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A DICTIONARY OF USEFUL INFORM- ATION NOT GENERALLY KNOWN . . . WHAT DISHES ARE GOOD AS WELL AS CHEAP . . . THE COST, AND HOW IT IS DONE BY PROFESSIONAL COOKS . . TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL VALUABLE HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. INCLUDING THE WONDERFUL CARPET SHAMPOO WHICH IS ALONE WORTH MANY TIMES THE PRICE. t BY E. M. TREE Late Steward ST. JAMES'S CLUB, Montreal. Late Manager Montreal Cafe Company. Steward Union Club, Sai7it John, N. B. Author of Seasonable Recipes." SAINT JOHN, N. B. ELLIS, ROBERTSON AND COMPANY i Entered according^ to Act of the Parliament of Canada in the year 1894. By E. M. TREE, In the Office of the Minister of Agriculture, at Ottawa. [ PREFACE. PROFESSIONAL Cooks and Stewards learn from daily experience what people like best to eat when they are away from home. "Roast beef, rare, cut thin, a little fat, and dish gravy" is the order of our regular patron in forty-five cases out of fifty when this piece de reslstdnce is the article called for. People never seem to tire of roast beef when it is good and well cooked. "Steward," snapped a crusty old clubman at me one day, "can't you give me anything but roast beef for joint? I've eaten beef until I can't look an ox in the face ! " and then, after walking to the heated joint stand and viewing the " picture " of a perfectly cooked roast of beef, added, in a subdued tone, " Steward, please send me a cut of the joint." " I shall dine at the club to-night, dear, so do not wait dinner for me," telephones the bon vivant, after looking at the Menu^ and for fear of wounding madam's pride in her cooking, he will give any excuse that may be at hand. A favorite one when it happens to rain is " I haven't got my umbrella." One object of this little booklet is to help to make the home cooking equal to the club or high class restaurant, treating only on such things as our patrons tell us they " cannot get the same at home." and removing whatever mystery there may have seemed to be in connection with their preparation. To those who are using good cook books, this will be a help, and to those who fancy they cannot afford the higher class books, or who think they are too deep for them, this tells what they want to know, i.e., now to live well at small cost. The other object is none the less conducive to home comfort and happiness, viz.. To make known the method of preparing and using Carpet Shampoo, which is truly "A SECRET WORTH KNOWING. n E. M. T. I THINK that it will be universally admitted as a fact, that the art of cooking, as it is now daily practiced in the best hotels, restaurants, and clubs, has reached such a stage of perfection that the majority of men (when the pleasures of the table alone are considered) prefer to dine at their club or restaurant rather than at home. And when they wish to entertain, the skill of the caterer must be brought into requisition. Indeed, it is now quite a frequent occurrence for some of the best families in large cities to hold their receptions, balls, and wedding breakfasts at public institu- tions, where there is every facility for carrying out the arrangements in a much more comfortable and satisfactory manner than could be hoped for at home. The reason is that private houses are not usually planned and built for public entertainment. Neither would it be reasonable to expect that small families should employ such skilled labour as is demanded by the high class restaurant or club, and so it is that when our patrons detect the difference in the cooking, they begin to ply us with such questions as "Where do you buy your meat? " *' How do you cook your roast beef like this: it is so full of natural gravy?" "Where do you get such delicious bacon? I can't get anything like it at home." I .'w 4 let, that the best a stage sures of club or wish to ht into urrence their institu- Dut the factory ason is public expect ' as is 50 it is )oking, do you ef like ou get And yet they were getting just as good meat — perhaps the very same ; but the difference in taste was owing to the manner of cooking. Again, we often hear encouraging little messages sent by the waiters into the cooks, such as: "Tell the cook that was the best chop I ever ate." "That sauce is fit for the gods," etc. ; and then the recipes we are asked to write out for one thing and another for home use — it would almost keep one busy sometimes. But we do not mind writing them out. If it were not for such flowers as these strewn along the path of a caterer, life for him would scarcely be worth living. It is because I have been so often asked to write out recipes, and to tell how this thing and that thing is done, that I have undertaken to put together such information as will be most helpful and useful in the homes of all who wish to live well at little cost. Should the contents of this little booklet assist any in the daily labour of love, in making home comfortable and happy, they will not have been written in vain. ome. ,i ii # I The Little Helpmate. Anchovy. — A little sea fish caught in the Mediterranean. It has a high flavor and is used as an appetizer, and in sauces, but the latter are generally made from the Anchovy Essence, bought at the grocers in bottles. As a relish they are usually served on toast or made into dainty sandwiches. Wash them lightly, cut off the heads and fins, scrape the skin, and split them open. Remove the backbone, and cut each fillet in two. Season with cayenne, and a squeeze of lemon. Probable cost, 25c. for a bottle. Sufficient for 6 to 10 persons. Anchovy Sauce. — A fish sauce, pink in colour. Mix two teaspoonfuls of Essence of Anchovy with a pint of boiling melted butter (see Butter Sauce) and add cayenne and lemon juice to suit the taste. Antidotes for Poisons. — "Send at once for a physician ; but while waiting proceed as follows : First and instantly dilute the poison with large draughts of warm water, either clear, or if the poison is known, containing the proper antidote. Excite vomiting. Protect as much as possible the lining of the stomach from contact with the poison by large and frequent doses of sweet oil, flax-seed tea, milk, melted butter, or lard. A General Antidote, where the poison is unknown, (9) 10 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 'i is a mixture of carbonate of magnesia, powdered charcoal, and hydrated sesquioxide of iron, equal parts in water. i?/e, Caustic Potash^ Ammonia, and other alkaline poisons are counteracted by vinegar, lemon juice, or acidulated water, to be followed immediately with sweet oil, mucilage of gum arable, and an emetic. Arsenic, Eat Poison, Poisonous Colours, Paris Green, etc., give five or six whites of eggs beaten in a cup of water, or flour and water, flaxseed tea, or magnesia, and administer as an emetic. After vomiting, give hydrated sesquioxide of iron in tablespoon doses every fifteen minutes. This is the best known antidote for arsenic. Corrosive Sublimate, or Bed-Burj Poison — same treatment as for arsenic. Laudanum, Opium, Morphine, give an emetic, strong coffee, brandy, whiskey, and keep the patient awake by any means. Poisonous Fungi, False Mushrooms, etc., give emetics and castor oil or olive oil, then vinegar, lemon juice, or cider, and administer ether and antispasmodic remedies." Ants. — These troublesome little pests can be driven away or destroyed by dusting with pepper. Powdered alum or borax sprinkled on the shelves and runways are also recommended. Apples and Their Uses. — Are too well known to need much notice here, but I would like to protest against the too common practice of sending apples to table as a dessert all mashed up like apple sauce, instead of in the form of a compote. A compote of any kind of fruit means that it is stewed whole or in halves, so as to retain as nearly as possible its original shape. Apples, if large, should be peeled, cored, 'if *4 9- ~i> « THE LITTLE HELPMATE. U charcoal, ter. Lye^ oisons are i water, to s of gum Poisonous s of eggs ied tea, or vomiting, 'ses every r arsenic, treatment give an ^e patient shroomSj vinegar, 3asmodic s driven ed alum are also to need the too 5sert all m of a lat it is ■ possible , cored, and quartered, or if small, only halved, and put into boiling syrup made of about eight ounces of white sugar to half a pint of water. Boil very gently until they are tender and almost transparent. Lift the apples out carefully and put them into a deep glass dish. Boil the syrup down until it is rather thick, first putting in the thinly cut rind of half a lemon and a few whole cloves. Then pour over the apples, and when quite cold it is ready to serve. The amount of sugar will depend upon the acidity of the apples, but I can assure those who have not been accustomed to serve apples in this way, that they are most delicious and wholesome, and that they make an elegant and agreeable addition to the breakfast or tea table. Artichokes. — There are two different vegetables called artichokes. One, the French artichoke, is not grown in this country, but is often to be had in the large city markets. It looks something like a small cabbage, and is cooked in various ways. The outer leaves and the inner " choke " are not eaten, only the "bottoms" or white lower part of the inside leaves. The other, the Jerusalem artichoke, is the root of a small sort of sunflower; it is like a misshapen potato. These are very nice boiled as a vegetable, cut into slices and fried, or made into soup, like potato soup. This is what is called Palestine soup. To boil the artichokes for a vegetable, wash and pare them, and throw each root as it is pared into cold water, to preserve its colour. Boil them in milk and water until tender — about twenty minutes. Drain and dish up with a good white sauce poured over. (See Butter Sauce). 12 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. if W Asparagus. — is usually and quite properly eaten with the fingers, when cooked, whether it is served hot or cold ; for this reason asparagus on toast is dished with the heads only covered with butter sauce, the toast holding up the white ends dry. It can be grown in almost any garden, and only needs to be planted once and it will come up in the same place for years. It possesses medicinal qualities similar to the water of sulphur springs, and is therefore much used as a diet in the canned state when it cannot be obtained green. As a vegetable adjunct to swell dinners it is sufficiently esteemed to be served as a separate course after the joints or game, and not with the common sorts of vegetables. This is the way to cook it : First scrape off the white skin from the lower ends and cut the stalks of even length. Let them lie m cold water until you are ready to cook them. Put a handful of salt into a gallon of water, and when it boils put in the asparagus tied up in neat bunches, and also a pinch of soda. Time to cook, about twenty minutes, The soda pre- serves the green colour. Keep the lid of the saucepan off while cooking. Aspic Jelly. — is a transparent, amber-coloured meat jelly, used mostly for garnishing cold meats and game, and for cold entrees, such as lobster or game cut into neat pieces and placed tastefully in a mould and fastened there with the jelly round the inside of the mould ; the centre being filled with smaller pieces of whatever meat is used, mixed with the jelly, and solidified by being put on ice, or in a cool place. When the shape is turned out of the mould it forms a very handsome dish. To make aspic jelly, put a knuckle bone of veal, a knuckle bone of ham, a calf's foot, four cloves stuck I I if: t; THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 13 eaten with lot or cold; ^ the heads ip the white n, and only ^ the same 5 similar to h used as a ned green, sufficiently ^e joints or ^^es. This skin from Let them fem. Put t boils put 1 pinch of soda pre- cepan off ed meat ame, and 'at pieces with the ng: filled with the 5l place. ) a very bone of 3s stuck V t ■■^- even ■"'o the nipple, so that the child ^'?' °' P"''^' <='-^" ^Ponge "P^ '0 ^-w the mUK and th fobv atrt"'" "^ ^"-^ ^^ "Dviate the too rapid flow." Bacon. - is difficult to hm,-i • , --<;;■"? a great flare, bu, wi h p ."S";*" 'f"""' °' "'^ f^' A charcoal fire is the best for !m ? ,'^" ''^ ^^'=°'^P)'-shed r ? "r- P'- 'n a^ b r/S- ^"' '"e bacon f»-e. Turn frequently until it is „' ^^ "^^"^ ^ clear ^°" f^y it. do not use any LV.r- ""' "■°"" =°'°"^- 'f have seen many cooks oLTu ''"??'"?« '" the pan as 1 -•"f cut Off to'prevent'ni cui'""'^ *'''" ^'ices'wiihThe f nd fry in i,^ „^„ over f ^ .""' '"'° ^ '"'^ fr^ng Pan f'-equently, and if egg "le to ""'^--^'^'^ ^ot fire Turn bacon hot frv th« *° ''c served with it i, , nf,, .''"^y the eggs in the bacon f=t , ^ ^ ' ""^^P the of the bacon. Time to fry .- medium H '""^ "^^"^ °" top four or five minutes. """ ^°"«' '^o minutes ; crisp kitchen is simplV al'ot Tatt^vS'^ ""^'^ *° ^ -" -<^ered copper, and fitted with a nut^ber '/'""''"^ '^^'^^ °' «"ned hot wthout boiling, joints, oup ;!!":?" ^^^^^'^ '° l^eep 'he absence of one, the principle nJl""' '^"°^^' etc. m °ne saucepan into another Tont.? \^'°P'^^ ^^ P'^cing ""mber of pans could be 2 T' '°"''"^ ^^'er, or f -taining boiling water and le'f'on'trangr ''''"' '^" .j4 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 15 'hs in enormous these disorders, bies sick, even >. Big-Jer: "j '> clean sponge T its gums and ■^Pid flow." ^nt of the fat LccompJished. ut the bacon over a clear ^ colour. If fie pan, as I ices with the t frying pan /i>e. Turn it, keep the hem on top ■^tes; crisp, 5li ordered " of tinned 's to keep ', etc. In / placing ■ter, or a ^ing pan Ball Suppers. — " Ball suppers were most unsatisfactory affairs until Ude, the French c.'iej, hit upon the plan of ornamenting the sideboard with a basket of fruit instead of insignificant pieces of pastry. Place in their stead things that can be eaten — such as jelly, plates of cut up meats decorated with green parsley, and sandwiches of a superior kind, but not in too great profusion. Affix a label to each dish indicating its contents, and you will find this arrangement will give the guests an opportunity of taking refreshments without being obliged to seat themselves at a table, from which the ladies cannot arise without disordering their dresses, which to them is a matter of far greater moment than the best ball supper in the world." Batter for Fritters. — Melt an ounce of butter by pouring over it an eighth of a pint of boiling water, and again cool it by means of three quarters of a pint of cold water. Mix it gradually and smoothly with six ounces of flour. If it is intended for fruit fritters, put in a very little pinch of salt, but if for meat or savory fritters it will require more. It should be thick enough to coat over whatever is dipped in it. If too thick put a little more water. When all ready, beat up an &gg and stir into the batter. This is excellent for apple, peach, and orange fritters. Probable cost, 5c. Bay Leaf. — Used constantly in cooking; but in small quantities for boiling in soups and sauces. It is to meats and soups what vanilla is to creams and ices. A good cook would as soon think of doing without vanilla as without bay 16 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. leaf, and yet, while vanilla will be found anriong the stores of almost every housewife in the land, how many keep the bay leaf? Beef. — (See meats). Beefsteak. You may talk of spring chicken and quail upon toast, Or anything else of which epicures boast, But when you are hungry there's nothing can take The place of the juicy and savoury steak. Beefsteak, How to Cook. — A writer whom I admire, and whose works should be in every home (Jessup Whitehead. Chicago, 111.), says: " It requires courage in the light of our knowledge and daily experience for one to assert that there is no reason why every beefsteak that is put upon the table should not, as far as cooking is concerned, approach the ideal steak." "Will you impart the secret, how broil? My cook is a very good cook, but she cannot produce me a satisfactory chop or steak." is a query often asked. Now, this is the way it is done, but it will require some practice to know when it is done to a turn. Where there is no charcoal broiler, have a little forethought to let the fire burn down clear and red. for it is utterly useless to attempt to broil over a fire that is not free from the smoke and flame of freshly added coal or wood. Take the steak and notch the skin edge to prevent its curling up, beat it out more or less with the flat part of the cleaver or mallet, place it between a double wire broiler, take the lid off the stove and place it over the glowing coals. In less than half a minute turn it, and then, when both sides have been hardened by the heat so as to keep the juice of the THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 17 the stores of J^eep the bay oast, ake admire, and Whitehead, hght of our that there is :abJe should ^eaJ steak." ^ is a very >ry chop or ' way it is when it is s^. have a 'd red. for hat is not ^ coal or prevent •art of the 'iler, take oaJs. In oth sides ce of the meat in, keep turning until it is done. The time will vary according to the thickness of the steak, and also as to whether it is required to be well done, medium, or rare. The time will also vary according to the heat and strength of the fire. A large hotel range fire or broiler will cook an ordinary steak medium done in four minutes. The same steak cooked medium done on a small domestic range would require at least six minutes or more. If the flame from the dripping fat is troublesome, raise the broiler, or sprinkle coarse salt on the fire ; the salt puts out the flame and makes the fire clear. When done (which can be told by gently pressing with the flat side of a knife, and watching the colour of the gravy that runs from the steak — for rare there should be just a suspicion of brown gravy with the red ; for medium, as soon as the gravy is wholly of a light brown) remove the steak to a hot platter ; pepper and salt to taste and spread a little butter over it, and send to table at once. There will be sufficient natural gravy, if it is not all let out by carelessly sticking a fork into it, or what is more barbarous still, and I have seen it done, cut with a knife to see if it was done enough. Another way to tell when a steak is done, is to press it gently with the tip of the finger, and if it feels spongy it is not cooked in the middle, but as soon as it ceases to feel spongy it is cooked through. A steak can be cooked in a dry frying pan, made very hot, by constant turning ; but this is not frying, because there is no fat. To fry a steak is to spoil it. Beef, Corned. — This is one of the things that I have been asked so much about, and one that never fails to please. I cannot tell why it is, unless it is the fact that the corned IS THE LITTLE HELPMATE. beef usually bought at the butchers I, n » • , way (see Pickle for Beef). The oL T,^'"^^"^ '" age is usually with the beef auce, speckled ks, etc. It is liefly consists, ^orite of club- make it. Do ("St or second »f white wine of chopped 'W for fifteen extract and ^hile over a saucepan to a time, half a pound of butter, with occasional drops of water. When all the butter is stirred in, strain through a wire strainer, and add a little cayenne pepper, salt, and finely chopped green parsley. Time, twenty minutes. Cost, 22c. to 25c. Bechamel Sauce. — This is a rich white, cream sauce, for fowl, etc. As a white stock is the foundation for this sauce, it must be prepared first, if there is none on hand. Boil down an old fowl, two pounds of veal bones, and three pounds of lean ham. with the white part of four carrots, two onions, one bay leaf, a few pepper corns, two tablespoonfuls of salt, and an ounce of butter, in four or five quarts of water. Cut up the fowl and veal, and put them with the ham to simmer in a small quantity of water, to extract the juices ; then throw in the full quantity of water and the other ingredients, and let all simmer for four or five hours; skim and strain till clear and it is ready for the bechamel. Now, mix a table- spoonful of corn starch with a pint of cream, and when well blended let it simmer in a carefully cleaned pan for five minutes. Make a pint of the stock hot, and pour it to the cream ; simmer slowly for ten minutes, or until it thickens, and it is ready to serve with fillets of fowl, croquettes of chicken, or boiled fish, or it is very nice to mask over a cold turkey or chickens for a ball supper. Probable cost, 25c. a pint. Sufficient for five pints of stock. Braising. — The braising pan is seldom seen in the kitchen of to-day. It is a large oval pan with a tightly fitting cover, which has a deep rim to hold red hot coals, so that the heat could be applied at the top as well as the 20 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. bottom of the vessel. As there is no evaporation, the meat cooked in it imbibes the flavor of the vegetables, etc.. that are usually cooked with the meat, and the method ensures the meat being tender when done. We imitate the Uraisirre^ as the French call it, by putting what we want to braise into a closely covered saucepan, and putting the whole into a hot oven. Browning, the Secret of. — For frying croquettes, oysters, etc., that need only a short time to cook, much less than is necessary to get the nice golden brown colour that is so much desired, keep on hand some bread crumbs made from toasted bread, or scraps of bread browned in the oven, and rolled into crumbs. Use these to bread the article that is to be cooked, and lo ! you have the desired colour at once, and the croquettes need only to be heated through, because they are made of cooked meat. Bonquet, a Cook's. — It is well to know what a cook's bouquet is composed of and how it is made, for in many a soup, sauce, and stew, it is indispensable. Put together in a bunch, a sprig of parsley, leek or onion, and celery, and place in the centre of these a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a couple of cloves, and some summer-savory. Double up your bunch so as to completely cover the spices, tie well with twine. By using such a bouquet, the cook can regulate the flavor, and save many a useless straining, as the bouquet can be taken out in one piece. Boiling. — When we boil meat to eat, the object should be to have it tender and juicy. When we boil meat to make soup, the object is to get all the juices out of the meat. It is ( -' "* THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 21 'Oration, the meat etables, etc.. that ■ method ensures ite the nraLsln-ey int to braise into he whole into a 'ing croquettes, to cook, much ■n brown colour e bread crumbs browned in the ^read the article ssired colour at lealed through, what a cook's for in many a It together in a d celery, and S of thyme, a Double up tie well with n regulate the 5 bouquet can object should 'eat to make meat. It is obvious then that these two directly opposite results cannot be from one cause, and yet they are both called boiling. Here is where the difference comes in : Suppose you desire to boil a leg of mutton ; take a saucepan large enough to hold it, and place in it a sufficient quantity of water to cover the meat. Add a spoonful of salt. Place the saucepan on the fire and bring the water to a boil, then place the joint in, and see that it is covered with boiling water. Putting in the joint stops the water from boiling, so it must be kept on the fire unti' it boils up again, keeping the pot covered. In about ten minutes take off the lid, and with a spoon remove the scum that has risen to the top. Then, as soon as the water boils once again, lift the saucepan off the fire to the side or back of the range, where the water will simmer, but not boil, for about two and a half hours for a leg of mutton weighing eight or nine pounds. It will then be medium done and full of juice. Now, in making soup, we put the meat and bones into cold water, which extracts the juice and nutriment while it is getting hot. If the leg of mutton had been allowed to boil hard all the time, it would have been hard and tough and the juice all dried up. Cafe. — French for coffee. Cafe Noir. — The strongest black coffee. Calf*s Foot Jelly for Invalids. — Take a pint and a half of calf's foot stock (see Asjric Jelly — made the same, only using all calf's feet, or a calf's head and feet instead of the 22 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. veal and ham), and be sure it is free from fat and sediment. Put it into a saucepan, with the strained juice and thinly peeled rind of two lemons, three tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar, the slightly beaten whites and the shells of four eggs, all cold. Let stand for a few minutes, and then put on a slow fire and stir them a little until the liquid boils and rises white on top. Draw to the side and let it stand, without further touching it, for twenty minutes longer, to settle. Now, wring out the jelly bag, or if no jelly bag is handy, line a wire strainer with a piece of white flannel, wring it out in hot water, and pour the jelly through. If it is not perfectly clear (which, however, it can scarcely fail to be if attention has been paid to the directions, and the whites of eggs not beaten to a froth) strain it two or three times. By substituting tarragon vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to taste, for the lemon and sugar, a nice savory jelly will be obtained. Put into a mould that has been dipped into cold water, and set in ice water to cool. If no ice is used, from six to ten hours must be allowed for it to set. Cost, about 20c. per pint. Canvas-Back Duck. — "These ducks are found along the Atlantic coast as far north as Canada, but in the greatest numbers at the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, where they find their favorite food, wild celery, a fresh water plant, whose roots they feed upon, and which gives them the juiciness and peculiar flavor which distinguishes them from other ducks." They bring from $3.00 to $4.00 per pair in New York markets, and I have seen them sold for $6.00 per pair in Montreal. A canvas-back, like all dark meat game, W' THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 23 fat and sediment. juice and thinly fuls of granulated 2lls of four eggs, id then put on a id boils and rises it stand, without ^nger, to settle. 7 bag is handy, 5 flannel, wring igh. If it is not rcely fail to be nd the whites of iree times. By irshire sauce to 'ry jelly will be lipped into cold e is used, from 'ound along the in the greatest )utaries, where sh water plant, ives them the les them from 30 per pair in for $6.00 per "k meat game. should be eaten rather underdone. Do not destroy the delicate flavor of the meat by using a highly seasoned or any stuffing. Connoisseurs con'jider a canvas-back good enough without any accessories, except the natural gravy which flows from a properly cooked bird when cut, and a little chopped celery, with a mayonnaise dressing. Time to roast, fifteen to twenty minutes. Capon. — A sterilized fowl, fed and fattened for the market. The choicest of poultry. Caramel. — Burnt sugar. An article always kept on hand by good cooks, for colouring soups, gravies, etc., that do not need further thickening. Carving, Rules for. — Always cut across the grain of the meat, except when it is a saddle of mutton, which is carved lengthwise. Beef, ham, and bacon should be cut as thin as possible. Mutton, lamb, veal and pork moderately thick. With poultry always serve a little of the dark meat with the white. Some people seem to think that a chicken or turkey is all dark meat, by the way they ask for it. "Bill Nye," speaking about carving, says: " My great success is mainly confined to the watermelon. The watermelon does not confuse me like the hen. I always know where to find ihe joints, and those who do not like the inside of the melon can have the outside." Anyone who has undertaken to "divide asunder" the joints of a real motherly hen, will appreciate Bill's remarks. The best way to learn to carve is to watch a good carver, and then practice. 'if 24 THE LITTLii HELPMATE. I i: Celery. — One of the most useful vegetable flavorings we have. When the roots are not to be had, the pounded seed is used for imparting an agreeable and peculiar flavor to soups, sauces, etc. As a table delicacy it is also an article of necessity now. If allowed to get soft by keeping too long, put it into ice water for an hour before using, and it will be found to be as fresh and crisp as ever. Celery is also much valued for its medicinal properties. Cost, from 50c. to $1.00 per dozen, according to the season and quality. Caviare. — Although caviare is better known to "the people " now than it was in Shakespeare's time, the taste for it has to be acquired, and it is not largely used in this country. I have known many people to eat it, not because they were fond of it, but because it was uncommon and fashionable. '* Caviare is as black as ink ; it is the salted and smoked roe of the sturgeon. A large sturgeon will yield a pailful of roe, that looks like blackberries." It is put up in tins, and the best comes from Russia. It can be bought at any of the fine groceries. To serve, open can and soften caviare with salad oil, worked together with the blade of a knife, so that it can be spread on thin slices of bread and butter, add a squeeze of lemon, and make into sandwiches neatly trimmed and cut small. Used as an appetizer. Charcoal. — Charcoal is a very useful household com- modity. It is a splendid deodorizer — almost a necessity for broiling. A small lump put into a saucepan with boiling cabbage will destroy the objectionable smell. The tinsmiths have to have it, and can direct any one where to buy it. able flavorings we le pounded seed is ar flavor to soups, ilso an article of keeping too long, ^Z, and it will be lery is also much 5 season and quality. known to "the time, the taste for id in this country, scause they were and fashionable, and smoked roe I a pailful of roe, in tins, and the It any of the fine iviare with salad 3, so that it can idd a squeeze of immed and cut lousehold com- a necessity for an with boiling The tinsmiths to buy it. THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 25 Chop, How to Cook. — The same rule, and the same conditions are necessary, as with cooking a steak. It must be broiled over a good clear red charcoal fire, between a double wire broiler, so that it can be turned frequently. The time necessary to cook will vary according to the strength of the fire and the thickness of the meat. The object should be to get the outside coloured as quickly as possible by close contact with the fire, and then to slacken the heat by raising the broiler, and by frequent turning to cook the inside so that it will be pink when cut, and a teaspoonful of clear red gravy will run out into your plate. About the only rule to tell when it is done is, after it has been cooking for more than four minutes, to press the chop with anything (the sense of touch is best communicated by the tip of the finger), and if it feels spongy, it shows that it is blue in the middle and not cooked enough; return to the fire and try again, and when it ceases to feel spongy it is done. On no account stick a fork into it to let out the gravy. Send to table as quickly as possible after it has been taken from the broiler, spread over with a little butter and a slight dash from the salt shaker. Now, I know that domestic cooks who have always cooked chops in a frying pan with more or less grease, and who have never seen a charcoal broiler, will not take kindly to the method here described ; but, ladies, 1 have shown you wherein lies the difference, and this is the way your husband gets his chop, or steak, or piece of broiled fish, or a spring chicken cooked when he dines or lunches at his club or restaurant. The charcoal broiler is not absolutely necessary. A good hard coal fire will answer the purpose, but it must be a (jood fire — free from smoke and glowing red. 26 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. Cheap Dishes. — The cheapest dishes, that are good as well as cheap, are Irish stew, soups, macaroni, pot pies, apple dumplings. The most expensive are fried meats. Coffee. — When coffee is coarsely ground, like oatmeal, it clears itself after being boiled for a moment. It is not necessary to have it ground fine in order to get the strength out of it, because the berry is porous and the water penetrates it. Avoid metal coffee pots, and do not allow the coffee to boil for more than a few seconds, as "violent ebullition dissipates the aroma." The rule for good coffee is two ounces to a pint of water. Such coffee mixed with half or even three parts its bulk of boiling milk, forms an ideal breakfast food for body workers and brain workers. Coffee Making for Large Parties.— " One half-pint cupful of ground coffee shaken in and heaped up is four ounces. This makes ten cups, as they are commonly filled, of good quality. One pound of coffee makes two gallons, or forty cups of ordinary coffee ; but for a regular dinner party, one pound to one gallon will be required for good after dinner coffee." Cough Syrup. — This recipe has been sold for one hundred dollars. I have made it and used it in my own family, and can safely recommend it. Unlike most cough remedies, it does not constipate the bowels, but rather tends to regulate them. The ingredients are so simple, and so well known, that none need hesitate to try it. Take two ounces of hoarhound, and make an infusion with sufficient water to have one quart, clear of the hoarhound. when strained ; steep it the same as you would tea. Then add one large stick of licorice and boil down to a pint. Take a swallow of this as often as the cough may be troublesome. 'E. THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 27 s, that are good as aroni, pot pies, apple d meats. •ound, like oatmeal. moment. It is not to get the strength the water penetrates allow the coffee to "violent ebullition good coffee is two ee mixed with half nilk, forms an ideal workers. One half-pint cupful up is four ounces, lonly filled, of good gallons, or forty cups ler party, one pound er dinner coffee." sold for one hundred ny own family, and cough remedies, it jr tends to regulate Lnd so well known, ike two ounces of sufficient water to hen strained ; steep one large stick of swallow of this as Corned Beef. — See Beef. Corned. Consomme. — See Soups. Cup and Spoon Measure. — ' ' There can be very little good cooking without exact weights and measures. It is possible, however, to get along, and do fine work even, by finding a cup or tumbler that holds half a pint and then learning hov/ much a cup of each article is in weight." CUP, — Is a half-pint coffee cup. WATER. —A cup is half a pint, which is eight ounces. MILK. — Same as water. VINEGAR. — Same as water. MOLASSES. —A dup weighs twelve ounces. SUGAR. — A rounded cup is eight ounces. BUTTER. — A pressed in cup, or melted, is seven ounces. FLOUR. — A level cup is four ounces ; heaped, six ounces. SUET. — Minced fine, a cup is four ounces. LARD. — A cup is seven ounces, pressed or melted. RAISINS. — A heaped cup, without stems, is eight ounces ; quart is a pound. CURRANTS. — A heaped cup is six ounces. EGGS. — A cup of raw egg is five eggs. YOLKS. — A cup holds thirteen yolks. WHITES. — A cup holds nine raw whites. WHOLE EGGS. —Ten average a pound. RICE. — A cup of raw rice is seven ounces. COFFEE.— A cup of ground coffee is four ounces. TEA. — A heaping cup is two ounces. A BASTING SPOON. — Holds four tablespoonfuls. A TABLESPOON. — Holds one ounce, heaped, of sugar, flour, starch, rice, barley, sago, cornmeal ; or half an ounce of ground coffee. Fourteen tablespoonfuls are half a pint, or one cup, liquid measure. A TEASPOONFUL. — Is half as much as a tablespoonful. I : 28 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. I 'i in Carpet Cleaning. — "Necessity is the mother of inven- tion." No part of the house cleaning work causes so much annoyance and expense as the lifting, beating, and putting down of carpets ; hence, in establishments where business is carried on day in and day out, from morning until night, it has become a matter of necessity to find a new method of cleaning carpets — one that can be employed without upset- ting the whole household. In all large establishments, and in the best private families, nothing but the best quality of carpets are used, and with such carpets the dust does not go through them, but lodges in the nap of the carpet. It is obvious then, that if the dust can be successfully removed without beating the carpet, that it need not be removed from the floor. But the mere mention that such a thing is possible, is to some such a complete innovation, that they will refuse to listen, or to believe that it is possible. And really, this is one of those things that needs to be seen to be believed. There are occasions, of course, when it is necessary to have carpets taken up ; but whether they are beaten by machinery or by hand, there is always a danger of damage to the carpet, and at best the dust only is removed. The carpet is soiled and discoloured after beating just as much as before. JVow, the process about to be described, called Carpet Shampoo, not only removes the dust, but all grease spots, stains, etc., and restores the colours to their original brilliaiicy in a very short space of time, without removing the carpets from the floor, or even removing the furniture out of the room. It also preveius moths doing damage to carpets. E. THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 29 2 mother of inven- rk causes so much -ating, and putting where business is ning until night, it a new method of yed without upset- stablishments, and he best quality of dust does not go he carpet. It is :essfully removed be removed from a thing is possible, they will refuse to really, this is one believed. There ■y to have carpets machinery or by the carpet, and pet is soiled and 'ore. scribed, called ie dust, but all the colours to hort space of ^om the floor, of the room, ge to carpets. Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. From a sanitary point of vieio this method is in- comjxirable. The cost, 7ioin that the recipe is in the hands of the puhlic, will not exceed half a cent per yard of carpet, for the material. Thus, one^s carpets can be shampooed at least tioice a year (as they should be for healtKs sake) for a quarter of the cost of having them beaten only once a year. Carpet Shampoo was invented by the writer, and intro- duced to the St. John public in the Spring of 1893, but is now for the first time made public propert}'- in the following pages. The following are some of the uses to which Carpet Shampoo can be put besides carpet cleaning, and when it is remembered that the cost of making it at home is only five cents per gallon (and it can be used wherever soap is used with better effect) some idea can be formed of the value of this recipe to house- keepers. Carp>et Shampoo will remove grease spots from clothing, carpets, etc., clean painted walls, woodwork, loindoics, marble, slate macules, tiled flooring, hard- wood or pine flooring. For cleaning hair brushes it is excellent, also for washing dogs and horses. As a silver polish it is unequalled; removing the tarnish and rendering silverware less liable to tarnish after being cleaned. It cannot possibly scratch the finest polished surface of silver or gold, i i 30 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. and, as there are no acids in it, it is perfectly safe to use. When silverware is very much tarnished from being laid by for years, however, a little French chalk shoidd be added to assist in its removal, but, for ordinary purposes, it is sufficient in itself Carpet Shampoo will remove ink stains from the hands, also paint and other stains, leaving the hands soft and white. For %oashing clothes there is nothing better* CARPET SHAMPOO, WHAT IT IS. — It has been pub- licly stated that Carpet Shampoo is a " worthless inaitation " of " Renovo." and an infringement on the rights of the Montreal Carpet Cleaning Company's process of cleaning carpets on the floor, without removal, by what is known as the " Renovo Process." Therefore, in making known to the public through this book, the recipe for this simple, though exceedingly useful article, it is fitting that a few brief statements of facts should be made regarding Carpet Shampoo. These will be made, as far as possible, without inflicting my readers with the personalities which would be necessary in giving the history of my invention. When I was confronted with the above statements, I placed the matter in the hands of Messrs. Weldon & McLean, solicitors, who, through their Ottawa correspondents, investi- gated the alleged claims of the representatives of the above ^-^ ■fir '!i;.. THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 31 8 perfectly safe nuch tarnished mever, a little assist in its » it is sufficient k stains from 'ns, leaving the ig clothes there - It has been pub- less imitation " of ts of the Montreal aning carpets on known as the blic through this ceedingly useful s of facts should e will be made, eaders with the ■ving the history e statements, I don & McLean, )ndents, investi- 5s of the above Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. mentioned company (" Renovo "), and informed me that Carpet Shampoo did not in any way infringe on the alleged rights of the said carpet cleaning company. Carpet Shampoo is not an imitation of "Renovo" any more than Smith's soap is of Brown's soap, or Jones's housekeepers friend is of Robinson's housekeepers friend. I know not. by analysis or otherwise, what the composition of " Renovo " is. nor the method of compounding it. but having tested its cleansing properties m comparison with my own invention, I am bound to say that the results are practically the same. This is unfortunate for the representatives of "Renovo," and it is scarcely to be wondered at that statements like those mentioned in the beginning of this paragraph, and others more or less misleading to the public and damaging to Carpet Shampoo, should be made. I am conscious of having done no wrong m the matter, and I forgive the wrong that has been done me. This is simply a matter of business, and now the public have the privilege, if they v/ish, of buying "Renovo" at $1.00 per gallon (the advertised price); of paying 8c. per yard to have their carpets cleaned by the "Renovo Process" (the advertised price), or making Carpet Shampoo at home at a cost of 5c. per gallon, which quantity will clean ten yards of carpet, at the cost of half a cent per yard. The names of well known citizens who have used Carpet Shampoo, and have expressed their entire satisfaction with it, will be found at the end of this booklet. ,^ i ' 1' it' f' I ii ■I I I 32 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. This is the most convenient way of preparing Carpet Shampoo for domestic use : Take a common wash boiler and put into it seven gallons of water and two pounds of good common soap cut into thin slices. Let it boil until the soap is all dissolved, then add one pound of powdered borax. Boil for ten minutes longer, and pour into a keg or butter tubs to cool. When cold, stir with a stout stick about three times a day, until it is so broken up that it does not solidify when left to stand. It will then be ready to use according to the following directions. Cost of above. 35c. for seven gallons, or 5c. per gallon. A gallon will clean from ten to twelve yards of carpet. HOW TO SHAMPOO CARPETS. — It is necessary to have a proper scraper, which can be bought at Messrs. W. H. Thome & Co.'s, Prince William Street; two sponges, or two soft woollen cloths ; a soft scrubbing brush ; a pail to hold the shampoo, and a pail to hold the scrapings. First, try a small piece of the carpet to find out if the colours are fast or not, and if there is danger of any colour running into a white or cream, it would be better for an inexperienced hand not to attempt cleaning such a carpet, but to send for an experienced shampooer. Such carpets, however, are rarely to be found. Commence in one corner of the room, and pour with a cup or small tin measure, sufficient shampoo to thinly cover about a square yard of carpet when it has been spread evenly with the brush before scrubbing. Now, scrub until foamy, and then scrape out the shampoo, holding the scraper inclined towards the operator, using sufficient pressure to take every »lg| THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 33 preparing Carpet on wash boiler and pounds of good oil until the soap is ered borax. Boil or butter tubs to 3out three times a : solidify when left according to the or seven gallons, om ten to twelve It is necessary to at Messrs. W. H. sponges, or two a pail to hold the First, try a small are fast or not, into a white or iced hand not to 5r an experienced rely to be found, pour with a cup to thinly cover 5n spread evenly ub until foamy, scraper inclined e to take every Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. particle of the shampoo and what it has gathered during the scrubbing, out at one stroke. Lift the scrapings with the scraper into the pail for that purpose and sponge over the part cleaned, always keeping the sponge or cloth as clean and dry as possible. Axminister carpets and rugs should be scraped the way of the grain : with other carpets it does not matter which way the scraper is used. As stated before, the effect of this method cannot be understood unless it is seen ; and one has only to see the operation to be convinced that it Is the true method of cleaning carpets, and to be struck with wonder that it was not brought into general use before. , SHAMPOO FOR WASHING — For this purpose it is a great labour saver. Soak the clothes over night, using a cupful or more of shampoo to a pail of water (no soap or soda), boil in the same water, rinse in two waters, blueing the last, and they will be perfectly clean and white without the usual rubbing on a board, unless the clothes are very much soiled. SHAMPOO FOR SILVER. — Apply with a plate brush, and rinse off with water. Rub dry with a soft cloth. Show plate, that iti not often used, will keep clean without tarnishing for an unusual length of time if the shampoo is not washed off, but rubbed dry instead. SHAMPOO FOR DOGS. — Anyone who delights to have their pets beautifully clean, with soft, glossy hair, should use the shampoo pure and freely on them, washing off with water. SHAMPOO FOR HAIR BRUSHES. — Pour a little shampoo on the brush and rinse in a basin of warm water. The effect is magical. T 34 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. I. ; ; I r .1 Carpet Shampoo. — Continued. SHAMPOO FOR WALLS and WOODWORK. — Apply pure, and wash off with water, taking care not to rub paint work too long or too hard, but only sufficient to renaove the dirt. SHAMPOO FOR MARBLE, ETC.— Use pure, with brush or cloth, and polish dry. SHAMPOO FOR WINDOWS. — Dissolve in hot water. Dandelion. — One dollar a bushel is the price usually asked for the first dandelion greens that appear in the market, but as soon as they get cheap they are common, and nobody wants them. It is to be feared that if it were suggested to a certain class of people that they would do well to cut young dandelions and eat them when they cannot afford to buy spinach or other vegetables, that the man who ventured to give such advice would be considered as execrable as the Frenchman who told the starving peasants that they would soon have a good crop of grass ; and yet it is a fact that mo^t poor people disdain such advice. Educated people, of course, know the value of the dandelion, not only as a vegetable, but that it has the place of honor in the salad bowls of the rich. They are even cultivated in gardens, straw being used to make the stalks long and white. Dandelion Greens. — Gather the young, green leaves, and cook the same as spinach, with a pinch of soda in the water, to keep the colour ; drain, chop, and season with butter, pepper, and salt. Dandeli^in Salad. — The young, tender leaves, as well as the upper white part of the roots, cut into inch lengths and HL, THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 35 )WORK. - Apply not to rub paint (nt to remove the Use pure, with ve in hot water. he price usually sar in the market. fTion, and nobody Jre suggested to a well to cut young ot afford to buy who ventured to execrable as the 5 that they would s a fact that most people, of course, ' a vegetable, but owls of the rich. w being used to r- green leaves, 1 of soda in the nd season with saves, as well as ich lengths and eaten with a dressing made of three parts oil, one part vinegar and pepper and salt to taste. Devilled Meats. — Usually broiled kidneys, ham. turkey legs, etc., made hot with cayenne and other condiments. Entrees. --Are made dishes, and may be of meat. fish. or poultry "in various guises." as distinguished from the principal joints and roasts. Fat for Frying, to Clarify. — "It is necessary that the cook should understand how to prepare the fat that is saved in cooking to make it fit for this purpose. T'he fat that is skimmed from gravies or taken out of the roast meat pan, or off the soup stock all contains water and cannot be used to fry with until the water is expelled by boiling. / nd when the water is expelled, if there has been much of it. a sediment like gravy will be found sticking on the bottom, and the grease must be poured from that into a clean pan before good frying can be done with it. Much of the bad cooking of fish, and the difficulty found in frying breaded cutlets is attributable to the want of knowledge of this apparently trifling matter. Fat. to have articles fried in it, must be hotter than boiling water, so much hotter that it will hiss when water is dropped into it, but it cannot be until the soup or gravy is boiled out. So, when breaded articles or doughnuts are dropped in. they simply stew in it ; the breading comes off, and they come out after a long time soaked full of grease and smoky, with the taste of the sediment on the bottom. Properly fried articles, when well drained, have no more greas* about them than the crust of corn bread." ii !^, 36 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. ii: if*' i! f lilli Fish Cakes. — "Can you let me have half a dozen of these fish cakes to take home?" is another question I am often asked by my patrons when they are enjoying this simple breakfast or supper dish. They cannot generally be accommodated, because the demand is so great that we can no more than fill the orders. We have them only once a week, and customers look for them. Soak six ounces of boneless salt codfish a little while before cooking. Boil it half an hour. Pick it over for bones, and then pound it with a potato masher in a pan. While this is being done, boil or steam four or five medium-sized potatoes, and when done drain well and mash them with the fish. Add a tablespoonful of butter made quite soft by melting ; one raw egg, and a good pinch of black pepper. Mix thoroughly, and make up into balls, with plenty of flour on the hands to prevent sticking. Drop them into hot frying fat, and fry of a nice brown colour. When the common salt codfish is used, it should be steeped over night, and when put on to boil, pour the vmter off as soon as it comes to a hoil and Jill up xnth jAenty of fresh. This takes away the rank taste, which will always be found if this is not done. They cannot be made good with cold boiled potatoes, because of the moisture in them. Sufficient for six persons. Cost, 8c. or 9c. Foie Gras. — Is understood to mean fat liver ; especially designating the livers of fat geese. P^te de Foie Gras is put up in tins, and can be had of the leading fancy grocers. It comes high and is little used here. Frogs' Legs. — These are always kept in the larders of high-class establishments when they are in season, which in \f THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 37 this country is the summer and fall. They are cooked in various ways, but most generally breaded and fried, or in a fricassee. They are considered a great delicacy and taste not unlike chicken. Frying. — Cooking anything in a frying pan, with a little grease to prevent its sticking, is a nice way of cooking some things, such as pancakes, omelets, etc. ; but it is not what professional cooks call frying. With them, " to fry anythmg means to cook it by immersing it totally in very hot fat." As in boiling, the water must cover what is boiled, so in frying the fat must cover what is fried. This cannot be done in a common frying pan — it is too shallow; and as a frying kettle is seldom seen in a domestic kitchen, so seldom is anything fried as it ought to be. It may appear to some at first that to use so much fat would be highly extravagant, but it is not, because the same fat can be used over and o^er again. When you have finished frying, pour the fat into a basin containing a little hot water, and put away till wanted again. Then take it out in a cake, and scrape off the part next the water, which will contain scraps of the last fry and other impurities. Whenever anything is fried, let it drain a short time by being thrown on to a very hot dry cloth or coarse brown paper. The regular frying kettle can be successfully imitated by using a large stew pan, with a wire basket, which can be bought very cheaply at any of the house-furnishing stores. Whatever is to be fried is put into the basket, and the whole put into the stew pan containing the deep fat. By this means the articles being fried can be lifted conveniently when done, /'•SI 38 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. ft and drained. Great care should be taken with fat, so as to avoid accidents by fire, or splashing caused by cold water coming in contact with the hot fat. Fat gets more than a hundred degrees hotter than boiling water, and it is no joke to get a splash of this temperature on the hands. To know when it is hot enough to use, throw in a small piece of bread, and if it browns quickly it is hot enough. It should be almost " smoking hot." Furniture Polish. — Any polish that contains gum or wax, as the majority of them do, should be avoided, for the continued use of such will in the end spoil the appearance of your furniture, and you will spend more time getting it off than was spent in putting it on. There is nothing better than raw linseed oil well rubbed in, and polished by further rubbing. Game, to Cook. — All dark meat game, such as wild ducks, venison, moose, caribou^ woodcock, plover and snipe, should be cooked more or less underdone. Partridges and quail require longer cooking. Ham, to Boil. — If a quart of cider, a bunch of sweet herbs, two or three carrots, and a bay leaf be added to the water in which a ham is boiled, the flavor will be much improved. The time required to boil a new ham is twenty- five minutes to the pound: for an old one, twenty-eight minutes, counting from the time the water boils. HoUandaise Sauce for Fish.— Blend together two ounces of butter and a small teaspoonful of flour, put it into a stew pan, with equal quantities of water and tarragon vinegar, two THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 39 tablespoonfuls of each ; stir for a minute, and add the beaten yolks of two eggs, keeping up the stirring until the mixture thickens. It must not boil, and when ready to serve add the juice of half a lemon. Make this sauce in a bain-marie, or one vessel set inside of a larger one containing boiling water. Huitres. — French for oysters. When the writer was a young hotel clerk up in western Canada, many years ago, oysters in the shell were not often met with so far inland, but our proprietor received a barrel as a present from a friend in New York, and he decided to share them with his guests, and so ordered me to put them on the bill of fare. The steward of the house, who was a veteran, and a lover of oysters, came to me and gave me my first lesson in French. " Put the oysters on the bill in French," said he, "and the people, not knowing what it is, will be chary about ordering them, and so we shall be able to have a good feed ourselves on what is left." To be honest, I must confess that I was easily led astray by the wily old rascal, and did as he suggested. His estimate of the guests' knowledge of French was pretty nearly correct, and the result was that we did have a '* good feed " on what was left. Of course it was a despicable trick, and I should not have listened to him, but I did. Moral : A knowledge of bill of fare French, at least, is gain. Invalids' Lemonade. — Slice a lemon, and put it with an ounce or more of lump sugar into a jug, and pour over it a little more than a pint of boiling water. Cover closely, and in two hours strain. This makes a refreshing drink. Jelly. — Most of the jelly made for parties, is made from gelatine, as also is that sold at the grocers, and it cannot be rf'K. "i^: : ^"gf T~ ' ws mi; ;- --.siikvmaeff: iifc~?f«--*. ^ 40 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. ii relied upon as a nourishing food for invalids. When such is required, it can be easily made at home. See Calf's Foot Jelly. Macedoine. —A word often met with on bills of fare. It means a mixture either of vegetables or of fruits, cut into various shapes, but all about the same size, and quite small. Mayonnaise Dressing. — This is a cold sauce, or dressing, that always goes with salads. Made by hand it is somewhat tedious and by no means certain as to results. It should be thick enough to spread over a salad without running off. All the ingredients must be cold to commence with, and the oil added to the egg yolks gradually, and in small quantities — drop by drop, at first. There is a labour-saving invention now lo be had at the house-furnishing stores called the "keystone beater," which v/ill make a pint of mayonnaise in one minute, and better than it can be made by hand. I give the recipe as it is given in the little booklet that goes with each beater, and can say from experience that it never fails. Here it is : " Put the uncooked yolks of two eggs into the glass, which should be perfectly clean and cold, add half a teaspoonful of salt, and a dash of cayenne. Give the beater one turn, and then add, a teaspoonful at a time, half a gill of salad oil. Now you may turn in half a gill of oil at a time, with a half teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar, giving the beater one or two turns after each addition, and so on until you have the desired quantity of dressing. Remember that if you once get the dressing started, the machine works so rapidly that the oil may be added in large quantities without the slightest danger of separation. Don't forget that the power of the machine is THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 41 very great, and one or two revolutions will do just the same amount of work as you get by hand in half an hour. This dressing should be a light yellow colour, and entirely free from any greasy appearance. Marketing. — "Discretion in buying and skill in cooking are both vital to true economy. The woman who would go to a dry goods store, and, without specifying what particular kind of cloth she wanted, direct the salesman to give her enough of the best woollen goods for a dress, and who would then hand the material over to her dressmaker, with instruc- tions merely to make it well and trim it becomingly, might or might not be well dressed. It is fairly certain that she would not be economically dressed. Yet thousands of women — yes, and men, too, for I see and hear them almost every day when I am marketing — give orders precisely after this fashion +o their butchers and cooks, and are despondent because their bills are so large. It is the primary duty of the housekeeper to understand the relative value of goods, and to know how they should be cooked so as to preserve those values. While the more expensive viands are likely to be the best for particular purposes, they are entirely out of place in the preparation of other equally valuable and tooth- some dishes. If the housekeeper knows the character of each article of food that is bought, and devotes each to its proper use, she has mastered the great principle of dietetic economy." Meat, Buying of. — People who run around the market looking for bargains in meat, sometimes get them, but more often they do not. The dealers are generally more experi- ^/I'/l ""■'^'"""V— i-' irii'^^-'^ 42 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. enced than the buyers, and when it is a question of who will get the best of the bargain, the dealer usually gets it. It is better to select a reliable tradesman, and deal with him as long as he gives you satisfaction. He buys only the best quality to begin with. He gets to know exactly what you want, and also to know that if he sends what you do not want, he will have to change it. He will often put aside your favorite cut or joint, knowing that you will be along and take it, and if you do not come, there are other customers always on the look out for dainties. Meat, to Ensure its Being Tender. — All meats, to be tender, must be kept for several days, according to the state of weather and the nature of the meat, generally speaking as long as it will keep without going bad. If your butcher will not run the risk, buy and keep it yourself. It is the only way to be sure of getting tender meat. This rule also applies to poultry and game. Meat, Cooking of. — The proper way of boiling meat has been already described. (See Boiling). The same principle holds good in roasting in an oven. The object should be to keep the juice in the meat. Therefore it is necessary to have the oven very hot when the meat is put in, and kept so for about fifteen or twenty minutes, according to the size of the joint. This forms a sort of crust round the outside of the joint, and prevents the gravy from running out. Then the heat should be slackened, and the remainder of the cooking done with a moderate heat, and frequent bastings. Many people think that to roast a joint, all that is necessary is to put it in the oven, allow so many hours and minutes for so THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 43 many pounds of meat, and it will be done. They do not seem to know that there are different degrees of heat, and that some articles require more heat than others. One morning while I was talking to my butcher, his telephone rang, and a customer complained that the sausages bought that morning were no good. They had burst open in the frying, hence the complaint. The butcher could not understand it, and asked me if I had had any trouble with mine. I had not. The trouble was with his customer's cook, not with the sausages. She or he did not know, probably, that sausages must be cooked slowly, over a gentle fire, or they will burst. The time for roasting a joint will depend upon the size and thickness of the meat, and the heat of the oven. A fifteen pound roast of beef will cook " rare done" in a hotel range oven in two hours. The same joint cooked in a private house range would take from three to four hours, and longer if wanted well done. So, no rule of time can be laid down. This must be learned by experience. Melted Batter, or Batter Saace. — This sauce is adapted for all kinds of fish, especially boiled fish, and can be vari- ously flavored, such as with shrimps, anchovies, lobster, oysters, etc., and with capers for boiled mutton. For vege- tables, such as asparagus, artichokes, parsnips, onions, and young carrots, it is used plain. It is somewhat expensive, and therefore should not be made in larger quantities than needed. Mix equal quantities of butter and flour together in a saucepan over a fire until it comes gently to a boil, then add sufficient water or stock to make it about as thick as good cream. If not perfectly smooth, strain, but do not let it boil again. 44 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. W I Olives. — The fruit of the olive tree. They are used for dessert, or handed round between the courses to whet the appetite, and also to clear the palate. Pastry and Sweets. — These things are generally well understood by most housekeepers. Examine the cook books in private houses, and you will observe that the parts treating on these subjects will be v/ell worn, while the portions relating to meats, soups, etc., are almost unsoiled, if not quite so ; showing that the really most important subjects — soups and meats — the things which give nourishment and sustain life, are overlooked ; or else it is taken for granted that there is nothing new to learn about the plain, simple boiling, roasting, and stewing. There are few houses but what possess a good cook book, and perhaps it will suffice to simply call attention to this important matter. The need of this is proven by what the men tell us cooks, that they do not fare so well at home as with us in the matter referred to. Pepper, Cayenne. — The medicinal value of this condi- ment is too little understood by the middle and lower classes. It can scarcely be used too freely with food, but care should be taken to get it pure. Pickle for Beef. — Put two gallons of cold water into a large stew pan, with four pounds of coarse salt, half a pound of good yellow sugar, and two ounces of saltpetre. Bring it to a boil, skim carefully and let it boil for twenty minutes. Turn it into a deep pan, and when it is quite cold it is ready for the meat. Take a small cask or a large crock to keep it in. Put the meat in and keep it covered by placing a piece of heavy stone on the top of the meat. Leave the meat in THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 45 this pickle for seven or eight days — not longer, and cook according to directions on page 17. This is the pickle that makes the delicious corned beef that I have been so much praised for. The same pickle will do for pork and tongues, and they will be just as nice as the beef. The pickle may be used repeatedly, but add one pound of salt and a pint of water every time the pickle is boiled. Rhubarb. — Coming into season in the spring of the year, just as apples are going out, and before fresh fruit comes in. it is therefore a most valued production. It is appetizing as well as wholesome, and it is excellent for purifying the blood. It seems a pity that it is not better understood generally — nor is it the best cooks that know most about it, for I have worked with French chefs who were without doubt the best cooks in this country, but who were ignorant of the simple method by which rhubarb is made delightfully pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. I have to give my wife credit for my knowledge of it, and when I asked her where she learned it. she simply said "Oh, it is just the way that ma does it." Ah I we have to come back to the home cooking after all. sometimes. Would it were more so. This is called a Rhubarb, Compote of. — A compote of any fruit is made by stewing in syrup so as to keep the original shape, not broken or mashed up. Too often stewed rhubarb is a colorless, sour, colicky looking mess, that is altogether unappetizing and unfit to eat. This is the way to prepare it for a compote, which can be used also for pies, and is better than the raw fruit. Wipe or wash, but do not peel the rhubarb, because the colour is in the peel, and if it is taken off, you lose 46 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. the colour. Cut it into one and a quarter inch lengths, and put it into a larye flat pan or dish, and sprinkle over it baking soda in the proportion of a teiispoonful to a pound of rhubarb. Then pour on sufficient boiling water to a little more than cover it, stir it about gently with a wooden spoon for a few seconds, and drain the water off. Pour on a second lot of boiling water, stir as before and drain off. Then add sufficient sugar to make a syrup, and stew very gently for fifteen minutes. A very small quantity of sugar will be needed, as compared with the ordinary method, because the sourness is taken out in the scalding with the soda. Avoid stirring, and thus mashing up the pieces while it is stewing. Each piece should be separate and whole, retaining its colour, and when served (cold) in a neat glass compote dish, it forms a pleasing contrast to the result by the usual method. When preparing rhubarb, particularly for pies, see what metamorphosis takes place by the judicious addition of a little candied lemon peel, a little fresh lemon peel, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a few sultanas. You will be surprised. Soup Stocky What it Is. — It is easier to learn principles from the wholesale preparation of any article than from the preparation of such small quantities that often little, apparently unimportant, matters of detail are omitted. It is obvious that the method of preparing stock for say, the Grand Hotel, and for the family consisting of two, must be widely different, but the principle is the thing to grasp, so we will therefore first describe how to make stock in large quantities. Stock, Hotel. — A really good cook does not know how to get along without a stock pot or boiler. It is such a help THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 47 toward good cooking, and makes the work easier. The pot should be larger than the ordinary pots. Into it are put, bones of beef, veal, and fowl, rabbits or game, and during the day all the trimmings and tough, gristly ends of meat^ such as would sure to be left untouched if cooked and sent in to guests. All the available meat and bones being in, next throw in the vegetable seasonings, such as an onion stuck with cloves, a turnip cut up, a carrot, a head of celery, and a** bouquet" (bunch) of herbs, consisting of two sprigs of parsley, one of sweet marjarom, one of savoury, one of thyme, and a bay leaf ; add, also, a very little salt, and a few pepper corns. Fill in enough cold water to cover the contents, and let the boiler heat slowly, and when at last it boils, skim carefully two or three times, put the lid on again and let simmer five hours. The result will be a rich stock ready, when strained, to be used in making soup, gravies or sauces. It should be strained through a large cloth or sieve into a jar or basins, and put by for use, all the fat being easily removed when cold. The fat is useful for frying purposes. Meat for soup should not be v/ashed, because that part of the meat which contains the greatest amount of flavor is soluble in cold water. Stock on a Small Scale. — In small houses cooks should endeavor to do on a small scale v/hat we have shown is done in great hotels on a large scale. First, the common stock is made as above, and freed from fat. Then it is ready to be made into any of the various vegetable soups, etc. Notice that the soup recipes in your cook books and newspapers nearly always call for so much "stock." This is what is meant. 48 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. Stock, Method of Clearing. — Suppose the quantity of stock required to be cleared to be two quarts. Take the whites of two eggs separated from the yolks, and be careful that no tinge even of yolk be witn them. Place these two whites in a basin, breaking up and adding the shells and add nearly a tumblerful of cold water, and mix it well up till the whole froths on the top, then pour this into the saucepan or vessel in which the stock is, which ought not, however, to be boiling at the time. Mix it well up, and place the saucepan on the fire to boil. While it gently boils, skim it thoroughly, then stir it all up again, let it stand a short time, and then strain it through a fine cloth, or better still, a thick flannel jelly bag. This will render it as bright as sherry, only bear in mind that every particle of fat should first be removed from the stock. Soup. — Having briefly described how to make good strong stock and how to clear it. we now come to consider soups in general, and will divide them into three classes — clear, thick and purees. We have no English word that conveys exactly the same idea as the French word puree. A puree owes its consistency to the fact that the ingredients have been rubbed through a wire sieve, while a thick soup's consistency is due to the addition of some artificial thickening, such as flour or arrowroot, etc. Clear soups are, of course, as the word implies, bright as well as thin. They are the conso))imes of beef, game or poultry, varying according to the floating garnish added to them. Some hotels make a great show on their bills of fare with five or six soups. There is always one thick soup or puree but tha rest are all one consomme with a handful of Julienne, Jardiniere, THE LITTLE HELPMATE. 49 Printaniere, (prepared vegetables) macaroni, vermicelli, or tapioca previously prepared and thrown in just before it is served. They read like this : ''^Consomme a la Julienne^'''' Consomme au Vermicelli,'^'' etc. Soup, Economy of. — Suppose the family is so small that it is thought not worth while to go to the trouble of making soup stock out of bones and scraps that would otherwise be thrown away, and resort is had to extract of beef — a quick but more expensive way of making soup — even then, if five cents worth of soup causes one to eat ten cents worth less of meat, there is a clear gain of five cents. Thus, a dinner consisting of say a soup, fish, entree (made dish) and joint, is cheaper than one consisting of joint alone, with the further advantage of giving variety and choice of dishes. Sonp. — Consomme, What it Is. — " We have no word in English for consomme but broth, or clear soup, and that is not an equivalent, but only a substitute. It is something more than can be obtained by letting the soup-stock get cold in a jar, and after taking off the fat, pouring it off without disturbing the sediment, strained through a napkin, made hot, and a spoonful of colouring added. French cooks understand by consomme, a clear soup as rich as melted jelly and the colour of pale brandy." It is made as follows : Sonp. — Consomme, to Make. — Simmer a large fowl and two or more shanks of veal in a gallon of water for three or four hours, and while it is cooking add the seasonings. These should be the usual soup bunch (without parsnips or green onion tops, however), together with a stalk of celery, half a 50 THE LITTLE HELPMATE. bay leaf, a teaspoonful of bruised pepper corns, a sprig of green thyme or marjoram and a carrot. When it has boiled long enough (about five hours) slowly, strain the broth into a saucepan. Chop a pound of lean beef fine, mix it with two whites of eggs and a cup of cold water. Then pour the broth to the beef, stir up, and boil again. Strain through a napkin or jelly bag, season with salt, colour with a teaspoonful of dissolved burnt sugar, and remove every particle of grease. It is then ready to serve, either plain or with any of the various floating garnishes. The reason why 1 have explained the method of making soup stock at length, is because nearly all recipes of soup call for so much "stock." It is not always necessary, but it is always better than water for that purpose, and it is, moreover, a