1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
slightly moisten. This is excellent with cold 
meats. Those who like oil will find it a great 
improvement to add it. Make the salad an 
hour or two before it is to be eaten. 
Recent Household Appliances. 
Partly for the pleasure it affords, and partly 
that we may keep our readers advised as to 
such matters, we now and then make a tour 
of inspection among the house-furnishing 
stores. In such establishments we find a vast 
number of appliances for aiding the house¬ 
keeper in her work, some of them of great 
utility, while many are mere toys. It is in¬ 
teresting to see the number of contrivances 
for performing a simple operation. Nothing- 
can be simpler than the grating of a nutmeg, 
yet we several years ago illustrated half a 
dozen or more machines for doing it. So 
with beating eggs ; the number of egg-beat¬ 
ers is still larger, and some of them, the sim¬ 
plest, are very useful. A short while ago we 
visited our former neighbors, Messrs. Baldwin 
& Co., Murray street, for novelties. Among 
other things there were what are called 
“Egg Shirrer.” —“Shirred” is apparent¬ 
ly a recent name given to the manner of cook¬ 
ing eggs, for which this dish is intended. The 
affair is a vessel shaped like a shallow skillet, 
of about the capacity 
of a coffee cup ; it is 
made of earthenware 
with a white, porce¬ 
lain-like lining, and is 
Fig. 1- EGG COBDLER. ma( j e vejy thick _ fig _ 
me 1, so that it may retain heat. The dish is 
placed upon the stove until well heated, a bit 
of butter is put into it, and when this is melt¬ 
ed an egg is broken and its contents dropped 
into it. If the egg is to be but slightly 
done, the shirrer will retain heat enough to 
cook it, and it may at once be taken to the 
table. If it is desired to cook more, then the 
dish may remain upon the stove a while 
longer. A dish is served to each person, who 
can thus have the egg cooked according to 
his individual fancy. In boiling eggs, it is 
not always easy to get the exact “three 
minutes ” by the kitchen clock. Hence various 
Egg Timers have been devised; these are 
small “hour glasses” which run but three 
minutes; they must be watched, that the 
eggs may be removed as soon as the sand 
runs out. "When one 
stands and waits, three 
minutes seems a long¬ 
time—quite too long 
to waste in the hurry 
of getting breakfast. 
We saw at the place 
referred to a Signal 
Egg-timer. In this 
the sand-glass is sus¬ 
pended in a frame, as 
shown in figure 2 ; it 
is so contrived that 
when sufficient sand 
has run into the lower 
part of the glass, its 
weight turns the glass, 
and the hammer, 
shown at the top, falls 
down and strikes the Fiff ' 3 - EGG TIMER - 
bell below, thus informing the cook that the 
time is up. Below is a wedge-shaped counter¬ 
poise; by moving this, the alarm will be given 
at the end of two, three, or four minutes. 
Hot Water Plates, which were formerly 
cumbrous and troublesome affairs are now 
very neat and simple. A deep “crockery” 
plate, fig, 3, is furnished with a metallic bot¬ 
tom, leaving an inch of space between the 
two ; this space is to be filled with hot water 
through an opening which is provided with 
a tight-fitting screw cap or plug. Lovers of 
hot buckwheat cakes will approve of these 
plates, which are also useful for keeping mut¬ 
ton chops and other breakfast meats hot, 
that are not well relished when half cold. 
A Potato Slicer is shown in figure 4. 
An iron disk, with four knives set to cut at 
the right thickness, is made to revolve by 
turning a handle. The potato is placed upon 
a shelf or ledge, and by means of a sliding 
guard is pushed against the knives. The 
affair is fastened to the kitchen table, and by 
Fig. 4.— POTATO SLICER. 
turning the crank with one hand and push¬ 
ing the sliding guard with the other, the 
potato falls in slices, all of the same thick¬ 
ness, with a rapidity most amusing to witness. 
This is a really sensible _ and useful contriv¬ 
ance. very simple, as most good things are. 
Corn Bread and Cakes. 
[The statement in the December American Agricultur¬ 
ist, that nutriment furnished by potatoes costs four 
to five times as much as it does from corn meal, and that, 
on the average, nourishment obtained from wheat flour 
is two or three times as expensive as that from corn, has 
led to a wide demand among our readers for further di¬ 
rections for using corn. We can best, respond by giving 
several good recipes, from among which each reader can 
select one or more that will be desirable.'! 
Corn Bread. 
A.— Mix well with two quarts of fresh ground 
corn meal, 3 pints warm water, 1 tablespoonful 
sugar, 1 teaspoonful salt, and a large tablespoonful 
of hop or brewers’ yeast. Set in a warm place 
about five hours, until it rises well. Then add 
about three-quarters of a pint of wheat flour, and 
half a pint of warm water, and let stand to rise 
again about an hour and a half. Pour into a pan 
well greased with lard, or butter ; let it stand to rise 
a few minutes, and bake in a moderately hot oven 
nearly an hour and a half. It is good hot or cold, 
but best while hot. Com bread made essentially af ¬ 
ter this recipe carried off the prize among a hundred 
exhibitors, on the score of quality and economy. 
Into one pound corn meal rub half tea¬ 
spoonful salt and one of soda, a tablespoonful of 
lard or butter, and mix with one beaten egg and 3 
cups (14 pint) of sour milk. Bake 40 to 50 minutes 
in a buttered pan. It is very good thus : some will 
prefer the addition of a little sugar or molasses. 
41 . —Scald two quarts sifted corn meal ; add cold 
water enough to leave it lukewarm. Add a little 
salt, one-third teacupful rye or wheat flour, and 
stir all together with half a teacupful of yeast. Let 
it stand overnight, and in the morning add half 
teacupful molasses and a teaspoonful cooking soda. 
Bake in a pan two hours. We have eaten excellent 
bread made in this way. 
4 >. —A good boiled corn bread is made thus: 
Mix 5 pints corn meal, 1 pint rye or wheat flour, 2 
teaspoonfuls salt, a teacupful of molasses (less if 
preferred), and about 3 pints of milk or water, or 
part of each, or enough to form a soft batter. Put 
in a tin kettle with closely fitting cover, set it over 
a kettle of hot water and keep it boiling through 
the day. A tin mold with a hollow opening in 
the center is the best. If left over warm water over¬ 
night it supplies a very nice warm loaf for breakfast. 
Bi„—A good, cheap, quickly made corn bread: 
Mix 3 large cups of corn meal with one of wheat 
flour, a cup of sour milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of mo¬ 
lasses, and enough soda to remove acidity, and a 
little salt. Add enough sweet milk (or water may 
do), to make it as soft as you would for soft ginger¬ 
bread. Mix well and bake 50 to 60 minutes. 
B'\—An Apple Indian Loaf : Scald 3 pints com 
meal with li pint boiling water, and thin immedi¬ 
ately with 3 pints of tepid water. Add 4 teacup¬ 
fuls of Graham flour (or other flour may do), 3 or 4 
cupfuls of finely chopped sweet apples, a gill of 
molasses, and a little salt. Bake 6 to 8 hours in a 
hot oven. The apples may be omitted. This gives 
a moist loaf relished by many people. 
4j».—P umpkin Loaf. With a strong spoon stir 
well together 4 pints of corn meal and about 3 pints 
of stewed pumpkin while scalding hot. When 
cold, add a teaspoonful of milk, a cup of hot yeast, 
half cup molasses, a teaspoonful salt, and about li 
cup wheat flour. Mix all well in a deep baking- 
pan (iron preferable). When light, bake 3 hours 
at a moderate heat. May be left over night in a 
moderately w r arm oven for a warm breakfast. 
Corn Cake. 
IB. —Indian Pound Cake: 3 cups corn meal, £ 
cup w-heat flour, 3 cups sugar, 4 or 5 eggs, i to 1 
cup shortening, seasoning with nutmeg and cinna¬ 
mon, or as desired. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. 
I.—We have tested a good coi n cake made thus : 
3 pints meal, 1 pint eacli of sweet and sour milk, 
1 tablespoonful shortening, and 2 or 3 of molasses, 
1 tcaspoouful of soda, 1 of salt ; beat all well to¬ 
gether and bake in quick oven 80 or 90 minutes. 
Bi.— We have also tested a very good Corn Sweet 
Cake, described thus : 3 cups meal, 2 cups wheat 
flour, 1 cup sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, half nut¬ 
meg, 5 eggs, whites beaten separately ; 1 cup but¬ 
ter and 2 cups sugar rubbed well together. Mix all 
well and bake until done through. 
ff,_—Molasses Corn Cake : 2 cups meal, 1 cup 
flour, 2 cups molasses, 1 cup sweet milk, 1 egg, 1 
teaspoonful salt, 1 of soda and 2 of cream of tar¬ 
tar, butter size of an egg. Bake 2 hours. 
Stew Over.—Every house¬ 
keeper knows the trouble that comes from 
the overflow of the contents of pies in bak¬ 
ing. Not only is the exterior of the pie 
soiled, but the juice that falls upon the hot 
floor of the oven is burned, and gives the pie 
crust an unpleasant, smoky flavor. This 
trouble may be completely prevented by tak¬ 
ing a strip of cotton cloth, all the better if 
somewhat worn, about an inch and a half 
wide, and long enough to go around the pie. 
This strip being wet, it is put around the edge 
of the pie, half of its width to lap upon the 
crust, and the other half upon the plate. 
This is done before the pie goes into the oven, 
and the strip may be removed when it is taken 
out, or left on until the pie goes to the table. 
