EVERYDAY ECONOMIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 69, 13 June 1927, Page 5

EVERYDAY ECONOMIES

THE WITS-END CLUB A new novel may be selected by the winner each week as a prize for the most original household hint or recipe that has been tested and found to save time, labour or money. Many folk might be glad to have the benefit of your experience, so send in your suggestions, addressed to The Homecrafts EZditor, Women’s Page, THS SUN, Auckland. HELPFUL HINTS Pearl-handled knives should be cleaned with fine salt and polished with chamois leather. * * e Even if using felting, always put a layer of newspaper under a carpet or oilcloth. As well as deadening sound it keeps dampness away, and the ink is a deterrent to moths and bugs. The juice of a lemon in a cup of black coffee, without sugar and milk, will cure a headache. Spoons and forks will *keep beautifully clean and bright if after washing they are put into a jug of very hot water, then taken out and dried while still hot. Before polishing a copper kettle fill it with boiling water. It will then polish more quickly. * * * Grate a little nutmeg into the mashed potatoes when making potato pie. It greatly improves the flavour. When tiles in a fireplace become scratched or shabby, clean them with lino polish and they will look like new. If you find you* have * not enough rolled oats add a little cornflour (mixed in a little water) to make up to the required thickness. H.C.A. To Clean Your Carpet From a chemist buy one ounce of wormwood salts and dissolve them in a bucketful of warm water. With a soft brush wash the carpet with this mixture, rubbing it when clean with a soft dry cloth. You will be amazed to find how clean and bright the

carpet appears, and how much the pile is improved. A fine day should be chosen in order that the carpet may dry quickly.—Mrs. B.

A New Knob For a Kettle Lid Insert a screw about half an inch in length head downwards fn the hole, and twist a small cork on to the thread. You will find that this improvised knob will never get hot.— Marie.

A Wash-Leather Duster A wash-leather wrung out in cold or lukewarm water is excellent for removing all dust and dirt from china and furniture. It has no ill effect on polished wood, tending rather to improve its appearance. The dust all clings to the duster instead of being scattered about the room.—H.F. * * * Linen Box-Seat A good suggestion for a bathroom utility.—lnstead of the customary wicker linen hamper, make a neat box with ventilation holes at the back, and a removable lid. Cover the latter with cork, and the linen box will make an ideal seat. Nob feet can be used if castors are too slippery on the tiles. The box can be made any size, and a suitable height for sitting upon.—J.C.L. Save Your Gas Bills A steamed pudding—such as a rice or bread custard—can be cooked on top of stew, cabbage, etc., by simply standing a basin containing the pudding with a saucer or plate on top inside a steamer. I have poured boiling water over peas or beans in a basin and stood them in a stew, making sure that the basin was firm on the bottom of the pan, and they have cooked splendidly.—C.T. • * * Clean Mirror If a mirror has stains that refuse to come away with a wash-leather, try rubbing them with a soft duster moistened with a few drops of camphor.— Mrs. E. W. No Stale Bread Well sprinkle the loaves with cold water, place in a hot oven till wellheated through. I have tried this with bread three days old, and it is as good as new.—D.G.A. IDEAS FOR MILK PUDDINGS From the following recipes readers will find some delightful variations of milk puddings. Barley Custard Pudding Ingredients.—One ounce of patent barley, half-an-ounce of butter, one teaspoonful of castor sugar, one egg, one pint and a-half of milk, salt and nutmeg. Mix the barley smoothly with a little cold milk, boil up the remainder and pour over the barley, Stirling meanwhile. Add the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt. Replace in the saucepan and stir until it boils. Cool slightly. Beat in the yolk of egg and add the white of egg, stiffly whisked. Turn into a buttered pie-dish. Grat<

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a little nutmeg on the top and bake gently for ten minutes. Delicious Rice Pudding Line a pie-dish with thin pastry and bake lightly. Put a thin layer of apricot jam in the bottom, and then add cooked rice pudding, a second layer of jam thinly spread over the rice, and on top place stiffly-beaten white of egg. Sift over with sugar and bake till golden brown. May be eaten hot or cold. A Good Nursery Pudding To half a teaspoonful of well-washed and drained tapioca add a full teacupful of milk, and allow it to soak overnight. Next morning stir in threequarters of a teacupful of fine oatmeal and let it soak with the tapioca, while one teacupful of sultanas are being picked and washed in warm water and three-quarters of a teacupful of suet is being finely chopped. Mix these with the contents of the bowl. Add half a teacupful of flour, a quarter of a teacupful of sugar, a teacupful of ground ginger, a small half teaspoonful of salt, and as much milk as may be necessary—usually about half a teacupful. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Then steam in a buttered mould or basin for two hours. Serve with boiled custard or cornflour sauce. The Right Way With a “Chariotte.” —When you make an apple charlotte don't crumble the bread, chop up the apples, alternate the two, and then bake them in a dish with dabs of butter. Do it the far, far better way. Cut the bread about a third of an inch thick. Butter it well, cut the slices into half. Stand these upright, and a little over-wrapping, in a high china mould. Cover the bottom of the mould with buttered bread. Fill up with apples, cover the top with buttered bread and bake. By this method the bread is crisp and the apples a pleasant contrast. By the other method the result too often is a soggy pasty pudding. Instead of cloves or a little lemon rind for flavouring cooked apples, have you ever tried a good sprinkling of ;ground almonds?