As it is air, moisture, and warmth that occasion the change in food, these must be excluded. So it is well to have store-rooms in a cool and dry part of the house, and to keep many of our materials in air-tight cans or jars. But even with all these precautions much food will be lost unless it is examined daily. Rice, tapioca, raisins, meal, and grains of all kinds, are best kept in large, wide-mouthed bottles or jars. These may be cleansed easily, the contents are seen plainly, and may be kept air-tight. Small jars or bottles are suitable for soda, cream of tartar, spices, -and other articles usually purchased in small quantities. Air-tight tin cans are suitable for tea, coffee, crackers, etc. Covered buckets are convenient for flour and sugar, but enamelled pails or cans are better. Keep the jars and boxes clean on the outside, and when they are empty, or at regular intervals, cleanse the inside. Never handle them with sticky or floured fingers. 68 THE CARE OF FOOD 69 Do not use tins for moist articles. Do not keep anything in paper bags ; they break easily and give an untidy appear- ance to a pantry. Empty the bags as soon as the stores are sent in from the market. Fold the bags and put them away neatly to use for other purposes. Do not keep milk in a tin can. Pour it into a large-mouthed pitcher or jar, or into a shallow pan. If milk is delivered in jars, wash off the top with hot water, and when ready to open the jar wipe around the inside before pouring out the milk. Do not have your hand over the top when handling the jar. All dishes in which milk is kept must be washed thoroughly first in cold water, then in hot suds and scalded with clear boiling water and dried perfectly, or the milk will sour quickly. Keep anything that has a strong odor away from milk, cream, or butter, as these articles absorb odors readily. Fruit should be kept uncovered in a cool, dark place. Examine it often and remove all decaying portions. Salt fish has a disagreeable odor, and it should be cut into small portions and packed in glass jars. Onions and other strong vegetables should be kept covered in a dark, cool place, and where there are no other foods. Lemons should be put into a jar and covered with cold water, with a saucer over them to keep them under the water. They will keep fresh and juicy for a long time. The water must be changed twice a week. Lemon and orange peel may be dried and grated, or put into alcohol, and used for flavoring. Cranberries may also be kept for some time, if covered with cold water. Extracts, spices, etc., should be kept air-tight that their strength be not wasted. Meat and fish should be examined as soon as they come from the market and be wiped all over with a damp cloth. Then put them on a plate, never in paper, in a cool dark place, not on the ice, but near it. In warm weather examine the meat carefully, particularly in the folds and crevices, as sometimes clusters of tiny insect's eggs are hidden there. The marrow, or soft, fatty substance, should be removed from the backbone in mutton and lamb ; also the pink skin. over the fat, and the thin shiny membranes under the chops 70 SCHOOL KITCHEN TEXTBOOK and steaks, as these spoil quickly and then taint the whole meat. Fresh vegetables should also be examined daily.

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As it is air, moisture, and warmth that occasion the change in food, these must be excluded. So it is well to have store-rooms in a cool and dry part of the house, and to keep many of our materials in air-tight cans or jars. But even with all these precautions much food will be lost unless it is examined daily. Rice, tapioca, raisins, meal, and grains of all kinds, are best kept in large, wide-mouthed bottles or jars. These may be cleansed easily, the contents are seen plainly, and may be kept air-tight. Small jars or bottles are suitable for soda, cream of tartar, spices, -and other articles usually purchased in small quantities. Air-tight tin cans are suitable for tea, coffee, crackers, etc. Covered buckets are convenient for flour and sugar, but enamelled pails or cans are better. Keep the jars and boxes clean on the outside, and when they are empty, or at regular intervals, cleanse the inside. Never handle them with sticky or floured fingers. THE CARE OF FOOD 69 Do not use tins for moist articles. Do not keep anything in paper bags ; they break easily and give an untidy appearance to a pantry. Empty the bags as soon as the stores are sent in from the market. Fold the bags and put them away neatly to use for other purposes. Do not keep milk in a tin can. Pour it into a large-mouthed pitcher or jar, or into a shallow pan. If milk is delivered in jars, wash off the top with hot water, and when ready to open the jar wipe around the inside before pouring out the milk. Do not have your hand over the top when handling the jar. All dishes in which milk is kept must be washed thoroughly first in cold water, then in hot suds and scalded with clear boiling water and dried perfectly, or the milk will sour quickly. Keep anything that has a strong odor away from milk, cream, or butter, as these articles absorb odors readily. Fruit should be kept uncovered in a cool, dark place. Examine it often and remove all decaying portions. Salt fish has a disagreeable odor, and it should be cut into small portions and packed in glass jars. Onions and other strong vegetables should be kept covered in a dark, cool place, and where there are no other foods. Lemons should be put into a jar and covered with cold water, with a saucer over them to keep them under the water. They will keep fresh and juicy for a long time. The water must be changed twice a week. Lemon and orange peel may be dried and grated, or put into alcohol, and used for flavoring. Cranberries may also be kept for some time, if covered with cold water. Extracts, spices, etc., should be kept air-tight that their strength be not wasted. Meat and fish should be examined as soon as they come from the market and be wiped all over with a damp cloth. Then put them on a plate, never in paper, in a cool dark place, not on the ice, but near it. In warm weather examine the meat carefully, particularly in the folds and crevices, as sometimes clusters of tiny insects' eggs are hidden there. The marrow, or soft, fatty substance, should be removed from the backbone in mutton and lamb ; also the pink skin. over the fat, and the thin shiny membranes under the chops and steaks, as these spoil quickly and then taint the whole meat. Fresh vegetables should also be examined daily.

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