Page:Browne - The Plain Sailing Cook Book.djvu/22

 Threading. When sugar and water has reached a certain stage in the boiling process, a few drops poured from the end of a spoon will form into a thin hair-like thread. This is known as the "threading" stage. 

Warm food should never be put in the ice-box, but should stand outside until it becomes cool.

Two or three yards of clean white cheese-cloth should always be kept in the kitchen. It will be found useful for many purposes.

In using a double-boiler, it is important to see that the lower compartment is always kept about half full of boiling water. As the water boils away, more should be added from time to time.

Use a small soft brush or a piece of tissue-paper wadded up into a soft ball for buttering baking-dishes. If the pans are heated slightly just before buttering, the process is made much easier.

Twenty minutes or so before meal-time, the dishes required for serving hot food should be placed on the warming-shelf or in the warming-compartment of the stove, so that they will be thoroughly warm when the meal is ready to serve.

The tissue-paper wrappings of oranges, grapefruit, etc., should always be straightened out and placed on a hook in the kitchen, for use in draining fried food, in wiping out greasy pans and dishes before washing, and in numerous other ways.

A jar or bowl in which to pour all fat and drippings left from cooking meat, especially bacon and other forms of pork, should be kept conveniently at hand. This fat