CHRISTMAS COOKING HINTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2365, 8 December 1921, Page 4

CHRISTMAS COOKING HINTS.

When cooking a suet pudding, roll it in a butter paper before putting it in the cloth. This helps to make the pudding light, and the cloth is easier to wash.

During the baking of the mince pies, etc., for Christmas, place a lb. jam jar full of water in the bottom shelf of the oven. This will prevent any burning of the pastry, which will be deliciously moist, yet browned nicely. If you want to be quite sure that your Christmas cake is cooked sufficiently, place a warmed skewer into the centre of the cake; then note if it is still clean and bright when you have gently pulled it out; if the skewer is greasy and dull, the cake needs longer baking.

To enable you to get all the juice from a lemon, heat the lemon before squeezing. Also in stoning raisins heat them first-, either by putting them in the oven till they are swelled, or by putting them in a basin and pouring boiling water over, and after draining the water off pinching out the seeds at the stem end. The saving of time will be found of great advantage when much mincemeat or many Christmas puddings are to be made.

Cover boiled puddings with greased paper and then with a scalded floured cloth; or put them into a scaklgd floured cloth, tie up, and plunge into the pan of boiling water. Place a plate or saucer at the bottom of the pan to prevent the pudding sticking. Steamed puddings are covered with greased paper, and placed either in a steamer or on an inverted piedish, so that the watci only reaches halfway up the basin. The water must be boiling when the pudding is put in, and must boil the whole time. If it boils away fiesh boiling -water must be added. If a pudding is boiled, the mixture must fill the mould, or water is liable to get into the space. If .the mould is not quite full, put some crusts of bregjJ on the top. A steamed pudding should not (ill the mould entirely, space must be allowed for the pudding to rise. A pleat is usually made in the cloth covering a boiled pudding to allow of its rising.