boiling water, letting the water remain in it till cold; then dissolve sal-soda or soda, (two pounds to a barrel of water) in lukewarm water, adding a little bit of lime to it, and wash the inside of the vessel well with this solution; afterward scald it well with plain hot water, and rinse it with cold water before you use it. Knives for the table should never be used to cook with; those for the former purpose may be a cheap plated set for every-day use, and should be kept by themselves, and never allowed to be used in the kitchen. Never place a range or cooking stove opposite a door or window if it can be avoided, as any draft will prevent the oven from baking well. A necessity in the kitchen, because a great protection against clothes taking fire, isa large kitchen apron made full length with bib, and sleeves if wished, the skirt to button close around the dress-skirt. A wooden mat (made by laying down six pieces of lath eleven inches long, one inch wide, and aninch apart, and nailing across these, at right angles, six other similar pieces, about the same distance apart) is a great protection to the kitchen table, which should be of ash. Hot kettles and pans from the stove may be set on this without danger, as the construction of the mat secures a circula- tion of air under it. It is the “little foxes that spoil the vines’’ in the kitchen as well as else- where—the neglect. of little things causes loss of time, patience and money. In building fires concentration is the important point: 1st, the fuel should be concentrated, that is, put together in a compact heap; and 2d, in a place on the grating where the draft can be concentrated uponit These two points gained it is an easy matter to produce a brisk fire. When the kindling, which must be dry and in sufficient quantity, is well started, the wood or coal, as the case may be, is so put on that the draft and fame will pass directly through the fuel. In starting a fire, all depends upon having the conditions right, and great loss of time, and even patience, is incurred if they are not provided. Always have wood in the box. This can gener- ally be done without taking special time for it, by remembering to bring -some in when you pass the wood-pile without any thing in the hands. See that the wood-box is full at night, and the shavings and kindlings in their place. In the morning empty the ash-pan, or, better still, clean your stove or range at night. This can always be done, except in case of late suppers. When supper is ready, and there is no further use for the fire, open the oven doors, take all the covers partly off the holes, and by the time the supper dishes and needful work in the preparation for breakfast is done, if the fire has been properly attended to, the stove will be cool enough to clean out, which should be thoroughly done, removing all the ashes or cinders from every part of it. This is a very particular work, as the corners often secrete quite an amount of ashes that must be removed if you would have a perfectly cleaned stove. Rap on the sides of the pipes, to dislodge the soot and ashes that collect there, sweep all out with a long-handled brush. broom and the stove is ready to receive the shavings, kindlings and wool fcr the fire ; 4 ; cee eine) i t ag a , be Gost ST ine uv : c ii cy au Kt if ey, 8 ; oe AOR ehyed ean: HE KITCHEN. Where there is a large amount of cooking to be done, the ashes should be cleared from under the slides of the ovens as often as twice a week in large or small families; this will insure the oven to bake well, and always the same, if the fire is properly arranged.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

boiling water, letting the water remain in it till cold; then dissolve sal-soda or soda, (two pounds to a barrel of water) in lukewarm water, adding a little bit of lime to it, and wash the inside of the vessel well with this solution; afterward scald it well with plain hot water, and rinse it with cold water before you use it. Knives for the table should never be used to cook with; those for the former purpose may be a cheap plated set for every-day use, and should be kept by themselves, and never allowed to be used in the kitchen. Never place a range or cooking stove opposite a door or window if it can be avoided, as any draft will prevent the oven from baking well. A necessity in the kitchen, because a great protection against clothes taking fire, isa large kitchen apron made full length with bib, and sleeves if wished, the skirt to button close around the dress-skirt. A wooden mat (made by laying down six pieces of lath eleven inches long, one inch wide, and an inch apart, and nailing across these, at right angles, six other similar pieces, about the same distance apart) is a great protection to the kitchen table, which should be of ash. Hot kettles and pans from the stove may be set on this without danger, as the construction of the mat secures a circulation of air under it. It is the “little foxes that spoil the vines’’ in the kitchen as well as elsewhere—the neglect. of little things causes loss of time, patience and money. In building fires concentration is the important point: 1st, the fuel should be concentrated, that is, put together in a compact heap; and 2d, in a place on the grating where the draft can be concentrated upon it. These two points gained it is an easy matter to produce a brisk fire. When the kindling, which must be dry and in sufficient quantity, is well started, the wood or coal, as the case may be, is so put on that the draft and flame will pass directly through the fuel. In starting a fire, all depends upon having the conditions right, and great loss of time, and even patience, is incurred if they are not provided. Always have wood in the box. This can generally be done without taking special time for it, by remembering to bring -some in when you pass the wood-pile without anything in the hands. See that the wood-box is full at night, and the shavings and kindlings in their place. In the morning empty the ash-pan, or, better still, clean your stove or range at night. This can always be done, except in case of late suppers. When supper is ready, and there is no further use for the fire, open the oven doors, take all the covers partly off the holes, and by the time the supper dishes and needful work in the preparation for breakfast is done, if the fire has been properly attended to, the stove will be cool enough to clean out, which should be thoroughly done, removing all the ashes or cinders from every part of it. This is a very particular work, as the corners often secrete quite an amount of ashes that must be removed if you would have a perfectly cleaned stove. Rap on the sides of the pipes, to dislodge the soot and ashes that collect there, sweep all out with a long-handled brush. broom, and the stove is ready to receive the shavings, kindlings and wool for the fire. Where there is a large amount of cooking to be done, the ashes should be cleared from under the slides of the ovens as often as twice a week in large or small families; this will insure the oven to bake well, and always the same, if the fire is properly arranged.

Buckeye cookery