HYGIENE, ECONOMY AND SANITATION.
The pantry shelf with its contents is responsible for many acute diseases and ptomaine poisoning by unhygienic and careless handling and preservation of foodstuffs.
A closet for the preservation of food should be located on the north or east side of the house if possible. It should have several long and narrow windows from top to bottom, so as to allow plenty of air and light. The shelves should be constructed of wire, zinc or wooden slats, and be removable.
Raw fruits and vegetables should never be kept in the same closet with cooked food. Potatoes, carrots and underground vegetables should be kept out of doors or in a dry basement. They may be preserved in a box with dry sand.
Onions should not be left in a paper bag; hang them up in the sun or keep them in a flat box in a dry place. Onions which have been cut should never be used again for food, unless the cut side has been preserved in vinegar or oil.
All raw foods which have a thick skin have better keeping qualities than those with a thin skin; therefore, fancy summer fruits should be eaten while fresh on the same day they were picked. No more should be bought than can be eaten the same day, or else they should be preserved by sterilization.
Green vegetables should be used fresh if possible, and not kept longer than three or four days. Never keep them in the house or pantry.
Apples or other winter fruits should be kept in a dry store room out of doors, in the attic or in a dry basement.
Whites of eggs should not be kept longer than 18 or 24 hours. They must be preserved in a very cold place and be utilized at the earliest opportunity. They are like all proteins, more dangerous than starches if left to ferment, whether the fermentation begins on the pantry shelf or in the stomach. White of egg can be used in many different ways. It may be beaten to a froth and served on fruit soups or fruit pies, or it can be taken in place of broth at the beginning of a meal. Add a tablespoon of water and a few drops of lemon or orange or apple or cranberry juice to one white of an egg and beat up with a fork, or drink without beating. White of egg can also be utilized for bran cakes.
The white film that often gathers around grapes is a breeding place for diphtheria germs. Wash thoroughly before eating all fruits which have been stored in houses or at the market. Do not prepare more raw food than can be eaten at one meal. Never allow it to stand after it is cut.
Many housekeepers think it important to scald their dishes, but do not know that it is far more important to sterilize or reboil cooked foods which have stood on the shelf for 18 to 24 hours and sometimes longer. Such foodstuff is dangerous long before the process of fermentation can be detected by the sense of smell or taste.
Some foods begin to undergo changes immediately after cooling; therefore, cooked foods left over, with the exception of a few, should be reboiled before serving again. Rice or other cereals should be stirred over the fire for a while and then baked in the oven until they are thoroughly sterile. The care of milk has been discussed in the chapter on food. Soups which are preserved with fat will keep wholesome for several days without reboiling. Fruits and fruit juices should not stand longer than 24 hours. Eggs are best preserved in bran or lime water or on ice if kept for a week or longer.