The housekeeper's companion

Rice. — Wash and rinse repeatedly in cold water, till very white. Pick out all discolored grains, and other refuse articles. The best rice ought not to need much picking over. Let it soak in the last water an hour or more. Drain off all the water, and dry the rice on a large towel. Prepare it long enough beforehand to allow of its remaining awhile spread out on the cloth to dry more perfectly. It must not dry hard; simply let all the actual water be absorbed from it, leaving the kernels separate, and with a beginning of swelling and softning from the moisture. Have a kettle with a good deal of boiling water in it. The rice must have room to scatter in it as it boils. See that it does scatter, by frequently stirring it up from the bottom with a fork. Never stir rice with a spoon. Let it boil fifteen minutes; then try a grain or two by tasting; the moment you find it tender enough to bite through without any feeling of hardness or rawness, take the kettle off, and pour the water away through a fine colander or vegetable strainer. Set the strainer, with the rice in it, on the back of the stove for about ten minutes, to let the grains dry perfectly. All depends upon the plenty of water, and the instant watching of the rice to detect the exact point of its sufficient softening. It must not boil a minute after you can bite it as before said. Macaroni. — Wash and soak like rice, having broken it up into lengths of six or eight inches. Wipe dry and put into a plenty of boiling water. Boil half an hour, in salted water. Meanwhile, for an average dishtul, cream two tablespoonfuls of butter, scald a teacupful of cream, or rich milk, stir the hot cream gradually to the butter, adding a heaping saltspoonful of salt. Do not mix these till the macaroni is ready to be taken up. Turn off all the water carefully from the macaroni, pour the butter and cream upon it in the kettle, and set it back on the fire to turn it over in the dressing. Then dish for the table. Tomatoes. — Stewed: Pour boiling water over them, to take the skins off. Peel them nicely and cut them up. Put them into a saucepan with a little butter, allow a round tablespoonful to half a dozen tomatoes; salt, half a teaspoonful to as many; and a sprinkle of pepper. Stew three quarters of an hour. As they boil, after cooking about half an hour, dredge over, and stir in, two of three sprinkles of flour. Or, if you prefer, scatter and stir in fine cracker crumbs, until thickened a little. Fried: Mix together in a dish a little flour, pepper, and Bait. A pinch of pepper and a large saltspoonful of salt to three tablespoonfuls of flour. Slice the tomatoes without skinning; lay each slice in the flour turning it over to flour it well; or put your flour, pepper, and salt into a little sifter or sprinkler, and dredge each tomato slice on both sides. Put enough butter into a frying-pan to cover the bottom when melted, let it heat till it sizzles, and then lay in the slices of tomato. Fry brown.