HOMELY HINTS FOR THE KITCHEN.
By Annie Balcomb Wheeler
[Annie Balcomb Wheeler, in Christian Work.] INSTEAD of holders, try using small towels, large enough to hold both sides of a hot pie or pudding, and made of denim, ticking, or very coarse, thick crash. A holder needs to be two holders in removing hot things from the oven, and the towel is more convenient. The habit of having the stove towel fastened to the cook is an important one, for towels and holders have the fault of hiding when they are most needed. Safety-pin to a tape fastened to the belt or apron, and besides being by you in every emergency, it saves one's house gown and apron. Personally I have a habit of tucking it into the binding of my apron when working about the sink or tubs; it catches the spatters and saves the dress or apron. It is handy, too, to wipe one's hands upon, if you happen to be the other side of the kitchen from the towel rack. The habit of using newspapers about the kitchen saves much labor. Keep them in a pile near the sink and stove, and when cleaning lamps, silver, scouring pans, taking up ashes, etc., spread them down to catch all dirt, and when through the task roll them up and put into the fire. Use pieces of them to rub grease and smut off the pots, pans, and sink before washing them—saving just so much work of washing a grimy, greasy dish-cloth. The paper bag, or “sack” as it is called in many places, is equally as useful as the newspaper. Slip the hand into one before taking up the stove brush or cloth, and it saves griming the fingers. It makes an excellent dust cover for lamps and fruit jars, not only keeping the latter clean, but protecting strawberries and similar fruit from fading from the light. The variety of fruit and date of canning is easily written upon the bag, saving pasting and writing labels. One can not be too careful regarding jars and rubbers. Jars should be sterilized, and the rubbers a close fit, especially if jars are used for milk, vinegar, etc.; when not needed for fruit, it is more important that they should be boiled out; then, too, if put away empty and sealed tight, there is always a close, musty smell when opened, even if they had been immaculate when put away; the easiest way to get them absolutely clean is to put them (jars and tops, but not rubbers) into a wash boiler which has sufficient water to cover them (cold water only), using a tablespoonful of pearline to every pailful of water needed, then cover them closely and let all come to a boil, and boil ten minutes; rinse them in clear hot water, or wait until they have cooled considerably and use cold rinse water; this method of cleansing will leave them perfectly sweet, clean, and germ proof. Always fill the jars as full as possible, and after putting on the covers, turn them upside down to see if any of the liquid oozes out. If even a drop appears, the fruit will spoil. It is not always the rubbers that cause the trouble; sometimes the glass above the top is uneven, and a very little difference will throw the rubber out and let in the air. Rubbers that do not snap back in place upon being pulled are not safe to use, and since they are so inexpensive it is better to use fresh ones each year rather than risk the loss of the fruit.