The Art of "Taking Care."
THE success of housekeeping, writes a housekeeper to the Boston Herald, does not depend entirely upon one's ability to cook. A knowledge of how to care for things after they are made, is just as essential as to know how to make them. A few minutes each day given to personal supervision and care will make such a difference in expense that you will be able to save out of your housekeeping fund, enough for a new book now and then. Here, for instance, are some bread hints made on the "take care" plan:— "When you have bread left over, and it becomes stale, do not throw it away. There are many uses to which it may be put, and there need be not even a crumb wasted. Look over the jar carefully every day or two, wipe it out so that no dampness or mold can collect, and gather your stale pieces together. All bread crumbs left upon the bread plates or bread board or in the bread jar, any broken pieces not suitable for toast, and any crust or trimmings from toast, should be carefully collected in a pan by themselves, and dried, but not browned, in the hot closet or in a moderate oven, then pounded in a mortar or rolled on an old bread board, sifted through a coarse sieve, and put away in a dry place. This will be useful in covering anything which is to be dipped in egg and crumbs and then fried. Bread crumbs really brown better and more uniformly than cracker crumbs, besides being cheaper, as they are nearly always made from materials that would otherwise be thrown away. These dried bread crumbs are not to be used for bread pudding or for scalloped dishes, as they will absorb a good deal of moisture. They will keep indefinitely in a dry place. A large, wide-mouthed bottle that can be closely corked, or a pickle or preserve jar is a good receptacle for them. Stale bread crumbs, which are not dried in the oven, but are made from the odds and ends of stale bread, are used for meat or fish stuffing, bread puddings, bread sauce, bread griddle cakes, scalloped fish, and other such dishes. They may be crumbled finely or grated on a coarse grater, and should be used at once, as they will soon become musty. Any whole slices of stale bread may be steamed or made into toast. And do you know what an art there is in doing either of these things well and right? It seems an easy matter, and one that no one can fail in, to make toast, but any of you that have eaten some stuff that is placed before people, and called toast by courtesy, know that failure, even in this simple matter, is easy. You know the kind burned on the outside and doughy in the inside. It is served oftener than it should be, for the very reason that 'it is so easy to do' that no care is given it, and it ought to be well understood by any one who understands cooking that nothing can be done successfully, not even the easiest thing, without both thoughtfulness and care. "The object of toasting bread is to extract the moisture, and make it more palatable and digestible. The fire should be clear, with red, but not blazing coals. The stale bread should be cut into thin, uniform slices, about a quarter of an inch thick, and the crust may or may not be removed, according to your taste or the purpose for which it is required. Place the slices evenly on one side of a double broiler, with wires about a third of an inch apart, being careful not to put in more than can be equally exposed to the fire; close the broiler and hold it firmly, that the slices may not slip; move it gently over the fire for one or two minutes; then turn it over, that all the moisture may be drawn out; hold it nearer to the coals, and color it a delicate brown. Serve at once in a toast-rack, or piled lightly, that it may not lose its crispness."