Warne's model cookery and housekeeping book : containing complete instructions in household management / compiled and edited by Mary Jewry.

WARNE’S MODEL COOKERY, PEOPLE’S EDITION, HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS. On the Lady of the tiouse devolves the task of providing food for her household ; it should be her care that no waste or ignorant misuse shall squander the property of her husband—most frequently the bread- winner for the family—and that nothing is lost by carelessness or bad cookery. She is to take care that there is no lack through fault of hers, nor any drawback to domestic comfort through injudicious rule ; no neglect caused by the love of idle pleasure. A lady will find it best to give her servants orders for the day, before breakfast, if con- venient, and, to do this well, she must visit the larder herself early that she may judge of what is required. Her cook should have a book-slate and pencil, and enter the orders for dinner on one leaf of it that there may be no mistakes made in them. On the other leaf she should be ordered to enter daily the amount of milk, bread, &c., bought on the previous i!ay, which the mistress should then transfer to her commonplace book, to be entered in the account-book at the end of the week. Pay all your bills, if possible, every week. If some few remain to be paid quarterly, do not on that account delay to examine them weekly, and to make up the week's . accounts. You will then be sure of your expenditure. Take care that the butcher always brings a ticket of weight with the meat ; and have those weight tickets brought to you weekly in order that you may compare them with ' the entries in your book. All meat brought into the hou.se should be weighed to see if ' the ticket is correct, and for this purpose a pair of scales should be kept in the kitchen ; I groceries, &x., should also be tested as to weight on receipt of them. Ascertain the price of every article of food in your neighbourhood ; as prices differ ■ with localities, and that which might be I economical food in one place is frequently the reverse in another. In order to learn prices, do not disdain to market for your- self, if you are j'our own housekeeper. You will thus be able by personal observation to learn which are the best shops for different articles, and what are the fair rates of pay- ment for them. It is also essential that a housekeeper should know the average weekly consumption of food for each person in an ordinary family, that she may be able to check waste and provide provisions for any period she may desire. For this pur- pose we subjoin a list of the usual allow- ances, which will of course vary very much from differing circumstances ; but it will give a general idea on the subject, which personal experience will modify :— Food for one Person 'Weekly, Tea, two ounces. Coffee, a quarter of a pound (if for break- fast only). Cocoa paste, a quarter of a pound, for breakfasts. Sugar, half a pound. Cheese, half a pound. Butter, half a pound. Milk, one quart; varying with the taste of the family. Bread, eight pounds for a woman, six teen pounds for a man or boy. Meat, six pounds. Beer, one gallon for a woman, seven quarts for a man. Potatoes, three and half pounds. Of course this estimate of quantities must be modified greatly by the habits and tastes of the family, and by the fact of resi- dence cither in the town or country. A large stipply of vegetables, fish, or puddings will greatly reduce the .scale of meat ; and making tea and coffee for num- bers will reduce the amount of those articles. We merely give this general ideaoi quantity to guide, in a measure, the inexperienced