Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-15
Some Cleaning Hints.

| Do not neglect the inside of the door
/ for while it is open, and does not then
seem like a part of the box lining, it
collects dirt and grease. When the en-
| tire refrigerator is thoroughly cleansed
! wash it with cold water, to chill II.
Take out the waste pan and empty II
| again, replace it, and. as soon the
box feels cool to the touch, put in the
| shelves. the ice and the eatableS. If the
| interior is in bad condition. give it
three thin coats of white enamel paint
The first two of these should be allowed
to dry thoroughly for few days prior
to the last application.
The effect of cold on food is to re
tard decay, or by freezing to stop 1t
absolutely. In household refrlgerators
it is never cold enough to freeze. 1t is
only cold enough to retard decay. The
misuse of the refrigerator lies IN the
belief that it will prevent decay. Just
as long as you realize that 1t only re-
tards decay you are safe ana your re-
frigerator will do good service. An ice
box should always be full of ice. 1t Is
moor economy to allow the supply to
decrease, and if sufficient ice is pro-
yided the box can be kept at an even
temperature, which insures the pres
ervation of the food it contains. A
common mistake is getting small
piece of ice each day instead of filling
the ice chamber two or three times a
week. The small piece of ice cannot
reduce the temperature sufficiently, ana
the result is that each new piece melts
rapidly and the food cannot be kept
fresh 1t is much more injurious to
food to keep it in a box with scanty
supply of ice than to leave 1t covered
on a pantry shelf where there Is
good sIIpplv of fresh air. Refrigeration
of household provisions means icy cold
food in a closed receptacle. Food IN 4
receptacle with little ice quickly be-
comes tainted.
Ice should be well washed before
@ft-irr
YOU must be economical with ice wrap
each cake in a piece of old wooden
blanket, which must be removed and
boiled in water and baking soda once
a week. The breaking of ice is usually
a wasteful process. If cracked ice is
needed there is an economical way of
severing a piece of the desired size
from the main lump. Instead of ham
mering or hacking at 1t with PICK
which may slip and punch hole IN
of tive instrument slowly but firmly
upon a. spot above the corner of
block, using the palm OF the mana
against the end of the handle, pushing
steadily and with force When you
wish to set dishes on ice in the re-
frigerator put a rubber ring, such as
used on fruit jars, under the dish to
prevent danger of slipping as the ice
meltS
A saucer of broken pieces of charcoal
set in the refrigerator will absorb i'm
purities and prevent unpleasant odors- 1t
should be renewed each week. Use glass
preserve jars with screw tops for keeping
left-overs in the refrigerator. NO doors
can then escape and the contents OF the
jars may be seen at a glance. The foods
that spoil easily are milk. Cream butter,
uncooked meat, uncooked fish, certain
fruits such as peaches and pfums, and
vegetables that wilt easily, such as let
| tuce and spinach
Never leave milk or cream uncovered.
| as they readily take up the odors and
! fayors from other food. Vegetables that
are to be eaten in a raw state should be
dipped quickly in boiling water, to which
| has been added a pinch of boric acid pow
| der, to destroy any germs, and then put in
| cheesecIoth and placed directly on the ice
| to preserve their crispness. The foods
| that do not spoil so easily are eggs, fruits,
| such as apples, oranges and lemons. cook
ed meat and cooked, sailed and smoked
| fish Berries. peaches or apricots should
not be kept long or in boxes in the re-
| frigerator. Pears, melons and grapes
| come to no harm by lying on the ice for
some hours before they are to be eaten
but they should not be kept in a damp
| Mace too long and should be eaten as
soon as they are removed from the re-
| frigerator. Celery. salads Of all sorts
| caulifiower, tomatoes. peas, beans and
| other succulent vegetables may be stored
| for a day or two in the refrigerator and
| he much better for it. Potatoes, onions
turnips, carrots, etc, should be kept dry
and cool, but not cold