Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-08
HOUSEKEEPERS' HINTS
MASHED POTATOES THE FoUNDA-
TON OF MANY DISHES.
Chocolate Cake and Hot Biscuits Are
Not Always Indigesti-
BILE.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
Many housewives are training new cooks
just now to teach them how to avoid clam
my, heavy, mashed potatoes. Remember that
milk must not be stinted and 1t positively
must be boiling hot when added. This and
whipping, not pounding, give proper re-
suits. Potatoes for five people require about
half cup of milk: If a little cream is added
as well as the tablespoonful of butter so
much the better.
The cook who has achieved light mashed
potatoes may at once become famous for
fish balls, but she should shred her own
Goldfish. She should allow one cup of fish to
two of mashed potatoes, vice versa, ac-
cordng to the taste of the family She
may also send to table the most delightful
souffle by stirring into two cupfuls of these
same properly mashed potatoes the beaten
yolks of two eggs, and when cooled little,
the whites, beaten stiff1y, stirred in lightly,
the whole turned into a three half pint
(greased) pudding dish and Drowned in a
brisk oven.
Remember 1t pays to have pudding fit
dish" as this insureS proper browning. Re-
member, too, that half pint of cream, If
cold, may be beaten stiff with Dover egg
beater. all at once, in three minutes, II
deep, narrow pint bowl is used wide open
big bowl means Swimming, draining and
other "bothers" that make whipped cream
trouble. The right depth never fails.
No wonder novices pay forty cents for a
pint of whipped cream, although half a
pint of cream costs only ten cents and
doubles in the whipping, for even the most
intelligently written recipes instruct them
to whip, then skim the top, place this on a
sieve, this over and over, then whip the drain
ings. This sounds like an hours work,
whereas a housekeeper of many years eX-
perence has never failed with ordinary city
cream, with proper sized bowl, to have
the cream thick enough to cut with knife
In three minutes. Don't expect results until
the time is nearly up by the clock. Be sure
to use a double-wheeled beater, common
Dover IS all right. With this. by further
whipping. the one-half pint of cream will
yield several little parts of fresh butter,
enough for small family for a meal
A Cake Not Too Pussy
One family, at least, had decided that
chocolate cake with four layers was too
fussy for a regular family institution. When
the home caterer announced, After all a
four-layer cake keeps moist and 1 have
evolved way that saves so much fuss that
the dread of making 1t has disappeared. -
This recipe, If strictly followed gives a
cake batter that fills medium-szed layer
pans rather thinly, with not a speck to
waste. When baked this results in dainty
layers instead of the thick ones that so
often spoil the whole. Use the ordinary
-
then halve the rule one of butter, two of
sugar, three of -four, using three eggs and
quarter of cup of milk. Break up half
a cake of chocolate into small saucepan
and prop on top of boiling kettle to melt
while making the cake
Now comes the fuss saving. When melted
add cup of graduated sugar and half a cup
of positively boiling water. Stir while al
lowing to come to a boil over the fire. The
chocolate should now look shiny, and when
teaspoonful Of vanilla is stirred in Is
ready for top dressing Just here a big
wooden spoonful is to be taken out for top
layer.
Now reheat the chocolate over fire or boil
Ing water, mix up a teaspoonful of corn
starch with quarter cup of milk, stir this
in, cook long enough to take raw taste from
starch and when cool this is ready to
of an egg may be used, which should be
stirred into the cold corn starch and milk.
the hot chocolate then added to that and
all returned to the fire as before. Remem-
Der to have cup of cold water at hand in
which to dip the knife when spreading the
chocolate top, and be sure IL this Is not
properly glace the water for mixing was
not boiling and the whole must be brought
to the boil. A small tin saucepan should be
kept to melt chocolate in, and when making
hot sauce for ice cream follow the hint for
top dressing" allowing two tablespoonfuls
of boiling water and two of granulated
sugar to each square Of chocolate.
Biscuit Made With Soda.
People with delicate digestions often deny
themselves certain articles of food simply
from mistaken notion as to their indiges-