THE ICE CHEST 



173 



upon its temperature. The larger the amount of ice in 

 an ice chest, the lower its temperature and the greater its 

 efficiency. If the amount of ice is very small there will 

 be such slight lowering of the temperature that food in the 

 ice chest will spoil. Some form of refrigeration is almost a 

 necessity in the household in order to preserve foods which 

 must be kept from a few hours to a day or two before they 

 can be used. This is especially true of the preservation of 

 milk, a topic which we shall notice by itself. 



In much of America the ice chest has long been an 

 almost imiversal aid in the housekeeping of families in 

 moderate circumstances, but at present, in the homes of 

 considerable means, it is being largely replaced by the 

 electrical refrigerator. Very few families now have to do 

 without either type of refrigeration. The home with a re- 

 frigerator may purchase food to advantage in quantity and 

 preserve it for a few days till used. The poorer families 

 must rely upon their food being preserved by dealers in 

 food supplies, and can therefore buy only such small quan- 

 tities as can be used at once. 



To keep an ice chest in good condition it must be 

 frequently cleaned. The inside is sure to be damp, and 

 dirt is quite likely to collect in the cracks and comers. 

 This dirt will furnish a good place for the growth of such 

 bacteria as thrive in low temperatures, and thus the ice 

 chest in time becomes unfit for use. Food will not keep 

 well under such conditions, becoming infected with bac- 

 teria as well as affected by the odors given oflf from the 

 decaying material. A frequent cleaning is necessary to 

 keep the ice chest sweet and thus make it possible to pre- 

 serve food properly. 



