Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-12-06
HOME INTERESTS.

rub well teaspOonful of soda, and, when
well mixed, two teaspoonfuls of cream of
tartar; then either powdered cloves or
ginger to taste, cut fine. To one teacupful
of butter, or lard and butter mixed, add
two teacupfuls Of molasses. If too stiff
add little more mOlasses if too soft add
flour until of the proper consistency to
roll out. Cut i'm round cakes and bake in
quick oven. Cloves and no ginger make
a delightful cake.
FIXING OVER SILKs.-FOr the remalxing
of last years black silk may be recon-
mended an excellent mode of cleaning.
Rub each breadth carefully with wooden
cloth to get the dust from the surface, then
sponge it all off with water in which one
or two black kid gloves have been boiled,
quart of water for pair of gloves; iron
while wet, with extremely hot irons, on
the wrong side. For colored silks, the
same colored gloves to be boiled; for this
purpose it is we'll to save old kid gloves of
all colors. Another mode tried with great
success is the same process of rubbing off
the dirt with wooden rag then mix an
equal quantity Of strong tea and vinegar,
with which the silk is washed by rubbing
it with piece of flannel. Unjust be made
very wet. Smooth the silk carefully, fold
| ing it, and in about fifteen minutes iron it
on the wrong side with very hot irons.
This applies only to black silk, black rib
bons, cravats, but might be injurious to
cOlors.
COOKING MEATS.-The most economical
way of using meat, says the Journal of
| Chemistry, is to cook it in hot water, and
serve it up in its own gravy. If it is
boiled for preparing soup, the water should
not be too qnickly raised to the boiling
point, since this tends to coagulate the al
luminous portions, and to prevent the
juices from passing into the water. The
meat should be chopped or cut as fine as
possible, and STEPPED for some time in cold
water, which should then be gradually
heated up to temperature not exceeding
l50o Fahrepleit, or $50 below its boiling
point. At the last moment the soup may
be allowed ia reach the boiling point. The
bones should be crushed or broken up into
small pieces, and boiled, or rather simmer
ed, for eight or ten hours, i'm order to thor
oughly extract their nutritive matter. II
we wish to cook meat in such way as to
preserve the maximum of nutriment IN
the most digestible form, we should place
it in large pieces i'm boiling water and keep
il there for five minutes. The high tenn
perature coagulates the albumen at the
surface of the meat, stops up its pores, and
thus prevents the juices from escaping.
After this boiling for about five minutes,
add cold water to reduce the water to l50o
F., and keep it at that temperature until
the meat is sufficiently cooked. 1t will
then be found to be tender, juicy, savory,
and nutritious. Sailed meat intended to be
eaten cold, should be allowed to cool in the
water in which it has been boiled. In
roasting meat, as in boiling it, the first OBJ
ject should be to coagulate the albumen at
the surface, in order to prevent the escape
of the juices. The meat should be at first
placed close to the fire, kept there for ten
or fifteen minutes, and then withdrawn to
a greater distance from the heat. If cook
ed in the oven of stove or range, the oven
should be very hot when the meat is first
put into it, kept at the same heat for short
time, then cooled down partially (by open
ing the door or checking the fire), and the
roasting should then be allowed to go on
very slowly, so that the inner parts may
be thoroughly done. The loss of weight
| mostly water and fat is nearly one-third
more i'm roasting tllan in boiling. Roast
meat has the richer flavor, because certain
aromatic principles are developed by this
mode of cooking. The occasional dredg-
ing of flour over the surface of the meat
helps to stop up the pores and prevents
the escape of the fat. Roasted meat is not
so well suited for invalids and dyspeptics
as boiled meat, since it is apt to contain
acriJ substances formed out of the highly
heated fat. Broiling is species of roast
ing, but it ordinarily produces more di-
gestible food for the dyspeptic. Frying is
the worst possible mode of cooking meat,
especially for persons whose digestive
powers are not vigorous, as it almost inva-
riably develops a very acrid substance
known as acroleine and sundry fatty acids
that are nearly as unwholesome.