Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1881 — HOUSEKEEPERS’ HELPS. [ARTICLE]

HOUSEKEEPERS’ HELPS.

Eve by closet and room in a house should be thoroughly inspected once a week. Newly ground flour which has never been packed is very superior to barrel flour. In roasting meat do not salt before putting in the oven as salt extracts the juice. In warm weather put your eggs in cold water some time before you are ready to use them. Lemons may be kept fresh a long time in a jar of water; changing the water every morning. A true test for eggs is to drop them in water, and if the large end comes up they are not fresh. Hams wrapped in thick brown paper and packed in a barrel of wood ashes in the cellar will keep all summer. To test nutmegs prick them with a pin, and if they are good the oil will instantly spread around the punctures. Bab soap when first bought should be cut in square pieces and put in a dry place. It lasts better after shrinking. All fish skin should be washed, dried thoroughly, cut in small bits aud put in a box or paper bag, to use in settling coffee. New Obleans or other good brown sugar is best for raised fruits and wedding cakes. It should be coarse-grained and clean. Always prepare Sunday’s dinner on Saturday if possible, that domestics may enjoy the Sabbath day privileges as well as you. The small white sago called pearl is the best The large brown kind has on earthy taste. It should always be kept in a covered jar or box. Salt cod should be kept in a dry place where the odor of it will not penetrate to other parts of the house. The best kina is that which is called dun, from its peculiar color. Molasses Cup Cake.—Two cups molasses, two cups butter, one cup milk, a teaspoonful soda, the same of lemon, half a nutmeg and two eggs; beat well and bake in quick o’ven. Elephant on Toast. —Take cold meat and put oh the fire in a stewpan with a little water. When tender, take it up and mince very fine; then put it back and flavor with pepper and salt. Make some toast, butter each slice, and spread the mince over each piece; then pour the gravy over it. Serve hot Oilcloth.—Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, in giving some of the results of her housekeeping experience, remarks that neither soap, hot water nor brash should ever be used on oilcloth. It should always be washed in lukewarm water with a piece of soft old flannel and wiped perfectly dry each time. And the appearance of the cloth, Mrs. Beecher declares, is greatly improved by using half milk and half water, I skimmilk, if not sour, being just as good as new milk. Cooking Beets.—One of the most satisfactory ways to cook beets is to bake them. When boiled, even if their jackets are left on, a great deal of the best /part of the beets is dissolved, and so lost It will, of course, take a little longer to bake than to boil them; but this is no objection. Allow from fifteen to twenty minutes more for baking; slice them, and heat as you would if they were boiled. After they are cooked, season with pepper, salt, butter, and a squeeze of lemon.