An Interesting Letter

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 92, 28 March 1941, Page 45

An Interesting Letter

Dear Aunt Daisy, Here is this old link in your chain needing to be oiled again. I do not. get time to knit at present, but my husband _is a cripple, and a much better knitter than I am, and has been doing~ soldiers’ knitting, but not Air Force. The idea of a heel-less sock quite takes his fancy. Will you send me the Air Force Knitting Book? In The Listener of January 3, GS., Onehunga, tells of putting her cake in a (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) cold oven, and leaving it all night with only the bottom element on "low." I wonder would I be at liberty to write to her as I have a great bother to cook cakes through in my electric stove. In the old coal range, I always make large rich fruit cakes of all descriptions very successfully; but I seem to need the oven too hot, or hot enough to make the cake bake too brown outside, or it will not be cooked through-even madeira, seed or plainer cakes. My word, Aunt Daisy, that Wholemeal Christmas Cake with the blackcurrant jam and marmalade which you gave some years ago is a great favourite here, cooked or not properly cooked! And I have passed the recipe on to my many friends. Anyway, I would like to know just where that lady places the cake in her oven. I have to turn round all my baking, as my oven cooks more at the back than at the front. I set my cakes on an enamel plate so that they will turn easily, and I leave the turning till about three-parts baked; but they are often too brown even then. So I wonder if I could have G.S.’s_ address. Then I read somewhere in The Listener about someone reheating bread by wetting it with water, and ‘putting it in the oven again. Well, I have done ‘this ever since I have been in this district, over 20 years. Once upon a time we only got bread here once a weeknow it is twice, but if a holiday falls on our bread day, we just have to get @ week’s supply on the previous delivery; but although our bread (brown always) ‘is beautiful bread, it does begin to go off by the end of a week, I plunge the loaf, or part loaf, into water, and pop it into the oven at about 350 degrees, and leave it till it has dried. It is just lovely, but goes dry again more quickly than new bread. I have heard of milk being used instead of water. I wrap it in a scone towel when I take it from the oven, _ I am wondering if I could paint over my linen blinds with the special enamel you so often speak of. Before Christmas I got the men on to cleaning the outside of our house. I can manage the lower part, but not the top; and we use the spray hose used in the orchard, which gives 600 pounds pressure, and removes all the dust from the rough-cast in fine style, also cob-webs and spiders, But this time, the man seemed to think my windows needed washing, and gave them extra attention; and to my dismay I discovered afterwards that the pressure on the windows that opened forced the water through round the window, and I had some wiping up to do; and my blinds at those windows are water marked. Pthesd excuse this long epistle. I really do not know what New Zealand women would do without you. Yours anprect-atively-Mrs. D. (Nelson). Knitting for Air Force Well, now, first of all, the Air Force Knitting Book, This excellent pamphlet is put out by the "Air Force Relations Committee," and contains the standard knitting patterns with pictures for balaclavas (wih ear-holes for telephonists), pullovers with and without sleeves,

Scarves, mittens..and gloves, the heelless sock; as well as good recipes for sending overseas, and instructions for packing. It can be had for the sum of three penny stamps. There is no need to stress the necessity for a sustained effort in providing these comforts for the Royal Air Force. I am posting you the book. Cooking Cake As regards your electric oven, I have not the address of G.S., Onehunga, but she may perhaps: read this letter, and write to you. The cake should be put in the oven just below the half-way shelf, and if you find it browning too soon, or too much, put a piece of kitchen paper over it while it finishes cooking inside. Your top heat would seem to be too much, I think; and it might be better to turn the top element off for some minutes before you put in your cakes, and have only the bottom element on "low." Madeira and plain cakes are generally safe if put in oven at 40 degrees with top element off and bottom at low; and about the middle of the oven, or a little lower down. With your oven, 350 degrees or 375 degrees might suit better, and leave the cake in longer. I would always rather cook a cake slowly -that hard outer crust which forms if done too quickly at first is certainly a drawback to the proper cooking of the inside. Do not put your cake on the scone-tray to cook; stand it on a rackshelf, Faded Blinds For your blinds — yes, blinds have been successfully painted over by many people with that favourite "enamel" of which I speak over the air. Just lay the blinds flat on a table, rab them over with a turpentined rag in case of any &reasiness-(and anyhow it prepares the surface)-then give each side a light coating. The enamel may be thinned down a little, too, with the proper "thinners" for, the enamel. You could, of course, to remove the water marks, dip the blinds in water, partly dry them, and then carefully press with a hot iron-keep them flat all the time, not crumpled up at all. You could also lay them flat on the table, and rub evenly all over with shoe polish, finishing with a clean cloth.