ary to
the recipes in this department of Household Management.

1181. _Flour_ should be of the best quality, and perfectly dry, and
sifted before being used; if in the least damp, the paste made from it
will certainly be heavy.

1182. _Butter_, unless fresh is used, should be washed from the salt,
and well squeezed and wrung in a cloth, to get out all the water and
buttermilk, which, if left in, assists to make the paste heavy.

1183. _Lard_ should be perfectly sweet, which may be ascertained by
cutting the bladder through, and, if the knife smells sweet, the lard is
good.

1184. _Suet_ should be finely chopped, perfectly free from skin, and
quite sweet; during the process of chopping, it should be lightly
dredged with flour, which prevents the pieces from sticking together.
Beef suet is considered the best; but veal suet, or the outside fat of a
loin or neck of mutton, makes good crusts; as also the skimmings in
which a joint of mutton has been boiled, but _without_ vegetables.

1185. _Clarified Beef Dripping_, directions for which will be found in
recipes Nos. 621 and 622, answers very well for kitchen pies, puddings,
cakes, or for family use. A very good short crust may be made by mixing
with it a small quantity of moist sugar; but care must be taken to use
the dripping sparingly, or a very disagreeable flavour will be imparted
to the paste.

1186. Strict cleanliness must be observed in pastry-making; all the
utensils used should be perfectly free from dust and dirt, and the
things required for pastry, kept entirely for that purpose.

[Illustration: PASTE-BOARD AND ROLLING-PIN.]

1187. In mixing paste, add the water very gradually, work the whole
together with the knife-blade, and knead it until perfectly smooth.
Those who are inexperienced in pastry-making, should work the butter in
by breaking it in small pieces and covering the paste rolled out. It
should then be dredged with flour, and the ends folded over and rolled
out very thin again: this process must be repeated until all the butter
is used.

[Illustration: PASTE-PINCERS AND JAGGER, FOR ORNAMENTING THE EDGES OF
PIE-CRUSTS.]

1188. The art of making paste requires much practice, dexterity, and
skill: it should be touched as lightly as possible, made with cool hands
and in a cool place (a marble slab is better than a board for the
purpose), and the coolest part of the house should be selected for the
process during warm weather.

1189. To insure