Store it right

Enid Donaldson-Mignotte

STORING FOODS properly is as important to preserving taste as it is to ensuring that you do not get food poisoning. Here are a few suggestions for proper storage.

BREAD

Bread can be kept at room temperature in a ventilated bread box. It gets stale more quickly in the refrigerator. (Although it's more subject to mould in a breadbox.)

SHORTENING

Soft hydrogeneted shortening (Crisco or Spry) can be kept on cupboard shelf.

CEREALS

Bulk cereals should be stored in air-tight containers in a cool dry place. However, in warm weather it's wise to buy cereals in small amounts because the fat in cereals, containing the germ, readily turns rancid and weevils can develop from eggs laid in the raw cereals. Keep tightly sealed in bread box or glass jar.

FLOUR

Keep tightly covered in a cool dry place. Do not keep wholewheat or other coarse flours or cereals near white flour. Store wholewheat, cornmeal and rye flours in tightly covered glass jars

Damp flour can be dried by sifting in front of an heated oven.

COOKIES

Keep thin, crisp cookies in a can with loose cover.

Soft Cookies

Store in air-tight containers. Slices of apples or orange in jar help mellow and moisten cookies but change fruit frequently.

SUGAR

Keep granulated and confectioners sugar covered in dry place.

Keep brown sugar in air-tight containers. Hard brown sugar may be softened by placing any of the following in the container: A slice of apple or orange on wax paper -- change the fruit often; a crisp lettuce leaf; damp cloth; a slice of fresh bread; or a piece of moistened sponge. Replace in 2 or 3 days cover tightly again.

CAKES (made with good cake flour)

After cake is cool, store in a container with a tight cover, or invert a large bowl over the cake.

Wrap fruit cakes in wax paper rather than in aluminium foil. In the older days fruit cakes were wrapped in wine-dampered cloth to keep it mellow. Store in air-tight container in cool place.

Try this easy fruit cake glaze shiny finish, not sticky.

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tbsps. water

Combine syrup and water and bring just to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, cool to lukewarm. Pour over cold cake before or after storing.

ORANGE MARMALADE

If you have an abundance of oranges, here's a sweet and easy way to use them.

Seville or bitter orange marmalade.

Cooking time 1 1/2 to 2 hours

1 lb. Seville or bitter oranges

3 pints water

3 lbs. sugar

Juice 1 lemon

1. Cut or mince oranges finely, removing pips.

2. Soak peel and pulp overnight in the water, together with the pips (seeds) tied up in a piece of muslin.

3. After soaking, put fruit, water and pips in a covered pan.

4. Simmer slowly until peel is soft. This should take about an hour and a half. Cooking time will vary according to the thickness of peel.

5. Take out the bag of pips.

6. Stir in warmed sugar and lemon juice.

7. Bring marmalade to the boil.

8. Boil rapidly in an uncovered pan until setting point is reached. This will take about 20 minutes. Start testing with small quantities after 10 minutes.

Bottle and label.

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