FoodNetArchive

The housewife's referee

1898

Page 22 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
The scrubbing brushes should be kept separately, one for the use of the churn, one for the shelves and one for the brick floor. A broom to sweep ceiling and walls, house-flannel, and scouring cloths of course ; a mop is also a necessity to mop the floor with, two very large wooden spoons, a cream-pot, a hair sieve^ strainers of hair and of cloth, skimmers to skim the cream off the milk — these are best made of enamel ware — and one or two large washing tubs in which every dairy requisite should be thoroughly washed, as everything that has been used should be cleaned at once and every utensil well scrubbed with sand, soda, and boiling water; the pails should be washed out after each time of using and set to dry every time. They must be rinsed out with cold water, except in winter, when tepid water should be used. The cows' teats should be bathed to cleanse them from all dirt or gritty substances. A very excellent article I once read on the subject of the dairy, in mentioning the sus- ceptibility of milk and butter, said that they will take any disagreeable flavour or strong odour, even at some distance off*, and that no cigar or pipe should be allowed inside a dairy, nor an oil lamp. The straining cloths must be washed in hot and then cold water, and always dried out of doors. Indeed, unless the strictest cleanliness is enforced, the results of the 32 THE housewife's REFEKEE dairy proceeds will be spoilt. The cream and butter will turn sour ; even if a drop of milk is spilt it should be wiped up at the very moment. Milk should always be strained through both a wire and cloth strainer as soon as it is brought into the house or dairy. Milk-pans and pails should be thoroughly washed and scalded before using. The cream separators are now mostly used, where a quantity of butter has to be made, as it makes 20 per cent, more, and is more economical in every way. All firing for heating skim milk for calves is saved, as the separated milk is warm and sweet. Since it is separated the moment it comes from the cow, filling, skimming, emptying and clean- ing pans are dispensed with. The Victoria hand-power cream-separator is one of the best, it is so simple to use and keep clean, and is made in several sizes. The machine should always be warmed before using, so as not to chill the milk. The handle should be turned very slowly, and the directions with it strictly attended to. In large dairies there should be always refrigerators to cool the milk. When the milk has a turnip flavour, to get rid of it, put the milk, immediately after milking, in a water bath at from 135° to 140°, which will completely destroy the turnip flavour, and which will also cause the cream to rise better if set in shallow pans, and thus increase the amount of butter. The way to give the water bath is to set the pail into a larger pail containing water, allowing the watei* to circu- late under the vessel containing the milk by raising it on two thin bars of iron. The milk will then be heated by hot water and cannot be scorched. Clarifying Butter