The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

SALTS, VARIOUS. — In addition to ordinary table-salt, which is always best obtained in tins ready ground, there are now various other kinds of salt to be obtained, such as browning salt, celery salt, savoury salt, etc. I would strongly recommend housekeepers to make a trial of these various salts, which can now be obtained from most grocers. The celery salt imparts the additional flavour of celery. Most housekeepers know how important it is in making soups, sauces, and gravies to occasionally impart the flavour of celery. When celery itself cannot be obtained fresh, this salt is an excellent substitute. Browning salt is also used, not only for salting, but for rendering the sauce of a dark rich brown colour. Savoury salt imparts a rich flavour to sauces and gravies. It is quite impossible to describe the exact flavour given by these salts, which can only be properly appreciated by giving them what they so richly deserve, a fair trial. SARDINES. — Sardines have for many years past been perhaps the most popular form of preserved fish, and are generally served at breakfast. Unfortunately, of late years they have become somewhat scarce, owing to the dishonesty of some foreign importers, who persist in obtaining hundreds of tons of sprats, which are placed in tins and sold instead of the delicious little fish itself. Hundreds of tons of sprats are annually exported from this country and reimported as sardines, the manufacture taking place abroad. Good judges of sardines can detect instantly a very vast difference between sardines and sprats preserved in oil. Genuine sardines can still be obtained, but the only method to pursue in order to ensure getting the genuine article is to purchase them of some firm of high position, and consequently above suspicion. Sardines are extremely nice eaten just as they are with bread, the only additional accompaniment required being a little lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Sardines are now very commonly met with in restaurants and luncheon-bars served up on toast. In this form they, make a light but agreeable and digestible luncheon. Sardines are also extremely nice deviiled on toast hot. When this is done place the sardines on a plate in the oven, see that they are thoroughly well covered with oil, and sprinkle them over with a little cayenne and black pepper and salt. After they have been in the oven some three or four minutes they will, of course, be hot through, but owing to the oil they will not get dry. Next take some good toast, butter it thickly on both sides, and cut it into strips sufficiently wide to permit the sardine to be laid on it. Place the sardines on the toast, one on each strip, and serve at once. By this means the sardine will be hot before the toast has time to dry. Too often in serving sardines on toast the cook will make the toast before putting the sardines in the oven. When this is done, of course, by the time the sardines are cooked the toast will be cold. It is always best to warm the fish first, and then make the toast, and put the two when very hot together. An exceedingly nice dish, which is very well suited for breakfast or luncheon, can be made from a box of sardines by simply having a dish of sardines curried just as they arc. To do this take a box of sardines and pour off all the oil into a small frying-pan.