BUILDING A COOLER.
Query.—W. G. H. writes: I have about completed a cooler except the floor and am undecided whether to make it of plank or cement. I thought you could give me the desired advice. One room is 16 feet square inside; 7 feet to joist with 7 feet of solid ice above, or about 50 tons capacity. The walls are 2 feet thick; 8 inches sawdust, 4 inches dead air space, 8 inches sawdust, with four thicknesses of one-inch boards, thus making the 2 feet. The building has these walls on all sides and partitions. I expect to use the drip from the above to cool another room, 8 feet by 16 feet inside, and will have the water run around this room in gutters (sheet iron) fastened to the wall. I want this as dry and as free from mould and dampness as possible and, therefore, am not sure as to whether a cement floor will be what is needed, though it was my intention to use cement. There is a 2-foot stone wall under the cooler which sets on sand—this sand having been washed up at times past by the lake. There are now fifty tons of ice over the cooler and back of this is an ice house, 16 feet square, inside filled with ice 14 feet high. This makes the building 20 feet wide by 48 feet long, by 20 feet studding. For ventilation a four-inch square flue will run from the bottom in one corner and from the top in the opposite corner of the cooler to the top of the roof, and above it, acting as chimneys. I want to use these coolers for fresh meats, packing hams and bacon, storing eggs and most anything that there is any money in, which requires to be kept in good condition. Your advice will be appreciated.
Ans.—You are building your cooler on very good plans. However, we would advise the use of cement for the floors. It will be found much better than wood, much purer and cleaner, and withal much drier. You speak about putting two ventilators in your cooler, which is all right, but you should be sure to provide these ventilators with slides, so you can shut them off and regulate the ventilation according to your wishes. Of course, you understand that it is not well to have the ventilators open all the time, as it would result in quite a loss of ice. The ventilators should be open only when the room needs ventilation, which will be at well-defined periods, or varying according to the amount of material in storage. Your plan of using the drip water of the ice and running it in pans will work all right. We have seen this method applied, and it was always satisfactory. Be sure to use galvanized iron gutters for the pans, not sheet iron, as it will rust easily.
WHY BOLOGNA “TAKES WATER” IN COOKING.
Query.—H. P. writes: “Sometimes I have bother with my bologna taking water when cooking them. Can you tell me what to do to prevent this trouble?”
Ans.—The difficulty you mention is caused by the sausage not being properly boiled. Ordinary round or long Bologna should be boiled in water of 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about thirty to forty minutes, and thick, large Bologna should be boiled in water of 155 to 160 degrees for from three-quarters to one hour, according to the size. If the sausages are very large, it will take from one and one-quarter to one and one-half hours to cook them properly. After sausage of any kind have been cooked, they should be handled as follows: Pour boiling water over them to wash off all the surplus grease that adheres to the casings, and then pour cold water over them to shrink and close the pores of the casings. This is very important and should be closely observed by all packers and sausage makers who wish to have their sausage look nice and keep their fresh appearance. The shrinkage and quality of cooked Bologna depends considerably upon the temperature in which they have been boiled. It is very necessary for every man who cooks sausage to use a thermometer.
WHY BOLOGNA SHRIVELS.
Query.—T. B.: Can you tell me the reason bologna shrivels when it is taken from the hot water? It looks fine until it gets cold.
Ans.—There are several reasons why your bologna might shrivel when taken out of the boiling water. First, it might be that you do not cure your meat right before the bologna is made, and second, you probably do not use the right kind of a binder, and third, you probably boil the bologna in too hot water. If when the meat is cured properly and you do use the right kind of a binder, the bologna shrivels when taken out of the boiling water, it is because you are boiling it at too high a temperature. Before making bologna you should sprinkle Freeze-Em-Pickle over the meat and leave it for a few days. We refer to our instructions for preparing bologna trimmings, which will be found in our book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making.”