt pork.

3 quarts of water.

4 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of minced carrot.

1 tablespoonful of minced celery.

3 tablespoonfuls of drippings or butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Salt to taste.

Make this the same as the dried pea soup.

Cream of Bean Soup.

Make the same as bean soup; then add a pint of hot milk, and boil up once. Strain, and serve.

Oyster Soup.

1 pint of oysters.

1 pint of milk.

1/2 pint of cold water.

2 level tablespoonfuls of flour.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

Salt.

Put a strainer over a bowl and turn the oysters into it. Pour the water over the oysters and stir with a spoon until all the liquid has passed through the strainer. Turn the oysters into a dish and set in a cold place.

Reserve a gill of the milk, and, pouring the remainder in the double-boiler, set it on the fire. Put the oyster liquor in a stewpan and heat slowly, being careful not to burn. Mix the cold milk with the flour, and, stirring into the boiling milk, cook for ten minutes. When the oyster liquor boils, skim it. When the flour and milk have cooked for ten minutes, add the oysters, butter, salt, pepper, and oyster liquor, and continue cooking until the oysters curl on the edge and are plump. Serve at once.

It is well to provide toasted or crisped crackers with this soup.

Clam Soup.

1 pint of clams.

1 pint of milk.

1/2 pint of water.

2 tablespoonfuls cracker crumbs.

1 heaping tablespoonful of flour.

1 heaping tablespoonful of butter.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Separate the heads from the clams, and put them on to simmer with the water for fifteen minutes. Beat the flour and butter together, and stir into the water in which the heads of the clams are cooking. Now add the seasoning and milk; and when the mixture boils, strain into another stewpan. Chop the soft parts of the clams and add them to the soup. Now add the cracker crumbs. Boil the soup for three minutes, and serve.

Clam Chowder.

1 pint of clams.

1 pint of water.

1 pint of milk.

3 gills of potato cubes.

2 ounces of sliced salt pork.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

2 teaspoonfuls of salt.

1/3 teaspoonful of pepper.

3 Boston butter crackers.

Wash the clams in the water and turn both into a strainer which has been placed over a bowl. Cut the soft parts of the clams from the hard, and put away in a cold place. Chop the hard parts fine and put them in a stewpan. Strain on these, through a piece of cheese-cloth, the clam water; after which place it on the fire and cook gently for twenty minutes. Fry the sliced pork for ten minutes; then add the onion, and cook ten minutes longer. Take the pork and onions from the pan and add to the chopped clams. Put the flour into the fat remaining in the pan, and stir until smooth and frothy. Add this mixture to the clam broth and cook for ten minutes longer. Now put the potato cubes in a stewpan and strain the clam broth over them. Season with the salt and pepper, and cook for twenty minutes. Split the crackers and soak them in the milk for four minutes. Add the soft parts of the clams and the milk and crackers to the cooking mixture. When all boils up, serve.

The milk may be omitted and half a pint of strained tomato be added when the potatoes and broth have been cooking for ten minutes.

Fish Chowder.

2 pounds of fish.

3 ounces of salt pork.

3 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

3 gills of potato cubes.

1 pint of water.

1/2 pint of milk.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/3 teaspoonful of pepper.

2 teaspoonfuls of salt.

3 Boston butter crackers.

First, skin the fish; and after cutting all the flesh from the bones and cutting it in small pieces, cook the bones with the water for ten minutes. Cut the pork into thin slices and fry until crisp and brown. On taking it from the pan, put the onions into the fat, and cook slowly for ten minutes. Put a layer of fish in a stewpan and sprinkle half the potatoes, fried onions, and salt and pepper on this. Put in the remainder of the fish, and finish with the rest of the potatoes, onions, salt, and pepper. Into the fat remaining in the frying-pan put the flour, and stir until smooth and frothy. Gradually pour on this the water in which the fish bones were boiled. Stir until it boils; then pour on the fish mixture.

Lay the slices of pork on top, and cook gently for twenty minutes. Split the crackers and soak them in the milk for four minutes. Remove the slices of pork and turn crackers and milk into the chowder. When this boils up, serve.

For a change, the milk may be omitted and half a pint of tomatoes be added. Any kind of light fish will answer, such as cod, haddock, catfish, whitefish, etc.

Salt Codfish Chowder.

1 pint of milk.

1/2 pint of shredded codfish.

3 gills of potato cubes

3 ounces of salt pork.

2 tablespoonfuls of minced onion.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

Salt.

3 Boston crackers.

Wash the fish and cut it into two-inch lengths. Tear these in pieces, and, covering with cold water, soak for three or four hours. Slice the pork, and cook in the frying-pan for ten minutes. Add the onion and cook for ten minutes. Now add the flour, and stir until smooth; after which, stir in one gill of water. Put the potatoes in a stewpan and pour the mixture in the frying-pan over them. Season with the pepper and half a teaspoonful of salt. Place on the fire and cook for ten minutes; then take out the slices of pork and add the fish, milk, and the crackers split. Cook gently for half an hour, being careful to let the chowder only bubble at one side of the stewpan. At the end of the half-hour, taste before serving, to be sure to have it salt enough.

CHAPTER IX.
FISH.

FRESH fish should frequently be substituted for meat. For those who live in seaboard towns there is no trouble in obtaining a variety. Every inland place has its own peculiar species, which should have precedence over other kinds; for the first thing to be taken into account is freshness. Fish brought from a distance deteriorates with the handling it receives and the time it is out of the water.

The lighter the fish, the greater the variety of modes by which it may be cooked. It also may be served more frequently without one’s becoming tired of it. For example, at the Isles of Shoals visitors are offered broiled scrod every day in the week, yet they do not weary of the dish in a stay of months. At Nantucket broiled bluefish is served daily, and it is so delicious that its appearance three times a day would at first be hailed with pleasure; but after a short time the appetite would become palled, because the fish is rich. It would be the same with the freshest and most toothsome salmon and mackerel. A rich fish satiates much sooner than a lighter and poorer kind, and for this reason it is advisable to avoid having the richer varieties frequently. Of course, the poorer kinds require more and richer sauces than salmon, mackerel, or bluefish. Whitefish, like cod, haddock, cusk, halibut, and flounders, is improved by the addition of sauces made of milk, cream, or white stock.

Boiling is the least desirable mode of preparing fish, because it causes the greatest loss of flavor and nutriment. A fine sauce is needed to make the dish satisfactory. But boiling has one merit: the remains of the fish after the first meal are in better form for use in little dishes of many kinds than they are if any other way of cooking be employed. Small fish, like brook trout, smelts, etc., are best when fried.

How to Boil Fish.

Fresh fish should always be put on to cook in salted boiling water. A little lemon juice or vinegar in the water makes the flesh of the fish firmer and improves the flavor. For some tastes the flavor is improved still more by putting in the water, tied in a piece of cheese-cloth, a few spoonfuls of minced onion, carrot, and celery, two bay leaves, a sprig each of thyme, parsley, and summer savory, a small bit of cinnamon, and two whole cloves. There should be only water enough to cover the fish. If there be a fish-kettle with a tray, lay the fish in the tray and do not wrap it in a cloth. If, however, there be no regular fish-kettle, pin the fish in a piece of cloth, put a large plate in the bottom of a large flat saucepan, and lay the fish on this. A thick square of fish will take longer to cook than the same number of pounds cut from a long, slender fish. A small cod, haddock, bluefish, lake trout, salmon trout, whitefish, etc., weighing from three to five pounds, will require thirty minutes’ cooking. The water should bubble only at the side of the saucepan. A large fish of the same kind, weighing six or eight pounds, would require only ten minutes’ more time. A thick square or cube of halibut or salmon, weighing from three to five pounds, would require forty minutes’ cooking; and if it weighed six or eight pounds, it would require an hour. If the fish be put into cold water the juices will be drawn out. The fish will be broken if the water be allowed to boil hard during the cooking. A good sauce should always be served with boiled fish.

Baked Fish.

1/2 pint of cracker crumbs.

1/2 pint cold water.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1/2 teaspoonful of summer savory.

1 teaspoonful of minced parsley.

1/2 teaspoonful of onion juice.

3 ounces of fat salt pork.

A fish weighing about four or five pounds.

For the dressing, mix the cracker crumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, and butter together; then moisten with water, and add the onion juice. Have the fish split and drawn, but leave on the head and tail. Gut off the fins and scrape off any scales that may still cling to it. Wash and wipe dry; then rub one tablespoonful of salt into it, put the dressing in the opening, and pin together with a skewer. Cut slits on the top of the fish, about two inches long and half an inch deep. Cut the salt pork in strips and fit them into these slits.

Butter a flat tin sheet and place in the dripping-pan. Lay the fish in the pan, having uppermost the side containing the pork. Dredge with pepper, salt, and flour. Put enough hot water in the pan to cover the bottom, and place in the oven. Bake for forty-five minutes, basting every fifteen generously with the gravy in the pan and lightly with salt, pepper, and flour. When done, lift the tin from the dripping-pan and slide the fish upon a warm dish. Serve with brown, tomato, or Hollandaise sauce.

Fish that cannot be stuffed, such as halibut, may be cooked in the same way. Three pounds of halibut would be equivalent to a five-pound cod or haddock.

In giving the rule for so large a fish, allowance was made for the leaving of enough cold fish to make a dish of escaloped fish the next day.

Baked Salt Mackerel.

1 salt mackerel of medium size.

3 gills of milk.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1 level tablespoonful of flour.

1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.

Wash the mackerel and soak it in a pan of cold water, having the split side down. In the morning put the fish, split side up, in a shallow baking pan. Pour the milk over it, and place in a moderate oven. When the mackerel has been cooking for twenty minutes, mix the butter, flour, and pepper, and stir the mixture into the milk in the pan. Cook ten minutes longer; then slide the fish out on a hot dish and pour the sauce over it. Serve hot.

This dish is suitable for breakfast, luncheon, dinner, or supper. Serve with it potatoes in some form.

How Fish should be Broiled.

Simple as is the work of broiling a piece of fish, it is more often done badly than well. If not cooked enough the fish is extremely disagreeable to the taste, and if cooked too much it is hard and dry. It is always best to have an exact rule as to the time it shall be cooked; when the fish is put on the fire, look at the clock, and take it off as soon as it is done.

A split fish, such as shad, whitefish, mackerel, scrod, bluefish, etc., should be timed according to the thickness. If the fire be bright and hot, a fish an inch thick can be cooked twelve minutes. If two inches thick, it will take twenty minutes. Of course, when the fire is dull it will take longer.

Always season fish with salt and pepper before cooking. A fish with the skin on should be broiled with the skin side from the fire until the last five minutes of cooking, when that side can be turned to the fire; but it must be watched closely, that it shall not burn.

It is only dry halibut that requires the butter and flour before broiling. Many people prefer to dip the slice of fish in olive oil rather than butter. If the oil be used it must not be heated, and it is well to apply it to the fish an hour or more before the cooking.

Various sauces are often served with broiled fish, but there is nothing better than sweet butter, salt, pepper, a little lemon juice, and perhaps a little chopped parsley; or, the lemon juice may be omitted and a fresh lemon be cut into six parts as a garnish for the dish. Each person can then use as much of the acid as pleases him.

Broiled Halibut.

1-1/2 pounds of halibut.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 teaspoonful of lemon juice.

1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Have the halibut cut in a slice about an inch thick. Put half the butter, salt, and pepper in a hot soup plate, and stir until the butter is melted. Wash and wipe the fish, then lay it in the plate of seasoned butter. When one side is coated with the butter, turn it down and season the other. Dredge lightly with flour, place in the double-broiler, and cook over a hot, bright fire for fourteen minutes. Put on a hot dish and season with the remaining salt, pepper, butter, and the lemon juice, all mixed. Serve very hot.

Fried Fish.

2 pounds of fish.

3 ounces of fat salt pork.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

Flour.

Have the fish cut in slices about an inch thick. Season these with the salt and pepper, and roll in flour. Cut the pork in thin slices and fry until crisp and brown. Take the pork from the pan, and put the fish in the hot fat. When it has become browned on one side, turn it and brown the other side. It will take about twelve minutes to fry the fish. Arrange on a hot dish and lay the slices of pork on top. Serve hot.

All small fish, such as trout, perch, and smelts, may be cooked in this manner. Draw and wash them, but leave on the heads and tails of the smelts and trout. Some kinds of small fish need to be skinned, but this is done at the market.

Breaded Fish.

1/2 pint of dried bread crumbs.

1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of salt.

1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 egg.

2 pounds of any kind of fish.

Fat for frying.

Have the fish free from skin and bones, and cut it into handsome pieces. Season it with the salt and pepper. Beat the egg in a soup plate and dip the fish in it, one piece at a time, getting every part covered with the egg; then roll in the crumbs and lay on a plate. Have enough fat in the frying kettle to float the fish. When it becomes so hot that blue smoke rises from the centre, put in the fish and cook for five minutes. Drain on brown paper and serve very hot.

Tartar sauce is particularly good to serve with breaded fish. Smelts are especially palatable when cooked in this manner.

Escaloped Fish.

1/2 pint of cooked fish.

1 teaspoonful (scant) of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1/2 tablespoonful (scant) of flour.

1-1/2 gills of milk.

4 tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs.

Use any kind of cold cooked fish; but the white kinds, such as halibut, cod, haddock, etc., are the best. Have it broken into flakes and freed of bones and skin. Season it with half the salt and pepper. Put a generous half of the butter in a small pan and set on the fire. When it is hot add the flour, and stir until the mixture is smooth and frothy; then gradually add the milk. Boil up once, and stir in the remainder of the salt and pepper. Put a layer of this sauce in a small baking dish, then a layer of the fish, and follow with a second layer of sauce. Now put in the rest of the fish and cover with the remainder of the sauce. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and dot with the other half tablespoonful of butter. Bake in a moderately hot oven for twenty minutes, and serve at once.

The baking dish should hold nearly a pint.

Salt Codfish in Cream.

1/2 pint of fish, solidly packed.

1-1/2 gills of milk.

1 teaspoonful of butter, generous.

1 teaspoonful of flour.

1/3 saltspoonful of pepper.

Cut the salt fish into pieces about an inch and a half long, and tear these pieces into thin strips. Wash them and, putting them in a bowl with one pint of cold water, let them soak over night, or at least four or five hours. In the morning put the fish and water in a saucepan and set on the fire. Heat to the boiling point, but do not let boil. Drain off the water, and, after adding the milk, heat again to the boiling point.

Beat the butter and flour together until light and smooth. Stir this mixture in with the fish, and boil up once. Add the pepper, and also some salt if any be required. Set back where the fish will continue to cook, but not boil, for twenty minutes.

If cream be plentiful use half cream and half milk. Serve baked or mashed potatoes with this dish.

Fish Balls.

1 cupful of raw salt codfish.

6 potatoes of medium size.

1 egg.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 level tablespoonful of butter.

Tear the raw fish into fine shreds, and measure out a cupful. Pare the potatoes, and put them in a large stewpan. Sprinkle the fish on top and cover with boiling water. Cover, and cook for just thirty minutes. Pour off every drop of the water, and mash the fish and potato together until light and fine; then beat into the mixture the salt, pepper, butter, and the egg, which should first be well beaten. Shape into small balls, and, putting them in the frying-basket, cook in deep fat until brown,—say for about four or five minutes.

Great care must be taken to follow the directions exactly, and to have the fat so hot when the fish balls are put in that blue smoke rises from the centre. If the fat be not hot enough, or the water be not all drained off, or if too much butter be used, the fish balls will absorb fat and be spoiled. If all the work be done carefully, the dish will be perfect.

Fish Cakes.

1 pint of minced salt codfish.

1 pint of hot mashed potatoes (about six potatoes of medium size).

1/2 gill of hot milk.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

2 ounces of fat salt pork.

Wash the fish and soak it over night, in one piece. In the morning put it in a saucepan and on the fire, with enough cold water to cover it. When the water is heated to the boiling point set the saucepan back where the water will keep hot, but not boil. Cook the fish in this manner for one hour; then take from the water and cool. When cold, remove the skin and bones and chop the fish fine. Pare the potatoes, and put them in a stewpan with boiling water enough to cover them. Cook for just thirty minutes; then drain off the water, and mash and beat the potatoes with a fork. Beat the fish, butter, salt, pepper, and milk into the potato. Shape the mixture into round, flat cakes, and fry brown on both sides in pork fat.

The pork is cut into slices and fried rather slowly until crisp and brown. The pan is then placed on a hotter part of the fire, and the pork removed; and as soon as the fat is smoking hot, the cakes should be put in to brown. Serve the cakes on a hot dish, garnishing them with the slices of crisp pork.

This is a generous amount for three people, and in some families it may be found that half the amount will be enough.

When the fish cakes are for breakfast, cook, cool, and mince the fish the day before. Pare the potatoes, and let them stand in cold water over night. These preparations will insure having the fish cakes on time and in perfection for an early breakfast.

Fresh Fish Cakes.

1/2 pint of cooked fresh fish.

1/2 pint of hot mashed potato.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1 level teaspoonful of salt.

1/8 teaspoonful of pepper.

2 tablespoonfuls of pork fat.

Free the cold fish from skin and bones, and shred it fine with a fork. Season it with the salt and pepper. Mash the potato fine and beat the butter and fish into it. Shape into flat cakes. Have the pork fat smoking hot in the frying-pan and put in the fish cakes. When brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Serve immediately.

Fried Scallops.

1 dozen scallops.

1 egg.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

1/2 pint of dried bread crumbs.

Fat for frying.

After seasoning the scallops with the salt and pepper, dip them in the beaten egg and roll them in the dried bread crumbs. Put the scallops in the frying-basket and immerse the basket into fat so hot that blue smoke rises from the centre. Cook for two minutes. Drain on brown paper and serve very hot.

Do not put more scallops in the basket than can be spread on the bottom.

Tartar sauce is especially good for this dish.

Oyster Stew.

1 gill of water.

1-1/2 pints of oysters.

1-1/2 pints of milk.

1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Salt.

Put a strainer over a bowl and turn the oysters into it. Drain off all the liquor, and then pour one gill of water over the oysters. Pour this liquor into a stewpan, being careful not to turn in the sandy sediment. Place where it will heat slowly, being careful not to burn. When the liquor boils, skim it, and set back where it will keep hot. Meantime heat the milk to the boiling point in the double-boiler. Add the hot liquor, oysters, butter, salt, and pepper to the boiling milk. Boil up once, and serve immediately.

Oysters on Toast.

1-1/2 pints of oysters.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1/2 teaspoonful of lemon juice.

1/10 teaspoonful of pepper.

Salt.

3 slices of toast.

Put the oysters in a frying-pan and set on the fire. When they begin to boil, skim them; then add the seasonings. Have the toast arranged on a hot dish and pour the oysters over it. Serve at once.

Oysters au Gratin.

1 solid pint of oysters.

1 gill of oyster liquor.

1/2 gill of milk or cream.

1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

1/2 pint of grated bread crumbs.

Heat the oysters to the boiling point in their own liquor; then turn them into a strainer, which should be placed over a bowl. Put a gill of the oyster liquor in a saucepan, and heat slowly. Beat one tablespoonful of the butter and flour together until light and smooth. Stir this mixture into the hot liquor, and cook for three minutes; then add the milk, salt, and pepper. Heat to the boiling point and add the drained oysters. Now turn the oysters into rather a shallow escalop dish. Sprinkle the crumbs over them, and over the crumbs sprinkle the half tablespoonful of butter, broken in bits. Bake for twenty minutes in a moderately hot oven. If the flavor of nutmeg and Parmesan cheese be liked, add to the sauce one teaspoonful of the grated cheese and a slight grating of nutmeg.

Escaloped Oysters.

1-1/2 solid pints of oysters.

2 generous tablespoonfuls of butter.

1-1/2 gills of cracker crumbs.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 teaspoonful of pepper.

Put half the oysters in a dish that will hold about one quart. Sprinkle over them half the salt and pepper and half a tablespoonful of butter, broken in bits. Spread half the cracker crumbs over this. Now put in the remainder of the oysters, salt, pepper, and half a tablespoonful of the butter. Spread the remainder of the cracker crumbs over this, and then dot with the remaining tablespoonful of butter. Pour the liquor on the cracker crumbs, and bake in a hot oven for half an hour.

Fried Oysters.

2 dozen large oysters.

3 gills of dried bread crumbs.

1 egg.

1 tablespoonful of milk.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

Drain the oysters, and season them with the salt and pepper. Put a few tablespoonfuls of the crumbs on a plate and roll the oysters in them. Beat the egg in a soup plate and afterward stir the milk into it. Dip the oysters, one at a time, in this mixture, and roll in plenty of bread crumbs. Place them on a platter and set in a cool place. When it is time to cook them, put a layer in the frying basket and plunge into fat so hot that blue smoke rises from the centre. Cook for one minute and a half, and serve at once.

Never place one breaded oyster on top of another before they have been fried.

The milk may be omitted, and two tablespoonfuls of tomato ketchup be used instead.

Creamed Oysters.

1-1/2 pints of oysters.

3 gills of milk or cream.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/5 teaspoonful of pepper.

A tiny piece of mace.

1/2 teaspoonful of onion juice.

Put the milk and mace in the double-boiler, and set on the fire. Mix the flour with three tablespoonfuls of cold milk, reserved from the three gills, and stir into the boiling milk. Cook for ten minutes. Heat the oysters to the boiling point in their own liquor; then skim and drain them. Put the oysters, salt, pepper, and onion juice into the thickened cream, and serve.

If milk be used, add a tablespoonful of butter to the thickened milk.

Lobster.

Lobster should be perfectly fresh. If it be cooked, the odor should be fresh and the shells look bright, and when the tail is drawn back it should spring into position again. If the lobster be bought alive, see that it moves lively. To boil it, plunge it into boiling water and cook gently from ten to twenty minutes. A very small lobster will cook in ten minutes and a large one in twenty. Cooking a lobster too long or at too high a temperature makes it tough, dry, and stringy. When it is impossible to get the fresh lobster, the canned article may be used instead, though it is of the greatest importance to buy only the goods put up by first-class houses.

Curry of Lobster.

1-1/2 gills of lobster meat.

1/2 pint of meat stock.

2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 generous tablespoonful of flour.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/6 teaspoonful of Cayenne.

1/6 teaspoonful of white pepper.

1 teaspoonful of curry powder.

1 tablespoonful of minced onion.

3 slices of toast.

Cut the lobster into small pieces and season with half the salt and pepper. Put the butter and onion on the fire, in a frying-pan, and cook until the onion turns a straw color; then add the flour and curry-powder and stir until brown. Gradually add the stock to this, stirring all the while. Season with the remainder of the salt and pepper, and cook for three minutes. Strain this into a saucepan, and add the lobster. Cook for five minutes. Cut the slices of toast in strips and lay in a warm dish. Pour the lobster over these and serve at once.

The toast may be omitted, and a dish of boiled rice be served with the curry.

Fricassee of Lobster.

A fricassee of lobster is prepared the same as a curry; omitting, however, the curry-powder and onion. Milk may be substituted for the meat stock.

Breaded Lobster.

1 large lobster.

1 egg.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.

Dried bread crumbs.

Fat for frying.

Split the claws and tail and set aside. Take the meat from the large joints and the body, and chop fine. Mix with this one fourth of the teaspoonful of salt and two tablespoonfuls of the “tom-alley.” Shape this into three small flat cakes. Season the pieces of lobster with the salt and pepper. Beat the egg in a soup plate. Dip the pieces of lobster and the little cakes, one at a time, into the egg; then roll in the bread crumbs, and, after arranging on a plate, put in a cool place until the hour to cook them. When that time comes, put the breaded lobster in the frying basket and cook in fat until crisp and brown (about two minutes). Serve with Tartar sauce.

Escaloped Lobster.

3 gills of lobster.

1/2 pint of cream or stock.

1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1/2 pint of grated bread crumbs.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/8 teaspoonful of Cayenne.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

Mix in a saucepan one tablespoonful of the butter and all the flour. Have the stock or cream hot, and pour it gradually on the butter and the flour, stirring all the time. Add half the salt and pepper, and cook for one minute. Have the lobster cut fine, and seasoned with the other half of the salt and pepper. When the sauce has cooked for one minute, add the lobster. Now pour the mixture into a shallow escalop dish. Sprinkle the grated bread crumbs on this, and then dot with the half tablespoonful of butter. Bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

If cream be used, measure the flour lightly; but if stock be taken, allow a generous tablespoonful.

Escaloped Crabs.

Prepare the same as escaloped lobster; using, however, only half a pint of crab meat.

Escaloped Shrimps.

Prepare this dish in the same manner as escaloped lobster; substituting, however, shelled shrimps for the lobster.

Stewed Clams.

1 pint of shelled clams.

1 gill of milk.

1 tablespoonful of butter.

1/6 teaspoonful of pepper.

1 level teaspoonful of salt.

1 heaping teaspoonful of flour.

3 Boston butter crackers.

Put the milk on the fire in the double-boiler. Put the clams in a strainer and pour a quart of cold water over them. Let them drain for about one minute, and then, turning them into a stewpan, place them on the stove. Beat the butter and flour to a cream, and stir this mixture into the pan containing the hot clams. Add the hot milk, salt, and pepper, and cook for two minutes longer. Have the crackers soaked for two minutes in cold water, and then toasted. Lay them in the bottom of a deep dish, and when the clams are stewed pour them over the toast.

Roast Clams.

Wash the clam shells thoroughly and drain them in the colander for a few minutes. Spread them in an old dripping-pan and put them into a hot oven. The shells will begin to open in five or eight minutes. Take them from the oven, and, holding the shell over a warm dish, let the clam and juice drop out. Season with butter, salt, and pepper, and serve very hot, with thin slices of buttered brown bread.

When possible, get the clams twenty-four hours before they are to be used, and after washing them thoroughly put them in a pan with just enough cold water to cover them; then, for a peck of clams, sprinkle in half a pint of corn meal. This will make the clams plump and tender.

Steamed Clams.

Prepare the clams as for roasting, but put them in a dish and place it in the steamer. When the shells open the clams are done.

CHAPTER X.
HOW TO COOK MEAT.

BOILING.

IN boiling meats the temperature of the liquid should be kept at about the boiling point or a few degrees lower; that is, the water should bubble gently at one side of the pot or stewpan. Great care must be taken that the water shall never boil rapidly, and that the temperature shall not be much lower than that indicated by a slight bubbling at the side of the stewpan. The meat and liquid will both be spoiled if kept for any length of time in a closed vessel with the temperature too low. A piece of meat cooked in water that boils rapidly all the time will be hard, dry, and stringy, no matter how long it is cooked or how tender and good it was originally; but even a tough, dry piece will be tender and juicy if cooked at the temperature indicated by the water’s bubbling at one side of the pot. All meats will be juicier if they be allowed to cool, or even partially to cool, in the liquid in which they were boiled. The dish in which a food material is cooling must always be uncovered until the substance is perfectly cold.

Boiled Leg of Mutton.

Wipe carefully with a damp cloth a leg of mutton weighing between eight and ten pounds, and put it in a deep kettle with enough boiling water to cover it. Set the kettle where the water will boil rapidly for a quarter of an hour. Skim the water when it begins to boil. At the end of the fifteen minutes draw the kettle back where the water will only bubble. If the meat be desired very rare, cook it for an hour and a half; but if you want it rather well done, cook it for two hours, being careful that the water only bubbles except during the first fifteen minutes.

When the mutton is done place it on a warm dish. Pour a few tablespoonfuls of butter sauce over it, and, if convenient, garnish with parsley. Send to the table at once with the caper sauce and vegetables.

Of course, this is more meat than three persons would want, but if only half a leg be boiled the result will not be very satisfactory; therefore it would be better to roast or steam a part of the leg, unless the family be large.

Steamed Mutton.

When the family is so small that it is necessary to cut a leg of mutton, it is better to steam than to boil it. Place the piece of mutton on a kitchen plate, the cut side down. Set the plate in the steamer and over a kettle of boiling water. Cover closely, and keep the water boiling until the meat is done. A piece weighing about four or five pounds will be cooked rather rare in one hour. If liked well done, cook it longer. Serve the same as boiled leg of mutton.

Boiled Corned Beef.

A piece of corned beef will take about the same time to cook, whether it weigh four pounds or ten. Wash the meat and put it into a stewpan with enough boiling water to cover it generously. When the water begins to boil, skim thoroughly; then draw the stewpan back to a place where the water will just bubble for five hours. Never let the water boil hard, but it must not get much below the boiling point at any time. If the meat is to be pressed, take it from the boiling water and place it on a flat dish. Put a tin pan or sheet on top of the hot meat, and on this place two bricks or some other weight. Set away in a cool place. When the meat is cold, trim the edges, using a sharp knife. The trimmings may be used for a corned beef hash.

Spiced Corned Beef.

6 pounds of the plate piece of beef.

1 pint of coarse salt.

3 pints of water.

3 dozen whole allspice.

2 dozen whole cloves.

This is a cheap and savory dish for luncheon and tea. Put the water and salt in a stewpan and set on the fire. Stir frequently until the water boils, and then skim carefully. Take from the fire and set away to cool. Remove the bones from the meat by slipping a sharp knife between the flesh and bone and cutting the meat from the bone. Place the beef in a stone jar or earthen bowl, and when the brine is cold pour it over the meat. Cover the dish and set it away in a cool place for six or eight days. At the end of that time remove the meat and wipe it. Spread it on a board and sprinkle the spice over it. Roll up and tie firmly. Place this roll in a kettle and cover it with boiling water. When the water begins to boil, (it will at first be somewhat cooled by the meat,) skim it carefully; then set the kettle back where the water will just bubble for six hours. At the end of that time take the beef from the kettle and place it on a large dish. Put upon it a tin pan and weights, (two bricks will be sufficient,) and set away in a cool place. The meat should be cut in thin slices when served.

In New York many of the marketmen salt and spice beef for their customers. If one can get a plate piece of corned beef that has not been too long in brine, it will answer just as well as a fresh piece, and save the housekeeper the trouble of corning it. Almost any marketman will willingly remove the bones for a customer.

Boiled Ham.

Wash the ham and then soak it in cold water for ten or twelve hours. Put it on to cook in cold water. When the water begins to boil, skim it, and draw the kettle back to a part of the range where the water will only bubble gently. Cook the ham for five hours; then take it up and draw off the skin. Place the skinned ham in a dripping-pan and sprinkle over it one cupful of fine dried crumbs mixed with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Cook it slowly in the oven for one hour.

If only a part of a ham is to be boiled, it would be better to steam it than to put it in the water. Wash and soak it; then steam it the same as mutton, cooking it for six hours. Brown it in the oven if you like.

Fresh Tongue.

Wash the tongue and put it in a stewpan with boiling water enough to cover it generously. Add four tablespoonfuls of salt. When the water begins to boil, skim carefully and draw the stewpan back to a place where the water will bubble gently for five hours. Take the tongue from the boiling water and plunge it into cold water. Draw off the rough skin, beginning at the roots of the tongue. Place the tongue on a dish, cover it lightly with a coarse towel, and put it in a cold place.

Smoked Tongues.

Cook a smoked tongue exactly the same as a ham, except that it is not to be browned in the oven. It will require five hours’ time to boil it.

Pickled Tongue.

Treat a pickled tongue the same as a piece of corned beef. It will require five hours’ cooking.

SCIENCE IN ROASTING MEAT.

A roast of meat, be it rare or well done, should be juicy and tender. One should not roast a tough piece of meat; stewing, braising, or boiling is better, because the cooking can be continued for a long time at a low temperature, and this method will make the toughest piece of meat tender. The meat always should be exposed to a high temperature at first, that the surface may become hardened and the juices protected. If the high temperature be continued all the time of cooking, the meat will become hard, dry, and stringy, as far as the heat has penetrated. It will be seen, therefore, that the high temperature should be kept up only long enough to form a thin, hard crust on the meat. From twenty to thirty minutes will suffice for this. The temperature should then be lowered by closing the draughts of the range.

Basting is another important item in roasting. If one use no water in the dripping-pan, and baste only with the fat that drops from the meat into the bottom of the pan, the roast will have a beautiful glossy brown surface when it is done; but it must be remembered that fat can be heated to a much higher point than water, and that basting with this boiling hot fat will help to harden the piece of meat.

If a small quantity of water be kept in the bottom of the dripping-pan, the drippings from the meat, mingling with it, will be kept at a low temperature, so that, if the meat be freely basted with this mixture every fifteen minutes, the surface of the piece of meat will be kept moist, and at a lower temperature than when basted with the hot fat, or not basted at all. By basting with this mixture of drippings and water, the heat is driven from the surface to the centre of the piece of meat, insuring a roast that will be rare from a point about half an inch from the surface to the centre. Bear these facts in mind when roasting meats.

How to Roast Meat in the Oven.

Have a dripping-pan of Russian iron and a meat-rack three or four inches shorter than the pan.

DRIPPING-PAN.

MEAT-RACK.

Examine the piece of meat, and if there be any places that have become tainted trim them off with a sharp knife. Wipe the meat with a wet towel. Now season with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly with flour.

All the seasoning must be done with the meat resting on the rack, that the stray particles may fall to the bottom of the pan. Dredge flour over the bottom of the pan until the surface is white.

Have the oven very hot (about 400 or 450 degrees), and place the meat in it. Watch closely, and as soon as the flour in the pan turns dark brown pour in enough boiling water to cover the bottom of the pan. The flour may brown in five minutes, yet it may take ten or more for this process, the time depending upon the bottom of the oven. When the meat is brown on one side, baste well, and turn it over to brown the other side. When the meat has been in the oven for about thirty minutes, close the draughts to reduce the heat of the oven.

Baste the meat every fifteen minutes in this manner. With a long spoon, dip up the liquid from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the meat. Continue this until nearly all has been absorbed by the meat; then dredge lightly with salt, pepper, and flour. Now pour into the pan enough hot water to cover the bottom. The last time the meat is basted omit putting the water in the pan, and at the end of fifteen minutes all the liquid will be evaporated. Now take up the meat and place it on a hot platter. Take out the rack, and then pour all the fat from the pan into a cup. Put half a pint of hot water in the pan and set on top of the range. Scrape all the sediment from the sides and bottom, and thicken this gravy with a teaspoonful of flour smoothly mixed with a gill of cold water. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for two minutes; then strain into a hot dish and serve with the roast meat.

The time of cooking a roast depends upon the shape in which it is cut and whether it is to be rare or well done. The rule of so many minutes for each pound is not a good one; for a long, thin, rib roast might weigh just the same as a short, thick piece cut from the round, rump, or shoulder, and, of course, the thin piece would cook much more quickly than the short thick piece.

A leg of mutton weighing eight or nine pounds should be cooked for an hour and three quarters, if to be served rare; if to be medium rare, two hours, but if well done (a pity it should ever be!) two hours and a quarter. Half a leg of mutton, weighing about four pounds, should be cooked for an hour and a quarter. The meat will be rare.

Roast Rib of Beef.

For three persons one rib will be enough. Wipe the meat with a damp towel. Place a meat-rack in a dripping-pan and lay the beef on it. Dredge with salt, pepper, and flour, turning the meat over in order that every part shall receive a portion of the coating. Dredge the bottom of the pan lightly with the flour and salt. Set the pan in a very hot oven, and watch carefully to prevent the flour on the bottom of the pan from burning. When the flour turns dark brown, pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan; this will be in from two to five minutes after the pan is placed in the oven. After the water has been added let the meat cook awhile, and then baste it. To baste, draw the pan out of the oven and tip it a little, that all the gravy shall flow to one end of the pan. With a long-handled spoon, dip up this gravy and pour it over the meat. Continue this until the entire piece is well moistened. Now dredge the meat lightly with salt, pepper, and flour. Pour into the pan enough boiling water to cover the bottom, and return to the oven. At the end of a quarter of an hour draw the pan out again, turn the meat over, and baste as before. Add some water and then set the pan in the oven. Now reduce the heat by shutting the draughts, and baste every fifteen minutes in the manner described. Do not use any water the last time. The meat should cook in all one hour if wanted rather rare. When the beef is done, take it up and place it on a warm dish. Pour all the fat from the dripping-pan, and, after setting the pan on the range, pour into it half a pint of boiling water. Scrape all the brown sediment from the sides and bottom of the pan. Mix one teaspoonful of flour with three tablespoonfuls of cold water, and gradually pour this mixture into the dripping-pan, stirring all the while. It may not take all the mixture of flour and water to thicken the gravy. Stop when the gravy is about as thick as cream. Season with salt and pepper, and strain into a hot bowl.

If all this work be properly done, the beef will be rare and juicy, and the gravy rich, brown, and smooth.

Roast Lamb.

Lamb, being immature meat, should be rather well done. The spring lambs are so small that a leg will not make a burdensome roast in a small family. The loin and breast make good small roasts. Roast the lamb according to the rule given for roast rib of beef. Serve with the made gravy and mint sauce. Asparagus, peas, young beets, summer squash, and any delicate summer vegetable, may be served with lamb.

Roast Mutton.

Mutton is roasted like beef. For a small roast the loin or breast is good. A leg of mutton may be cut into two parts, using one for a roast and the other for steaming. Mutton should always be cooked rare and served hot. Currant jelly should be provided with a roast. The most appropriate vegetables are potatoes, onions, mashed turnips, rice, squash, tomatoes in any form, sweet potatoes, Lima beans, canned corn, etc.

Stuffed Mutton.

Make the dressing given for roast veal, substituting a generous tablespoonful of butter for the chopped pork, and adding also one teaspoonful of onion juice. Have the bone removed from half of a leg of mutton. Cut deep incisions in the inside of the leg, and press the dressing into these. Sew up the leg, and roast the same as directed for roast beef, cooking the meat an hour and a half. The same vegetables as suggested for plain roast mutton are suitable for the stuffed leg.

Roast Veal.

5 pounds of loin or breast of veal.

1 pint of stale bread.