SPECIAL HINTS FOR YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS.
1. In making soups or gravies which require colouring the outer skins of the onion should be left on. Mushroom skins are also useful for this purpose, and impart a pleasant flavour.
2. When thickening soups, gravies, etc., mix the flour, cornflour, arrowroot, etc., to a smooth cream with cold liquid first, then stir continually from the bottom and against the sides of the saucepan or other vessel to prevent lumps.
3. The dripping from roast mutton, when used for making pastry, sometimes has an unpleasant flavour. If a few drops of vinegar and of oil be beaten up with it, it will be found quite as good as beef dripping.
4. Home-dried herbs are much cheaper than bought ones. About June buy the herbs, rinse them slightly in cold water, strip off the leaves, place the various kinds of herbs on separate pieces of white paper, in the oven or on top of it. When the leaves are quite crisp, rub them through a wire sieve, and bottle them up tight.
5. When chopping onions, let cold water run on the wrists for a minute. This will prevent the eyes from watering.
6. When the juice of lemons is required, and the lemons are hard, place them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes; they will become quite soft. To keep them from getting mouldy, wrap each one in tissue paper, and keep separate.
7. Stale scraps of bread should be put in a tin in the oven, and baked a nice brown. When quite crisp, they should be pounded and bottled. These “raspings” will be found very useful.
8. Bread should be kept in a glazed earthenware pan, which should have a cover, and must be cleaned frequently.
9. To disguise the disagreeable odours which often ascend from the kitchen during the process of cooking, throw a handful of cedar dust on the top of the grate. (This—called “Dust of Lebanon”—may be obtained of most stationers at about 4d. per packet.)
10. Milk is the best thing for removing fresh ink stains, but it must be applied immediately, and the stained part washed.
11. A little powdered sugar sprinkled on a fire, which is almost out, will invariably revive it. Salt sprinkled on a fire clears it for grilling, roasting, etc.
12. House flannels should be herringboned all round before they are used. This ensures their lasting longer, and prevents sinks being stopped up by the ravellings.
13. It is a decided economy to order soap in large quantities. It should be cut up when new, and stored for several weeks in a warm place to dry. Candles also last longer if kept some weeks.
14. All stores should be kept in air-tight tins or glazed jars.
15. Liquid browning, for colouring soups and gravies, should be made as follows, and kept in a bottle for use:—Put 2 oz. pounded loaf sugar in a small iron saucepan; let it melt, stirring with an iron spoon; when very dark (but not black), add ½ pint hot water; let it boil up, and when cool, bottle it. A few drops are sufficient to colour a quart of liquid.
KOSHERING.[[1]]
Leviticus, ch. xvii. 10, 11:—“And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
When purchasing meat, care must be taken to see that all veins of blood, forbidden fat, and the prohibited sinew have been removed. It is the custom in London to affix a label marked “Porged” on joints from the hind-quarters, which have been prepared in accordance with our ordinances.
The following are the Jewish regulations for koshering meat and poultry:—
The meat is put into a pan, specially reserved for the purpose, and is then entirely covered with cold water, and left in it for half-an-hour. Before removing the meat from the water, every clot of blood must be washed off. It should then be put upon the salting board (a wooden board perforated with holes), or a basket lid, placed in a slanting position, so that the water may run off. Finely powdered salt is then sprinkled profusely over every part of the meat. The meat must remain in salt for one hour. It is then removed, held over a sink or pan, and well rinsed with cold water three times, so that all the salt is washed off. Then it is placed in a clean cloth, and thoroughly dried.
The heart and the lungs must be cut open before being soaked, so that the blood may flow out. The liver must be prepared apart from other meat. It must be cut open, washed in cold water, fried over the fire on a shovel, and, whilst frying, it must be salted. When fried the blood must be well washed from it.
The head and feet of an animal may be koshered with the hair or skin adhering thereto. The head should, however, be cut open, the brain removed and koshered separately. The ends of the claws and hoofs must be cut off before the feet are koshered.
Poultry is koshered in the same way as meat, taking care that previous to the soaking in water the whole of the inside be completely removed.
THE ECONOMICAL JEWISH COOK.