1. In making soups or gravies which require colouring the outer skins of
the onion should be left on. Mushroom skins are also useful for this
purpose, and impart a pleasant flavour.
2. When thickening soups, gravies, etc., mix the flour, cornflour,
arrowroot, etc., to a smooth cream with _cold_ liquid first, then stir
continually from the bottom and against the sides of the saucepan or
other vessel to prevent lumps.
3. The dripping from roast mutton, when used for making pastry,
sometimes has an unpleasant flavour. If a few drops of vinegar and of
oil be beaten up with it, it will be found quite as good as beef
dripping.
4. Home-dried herbs are much cheaper than bought ones. About June buy
the herbs, rinse them slightly in cold water, strip off the leaves,
place the various kinds of herbs on separate pieces of white paper, in
the oven or on top of it. When the leaves are quite crisp, rub them
through a wire sieve, and bottle them up tight.
5. When chopping onions, let cold water run on the wrists for a minute.
This will prevent the eyes from watering.
6. When the juice of lemons is required, and the lemons are hard, place
them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes; they will become
quite soft. To keep them from getting mouldy, wrap each one in tissue
paper, and keep separate.
7. Stale scraps of bread should be put in a tin in the oven, and baked a
nice brown. When quite crisp, they should be pounded and bottled. These
“raspings” will be found very useful.
8. Bread should be kept in a glazed earthenware pan, which should have a
cover, and must be cleaned frequently.
9. To disguise the disagreeable odours which often ascend from the
kitchen during the process of cooking, throw a handful of cedar dust on
the top of the grate. (This—called “Dust of Lebanon”—may be obtained of
most stationers at about 4d. per packet.)
10. Milk is the best thing for removing _fresh_ ink stains, but it must
be applied immediately, and the stained part washed.
11. A little powdered sugar sprinkled on a fire, which is almost out,
will invariably revive it. Salt sprinkled on a fire clears it for
grilling, roasting, etc.
12. House flannels should be herringboned all round before they are
used. This ensures their lasting longer, and prevents sinks being
stopped up by the ravellings.
13. It is a decided economy to order soap in large quantities. It should
be cut up when new, and stored for several weeks in a warm place to dry.
Candles also last longer if kept some weeks.