CARE OF KITCHEN WARES To Beep Ironware Clean. — Rub soap thickly on the bottom of an iron kettle or saucepan which is placed di rectly over the fire of a coal range; this will prevent the soot burning on. Lard or other grease may also be used, but is not so good.
To Clean Cooking Utensils.—After emptying food from cooking utensils, do not take them off the range dry. Pour a little water in them, cover closely, and set them back on the range. If a steady fire is kept the steam will loosen any fragments of food so that the utensils will be very easily washed.
Or, if possible, take them to the sink and wash them immediately be fore placing the food on the table. Tbey will never be easier to clean than now, and thus the most difficult part of dishwashing will be out of the way before the table dishes are brought in. Keep a can of lye dissolved in water, and if the article is very greasy rinse with this and pour into the soap kettle.
If iron kettles or other metal cook ing utensils have become coated with soot, boil them in water with a gen erous quantity of potash or soda lye. Boil vigorously for a time, and the soot will become so loosened that it may be removed by wiping off with soft paper. Dip them in hot water to rinse, before touching them with the hands, as the lye will inj ure the skin.
Or keep at hand a piece of coarse sandpaper and with it rub kettles in which food is burned on. Or use a clam shell as a scraper. This is better and more convenient than a knife. Or scour with finely sifted coal ashes and a flannel rag.
A frying pan should not be scraped. Fill it with cold water containing a teaspoonful of sal soda, and let it stand until the dishes are washed for the next meal.
To Remove Rust from Ironware.— Cover the rusted article with grease, and set it in a hot oven for half an hour. Afterwards wash with soap and water, and the rust will be removed. Copper Ware.—Copper kettles should not be used unless they, are perfectly bright and clean. To polish copper ware, apply hot salt and vinegar, and scrub with a stiff nail brush. Or rub
with flannel dipped in hot water and sprinkled thickly with powdered borax.
Or dip a cloth in kerosene or gaso line, sprinkle it with a mixture of bath brick or ground pumice, and polish. For large copper boilers or other uten sils which are not used for the prepa ration of food, apply with a damp cloth or nail brush a saturated solu tion of oxalic acid in its own hulk of water, and scour with bath brick and pumice stone softened with olive oil. It must, of course, be borne in mind that oxalic acid is a deadly poison.
Enameled Ware. — Scraping ruins enameled ware. Utensils of this ware placed directly over the flame of a coal range should be protected by rubbing the bottoms thickly with soap. Any soot which burns on may then be removed by soap and water. If food burns in any enameled-ware utensils, put into them a teaspoonful of sal soda or caustic lye to a quart of wa ter and boil for fifteen minutes. This will soften the burned food so that it can be removed without scraping. If not quite clean, scour with fine sand soap. For discolored saucepans boil a little chloride of lime in the water. Or boil in them a strong solution of baking soda.
Various Utensils.—After using the egg beater rinse it in cold water be fore it gets time to dry.
Before using the food chopper, run a piece of suet through it, and follow with another piece after the food has been chopped. This will keep it clean and in good condition.
Run rice or bread crumbs through the spice mill after grinding orange or lemon peel, or the coffee mill may be used for this purpose and cleaned in the same way.
Dip the colander, sieve, or grater in a pan of water to prevent drying, and afterwards clean with a stiff vegetable brush. Rinse and dry.
Fur on Kettles. — To prevent fur from gathering on the inside of a tea kettle, put an oyster shell or piece of marble inside. Change this occasion ally.