Keeping the House Cool

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 274, 9 February 1928, Page 8

Keeping the House Cool

Hints to Relieve Kitchen Drudgery No part .of the house offers a bigger problem in hot weather than the kitchen and larder. These are the departments which it is most essential to keep cool, and at the same time the very nature of the work carried on therein makes it exceedingly difficult to keep the temperature down. By careful planning and the judicious use of “keep cool’’ equipment, however, much can be done to overcome the difficulty. The greatest drawback in the kitchen when the outside temperature is high is, of course, the cooking range. People must eat even in summer, and a certain amount of cooking is, therefore, inevitable. But planning for several days’ meals at a time, and doing as much of the preliminary cooking on the one occasion when the stove must be used will save hours a day of unnecessary heat in consequence. As many cold dishes, salads, etc., as possible should be added to the menu. The chief offender in the matter of heat is the range. Where gas or electricity is used for cooking purposes the throwing out of heat is considerably less. The one-gas-ring cookers are particularly useful in hot weather, as they are designed in such a way that all the heat is utilised in cooking, and not dispersed about the room. The electric stoves, too, throw out very little heat into the room, as the elements are enclosed and the heat thus concentrated for cooking purposes. For small quantities of food a portable store cupboard and refrigerator combined is particularly useful. t This is constructed of a material which only requires to be immersed in water for two minutes, and will thereafter remain icy cold for 24 hours. No ice is required, nor are chemicals used, and there is no upkeep cost of any kind. Larder shelves made of slate also help to keep the food cool and sweet. Milk and butter are particularly difficult to keep in good condition where no cooling appliances are at 1: nrt. When the weather is sultry it » safest to sterilise all milk the fir*-; thing upon its arrival.

A porcelain-topped table is very clean and attractive, but if it is not available the next best plan is to cover the table top with best white American cloth. Linoleum can also be used, or if preferred, part of the the table can be covered with zinc sheeting and the rest with a glass slab. In all these cases the tables can be continually washed. Of course, there is little use in keeping the kitchen cool if the rest of the house is hot and stuffy. A good way to cool the atmosphere in the whole house is to shutter up all the windows during the heat of the day, and to pull down the blinds as far as they will go when the sun strikes full on them. The front and back doors may be left open, so as to allow a current of cool air to pass through the house; but be sure to screen the openings with linen curtains. Awnings over the windows are also a great help, and when made of gaily striped material they give the outside of the house a very attractive appearance.

As soon as the sun sets let the blinds up and throw the windows open. Let the rooms soak in all the cool, fresh evening air they cab hold. All night long the windows may be left open, provided the blinds are drawn to keep out the early morning sun. It is uninterrupted sunlight, pouring in and intensified by glass windows, that makes our homes so unbearably hot. Knowing this, we can protect ourselves In hot countries like Italy, where intense heat has to be coped with every year, all the houses are built with deep, shady porches and balconies, so that the sunshine never strikes directly on to a door or a window. PEACH MERINGUE Take two spoonfuls of cornflour and mix with it a little cold milk. Put nearly one quart of milk on in an enamelled saucepan. When boiling pour in the moistened cornflour. Stir till thick. Remove from the fire. Add one tablespoonful of butter. Allow the mixture to cool. Then put in the yolks of three eggs. Beat well until it looks light and creamy. Now take a piedlsh and cover the bottom with two or three layers of sweet, juicy peaches halved and stoned. Sprinkle over them some castor sugar. Pour over the custard carefully. Bake for 20 minutes. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, pour over and return to oven. Bake it a light brown. It can be eaten hot with rich sauce or served cold with cream.