A new enameled or agate ware kitchen vessel should be
filled with clean water and placed over a hot fire. Just when
the water begins to boil drop into it a teaspoonful of borax
and a lemon cut in half. Let the water boil rapidly for ten
minutes, then remove the vessel and do not empty it until
quite cool. It is said that this is the best annealing process
for such wares, and that it will prevent the enameled lining
from chipping, which is the only fault that can be found in
these articles.
If new tinware is rubbed over with fresh lard thoroughly
THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW 203
heated in the oven before it is used, it will never rust after-
ward, no matter how much it is put into water.
TO REMOVE INK STAIN.
Soak in sour milk. If a dark stain remains, rinse in a
weak solution of chloride of lime.
TO SEED RAISINS.
Cover with hot water and let stand 15 minutes. Then re-
move seeds.
TO SOFTEN OLD PUTTY.
A red hot iron will soften old putty so that it can easily
be removed.
TO REMOVE A GLASS STOPPER.
Heat the neck of the bottle a few seconds with a lighted
match.
TO TOUGHEN LAMP CHIMNEYS.
Place the chimney in a pot of cold water, to which some
salt has been added. Boil the water well and then cool
slowly. Glass treated thus will withstand a sudden change
of temperature.
TO CLEAN STOVEPIPE.
A piece of zinc put on live coals in the stove will clean
out the stovepipe.
TO WASH MATTING.
Wipe off with a cloth wrung from salt water. This will
prevent matting from turning yellow.
TO CLEAN GILDED FRAMES.
Gently wipe them with a fine cotton cloth dipped in sweet
oil.
204 THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW
TO REMOVE GRASS STAINS.
Saturate the spot thoroughly with kerosene, then put in
the wash tub.
TO REMOVE FRUIT STAINS.
Stretch the fabric containing the stain over the mouth
of a basin and pour boiling water on the stain. If the stain
has been fixed by time, soak the article in a weak solution of
oxalic acid, or hold it over the fumes of sulphur.
Paraffine used on tops of preserve-glasses can be saved
until the next season by washing in cold water and putting
in a tin box with a tight lid.
Ivory knife handles that have become blackened may be
cleaned by rubbing them with lemon dipped in salt, after
which they should be washed in cold water, and they will be
quite white again.
KITCHEN SUGGESTIONS
Buy a small paint ibrnsh and keep it in or near the grease
used for greasing bread, cake pans, etc. Saves time and
patience.
Never peel pumpkins ; wash, cut up fine and cook, run
through a fine sieve and you will find it fine and creamy.
Do not peel apples for mince meat. Simply wash them,
cut out core and all specks, run them through the food chop-
per, and you have retained the very best part of the apple,
and no one will ever notice the peel in the meat.
Wash all knives used for peeling onions or garlic in cold
water and all odor will disappear. Also odor of onions on
the hands will disappear if you let the water from the cold
faucet run on them for a few minutes.
Turn pans in which onions have been cooked over a good
pinch of salt on a hot stove lid to remove all odor.
Before baking potatoes, peel them and rub with bacon or
butter. The outside will be a delicious brown, which can be
eaten with the rest of the potato.
Page 93
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A new enameled or agate ware kitchen vessel should be filled with clean water and placed over a hot fire. Just when the water begins to boil drop into it a teaspoonful of borax and a lemon cut in half. Let the water boil rapidly for ten minutes, then remove the vessel and do not empty it until quite cool. It is said that this is the best annealing process for such wares, and that it will prevent the enameled lining from chipping, which is the only fault that can be found in these articles.
If new tinware is rubbed over with fresh lard thoroughly
heated in the oven before it is used, it will never rust afterward, no matter how much it is put into water.
TO REMOVE INK STAIN.
Soak in sour milk. If a dark stain remains, rinse in a weak solution of chloride of lime.
TO SEED RAISINS.
Cover with hot water and let stand 15 minutes. Then remove seeds.
TO SOFTEN OLD PUTTY.
A red hot iron will soften old putty so that it can easily be removed.
TO REMOVE A GLASS STOPPER.
Heat the neck of the bottle a few seconds with a lighted match.
TO TOUGHEN LAMP CHIMNEYS.
Place the chimney in a pot of cold water, to which some salt has been added. Boil the water well and then cool slowly. Glass treated thus will withstand a sudden change of temperature.
TO CLEAN STOVEPIPE.
A piece of zinc put on live coals in the stove will clean out the stovepipe.
TO WASH MATTING.
Wipe off with a cloth wrung from salt water. This will prevent matting from turning yellow.
TO CLEAN GILDED FRAMES.
Gently wipe them with a fine cotton cloth dipped in sweet oil.
TO REMOVE GRASS STAINS.
Saturate the spot thoroughly with kerosene, then put in the wash tub.
TO REMOVE FRUIT STAINS.
Stretch the fabric containing the stain over the mouth of a basin and pour boiling water on the stain. If the stain has been fixed by time, soak the article in a weak solution of oxalic acid, or hold it over the fumes of sulphur.
Paraffine used on tops of preserve-glasses can be saved until the next season by washing in cold water and putting in a tin box with a tight lid.
Ivory knife handles that have become blackened may be cleaned by rubbing them with lemon dipped in salt, after which they should be washed in cold water, and they will be quite white again.
KITCHEN SUGGESTIONS
Buy a small paint brush and keep it in or near the grease used for greasing bread, cake pans, etc. Saves time and patience.
Never peel pumpkins ; wash, cut up fine and cook, run through a fine sieve and you will find it fine and creamy.
Do not peel apples for mince meat. Simply wash them, cut out core and all specks, run them through the food chopper, and you have retained the very best part of the apple, and no one will ever notice the peel in the meat.
Wash all knives used for peeling onions or garlic in cold water and all odor will disappear. Also odor of onions on the hands will disappear if you let the water from the cold faucet run on them for a few minutes.
Turn pans in which onions have been cooked over a good pinch of salt on a hot stove lid to remove all odor.
Before baking potatoes, peel them and rub with bacon or butter. The outside will be a delicious brown, which can be eaten with the rest of the potato.