FoodNetArchive

The hearthstone; or, Life at home

1883

Page 202 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Toilet Soap. — Drippings, which accumulate in almost every household, can be used for the grease. They should first be boiled in water, and then left to cool ; afterward they should be removed from the water and boiled alone until the water is expelled. The whiter the grease can be made the better the soap will be. The in- gredients of the soap are six pounds of sal-soda, seven pounds of grease, three pounds of unslacked lime, four gallons of soft water, and one-half pound of boraxToilet Soap. Boil the soda and lime in the water until they are dissolved ; let the mixture stand over-night to settle ; pour off the clear lye, to which add the grease and pulverized borax, and boil to the consistency of honey. Take the mixture from the stove, stir in one ounce of oil of sassafras or lavender, and pour it into a tub, or, what is still better, a tight, shallow box, to cool, and when cold cut into bars and put on boards to dry. CouRTi-PLASTER is made of thin silk, first dipped in dissolved isin- glass and dried, then dipped several times in the white of an egg and dried. A GOOD method for removing superfluous hair is as follows : Take a match and let it burn half down so as to get all the sulphur off; then pass it quickly over the lip, and it will remove every particle of hair. Do this about once in every two weeks and the lip will be as smooth as you could wish. To Remove Flesh-worms. — Wash with warm water and rub hard with a coarse towel, and then apply a little of the following preparation : Liquor of potassa, i oz. ; cologne, 2 ozs. ; white brandy, 4 ozs. 310 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. Crimping Hair. — To make the hair stay in crimp, take two penny- worth of gum-arabic, and add to it just enough boiling water to dis- solve it. When dissolved, add enough alcohol to make it rather thin. Let this stand all night, and then bottle it to prevent the alcohol from evaporating. This put on the hair at night, after it is done up in paper or pins, will make it stay in crimp the hottest day, and is per- fectly harmless. To persons troubled with an unpleasant breath the following mouth-washes will be found useful and harmless to the teeth : Tinc- ture of myrrh, about ten drops in a glass of water, is a pleasant mouth-wash, as is also a few drops of eau-de-cologne put into the water. Camphorated water is another remedy, although not so pleasant to some persons. A small piece of licorice placed in the mouth and kept there until it melts is often found effective when other methods fail. Preservation of the Teeth. — The importance of paying proper attention to the teeth cannot be overestimated. One great cause of the decay of the teeth is the presence of bits of food which stick be- tween the teeth, and then soften and ferment in the heat and moisture of the mouth and become acrid and injure the enamel. The enamel is at first slightly discolored at one point, then it gets soft, and event- ually a little hole forms in it, which goes on enlarging and increasing until the deeper structures are involved and the pulp is exposed. Very often the secretions of the mouth mixed with the food dry on the teeth and between them, and form the so-called tartar, which is a powerful agent in the production of decay.