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Clearing The Table (Dust pan To clear the table)

on a dust pan. To clear the table, bring in a dish-pan, gather up all the silver, cups and saucers, butter and sauce plates, and glassware, carry to the kitchen, place them in the sink and return with the pan. Scrape the plates as clean as possible and put in, add platters and vegetable dishes, saving all the remnants of food that are to be kept, on smaller dishes, to be taken to the cellar or refrigerator. To wash the dishes, have clear hot water in the pan, and first wash the silver without soap or cloth, using only the hands; if any are greasy, wipe with a soft paper before putting in the water, rinse in clear hot water and wipe off immediately on a perfectly dry, soft, clean towel; in this way the silver is kept bright, and does not get scratched. Add some soap in the water, make a suds, wash the glassware, rinse and wipe dry. Next take cups and saucers and so on, leaving those most greasy till the last. Always keep a clean dish-cloth. One lady writes, "I have smelt a whole houseful of typhoid fever in one sour, dirty dish-rag." Many prefer the use of three dish-cloths, one for the nicest articles, one for the greasy dishes, and one for the pots and kettles, keeping each cloth perfectly sweet and clean, and, after using it, washing, rinsing, and hanging to dry on a small rack kept for this purpose. The towel for wiping dishes may also dry here. A dish mop or swab for washing small deep articles is convenient.

Let no one suppose that because she lives in a small house, and dines on homely fare, that the general principles here laid down do not apply to her. A small house is more easily kept clean than a palace; taste may be quite as well displayed in the arrangement of dishes on a pine table as in grouping the silver and china of the rich. Skill in cooking is as readily shown in a baked potato or a johnny-cake as in a canvass-back duck. The charm of good housekeeping lies in a nice attention to little things, not in a superabundance. A dirty kitchen and bad cooking have driven many a husband and son, and many a daughter too, from a home that should have been a refuge from temptation. "Bad dinners go hand in hand with total depravity; while a properiy fed man is already half saved.'

It is almost impossible to give any directions except in a general way regarding the kitchen, as there is an endless variety of plans and arrangement. In no other room in the house are sunlight and fresh, pure air so indispensable as in the room where the most important work must be done. A long,. narrow, dark kitchen is an abomination. Always furnish the kitchen well first, and if there is any thing left to spend on the parlor, well; if not the money has been spent wisely. The main point is to systematize every thing, grouping such things as belong to any particular kind of work. For instance, in baking do not go to the china closet for a bowl, across the kitchen for the flour, and to the farther end of the pantry or store-room for an egg, when they may all just as well be within easy reach of each other. Study and contrive to bring order out of the natural chaos of the kitchen, and the head will save the hands and feet much labor.

If kitchen floors are made of hard wood and simply oiled two or three times a year, no grease spot is made when grease drops on them, for it can be easily wiped up-carpet or paint is not advisable. Neither paint nor paper the walls, but once a year apply a coat of the good old-fashioned whitewash. Do not have the wood-work painted; the native wood well oiled and varnished lightly is much the best finish. A wide, roomy dresser is a great. convenience; it should have two wide closets below and three narrower ones above, with a row of drawers at top of lower closets. Here should be kept all pots and kettles, sauce-pans, waffle-irons, kitchen crockery, tins, etc., all arranged and grouped together so as to be convenient for use. If possible, have good sliding doors, and at top and bottom of same have a narrow sliding panel for a ventilator, which should be closed when sweeping. By this arrangement every article of kitchen ware can be inclosed from the dust and flies. A well-appointed sink is a necessity in every kitchen, and should be mear both window and range, so as to have light, and also be convenient to the hot water. It should be provided with a "grooved" and movable dishdrainer, set so as to drain into the sink. Always have bracket or wall lamps placed at each end, or at the sides, so that the room may be well lighted in the evening. When possible, a long table at the end of the sink, and so close to it that water can not drip between, on which to dress vegetables, poultry, game, etc., saves time and steps; and the good light, which is a necessity in this part of the room, leaves no excuse for slighted or slovenly work. Under this table may be two drawers, with compartments in one for polishing materials, chamois leather, and articles needed for scouring tin and copper; and in the other, articles for keeping the stove or range in order.. (398) Back of the table and sink, the wall should be ceiled with wood for three feet above them, and here may be put up galvanized iron hooks and nails on which to hang basting-spoons, ladles, cooking forks and spoons, the chopping-knife, cake-turner, etc. A set of drawers close at hand for salt, pepper, and spices is also convenient. There should never be bevel, beading, or molding on kitchen window or door frames; and the kitchen door, leading to the dining room, should be faced with rubber and closed with a not too strong spring. Not less than three large windows are desirable in every kitchen, which should be cheerful, pleasant, well ventilated, convenient and clean.

In houses of the old style there was either no pantry at all, the kitchen being furnished with a dresser and shelves, or it was merely a small closet to hold the articles in less common use. In modern houses the pantry is next in importance to the kitchen, and it should be so arranged as to accommodate all the appliances used in cookery, as well as the china, glass-ware, cutlery, and other articles for the table, unless a dresser is used as before suggested. In arranging a plan for building, the pantry should receive careful consideration, as next in importance to the kitchen; it should be sufficiently roomy, open into both the dining-room and the kitchen, and, in order to "save steps," should be as convenient to the range or cooking-stove as circumstances will allow. The window should be placed so as to give light without infringing on the shelving; the shelves should be so arranged as to not obstruct the light from it; the lower ones should be two and a half feet from the floor, and two feet or more in width, and project about three inches beyond the closets and drawers below; and the part near the window, where there is no shelving, may be used for molding and preparing pastry, and such other work as may be most conveniently done here. Other shelves, or a china closet, should be provided for the china and other table furniture in every-day use. The pantry should have an abundance of drawers and closets, of which it is hardly possible to have too many-the upper closets for the nicer china and glass, and the lower ones to hold pans and other cooking utensils in less frequent use. The drawers are for table-linen and the many uses the housekeeper will find for them. If possible the window should be on the north side, but in any case it should have blinds for shade, and a wire gauze or other screen to keep out flies.

Use a cloth to wash potatoes. It is no trouble to keep one for this purpose, and it will save hands and time. Some prefer a brush. Tie a strip of muslin on the end of a round stick, and use to grease bread and cake-pans, gemirons, etc. Have two large pockets in your kitchen apron, and in one of them always keep a holder. A piece of clam or oyster shell is much better than a knife to scrape a kettle, should you be so unfortunate as to burn any thing on it. If you use a copper tea-kettle, keep an old dish with sour milk and a cloth in it, wash the kettle with this every morning, afterward washing off with clear water, and it will always look bright and new. Cut a very ripe tomato and rub over a kitchen table to remove grease. The juice will also remove stains from and whiten the hands.

If you use oil, buy the best kerosene. To test it, place a small quantity in a tea-cup, and if it does not easily ignite when brought into contact with a lighted taper or match, it is good; poor oil will ignite instantly. Keep oil in a ten-gallon can, with a faucet at the lower part, so as to draw off into a smaller can or lamp-filler; set the large can in a cool, dark place; keep all the articles used for cleaning, filling, and trimming lamps by themselves. For these purposes provide an old waiter (to hold the things), a lamp-filler, pair of scissors or a lamp-trimmer, box of wicks, soap, washing soda, and several soft cloths and towels, also a wire hairpin with which to keep open the vent in the burner. When lamps need an extra cleaning, add one tablespoon soda to a quart of water, being careful that none of the bronze or gilding comes in contact with the soda. The wick should touch the bottom of the lamp and be trimmed square across. When the wick becomes too short to carry up the kerosene, and if you have not time to put in a new wick, a piece of cotton rag pinned on below will prove a good feeder. When the burners of lamps become gummy and prevent the wicks moving freely, boil them up in suds over the fire a short time, and they will become entirely elean and work well. Lamps may become incrusted inside with settlings from the oil, and ordinary washing will not remove it. Take soap-suds and fill the lamp about one-third full, then put in a little sharp sand, and shake vigorously. A few minutes will remove every particle of settlings. Always fill the lamps every day and in the day-time; never fill a lamp after dark near a lighted lamp. When lighting a lamp turn the wick up slowly so that the chimney is gradually heated. When taking a lamp from a warm room into a cold one, first turn down the wick; do not fill too full, as the heat ex-- pands the oil and drives it out making the lamp dirty and dangerous. Never light or burn an almost empty lamp, as the empty space is nearly always filled with a very explosive gas. Before putting out a lamp turn it down until the wick is below the top of tube; as if left above it the oil gradually works out through the wick and runs down over the burner and lamp. Turn the flame down low, and wave a fan, book, or paper across the top of the chimney. Blowing down a chimney is very dangerous when a lamp is nearly empty and turned up high. Never start a fire with the oil. Buy the best lamp chimneys by the dozen. The best are cheapest, and it is convenient to have fresh ones on hand when one is broken at an inopportune time. A piece of sponge fastened on the end of a stick or wire is the best thing with which to clean lamp chimneys. Or, hold them over the nose of the tea-kettle when the kettle is boiling furiously. One or two repetitions of this process will make them beautifully clear. Of course they must be wiped upon a clean cloth. Fill new tin pans with boiling water (having a little soda in it), let stand on a warm part of the range for a while wash in strong soap-suds, rinse, and dry well. Scouring tins very often with whiting or ashes wears them out; if properly taken care of, washed in suds and thoroughly dried, they will not need scouring.

Boil ashes or a bunch of hay or grass in a new iron pot before cooking in it; scour well with soap and sand, then fill with clean water, and boil one or two hours. To remove the taste of wood, first scald the vessel well with boiling water, letting the water remain in it till 'cold; then 'dissolve sal-soda or soda, (two pounds to a barrel of water) in lukewarm water, adding a little bit of lime to it, and wash the inside of the vessel well with this solution; afterward scald it well with plain hot water, and rinse it with cold water before you use it. Knives for the table should never be used to cook with those for the former purpose may be a cheap plated set for every-day use, and should be kept by themselves, and never allowed to be used in the kitchen. Never place a range or cooking stove opposite a door or window if it can be avoided, as any draft will prevent the oven from baking well.

A necessity in the kitchen, because a great protection against clothes taking fire, is a large kitchen apron made full length with bib, and sleeves if wished, the skirt to button close around the dress-skirt. A wooden mat (made by laying down six pieces of lath eleven inches long, one inch wide, and an inch apart, and nailing across these, at right angles, six other similar pieces, about the same distance apart) is a great protection to the kitchen table, which should be of ash. Hot kettles and pans from the stove may be set on this without danger, as the construction of the mat secures a circulation of air under it.

It is the "little foxes that spoil the vines" in the kitchen as well as elsewhere-the neglect of little things causes loss of time, patience and money. In building fires concentration is the important point: 1st, the fuel should be concentrated, that is, put together in a compact heap; and 2d, in a place on the grating where the draft can be concentrated upon it These two points gained it is an easy matter to produce a brisk fire. When the kindling, which must be dry and in sufficient quantity, is well started, the wood or coal, as the case may be, is so put on that the draft and flame will pass directly through the fuel. In starting a fire, all depends upon having the conditions right, and great loss of time, and even patience, is incurred if they are not provided. Always have wood in the box. This can generally be done without taking special time for it, by remembering to bring some in when you pass the wood-pile without any thing in the hands. See that the wood-box is full at night, and the shavings and kindlings in their place. In the morning empty the ash-pan, or, better still, clean your stove or range at night. This can always be done, except in case of late suppers. When supper is ready, and there is no further use for the fire, open the oven doors, take all the covers partly off the holes, and by the time the supper dishes and needful work in the preparation for breakfast is done, if the fire has been properly attended to, the stove will be cool enough to clean out, which should be thoroughly done, removing all the ashes or cinders from every part of it. This is a very particular work, as the corners often secrete quite an amount of ashes that must be removed if you would have a perfectly cleaned stove. Rap on the sides of the pipes, to dislodge the soot and ashes that collect there, sweep all out with a long-handled brushbroom and the stove is ready to receive the shavings, kindlings and wood for the fire.

Where there is a large amount of cooking to be done, the ashes should be cleared from under the slides of the ovens as often as twice a week in large or small families; this will insure the oven to bake well, and always the same, if the fire is properly arranged.

Never on any account use coal-oil to make the fire burn more quickly. In making the fire, as soft wood burns more quickly than hard, it is better to have some with which to start it, filling up with hard wood. If the wood is good and properly placed you will have a bright clear flame, yielding a great amount of heat which should be utilized for cooking purposes, by so , by so arranging the draught that none of it is wasted. This can only be done by one who so perfectly understands each part of it as to economize in the use of fuel. The fire needs constant attention, as it is poor economy to let the fire go partially out, as in adding fresh fuel the heat is wasted until the stove and oven are again heated to the right temperature for cooking.

Fill the tea-kettle full of water and place on the stove, and if the fire is good it will boil soon enough for use, and every time water is used , add cold, SO as to keep the supply good. The habit is almost universal to put a small quantity of water in the tea-kettle, aiming to have just enough for certain things, and if an extra demand occurs the kettle is empty, the fire is out, and the delay occasions no little trouble to both cook and mistress.

When water has been made to boil no matter what is cooking in it, the fire may be very much lessened, as but little heat is required to keep it boiling .

Rapid boiling does not hasten cooking, and the articles cooked are much better when boiled slowly.

For general use copper and brass cooking utensils are not the best, because of the great care necessary to keep them clean and free from poisonous deposits, a work that can never be trusted to servants. Care should be used in cooking in tin vessels, as they are liable to be affected by acids, oils and salt, but not to the same extent as copper. For all ordinary cooking purposes, if tin vessels are kept clean and free from rust, no injury will result. A little whiting or dry flour may be used to polish tin with. If a kettle is to be used for cooking fish, heat it first over the fire; if an odor arises, it needs cleaning as above, before using. If the same gridiron has to be used for broiling steak, that has been used for fish, in addition to cleaning it as above, heat it over the fire, rub well with brown paper, then with an onion. In washing tin ware use soft water and soap, and wash well, rinse with hot water, wipe well, and put on the hearth or stove to dry perfectly; once a week wash tin-ware in water in which a little sal-soda has been dissolved; take the suds for the pots and kettles (if not hot add more hot water), and wash and rinse thoroughly on the inside. To wash the outside of pots, kettles and all iron ware, place in a tub or large dish-pan, and with soap on cloth, rub them briskly and hard; if necessary scrape with an iron spoon or old knife to get all dirt off, rinse in hot water, wipe, and place on stove to dry. If kept scrupulously clean, oysters, tomatoes, and even some delicacies that are usually cooked in porcelain and granite ware, may be cooked nicely in iron.

Enameled ware may be cleansed by filling the vessel with hot water, with soda dissolved in it-one ounce to a gallon; let it boil twenty minutes; then if the stain does not all come off, scour with fine sand or brick dust; rinse well with hot water and wipe dry. If by carelessness or accident, while making chow chow, or any thing else, it becomes burned on the porcelain kettle, empty immediately, fill with water, put in about pint of wood-ashes to two gallons of water, let it boil twenty or thirty minutes; clean with sand or brick-dust as above, if it does not all come off. In either case, if unsuccessful the first time, repeat. To clean a brown porcelain kettle, boil peeled potatoes in it. The porcelain will be rendered nearly as white as when new.

To clean silver or plated ware, wash in clean hot water or lay in hot soda water a few minutes; then wipe dry with a canton flannel cloth, and polish with chamois skin. If silver powder is used for cleaning tarnished spots, care must be taken to brush out all the dust from the chased work on the plate. In the daily use of silver, wash in clean hot water and wipe dry with a canton flannel cloth. Never use soap in washing silver.

Steel knives and forks are best cleaned by being scoured with bath brick, but some good "kitchen maids" always use the common brick pulverized, with good success. Have a properly made knife-box, with board extending. on which to lay the knife to scour, wet a cloth in hot water or soft soap and water, dip in the dust which has been previously shaved off; then rub briskly and hard until all spots are removed; wash and rinse in clean, hot water and wipe dry. Never put a knife in hot fat, as it destroys the temper, and the knife is useless.

The sink comes in for special notice. Wash it daily with soap and water, rinse with clean boiling water, always rinsing with hot water after pouring suds into it. This can not be insisted on too strongly, because of such great importance in the cleanliness of the kitchen. The old adage, "A time for every thing," applies here. On Mondays and Thursdays, during summer, pour hot water, containing a little chloride of lime, into the drains, and every Monday in winter. This will prevent all unpleasant or unhealthy odors. The use of soda in cleansing our wares greatly diminishes the quantity of soap needed. As a general thing, too much soap is used in washing dishes. Many good housekeepers do not allow soap used in washing dishes at all, except to clean tin and iron ware, dish cloths and sink. In cleaning an unpainted kitchen floor, if there are spots of grease on it, put some softsoap (or lye, if to be had) in a tin-cup, kept for the purpose; place on the stove until boiling hot; then pour a little on each spot and scour with ashes; wash the floor with soft hot water, rinse well, and, if the grease is not out the first time, try it again when the floor needs cleaning. Always remember to rinse thoroughly, changing the water when it becomes too dirty. In cleaning floors, tables, or wood-work, remember to rub always with, and not across, the grain of the wood.

The breakage of dishes in some houses is fearful. There are very few families rich enough to bear it, much less the families of small means or just a competence. The mother is sick or wearied with the cares of the nursery, and can not see to the putting away of the best china, which has been used because a friend dined with them. While conversing with her guest, she hears a crash in the kitchen. It is with difficulty she remains calm until the guest departs, when she finds a cup has fallen and cracked her nice tureen, and broke a nick out of two or three saucers; or several goblets, set in a careless place, have fallen and are broken. She is sick at heart, for it was but a few weeks before she had spent fifteen or twenty dollars to replace her broken, cracked, and nicked dishes. Little comfort does she get from Bridget, who replies: "La, madam, it was but a few of your dishes, and sure I could not help it. I would not think the likes of ye would make such a fuss." Every wise housekeeper will distinguish between carelessness and accidents. To correct this evil, and stop this great waste, the only way is to have help understand they must replace each broken or nicked dish (for a nick in a dish is as bad as a break), or have the cost of them deducted from their wages. This will cause two very valuable results. The servant will become more careful, which will add much to the comfort of the mistress, and will also form a habit of carefulness that will fit her to become a good housekeeper.

There is an old and true saying, that "a woman can throw out with a spoon faster than a man can throw in with a shovel." In cooking meats, for instance, unless watched, the cook will throw out the water without letting it cool to take off the fat, or scrape the dripping-pan into the swill-pail. This grease is useful in many ways. Bits of meat are thrown out which would make good hashed meat or hash; the flour is sifted in a wasteful manner, or the bread-pan left with dough sticking to it; pie-crust is left and laid by to sour, instead of making a few tarts for tea; cake-batter is thrown out because but little is left; cold puddings are considered good for nothing, when often they can be steamed for the next day, or, as in case of rice, made over in other forms; vegetables are thrown away that would warm for breakfast nicely; dish-towels are thrown down where mice can destroy them; soap is left in water to dissolve, or more used than is necessary; the scrub-brush is left in the water, pails scorched by the stove, tubs and barrels left in the sun to dry and fall apart, chamber-pails allowed to rust, tins not dried, and ironware rusted; nice knives are used for cooking in the kitchen, silver spoons used to scrape kettles, or forks to toast bread; cream is allowed to mold and spoil, mustard to dry in the pot, and vinegar to corrode the casters; tea, roasted coffee, pepper, and spices to stand open and lose their strength; the molasses-jug loses the cork and the flies take possession; vinegar is drawn in a basin and allowed to stand until both basin and vinegar are spoiled; sugar is spilled from the barrel, coffee from the sack, and tea from the chest; different sauces are made too sweet, and both sauce and sugar are wasted; dried fruit has not been taken care of in season, and becomes wormy; the vinegar on pickles loses strength or leaks out, and the pickles become soft; potatoes in the cellar grow, and the sprouts are not removed until they become worthless; apples decay for want of looking over; pork spoils for want of salt, and beef because the brine wants scalding; hams become tainted or filled with vermin, for want of the right protection; dried beef becomes so hard it can't be cut; cheese molds and is eaten by mice or vermin; bones are burnt that will make soap; ashes are thrown out carelessly, endangering the premises, and wasting them; servants leave a light and fire burning in the kitchen, when they are out all the evening; clothes are whipped to pieces in the wind; fine cambrics rubbed on the board, and laces torn in starching; brooms are never hung up, and are soon spoiled; carpets are swept with stubs hardly fit to scrub the kitchen, and good new brooms used for scrubbing; towels are used in place of holders, and good sheets to iron on, taking a fresh one every week; table linen is thrown carelessly down, and is eaten by mice, or put away damp and is mildewed; or the fruit-stains are forgotten, and the stains washed in; table-cloths and napkins used as dish-wipers; mats forgotten to be put under hot dishes; tea-pots melted by the stove; water forgotten in pitchers, and allowed to freeze in winter; slops for cows and pigs never. saved; china used to feed cats and dogs on; and in many other ways a careless or inexperienced housekeeper wastes, without heeding, the hard-earned wages of her husband. Economy counts nowhere so well as in the kitchen..