Best Way to Strain Soup—­When straining soup set a coarse strainer inside of a fine one and pour the liquid through both; you will thus avoid clogging the fine one with pieces of meat and broken bones.

How to Crack Pecan Nuts—­Almost all housewives know how very hard it is to crack pecan nuts and get the meats out whole.  Pour boiling water over the nuts and let them stand tightly covered for five or six hours.  The nut meats may then be extracted easily without a trace of the bitter lining of the nut.  Use a nut cracker and crack lightly all around the nuts.  The work is quickly done and is not at all like the tedious process of picking out the meats from the dry nuts.  The meats nearly always come out whole.

Lemon Squeezer for Making Beef Juice—­When one has to make beef juice in small quantities which does not warrant buying an expensive meat-press, use instead a ten-cent lemon squeezer.  This can be sterilized by boiling and kept absolutely clean.  One can press out several ounces in a very few minutes.

Quick Way to Peel Carrots—­Use a coarse grater to peel carrots.  A few passes over the grater will rid the carrots of their skins quicker than any other method.

Proper Way to Slice Bacon—­To slice bacon properly, always place it rind down, and do not attempt to cut through the rind until you have the desired number of slices.  Then slip the knife under them and cut them free of the rind, keeping as close to it as possible.

When Cream is on the Turn—­When the sweetness of the cream is doubtful and there is no more on hand and it must be used, a pinch of soda will keep it from curdling, even in hot coffee.

To Prevent Musty Teapot—­When putting away a silver teapot, or one that is not in everyday use, place a little stick across the top underneath the cover.  This will allow fresh air to get in and prevent mustiness.

Lemon or Orange Peel for Tea Caddy—­Thoroughly dry the peel from an orange or a lemon, and place it in the tea caddy.  This will greatly improve the flavor of the tea.

Heat Lemons Before Squeezing—­In using lemons, heat them thoroughly before squeezing and you will obtain nearly double the quantity of juice that you would if they had not been heated.

To Keep Teakettle from Rusting—­A clean oyster shell placed in the teakettle will keep out rust.

To Clean Gas Stove Burners—­Pick the holes open with a large pin and apply a vacuum cleaner to take out the particles of dirt.

Flour for Burning Kerosene—­Wheaten flour is the best extinguisher to throw over a fire caused by the spilling and ignition of kerosene.  This should be a matter of common knowledge, since flour is always within convenient reach.

Use for Old Newspapers—­Old newspapers clean stoves beautifully, as well as being useful for polishing kitchen windows.

To Take Rust from Flat-Irons, tie some yellow beeswax or paraffine in a cloth, and when the iron is warm, but not hot enough to use, rub with the wax and then rub it through sand or salt.