Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-11
WASTEFUL HOUSEKEEPING.
FEW AMERICAN FAMILIES UNDER
STAND ECONOMY.
How to Utilize Odds and Ends-Practica
Advice in Regard to Purchasing
Meats and Vegetables.

same condition of life, wasted Although ct
may be somewhat of an exaggeration, it is
true that in the average American kitchen,
cellar and storeseom the waste is some
thing enormous; perfect series of little
leaks; continuous procession of the
little foxes that destroy the vines"
| Fortunately, however, it is of late be-
coming fashionable to economize, and
housekeepers are actually finding it de-
| lightful pastime to search out and put a
stop to extravaganza and waste, and to ex-
ercise the thousand little economies which
thoughtful women understand.
To the young and inexperienced it is no
small task to learn economy. If the young
! housekeeper has had a wise, careful mother
her duties in her new home are compara-
lively easy. If not, she must blunder into
Il knowledge of practical housekeeping,
and at the cost of much precious time,
temper and money.
There is an old and true legend that "a
woman can throw out with a spoon faster
than man can throw in with shovel"
| Here are few instances to prove it; /;
snags which every housekeeper will do
we'll to avoid. They are snags that are
well under water and apparently harm
| less.
As when, for example, your maid-of-all-
work, or, for that matter, your twenty
dollar month devoid of principle cook,
throws away the water in which meat has
been cooked, instead of allowing it to
stand to cool and collecting the fat-cake
that forms on top, that makes such excel
lent drippings, and that will save its weight
twice over in butter for cooking. Or when
good clean scraps or trimmings of meat are
tossed into the garbage pail instead of be-
ing utilized or when vegetables are thrown
away that could be nicely warmed over
for breakfast. The -four is sifted waste
fully; the pie-crust is left to sour, instead
of being made into dish of delicious
tartlets for tea Cake batter is thrown
away because only little is left, instead
of adding little more to it and utilizing
! it. Cold pudding is thrown away as being
utterly useless, when it can be steamed
afresh next day, and, il rice or tapioca,
| transformed into a new dessert by being
made into croquettes and served with
cream or sauce. Mustard is allowed to
dry in the mustard pot; vinegar to corrode
the caster; tea, coffee and spices left to re-
main in the grocer's paper bags, thus rap
| idly losing their strength the molasses
jug, uncorked, is left as fy-catcher dish
cloths and towels are left on the floor,
where mice destroy them; soap is left to
melt In the water; tubs and pals are left
empty, to fall apart; tins are not thor
oughly dried; fiat-irons allowed to rust;
the best knives used for cooking; silver
! spoons to scrape pots and kettles; and the
like, small items individually, but in the
| aggregate enough to ruin Vanderbilt
in time.
And then the breakage of dishes! There
are few families well enough off TO bear it,
let alone families of small means. The
| wife and mother is entertaining a friend
in the parlor or rocking her baby to sleep
IN the nursery, when-crash goes some
thing in the kitchen. With almost super
human effort she patiently awaits the de-
| parture of her visitor or the sound sleep OF
the little one to ascertain the damage. A
pile Of cups were piled too high, toppled
over, cracked the soup tureen, broke
handles off several cups, broke two goblets
and nicked several dinner plates. And
Bridget comforts her: ''Sure and indade,
mum, they did list break themselves
Never bit did touch thin. And it's
not lady loike yourself as d be Worried
about tritle of a few old dishes, num-"
1t takes wise woman to discriminate
| between accident and carelessness. To
| avoid this eyil-and it is really an evil
let every servant who enters your kitchen
| have it distinctly understood that she is
to replace every dish she breaks or hicks;
| for nicked dish is only fit to be relocated
/ 20 ha l.gt,N Of l..
servant IS careful girl she will not object
to your rules. II she is one of the slam
bang sort, you don't want her.
Another matter in which<economv is
dependent upon Judgment is that of mar
! keting. Very few housekeepers know how
| to market wisely and WELL In fact, mar
keting nowadays is carried on by telephone
| altogether too much. You send your or
der, what you want. They send you what
| they want. You take what you can get.
If the housekeeper can possibly do it, she
should personally attend to her market
ing. Just now, it is a perfect joy to look
at, select and order from the feast of good
| things that generous nature spreads out
lavishly.
In buying vegetables, always have In
mind the meat you intend to offer at din
ner and select the vegetables that suit it.
| Potatoes are good with all meats, mashed
always with poultry. Sweet potatoes are
most appropriate with roasts, also onions,
winter squash aud asparagus.
With either boiled or roasted meats, use
corn, beats, beans and peas; with boiled
meat, carrots, parsnips, turnips, greens,
cabbage; mashed turnips or mashed tur-
nips and potatoes, equal parts, are very
| good with roasts, especially pork Toma-
toes go" with every kind of meats but
especially roasts; apple sauce with pork,
cranberry sauce with poultry.
In selecting vegetables, take those that
are bright, fresh-looking and 'tsnappy"-
that Is, those that snap crisply to the
touch. If they bend Imply they are stale
| Wilted vegetables can often be restored
by sprinkling with cold water and laid in
a cool, dark place. In selecting tomatoes,
choose the smooth, medium size Cauli-
flower should be solid and creamy. If
they show dark spots avoid them. Celery
should be white, solid and clean. Egg
plant should be firm, but not too ripe.
The oval, purple kind is the best. Peas
should look bright and green and feel cool
and dry.
Old peas may be detected by rusty spots
| on VIC Pous. IolaIOeS Sn0uld be OF me-
dunn size, smooth, with small eyes. If
you wish to test them slice off piece at
the large eud; if you you find it spotted
don't invest. Berries always show their
keeping. 4 fresh, bright berry speaks for
itself. Morning is the time to eat them.
and the time TO buy them
Although not such delight to the eve
as the vegetable and fruit markets, the
butcher stall calls for more intelligence in
selection, and it is fact that your own
hatcher will tell you that not one out of
ten women know how to buy meat. And
yet little knowledge of the parts, with
moderate amount of observation and ex-
perience, will enable one to buy intelli-
gently and economically.
If you are obliged to buy meat some
time before you use it, sprinkle it thicllly
with pepper; it can easily be removed be-
fore cooking. Powdered charcoal is ex-
cellent to preserve meat from becoming
tainted. Wash the meat as soon as It
comes from the butchers and thoroughly
dry it. Never buy bruised meat. With
the exception of veal all meats are better
when kept few days in cool place; not
directly on the ice, but near it.
ir, tfrct T., "a.