Helpful Hints

I've downloaded a free book onto my Kindle:  Fowler's Household Helps: Over 300 Useful and Valuable Helps About the Home, Carefully Complied and Arranged in Convenient Form for Frequent Use by Arthur L. Fowler

If you're bored, here are a few excerpts:

"Heat Lemons Before Squeezing: In using lemons, heat them thoroughly before squeezing and you will obtain nearly double the quantity of juice that you would if they had not been heated."  (heh.  I might just use that one.)

"How to Crack Pecan Nuts: Almost all housewives know how very hard it is to crack pecan nuts and get them eats out whole.  Pour boiling water over the nuts and let them stand thightly covered for five or six hours.  The nut meats may then be extracted easily without a trace of the bitter lining of the nut.  Use a nut cracker and crack lightly all around the nuts.  The work is quickly done and is not at all like the tedious process of picking out the meats from the dry nuts.  The meats nearly always come out whole."  (Good to know!)


"To Keep the Teakettle from Rusting: A clean oyster shell placed in the teakettle will keep out rust."  (Sounds like Nina lived in this household.  Who else would stash a shell in a place like that?)


"To Skin Tomtatoes Easily: ... Another method is to rub the tomatoes all over with the back of a knife to loosen the skins before peeling.  This is said to be better than scalding."

"To Remove Cake from Tin: When taking a cake from the oven, place the cake tin on a damp cloth for a moment and the cake will turn out of the tin quite easily."  (Not so sure I believe this one, but I'll give it a try.)

"To Make Muffins and Gems Lighter: Muffins and gems will be lighter if, after greasing your pans you place them in the oven a few moments and let them get hot before putting in the batter."  (Easy enough.)

"To Clean Tarnished Silver: Use a piece of raw potato dipped in baking soda."

"For Tarnished Silverware: If the silverware has become badly tarnished, put it in an aluminum dish, cover it with water, and boil it up for a short time.  It will come out bright and clean."  (I will definitely try this -- I hate the stink of silver polish on my hands!)

"To Prevent Dust When Sweeping: Wet the broom before starting to sweep; it makes it more pliable and less hard on the carpet's pile and also prevents dust from arising."  (Would it work for dog hair, do you think?)

"When Scissors get Blunt: Sharpen them by opening and drawing backward and forward on a piece of glass.  This will sharpen the bluntest of scissors."  (Cheaper than buying a new pair.)

And when you have young kids and need just a few minutes of peace and quiet on a rainy day: