Fowler's Household Helps Part 4

Be sure and install control switches and telltale lamps on cellar and attic lights.

Provide three-way switches in the halls so that the hall lights may be controlled from either the first or second floor.

All ceiling outlet lighting, and wherever desirable, side bracket lighting, should be controlled by wall switches. These switches should preferably be of the push-b.u.t.ton type rather than of the snap-switch type. In general the best location for these switches is on the wall of the room right next to the door which is the entrance most frequently used.

FUSES

Fuses on your electrical wiring act in the same capacity as a safety valve on a steam boiler. Whenever there is an overload on the circuit or a short circuit these fuses blow and relieve the strain on your wiring.

When in doubt or when in need of suggestions, 'phone the Sales Department of your Lighting Company.

HOUSEHOLD HELPS

Look in the Index for the princ.i.p.al word of the article about which you desire information. For instance, "To Open Fruit Jars", look under "Fruit Jars"

IN THE KITCHEN

Use Sand Soap to Sharpen the Food Chopper--If the knives of your food chopper become black and dull, run a piece of sand soap, or scouring brick, through the chopper as you would a potato. It will brighten and sharpen the knives and they will cut like new. Use pulverized sand soap or the scouring brick with which you scour.

Kerosene for Water Bugs--A small quant.i.ty of kerosene poured down the drain pipe occasionally will stop annoyance from this pest.

To Prevent a Gla.s.s from Breaking when pouring hot water in it, first put a spoon in the gla.s.s. This method can also be used when pouring hot soup or any hot liquid in any fragile receptacle.

When b.u.t.ter is Too Hard to spread easily, turn a heated bowl upside down over the b.u.t.ter dish for a few minutes. This will thoroughly soften the b.u.t.ter without melting it.

To Open Fruit Jars--Strips of emery board, about one inch wide and eight inches or so long, will be found useful to loosen obstinate fruit jar tops. Just place the strip around the edge of the top, and give it a twist.

To Keep Refrigerator Sweet--A lump of charcoal should be placed in the refrigerator to keep it sweet. When putting your best tea or coffee urn away, drop a small piece of charcoal in it and prop the lid open with a toothpick.

Currycomb for Scaling Fish--A currycomb is better than a knife for scaling fish, as it protects the hands.

Cornpopper for Toasting Bread--The cornpopper can be used for toasting odds and ends of stale bread which would otherwise be wasted.

To Prevent Stains Under the Nails--Dip the ends of the fingers in melted tallow before beginning a task which is likely to stain them.

To Remove Stains from the Hands, rub them with a piece of lemon.

Starch to Prevent Chapped Hands--Use starch which is ground fine to prevent chapped hands. Every time the hands are washed and rinsed thoroughly, wipe them off, and, while they are yet damp, rub a pinch of starch over their entire surface. Chapping is then not likely to occur.

Wisp Brush for Greasy Pans and Kettles--A small wisp brush is better for cleaning greasy pans and kettles than the string mop you use for the dishes. You can buy them two for five cents. A little soap powder sprinkled on them makes a fine suds for the tinware and cooking utensils.

Best Way to Strain Soup--When straining soup set a coa.r.s.e strainer inside of a fine one and pour the liquid through both; you will thus avoid clogging the fine one with pieces of meat and broken bones.

How to Crack Pecan Nuts--Almost all housewives know how very hard it is to crack pecan nuts and get the meats out whole. Pour boiling water over the nuts and let them stand tightly covered for five or six hours. The nut meats may then be extracted easily without a trace of the bitter lining of the nut. Use a nut cracker and crack lightly all around the nuts. The work is quickly done and is not at all like the tedious process of picking out the meats from the dry nuts. The meats nearly always come out whole.

Lemon Squeezer for Making Beef Juice--When one has to make beef juice in small quant.i.ties which does not warrant buying an expensive meat-press, use instead a ten-cent lemon squeezer.

This can be sterilized by boiling and kept absolutely clean. One can press out several ounces in a very few minutes.

Quick Way to Peel Carrots--Use a coa.r.s.e grater to peel carrots. A few pa.s.ses over the grater will rid the carrots of their skins quicker than any other method.

Proper Way to Slice Bacon--To slice bacon properly, always place it rind down, and do not attempt to cut through the rind until you have the desired number of slices. Then slip the knife under them and cut them free of the rind, keeping as close to it as possible.

When Cream is on the Turn--When the sweetness of the cream is doubtful and there is no more on hand and it must be used, a pinch of soda will keep it from curdling, even in hot coffee.

To Prevent Musty Teapot--When putting away a silver teapot, or one that is not in everyday use, place a little stick across the top underneath the cover. This will allow fresh air to get in and prevent mustiness.

Lemon or Orange Peel for Tea Caddy--Thoroughly dry the peel from an orange or a lemon, and place it in the tea caddy. This will greatly improve the flavor of the tea.

Heat Lemons Before Squeezing--In using lemons, heat them thoroughly before squeezing and you will obtain nearly double the quant.i.ty of juice that you would if they had not been heated.

To Keep Teakettle from Rusting--A clean oyster sh.e.l.l placed in the teakettle will keep out rust.

To Clean Gas Stove Burners--Pick the holes open with a large pin and apply a vacuum cleaner to take out the particles of dirt.

Flour for Burning Kerosene--Wheaten flour is the best extinguisher to throw over a fire caused by the spilling and ignition of kerosene. This should be a matter of common knowledge, since flour is always within convenient reach.

Use for Old Newspapers--Old newspapers clean stoves beautifully, as well as being useful for polis.h.i.+ng kitchen windows.

To Take Rust from Flat-Irons, tie some yellow beeswax or paraffine in a cloth, and when the iron is warm, but not hot enough to use, rub with the wax and then rub it through sand or salt.

A Good Stove Polisher--A piece of burlap is a very good polisher for the kitchen stove or range when it is hot. It does not burn readily, and for that reason is better than flannel or cotton cloth or paper.

Wire Rack for Use Under Pies--When taking pies from the oven, do not put them on the flat surface of the table to cool unless a high wire rack is put under them. The rack helps to keep the crust crisp and they will not be soggy.

Marble Slab or Plate Gla.s.s for Mixing Board--For mixing cake and pastry an old marble slab or a piece of plate gla.s.s is better than a wooden board.

To Prevent Cakes from Burning--Sprinkle the bottom of the oven with fine, dry salt to prevent cakes, pies, and other pastry from burning on the bottom.

Wooden Bowl When Was.h.i.+ng Silver--When was.h.i.+ng silver, use a wooden tub or bowl if possible. There will be less danger of the silver getting scratched or otherwise damaged.

Tissue Paper for Greasy Dishes--Very greasy dishes should be wiped with soft tissue paper before being washed.

To Skin Tomatoes Easily--Tomatoes nearly always have to be skinned before being used. To do this easily, place them in a basin and pour boiling water over them. Let stand a minute, and then drain.

Another method is to rub the tomatoes all over with the back of a knife to loosen the skins before peeling. This is said to be better than scalding.

To Peel Sweet Potatoes Easily--Before putting sweet potatoes in the oven, grease the skins and they can then be peeled easily and without any waste of the potato.

To Prevent Roasted Meat from Drying Out--To prevent roasted meat, which is to be served cold, from drying out and losing its flavor, wrap it in cheesecloth while it is still hot.

When Food is Too Salty--When you have put too much salt into cooking food, stretch a clean cloth tightly over the kettle and sprinkle a table-spoonful of flour over the cloth. Then allow the contents of the kettle to steam and in a few moments the flour will absorb the surplus salt.

To Remove Fish Odor from Hands--A few drops of ammonia in the water in which you wash your hands will remove all fishy odor from the hands after preparing fish for cooking.

To Remove Onion Smell from Pans--The disagreeable smell of onions which clings to pots and pans so stubbornly can be quickly removed by was.h.i.+ng and drying the pans, then scouring them with common salt, and placing them on the stove until the salt is brown. Shake often, then wash the pans as usual.

To Prevent Onions from Making the Eyes Water--Scalding water poured over onions will keep the eyes from watering.