should be away from stable, cowsheds or refuse heaps, as
milk rapidly absorbs all gases and bad odours. Cool-
ness and ventilation are two other necessary aids for
successful dairy operations ; the walls, if possible, should be
of white tiles, as they are easily washed down and keep the
dairy cool and free from vermin. The flooring should be of
red tiles or small fluted flooring tiles, the windows should have
fine gauze stretched over them to exclude all flies, etc. The
sink should be lined with glazed tiles, and shelves of slate
should surround the walls. In many dairies the shelves
are made portable, or they have portable stands, so that
they can be changed about, to allow the floor to be com-
pletely cleaned. To these portable stands or shelves, re-
volving discs can be attached ; the pans can then be turned
round and the cream skimmed without disturbing the pans.
The table is best made with a marble top. All dairy
utensils must be constantly scrubbed and scalded, and
should be of the best materials. Bowls, spatulas, and
the butter prints should never be dried in the sun or by
a fire, as it causes them to crack. The door should have
a good lock and key, and have a sliding panel in it so that
when necessary a thorough draught may be carried through
it.
Scrupulous cleanliness should reign everywhere, as the
slightest carelessness on this essential point might spoil a
whole pan of milk, and even taint the whole contents of the
dairy.
The churn must be constantly scalded, and the lid handle
and dasher in separate parts ; when done with, and before
using, the churn must always be scalded, by pouring water
over the inside till every part is wet. Then the cover
must be put on and the handle turned briskly in order to
thoroughly saturate the wood ; afterwards pour out the
boiling water and fill the churn with clean cold water, turn-
ing the handle round again briskly till the churn is quite
cold. The cover must then be put on again so that no
dust may get into it. The socket of the churn handle
requires especial care, as the butter from the last churning
is very apt to lodge there.
It is well to have a small glass churn (in addition to the
usual one), in which from half a pound to three pounds of
butter may be churned in a few minutes, as it is most
THE DAIRY
31
useful where fresh butter is required daily. The milk bowls
should be of brown ware lined with yellow glaze, and the
cream crocks should be of the same ware. Zinc pails are now
generally used ; the old-fashioned wooden ones are hardly
ever seen except in primitive villages which have not
marched up to date ; but the best are white wood with steel
hoops and lined with white china-ware. Wooden bowls
should be kept in plenty. Butter boards for shaping the
butter should be a foot long, half an inch thick, and eleven
inches wide ; besides these there should be a long board
^bout five feet long, on which to lay the butter when it is
made up. Of course, I am only now speaking of what is
requisite for quite a small dairy. Other necessaries are
wooden spatulas, box prints for the pats (often there is one
small print with the family crest on for the dining-room
use). There are very pretty designs to be had in butter
prints ; a swan is a very favourite one, and so is a stem of
wheat.
Page 21
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
should be away from stable, cowsheds or refuse heaps, as milk rapidly absorbs all gases and bad odours. Coolness and ventilation are two other necessary aids for successful dairy operations ; the walls, if possible, should be of white tiles, as they are easily washed down and keep the dairy cool and free from vermin. The flooring should be of red tiles or small fluted flooring tiles, the windows should have fine gauze stretched over them to exclude all flies, etc. The sink should be lined with glazed tiles, and shelves of slate should surround the walls. In many dairies the shelves are made portable, or they have portable stands, so that they can be changed about, to allow the floor to be completely cleaned. To these portable stands or shelves, revolving discs can be attached ; the pans can then be turned round and the cream skimmed without disturbing the pans.
The table is best made with a marble top. All dairy utensils must be constantly scrubbed and scalded, and should be of the best materials. Bowls, spatulas, and the butter prints should never be dried in the sun or by a fire, as it causes them to crack. The door should have a good lock and key, and have a sliding panel in it so that when necessary a thorough draught may be carried through it.
Scrupulous cleanliness should reign everywhere, as the slightest carelessness on this essential point might spoil a whole pan of milk, and even taint the whole contents of the dairy.
The churn must be constantly scalded, and the lid handle and dasher in separate parts ; when done with, and before using, the churn must always be scalded, by pouring water over the inside till every part is wet. Then the cover must be put on and the handle turned briskly in order to thoroughly saturate the wood ; afterwards pour out the boiling water and fill the churn with clean cold water, turning the handle round again briskly till the churn is quite cold. The cover must then be put on again so that no dust may get into it. The socket of the churn handle requires especial care, as the butter from the last churning is very apt to lodge there.
It is well to have a small glass churn (in addition to the usual one), in which from half a pound to three pounds of butter may be churned in a few minutes, as it is most
useful where fresh butter is required daily. The milk bowls should be of brown ware lined with yellow glaze, and the cream crocks should be of the same ware. Zinc pails are now generally used ; the old-fashioned wooden ones are hardly ever seen except in primitive villages which have not marched up to date ; but the best are white wood with steel hoops and lined with white china-ware. Wooden bowls should be kept in plenty. Butter boards for shaping the butter should be a foot long, half an inch thick, and eleven inches wide ; besides these there should be a long board about five feet long, on which to lay the butter when it is made up. Of course, I am only now speaking of what is requisite for quite a small dairy. Other necessaries are wooden spatulas, box prints for the pats (often there is one small print with the family crest on for the dining-room use). There are very pretty designs to be had in butter prints ; a swan is a very favourite one, and so is a stem of wheat.