Public school household science

Melt drippings or tried-out fat and add to it a few slices of raw potato ; heat slowly in the oven until it ceases to bubble. The potato absorbs some of the impurities, the rest will settle to the bottom. Strain the fat through a very fine wire strainer, or cheesecloth, and set away until needed. 124.— CARAMEL. Put in a smooth granite saucepan or omelet-pan one cup of sugar. Stir constantly over hot part of range until melted and of a deep golden-brown color. Care must be taken to prevent burning and from adhering to the sides of the pan. Add an equal quantity of boiling water and simmer until it forms a thick syrup. Bottle and use for coloring sauces, soups, etc., and for puddings. 126.— QUICK ICING FOR CAKE. 1 cup icing sugar. I 1 tbsp. boiling water. 1 tbsp. lemon juice. | Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and water. Stir in the boiling water, a few drops at a time until the sugar settles when not stirred. Spread on the cake while the latter is hot. 126.— CHOCOLATE ICING. 1 cup granulated sugar. I 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate. 2 tsps. of water. 1 J tsp. vanilla. Scrape the chocolate fine, mix it with the sugar and water, and simmer about twenty minutes, or until thick enough to spread. Spread while hot on the cake. PRESERVING FRUIT. There are various methods of preserving fruit, but those in most common use are canning and preserving. Canning. Canning fruit is simply sterilizing it and keeping it in air-tight jars. Any fresh ripe fruit may be kept in this way. To can fruit successfully it is necessary to observe the following rules: — 1. Have good fruit, ripe and fresh. 2. See that the jars are air-tight (test by filling with water and inverting). 3. Wash the jars, rubbers, covers and rims thoroughly, then scald. 4. Have the rims and covers at hand so that the jars may be filled immediately the fruit is put into them. Have a pot of boiling water on the 'stove in which the jar should be dipped before filling. 5. When the fruit is cooked, fill the jars to overflowing and screw on the top at once. Then wipe with a wet 'cloth and leave inverted until assured that the jar is air-tight. 98 domestic science. Methods of Canning Fruit. 1. Follow the usual method of cooking fruit in syrup (see page 28). 2. Fill the jar with prepared fruit, cover with a syrup of desired consistency. Cover with the glass top. Put a wire frame or perforated board in the bottom of a kettle or the boiler, place the jars and fill the boiler with cold water up to the rim of the jar. Small fruit should remain ten minutes, and peaches, pears, etc., fifteen after the water boils. Remove the tops and fill the jar to overflowing with boiling syrup, and screw on the top immediately. By this method fruit retains the flavor more than by cooking in an open kettle. An average syrup is made by boiling one pound of sugar to one pint of water. 3. Wlien the fruit is cold give the tops a final screw before putting away in a cool, dark closet. Preserving. Preserving differs from canning, by Method No. 1, only by the amount of sugar used, and the longer cooking required. The proportion of fruit and sugar is usually pound for pound, and the two cooked together from ten to twenty minutes. CHAPTER XIII. Marketing.