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The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) written by Mrs. F.L. Gillette

M >> Mrs. F.L. Gillette >> The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887)




Cream cures sun-burn on some complexions, lemon juice is best on
others, and cold water suits still others best.


BURNET'S CELEBRATED POWDER FOR THE FACE.

Five cents' worth of bay rum, five cents' worth of magnesia snowflake,
five cents' worth of bergamot, five cents' worth of oil of lemon; mix
in a pint bottle and fill up with rain-water. Shake well, and apply
with a soft sponge or cloth.


TOILET OR FACE POWDER.

Take a quarter of a pound of wheat starch pounded fine; sift it
through a fine sieve, or a piece of lace; add to it eight drops of oil
of rose, oil of lemon thirty drops, oil of bergamot fifteen drops.
Rub thoroughly together.

The French throw this powder into alcohol, shaking it, letting it
settle, then pouring off the alcohol and drying the powder. In that
case, the perfume is added lastly.


TO REMOVE FRECKLES.

The following lotion is highly recommended: One ounce of lemon juice,
a quarter of a drachm of powdered borax, and half a drachm of sugar;
mix in a bottle, and allow them to stand a few days, when the liquor
should be rubbed occasionally on the hands and face. Another
application is: Friar's balsam one part, rose-water twenty parts.

Powdered nitre moistened with water and applied to the face night and
morning, is said to remove freckles without injury to the skin.

Also, a tablespoonful of freshly grated horse-radish, stirred into a
cupful of sour milk; let it stand for twelve hours, then strain and
apply often. This bleaches the complexion also, and takes off tan.


TO REMOVE MOTH PATCHES.

Into a pint of rum put a tablespoonful of flour of sulphur. Apply this
to the patches once a day, and they will disappear in two or three
weeks.


CURE FOR PIMPLES.

One teaspoonful of carbolic acid and one pint of rose-water mixed is
an excellent remedy for pimples. Bathe the skin thoroughly and often,
but do not let the wash get into the eyes.

This wash is soothing to mosquito bites, and irritations of the skin
of every nature.

It is advisable, in order to clear the complexion permanently, to
cleanse the blood; then the wash would be of advantage.

To obtain a good complexion, a person's diet should receive the first
attention. Greasy food, highly spiced soups, hot bread and butter,
meats or game, rich gravies, alcoholic liquors, coffee--all are
injurious to the complexion. Strong tea used daily will after a time
give the skin the color and appearance of leather. Coffee affects the
nerves more, but the skin less, and a healthy nervous system is
necessary to beauty. Eating between meals, late suppers, over-eating
at meals, eating sweetmeats, candies, etc., all these tend to
disorder the blood, producing pimples and blotches.

Washing of the face or skin is another consideration for a good
complexion; it should be thoroughly washed in plenty of luke-warm
water with some mild soap--then rinsed in clear water _well_; dry with
a thick soft towel. If suds is left or wiped off the skin, the action
of the air and sun will tan the surface, and permanently deface the
complexion; therefore one should be sure to thoroughly rinse off all
soap from the skin to avoid the tanning, which will leave a brown or
yellow tinge impossible to efface.


PEARL SMELLING SALTS.

Powdered carbonate of ammonia one ounce, strong solution of ammonia
half a fluid ounce, oil of rosemary ten drops, oil of bergamot ten
drops. Mix, and while moist put in wide-mouthed bottle which is to be
well closed.


PEARL TOOTH POWDER.

Prepared chalk half a pound, powdered myrrh two ounces; camphor two
drachms, orris root, powdered, two ounces; moisten the camphor with
alcohol and mix well together.


REMOVING TARTAR FROM THE TEETH.

This preparation is used by dentists. Pure muriatic acid one ounce,
water one ounce, honey two ounces, mix thoroughly. Take a tooth-brush,
and wet it freely with this preparation, and briskly rub the black
teeth, and in a moment's time they will be perfectly white; then
immediately wash out the mouth well with water, that the acid may not
act on the enamel of the teeth. This should be done only occasionally.


BAD BREATH.

Bad breath from catarrh, foul stomach, or bad teeth, may be
temporarily relieved by diluting a little bromo chloralum with eight
or ten parts of water, and using it as a gargle, and swallowing a few
drops before going out. A pint of bromo chloralum costs fifty cents,
but a small vial will last a long time.


SHAVING COMPOUND.

Half a pound of plain, white soap, dissolved in a small quantity of
alcohol, as little as can be used; add a tablespoonful of pulverized
borax. Shave the soap and put it in a small tin basin or cup; place it
on the fire in a dish of boiling water; when melted, add the alcohol,
and remove from the fire; stir in oil of bergamot sufficient to
perfume it.


BARBER'S SHAMPOO MIXTURE.

Dissolve half an ounce of carbonate of ammonia and one ounce of borax
in one quart of water; then add two ounces of glycerine in three
quarts of New England rum, and one quart of bay rum. Moisten the hair
with this liquid; shampoo with the hands until a light lather is
formed; then wash off with plenty of clean water.


RAZOR-STROP PASTE.

Wet the strop with a little sweet oil, and apply a little flour of
emery evenly over the surface.


CAMPHOR ICE.

Melt together over a water bath white wax and spermaceti each one
ounce, camphor two ounces, sweet almond oil, one pound, then triturate
until the mixture has become homogeneous, and allow one pound of
rose-water to flow in slowly during the operation. Excellent for
chapped lips or hands.


ODORIFEROUS OR SWEET-SCENTING BAGS.

Lavender flowers one ounce, pulverized orris, two drachms, bruised
rosemary leaves half ounce, musk five grains, attar of rose five
drops. Mix well, sew up in small flat muslin bags, and cover them with
fancy silk or satin.

These are very nice to keep in your bureau drawers or trunk, as the
perfume penetrates through the contents of the trunk or drawers. An
acceptable present to a single gentleman.


HOW TO KEEP BRUSHES CLEAN.

The best way in which to clean hair-brushes is with spirits of
ammonia, as its effect is immediate. No rubbing is required, and cold
water can be used just as successfully as warm. Take a tablespoonful
of ammonia to a quart of water, dip the hair part of the brush without
wetting the ivory, and in a moment the grease is removed; then rinse
in cold water, shake well, and dry in the air, but not in the sun.
Soda and soap soften the bristles and invariably turn the ivory
yellow.


TOILET ITEMS.

Mutton tallow is considered excellent to soften the hands. It may be
rubbed on at any time when the hands are perfectly dry, but the best
time is when retiring, and an old pair of soft, large gloves
thoroughly covered on the inside with the tallow and glycerine in
equal parts, melted together, can be worn during the night with the
most satisfactory results.

Four parts of glycerine and five parts of yolks of eggs thoroughly
mixed, and applied after washing the hands, is also considered
excellent.

For chapped hands or face: One ounce of glycerine, one ounce of
alcohol mixed, then add eight ounces of rose-water.

Another good rule is to rub well in dry oatmeal after every washing,
and be particular regarding the quality of soap. Cheap soap and hard
water are the unknown enemies of many people, and the cause of rough
skin and chapped hands. Castile soap and rain-water will sometimes
cure without any other assistance.

Camphor ice is also excellent, and can be applied with but little
inconvenience. Borax dissolved and added to the toilet water is also
good.

For chapped lips, beeswax dissolved in a small quantity of sweet oil,
by heating carefully. Apply the salve two or three times a day, and
avoid wetting the lips as much as possible.

To soften the hands: One can have the hands in soap-suds with soft
soap without injury to the skin if the hands are dipped in vinegar or
lemon juice immediately after. The acids destroy the corrosive effects
of the alkali, and make the hands soft and white. Indian meal and
vinegar or lemon juice used on hands where roughened by cold or labor
will heal and soften them. Rub the hands in this, then wash off
thoroughly and rub in glycerine. Those who suffer from chapped hands
will find this comforting.

To remove stains, rub a slice of raw potato upon the stains; or wash
the hands in lemon juice or steeped laurel-leaves.

To give a fine color to the nails, the hands and fingers must be well
lathered and washed with fine soap; then the nails must be rubbed with
equal parts of cinnebar and emery, followed by oil of bitter almonds.
To take white spots from the nails, melt equal parts of pitch and
turpentine in a small cup; add to it vinegar and powdered sulphur. Rub
this on the nails and the spots will soon disappear.


TOILET SOAP.

One pound of washing soda, one pound of lard or clear tallow, half a
pound of unslaked lime, one tablespoonful of salt, three quarts of
water. Put the soda and lime in a large dish, and pour over the water,
boiling hot; stir until dissolved; let it stand until clear, then pour
off the clear liquid, add the grease and salt; boil four hours, then
pour into pans to cool. If it should be inclined to curdle or
separate, indicating the lime to be too strong, pour in a little more
water, and boil again. Perfume as you please, and pour into molds or a
shallow dish, and, when cold, cut into bars to dry.


ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS.

The following list gives some of the more common poisons and the
remedies most likely to be on hand in case of need:--

_Acids:_--These cause great heat and sensation of burning pain from
the mouth down to the stomach. The remedies are-: Magnesia, soda,
pearl ash, or soap dissolved in water, every two minutes; then use the
stomach pump, or an emetic.

_Alkali:_--Drink freely of water with vinegar or lemon juice in it,
made very strong of the sour.

_Ammonia:_--Remedy is lemon juice or vinegar.

_Arsenic Remedies:_--Give prompt emetic of mustard and salt, a
tablespoonful of each, in a coffeecup of _warm_ water; then follow
with sweet oil, butter made warm, or milk. Also may use the white of
an egg in half a cupful of milk or lime water. Chalk and water is
good, and the preparation of iron, ten drops in water every half hour:
hydrated magnesia.

_Alcohol:_--First cleanse out the stomach by an emetic, then dash
cold water on the head, and give ammonia (spirits of hartshorn).

_Laudanum, Morphine, Opium:_--First give a strong emetic of mustard
and water, then very strong coffee and acid drinks; dash cold water on
the head, then keep in motion.

_Belladonna:_--Give an emetic of mustard, salt and water; then drink
plenty of vinegar and water or lemonade.

_Charcoal:_--In poisons, by carbonic gas, remove the patient to the
open air, dash cold water on the head and body, and stimulate the
nostrils and lungs with hartshorn, at the same time rubbing the chest
briskly.

_Corrosive Sublimate, Saltpetre, Blue Vitriol, Bed-bug Poison:_--Give
white of egg, freshly mixed with water, in large quantities; or give
wheat flour and water, or soap and water freely, or salt and water, or
large draughts of milk.

_Lead:_--White lead and sugar of lead. Give an emetic, then follow
with cathartics, such as castor oil, and epsom salts especially.

_Nux Vomica:_--First emetics, and then brandy.

_Oxalic Acid (frequently taken for epsom salts):_--First give soap and
water, or chalk or magnesia and water. Give every two minutes.

_White Vitriol:_--Give plenty of milk and water.

_Tartar Emetic:_--Take large doses of tea made of white oak bark, or
peruvian bark. Drink plenty of warm water to encourage vomiting; then,
if the vomiting should not stop, give a grain of opium in water.

_Nitrate of Silver (lunar caustic):_--Give a strong solution of common
salt and water, and then an emetic.

_Verdigris:_--Give plenty of white of egg and water.

_Tobacco:_--Emetics, frequent draughts of cold water; camphor and
brandy.




MISCELLANEOUS.


FRENCH WORDS IN COOKING.

_Aspic:_--Savory jelly for cold dishes.

_Au gratin:_--Dishes prepared with sauce and crumbs and baked.

_Bouchees:_--Very thin patties or cakes, as name indicates--mouthfuls.

_Baba:_--A peculiar, sweet French yeast cake.

_Bechamel:_--A rich, white sauce made with stock.

_Bisque:_--A white soup made of shell fish.

_To Blanch:_--To place any article on the fire till it boils, then
plunge it in cold water; to whiten poultry, vegetables, etc. To remove
the skin by immersing in boiling water.

_Bouillon:_--A clear soup, stronger than broth, yet not so strong as
_consomme_, which is "reduced" soup.

_Braise:_--Meat cooked in a closely covered stewpan, so that it
retains its own flavor and those of the vegetables and flavorings put
with it.

_Brioche:_--A very rich, unsweetened French cake made with yeast.

_Cannelon:_--Stuffed rolled-up meat.

_Consomme:_--Clear soup or bouillon boiled down till very rich, _i.e._
consumed.

_Croquettes:_--A savory mince of fish or fowl, made with sauce into
shapes, and fried.

_Croustades:_--Fried forms of bread to serve minces or other meats
upon.

_Entree:_--A small dish, usually served between the courses at dinner.

_Fondue:_--A light preparation of melted cheese.

_Fondant:_--Sugar boiled and beaten to a creamy paste.

_Hollandaise Sauce:_--A rich sauce, something like hot mayonnaise.

_Matelote:_--A rich fish stew, with wine.

_Mayonnaise:_--A rich salad dressing.

_Meringue:_--Sugar and white of egg beaten to sauce.

_Marmade:_--A liquor of spices, vinegar, etc., in which fish or meats
are steeped before cooking.

_Miroton:_--Cold meat warmed in various ways, and dished in circular
form.

_Purse:_--This name is given to very thick soups, the ingredients for
thickening which have been rubbed through a sieve.

_Poulette Sauce:_--A bechamel sauce, to which white wine and sometimes
eggs are added.

_Ragout:_--A rich, brown stew, with mushrooms, vegetables, etc.

_Piquante:_--A sauce of several flavors, acid predominating.

_Quenelles_:--Forcemeat with bread, yolks of eggs highly seasoned, and
formed with a spoon to an oval shape; then poached and used either as
a dish by themselves, or to garnish.

_Remoulade:_--A salad dressing differing from mayonnaise, in that the
eggs are hard boiled and rubbed in a mortar with mustard, herbs, etc.

_Rissole:_--Rich mince of meat or fish rolled in thin pastry and
fried.

_Roux:_--A cooked mixture of butter and flour, for thickening soups
and stews.

_Salmi:_--A rich stew of game, cut up and dressed, when half roasted.

_Sauter:_--To toss meat, etc., over the fire, in a little fat.

_Souffle:_--A very light, much whipped-up pudding or omelette.

_Timbale:_--A sort of pie in a mold.

_Vol au vents:_--Patties of very light puff paste, made without a dish
or mold, and filled with meat or preserves, etc.

_Catherine Owen, in Good Housekeeping._

* * * * *


ARTICLES REQUIRED FOR THE KITCHEN.

The following list will show what articles are necessary for the
kitchen, and will be quite an aid to young housekeepers when about
commencing to furnish the utensils needed in the kitchen department,
and may prove useful to many.

3 Sweeping brooms and 1 dust-pan.
1 Whisk broom.
1 Bread box.
2 Cake boxes.
1 Large flour box.
1 Dredging box.
1 Large-sized tin pepper box.
1 Spice box containing smaller spice boxes.
2 Cake pans, two sizes.
4 Bread pans.
2 Square biscuit pans.
1 Apple corer.
1 Lemon squeezer.
1 Meat cleaver.
3 Kitchen knives and forks.
1 Large kitchen fork and 4 kitchen spoons, two sizes.
1 Wooden spoon for cake making.
1 Large bread knife.
1 Griddle cake turner, also 1 griddle.
1 Potato masher.
1 Meat board.
1 Dozen patty pans; and the same number of tartlet pans.
1 Large tin pail and 1 wooden pail.
2 Small tin pails.
1 Set of tin basins.
1 Set of tin measures.
1 Wooden butter ladle.
1 Tin skimmer.
1 Tin steamer.
2 Dippers, two sizes.
2 Funnels, two sizes.
1 Set of jelly cake tins.
4 Pie pans.
3 Pudding molds, one for boiling, two for baking, two sizes.
2 Dish pans, two sizes.
2 Cake or biscuit cutters, two sizes.
2 Graters, one large and one small.
1 Coffee canister.
1 Tea canister.
1 Tin or granite-ware teapot.
1 Tin or granite-ware coffeepot.
4 Milk pans, 1 milk strainer.
1 Dozen iron gem pans or muffin rings.
1 Coarse gravy strainer, 1 fine strainer.
1 Colander.
1 Flour sifter.
2 Scoops, one for flour, one for sugar.
2 Jelly molds, two sizes.
1 Can opener, 1 egg beater.
1 Cork screw.
1 Chopping-knife.
2 Wooden chopping-bowls, two sizes.
1 Meat saw.
2 Large earthen bowls.
4 Stone jars.
1 Coffee mill.
1 Candlestick.
2 Market baskets, two sizes.
1 Clock.
1 Ash bucket.
1 Gridiron.
2 Frying pans or spiders, two sizes.
4 Flat-irons, 2 number 8 and 2 number 6.
2 Dripping pans, two sizes.
3 Iron kettles, porcelain lined if possible.
1 Corn beef or fish kettle.
1 Tea-kettle.
2 Granite-ware stewpans, two sizes.
1 Wire toaster.
1 Double kettle for cooking custards, grains, etc.
2 Sugar boxes, one for coarse and one for fine sugar.
1 Waffle iron.
1 Step ladder.
1 Stove, 1 coal shovel.
1 Pair of scales.
2 Coal hods or buckets.
1 Kitchen table, 2 kitchen chairs.
1 Large clothes basket.
1 Wash boiler, 1 wash board.
8 Dozen clothes pins.
1 Large nail hammer and one small tack hammer.
1 Bean pot.
1 Clothes wringer.

An ingenious housewife will manage to do with less conveniences, but
these articles, if they can be purchased in the commencement of
housekeeping, will save time and labor, making the preparation of food
more easy--and it is always economy in the end to get the best
material in all wares, as, for instance, the double plate tin will
last for years, whereas the poor kind has to be replaced in a short
time; the low-priced earthenware is soon broken up, whereas the strong
stoneware, costing but a trifle more, lasts almost a lifetime.

In relation to the economy and management of the kitchen, I might
suggest that the most essential thing is cleanliness in cooking, and
also cleanliness with your person as well as in the keeping of the
kitchen.

The hands of the cook should be always thoroughly cleansed before
touching or handling anything pertaining to the cooking. Next there
should never be anything wasted or thrown away that can be turned to
account, either for your own family or some family in poor
circumstances. Bread that has become hard can be used for toasting, or
for stuffing and pudding. In warm weather any gravies or soups that
are left from the preceding day should be boiled up and poured into
clean pans. This is particularly necessary where vegetables have been
added to the preparation, as it then so soon turns sour. In cooler
weather, every other day will be often enough to warm up these things.
In cooking, clear as you go; that is to say, do not allow a host of
basins, plates, spoons, and other utensils, to accumulate on the
dressers and tables whilst you are engaged in preparing the dinner. By
a little management and forethought, much confusion may be saved in
this way. It is as easy to put a thing in its place when it is done
with, as it is to keep continually moving it to find room for fresh
requisites. For instance, after making a pudding, the flour-tub,
paste-board, and rolling-pin, should be put away, and any basins,
spoons, etc., should be neatly packed up near the sink, to be washed
when the proper time arrives. Neatness, order and method should be
always observed.

Never let your stock of spices, salt, seasoning, herbs, etc., dwindle
down so low that some day, in the midst of preparing a large dinner,
you find yourself minus a very important ingredient, thereby causing
much confusion and annoyance.

After you have washed your saucepans, fish-kettle, etc., stand them
before the fire for a few minutes to get thoroughly dry inside,
before putting them away. They should then be kept in a dry place, in
order that they may escape the deteriorating influence of rust, and
thereby be quickly destroyed. Never leave saucepans dirty from one
day's use to be cleaned the next; it is slovenly and untidy.

Do not be afraid of hot water in washing up dishes and dirty cooking
utensils. As these are essentially greasy, luke-warm water cannot
possibly have the effect of cleansing them effectually. Do not be
chary also of changing and renewing the water occasionally. You will
thus save yourself much time and labor in the long run.

Keep a cake of sapolio always on hand in the kitchen--always
convenient for rubbing off stains from earthenware, tin, glass, in
fact, almost everything but silver; it is a cheap and valuable
article, and can be purchased at nearly every grocery in the United
States.




DYEING OR COLORING.


GENERAL REMARKS.

Everything should be clean. The goods should be scoured in soap and
the soap rinsed out. They are often steeped in soap lye over night.
Dip them into water just before putting them into preparations, to
prevent spotting. Soft water should be used, _sufficient to cover the
goods well; this is always understood where quantity is not
mentioned_. When goods are dyed, air them; then rinse well, and hang
up to dry. Do not wring silk or merino dresses when scouring or dyeing
them. If cotton goods are to be dyed a light color, they should first
be bleached.


SILKS.

_Black:_--Make a weak lye as for black or woolens; work goods in
bichromate of potash a little below boiling heat, then dip in the
log-wood in the same way; if colored in blue vitriol dye, use about
the same heat.

_Orange:_--For one pound goods, annotto one pound, soda one pound;
repeat as desired.

_Green--Very Handsome:_--For one pound goods, yellow oak bark eight
ounces; boil one-half hour; turn off the liquor from bark and add alum
six ounces; let it stand until cold; while making this, color goods
in blue dye-tub a light blue, dry and wash, dip in alum and bark dye.
If it does not take well, warm the dye a little.

_Purple:_--For one pound goods. First obtain a light blue, by dipping
in home-made dye-tub; then dry; dip in alum four ounces, with water to
cover, when little warm. If color is not full enough add chemic.

_Yellow:_--For one pound goods, alum three ounces, sugar of lead
three-fourths ounce; immerse goods in solution over night; take out,
drain, and make a new lye with fustic one pound; dip until the
required color is obtained.

_Crimson:_--For one pound goods, alum three ounces; dip at hand heat
one hour; take out and drain while making new dye by boiling ten
minutes, cochineal three ounces, bruised nutgalls two ounces and cream
of tartar one-fourth ounce, in one pail of water; when little cool,
begin to dip, raising heat to boil; dip one hour; wash and dry.

_Sky Blue on Silk or Cotton--Very Beautiful:_--Give goods as much
color from a solution of blue vitriol two ounces, to water one gallon,
as it will take up in dipping fifteen minutes; then run it through
lime water. This will make a beautiful and durable sky blue.

_Brown on Silk or Cotton--Very Beautiful:_--After obtaining a blue
color as above, run goods through a solution of prussiate of potash
one ounce, to water one gallon.

_Light Blue:_--For cold water one gallon, dissolve alum one-half
tablespoonful, in hot water one teacupful, and add to it; then add
chemic, one teaspoonful at a time to obtain the desired color--the
more chemic the darker the color.


WOOLEN GOODS.

_Chrome Black--Best in Use:_--For five pounds of goods, blue vitriol
six ounces; boil a few minutes, then dip the goods three-fourths of an
hour, airing often; take out the goods, make a dye with three pounds
of log-wood, boil one-half hour; dip three-fourths of an hour, air
goods, and dip three-fourths of an hour more. Wash in strong suds.
This will not fade by exposure to sun.

_Wine Color:_--For five pounds of goods, camwood two pounds; boil
fifteen minutes and dip the goods one-half hour; boil again and dip
one-half hour then darken with blue vitriol one and one-half ounces;
if not dark enough, add copperas one-half ounce.

_Scarlet--Very Fine:_--For one pound of goods, cream of tartar
one-half ounce, cochineal, well pulverized, one half ounce, muriate of
tin two and one-half ounces; boil up the dye and enter the goods; work
them briskly for ten or fifteen minutes, then boil one and one-half
hours, stirring goods slowly while boiling. Wash in clear water and
dry in the shade.

_Pink:_--For three pounds of goods, alum three ounces; boil and dip
the goods one hour, then add to the dye, cream of tartar four ounces,
cochineal, well pulverized, one ounce; boil well and dip the goods
while boiling until the color suits.

_Blue--Quick Process:_--For two pounds of goods, alum five ounces,
cream of tartar three ounces; boil goods in this one hour, then put
them into warm water which has more or less extract of indigo in it,
according to the depth of color desired, and boil again until it
suits, adding more of the blue if needed.