THE HOUSEKEEPER

Shannon News, 19 February 1929, Page 4

THE HOUSEKEEPER

HELPFUL HINTS. Try making mint sauce this way. It brings out all the flavour and the sauce i? bright green. After washing and chopping the mint finely, rub it and the quantity of sugar required through a sieve until it is almost a paste. Add equal quantities of vinegar and water of pure lemon juice, which is preferred by many people, and makes it the consistency liked best. A little more mint is needed for this method, but it is worth it. Next time you have any sour milk . over use it for cleaning the silver. Leave the articles in it for half an hour; use a soft brush on the engraved parts, then wash in hot water. Dry and polish with a soft, dry duster. Try warmiug the milk slightly when you make your next custard, then mix with the beaten eggs, and there will be no fear of the custard turning ‘watery’ as it some*times‘ ! 'floes.

Add a little butter to the blancmange that is to be served with stewed fruit; it gives it a richer flavour. To make flowers last longer add cold tea to the water.

For flowers that have wilted after being carried, split the stem a little and stand them in two inches of boiling water in a vase that will give them support . Leave them in a dark cupboard for a few hours, and they w'ill revive and be quite fresh again. Cut off the dead stems and arrange in fresh water. • METHODS TO BANISH FLIES. To keep flies out of your house, put mignonette in your window flower-box-es, or hang up a bunch of thyme, sprinkled with pennyroyal. Set some oil of sassafras, and put some on cotton wool, leaving it exposed on a saucer; this will rid you of all kinds of flies in a few minutes. To half a saucer of milk, into which a few grains of sugar have been sprinkled around the edge, add one teaspoonful of formalin. This will be found most effective. TO WASH STARCHED LINEN. Linen, which is to be starched, should first of all be steeped in cold water to soften the old starch, so that it may easily be removed by washing. This is important as much rubbing tends to wear out the fabric. The linen should be then well washed in hot water with ■hard soap, until all .starch has been rubbed out and rinsed before boiling tc* keep the water in the boiler clean. After boiling it should ■be rinsed in a good supply of clean water, blued, starched ,and thoroughly dried in the sun, then damped down and put away ,in a covered tub or basket ready for ironing. .

A BORDER MOLD. A border mould is a great asset to the cook who i 3 anxious to make her dishes look attractive. Those who do not possess one, however, should try the following substitute. ' Place a narrow jar in the centre of the ordinary mould. Put a weight into it so that it will I’emain in position, then pour the mixture into the border thus made. The outside of the jar should be buttered unless the horde/ is to be of jelly. To remove the centre jar, fill it with hot water when the heat will quickly release it, leaving the desired hollow. Turn opt the mould in the usual way. OLD NEWSPAPER USES. Old newspapers are invaluable in the kitchen. For example, after frying or roasting, any grease spilt on the stove, (sides of oven, etc.,) can be removed by rubbing with a small piece of newspaper, while if frying pans aud baking tins arq, rubbed over with newspaper most of the grease can be removed and the labour of washing-up is thus reduced considerably. TO REPAIR A RAINCOAT. Spread the coat on the table wrong s^ e upward. Rub the place where the damp comes through with a piece of beeswax until the surface takes on a greasy tint. When all the thin part has been treated in this way, place a sheet of brown paper over the spot and pi ess with a hot iron. This melts the beeswax and makes it pass into every fibre of the cloth. The coat will then be thoroughly waterproof.