Evening star., 1925-07-24

N see that II Is properly pldCeu.
Few housewives realize the
Importance of this. Place the re-
frigerator where it won't overhead or
be exposed to moisture, draft or sud
den changes in the weather. A porch,
even though protected, or cellar are
bad places for il. The best place Is
in the kitchen near the rear entrance.
This may not be as convenient as
little nearer the working section, but
it saves the ice man crossing your
kitchen. The ideal arrangement. OF
course, is an outside icer opening on
the porch.
You are, of course, interested in
knowing about the right use Of ice,
how to get the most benefits from its
use and how to make sure of food and
health protection. For these results
a steady cold temperature is neces-
sary. Keep the ice chamber of your
refrigerator we'll filled, then the ice
will melt more slowly. When there is
doubt as to whether a piece Of ice
will last until the next day, don't take
the chance.
If the ice runs low, or, worse still,
runs out, the food feels the effect of
it's diminishing before you notice Its
disappearance. The refrigerator gets
warm and smells woody, and all sorts
of food deterioration is likely to oc-
cur.
The ice man may be delayed, which
seems to happen when the supply is
allowed to run low. and also when
fresh supplies from the merchants s
cold box arrive and are placed in your
refrigerator. Then, If anything goes
wrong 1t is the merchant who is US
ually blamed. There is more food lost
between the chopping block and the
table than most buyers realize, and
this is especially likely to happen If
the refrigerator is run on a hit-or-
miss plan.
Leave the ice uncovered. Wrapping
the ice in newspaper or blanket
may keep the ice from melting, but
it also prevents the free circulation of
air around the ice and that prevents
publication of the air. The whole
surface of the fee is needed to purify
the air properly.
Question OF Size.
1t is a great mistake to have too
small refrigerator for the amount
of food in 1t. There is not room for
enough ice. The food is heating ele-
ment and melts the ice more rapidly
than the ice can chill the food. Too
much crowding of food also obstructs
the air circulation, so essential to
keeping the flavor fresh and appetiz-
ing. 1t is not the size of the refrig-
orator so much as the quantity OF food
which consumes ice.
1t makes a big difference where you
place the various kinds of food in
refrigerator. They give off odors, and
these odors are sure to minGle un-
pleasantly If the air circulation
reaches them in the wrong order.
Many housewives believe that the
place nearest the ice in a refrigerator
is the coolest, but this is not true.
The coolest place is at the bottom of
the refrigerator.
Hot air rises, and air that is not
being constantly purified by circula-
ton around the blocks of ice soon be-
comes unfit to come in contact with
food. When the warm air in the re-
frigerator rises it carries with it i'm
puritieS and moisture absorbed from
the surface of the food, which, II
allowed to remain in the air, spoil
food.
The air which is warmed by pass
ing over the food comes in contact
with the ice. where the moisture is
condensed upon the surface, and the
impurities are carried off by the melt
ing ice The air is thus dried, cooled
and purified. Then the cooled air i'm
mediately desoends to gather up more
moisture and impurities, and thus the
process IS repeated ANY
thing placed directly on or around the
ice tends to interfere with the circu-
lation of the air.
Nothing will spoil food more quickly
than the moist heat which we must
expect during July and August: there
fore, unless the refrigerator is of a
good size. and sufficient ice is used to
keep it at a uniformly low tempera-
ture. 1t is not wise to buy periShable
foods in large quantities.
In the average refrigerator the fol-
lowing arrangement of food will be
found to be the safest: Drinking
water and other liquids should be
placed on the floor of the refrig-
orator. Butter, lard, cream and milk
should be kept on the lower shelf.
where they will be chilled but not
iced. Fruits and fancy vegetables
may be kept on the upper shelves.
Meats. fish and so on may be placed
on the middle shelf. All fish prod
ucts should be wrapped in cloths.
All housewives realize that butter,
milk, cream and cheese take on the
flavors of strong foods placed in the
same chamber with them. For this
reason. butter and other fats should
he kept in covered crooks. cheeses
in covered dishes or wrapped in tin
foil or waXed papers, and milk and
cream covered. Jellies also absorb
odors, as do custards, and they
should be covered when they are set
TO chill.