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them, as though you were washing your hands, in a basin of spirits of
turpentine, until quite clean; hang them up in a warm place, or where
there is a good current of air, which will carry off all smell of the
turpentine.
496.—To Clean Feathers
To every gallon of water allow half a pound of quicklime; stir the
mixture well, and let it stand a night; then pour off the water that
is perfectly clear, put the feathers to be cleaned into a deep tub,
and pour in as much lime-water as will cover them; let them stand two
or three days, stirring them frequently; then put them into a bag, and
wash them thoroughly in cold water; turn them out on sieves, and wring
the water from them by squeezing them in small portions with the
hands, after which they may be separated, the hard quills picked out,
and the down stripped from the large feathers. When they are thus
carefully cleaned, lay them on a floor where air can be freely
admitted; turn and shake them frequently, and when dry, put them into
bags, and beat them on a knocking-stone with a knocker.
497.—To Wash Lace
Place the lace in folds, and baste it on each side; lay it in cold
water for a night, and wash it in cold water with the best white soap;
gently rub and squeeze it; wash it in three or four waters with the
soap, and rinse it well in clean water; then put it into thin starch
or rice-water; take out the basting thread, and spread it on a blanket
upon a bed to dry; when it is nearly so, pick it out, and lay it in
folds, and when quite dry, lay it in an old cambric handkerchief, and
then in the folds of a towel; put it upon the rug, or upon a blanket
laid upon a stone, and with a heavy wooden pestle, or rolling-pin,
beat it hard till it looks quite smooth. A scarf or veil, after being
starched, should be pinned out tight upon a cloth on the floor, and
when dry, beaten in the same manner.
498.—To Wash Head and Clothes Brushes
Put a dessertspoonful of pearl-ashes into a pint of boiling-water, and
shake the brush about in it till it is perfectly clean; then pour some
clean hot water over it; shake, and dry it before the fire.
499.—To Clean Gold Chains, Earrings, &c.
Make a lather of soap and water, and boil the chain in it for a few
minutes; immediately on taking it out, lay it in magnesia powder which
has been heated by the fire, and when dry, rub it with flannel; if
embossed, use a brush.
500.—To Clean Plate
Boil an ounce each of cream of tartar, alum, and common salt in a
gallon of water; put the plate in and boil it, and when taken out and
rubbed dry it will have a fine polish. Plate, when laid aside, will
generally tarnish, but if cleaned by this method at stated periods, it
will always look well.
501.—To Clean Marble
Sift through a fine sieve two parts of common soda, one of
pumice-stone, and one of finely-powdered chalk, and mix it with water;
rub it well all over the marble, and the stains will be removed; then
wash the marble with soap and water, and it will be perfectly clean.
THINGS WORTH KNOWING502.—To Make Stale Bread Fresh
If stale bread be immersed in cold water for a moment or two, and
rebaked for about an hour, it will be for the time in every respect
equal to newly-baked bread; but the deception will be found out in the
course of a few hours.
503.—How to Select and Keep Coffee
In purchasing coffee, always prefer the Mocha—a small roundish berry
of a bluish tint. Never buy it roasted; a coffee-roaster can be
procured at a reasonable price, and the trouble of roasting and
grinding it at home is not very great. Let it be kept in a plain tin
canister, and when roasted and ground transfer it to a smaller
airtight one, as nothing deteriorates coffee so much as exposure to
the light and air after it has been roasted.
504.—Lettuce Salad
Salads should be very fresh, carefully washed, picked, and dried in a
clean cloth, cut up separately, and put into the bowl only just before
they are required for use. The salad mixture should be placed at the
bottom of the bowl and the salad on top; if mixed, the leaves lose
that crispness which is so delicious. Slices of beet, eggs, or boiled
potatoes are placed on the top to garnish.
505.—Substitute for Cream in Tea or Coffee
Beat the white of an egg to a froth, and mix well with it a very small
lump of butter; then add the coffee to it gradually, so that it may
not curdle. If perfectly done, it will be an excellent substitute for
cream.
506.—Another Way
Beat up, separately, the yolk and white of an egg; transfer them into
a large cup, and pour over it sweetened coffee, scalding hot. Skim
away the froth, and fill the coffee into a cup of the required size.
507.—To Protect Bed Linen and Curtains from Burning
Add an ounce of alum to the last water in which the linen and curtains
are to be rinsed, and they will be rendered inflammable, or so
slightly combustible that they would take fire very slowly, if at all.
This is a simple precaution, and is recommended where there are
children and in the sick chamber.
508.—To Prevent the Smoking of a Lamp
Soak the wick in strong vinegar, and dry it well before using it; it
will then burn both sweet and pleasant, and give much satisfaction for
the trifling trouble in preparing it.
509.—Transparent Paper
Paper can be made as transparent as glass, and capable of being
substituted for many purposes, by spreading over it on both sides,
with a feather, a very thin layer of resin dissolved in spirits of
wine. Fine thin post paper is the best for the purpose.
510.—To Take Impressions of Leaves
A very beautiful and cheap way of taking impressions of leaves is to
take a small quantity of bichromate of potass (say a teaspoonful),
which may be had at any druggist’s or colourman’s shop; dissolve it in
a saucerful of water, and pass the paper on which the impressions are
to be taken through the solution; while wet press the leaves lightly
upon it, and expose it to the sun, which should be shining powerfully.
When perfectly dry, remove the leaves, and perfect facsimile will
remain in a light lemon shade, while the rest of the paper will be of
a dark brown tint. Bichrome, as it is generally termed, is in dark
yellow crystals, which should be powdered previous to using it.
511.—To Take Impressions of Leaves on Silk, &c.
Prepare two rubbers by tying up wool, or any other substance, in
wash-leather; then rub up with cold-drawn linseed oil the wished-for
colours, as indigo for blue, chrome for yellow, &c.; dip the rubbers
into the paint, and rub them one over the other, so that too much may
not remain upon them; place a leaf on one of the rubbers and damp it
with the other; take the leaf off and apply it to the silk, satin,
paper, or other substance you wish stamped; place a piece of paper on
the leaf, and rub it gently, and there will be a beautiful impression
of all the veins. Leaves can only be used once; they should be nearly
all the same size, or the pattern will not look uniform.
The Indian Cookery Book by Anonymous
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