Wednesday is devoted to baking part of
the cake, bread, and pies that will be needed
during the week. In this work the mistress
helps by washing the currants, stoning the
raisins, beating the eggs, and making the
light pastr}'. Often a lady who has a taste
for cooking makes all the desserts, cakes,
and pies. She should never consider it
extravagant to supply herself with the best
cooking utensils — egg-beaters, sugar-sifters,
double-boilers, etc., and, if a good honse-
keeper, she will find both pride and pleasure
in her jars of home-made pickles and pre-
serves.
Thursday the maid must sweep the house
thoroughly, for this work, if the carpets are
heavy, requires strength. The mistress then
dusts room after room, and, last of all, the
servant follows with step-ladder to wipe off
mirrors and windows. This is morning
work, for the Thursday afternoon ont for
the maid is an established institution.
Friday is commonly occupied in general
house-cleaning: scrubbing the floors, clean-
ing the brasses and silver, scouring the
knives, and putting linen-closets and draw-
ers in order.
Saturday is filled with baking bread and
cake, perhaps with cleaning the yard or
other out-of-door work, and in some house-
holds with preparing the Sunday diimer;
and the toil of the week closes with a thor-
oughly swept and orderly house, a clean
kitchen, and all the cooking done except
the meat and vegetables for the Sunday
dinner.
Of course the routine given above will
not suit all families ; many persons may pre-
fer to make a different apportionment of their
work ; but whatever the system fixed upon
may be, it should be rigidly carried out, and
the maid should receive all the help in her
manifold duties that punctuality and order
bestow.
Under the most favorable circumstances
it is a credit to any mistress to carry on the
work of a house through the week, with
three meals daih', and to accom]-)lish it slie
must be capable of doing much of the light
work herself and be careful to secure a stronir
o
and willing maid servant.
Sweeping and Clean ine^.
When preparing to sweep a room, it is
important to begin ])y dusting all the
bric-a-brac and carrying it to a place of
safety. The smaller articles can be placed
in a wide shallow basket kept expressly for
this purpose, or on a tray. Next, with a
soft cheese-cloth or other duster and a whisk,
clean carefully all the upholstered furniture ;
carrying out the small articles, and covering
the larger ones with dusting sheets. The
glass globes of gas fixtures must be washed
in warm, soapy water, and rinsed in cold
water, in which a little whiting has been
dissolved. Shake the window curtains and
fold them u]) as high as you can reach ; pin
them there, taking care not to tear them ;
435
68
THE MODEL COOK BOOK
dnst the shades with a feather brush and
roll them up as high as the}^ will go.
Page 82
Presented as published in 1901. 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
Wednesday is devoted to baking part of the cake, bread, and pies that will be needed during the week. In this work the mistress helps by washing the currants, stoning the raisins, beating the eggs, and making the light pastry. Often a lady who has a taste for cooking makes all the desserts, cakes, and pies. She should never consider it extravagant to supply herself with the best cooking utensils — egg-beaters, sugar-sifters, double-boilers, etc., and, if a good honsekeeper, she will find both pride and pleasure in her jars of home-made pickles and preserves.
Thursday the maid must sweep the house thoroughly, for this work, if the carpets are heavy, requires strength. The mistress then
dusts room after room, and, last of all, the servant follows with step-ladder to wipe off mirrors and windows. This is morning work, for the Thursday afternoon out for the maid is an established institution.
Friday is commonly occupied in general house-cleaning: scrubbing the floors, cleaning the brasses and silver, scouring the knives, and putting linen-closets and drawers in order.
Saturday is filled with baking bread and cake, perhaps with cleaning the yard or other out-of-door work, and in some households with preparing the Sunday diimer; and the toil of the week closes with a thoroughly swept and orderly house, a clean kitchen, and all the cooking done except the meat and vegetables for the Sunday dinner.
Of course the routine given above will not suit all families ; many persons may prefer to make a different apportionment of their work ; but whatever the system fixed upon may be, it should be rigidly carried out, and the maid should receive all the help in her manifold duties that punctuality and order bestow.
Under the most favorable circumstances it is a credit to any mistress to carry on the work of a house through the week, with three meals daily, and to accomplish it she must be capable of doing much of the light work herself and be careful to secure a strong
o
and willing maid servant.
Sweeping and Cleaning.
When preparing to sweep a room, it is important to begin by dusting all the bric-a-brac and carrying it to a place of safety. The smaller articles can be placed in a wide shallow basket kept expressly for this purpose, or on a tray. Next, with a soft cheese-cloth or other duster and a whisk, clean carefully all the upholstered furniture ; carrying out the small articles, and covering the larger ones with dusting sheets. The glass globes of gas fixtures must be washed in warm, soapy water, and rinsed in cold water, in which a little whiting has been dissolved. Shake the window curtains and fold them u]) as high as you can reach ; pin them there, taking care not to tear them ;
dnst the shades with a feather brush and roll them up as high as the}^ will go.