Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

This is a simple operation, but it is rarely well done. A little care is all that is required for a perfect result. The crumbs should be dry and fine. Either bread or cracker may be used, but in most cases the bread crumbs are the best. Put the egg in a deep plate, and beat it thoroughly with a spoon, but not enough to make it light. Have the crumbs in another plate, or they may be spread in a thick bed on a board. Have the article that is to be breaded seasoned well with salt, and slightly with pepper, if the latter be used at all. Put the article in the egg, and with a table-spoon dip up and pour the egg over every part of it. Not a spot should escape the coating. Take the article from the egg, and roll it in the dried crumbs, being careful that every part is covered. Lay the breaded food on a flat dish or on the board, until dry. Never place one breaded article on another when drying or frying. When ready to fry, shake off the loose crumbs. Place in the wire basket, being careful not to crowd. Fish, meat, croquettes, etc., when dry after breading, can be placed in the refrigerator until the time for frying. They will keep for twelve hours or longer. Sometimes a very thick crust is desired on some kinds of food. In that case bread all the articles, and when they are dry, give them a second coat of egg and crumbs. How to Dissolve Gelatine. If gelatine be covered with water and placed on the hearth or on the back of the stove, it will melt in fifteen or twenty minutes ; but in nine cases out of ten it will be strong-flavored, and will spoil whatever it is added to. This is the reason that gelatine is not fully appreciated by many housekeepers. If the gelatine be soaked in cold water for two or more hours, and then have boiling water or milk poured on it, it will dissolve immediately, and rarely will have taste or odor. Here is a good rule : Put a box of gelatine in a bowl, and pour over it half a pint of cold water. Cover it, and let it stand for two hours or more. When ready to use it, add half a pint of boiling water, or the same quantity of boiling milk if milk is to be used. Stir for a few minutes, and the gelatine will be dissolved. How to Flavor Sugar. it a housekeeper does not like to use extracts, she may prepare flavored sugars and have them for use when it is not convenient to obtain the fresh fruit. These sugars must be put into bottles and tightly corked. Selfsealing jars are excellent for this purpose. How to Make Various Kinds of Sugar. Orange Sugar. — Cut off the thin yellow rind of twelve oranges. Spread this on a platter, and put in a warm, dry place to dry. When it is dry, which will be in about forty-eight hours, put half of it in a mortar with one cupful of granulated sugar. Pound the mixture to a powder, and then rub it through a fine sieve. If there should be some coarse particles left in the sieve, return them to the mortar and pound again. When all are done, put the second half of the peel and a cupful of sugar in the mortar, and proceed as before. A tablespoonful of this will flavor a quart of custard or cream.