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Caster

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Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . DESIGNS. here DESIGNS. 4,694.—Picture Frame.—John H. Bellamy, Charlestown, Mass. 4,695.—Bell Crank and Escutcheon.—Pietro Cinquini, West Meriden, Conn., assignor to Parker & Whipple Company. 4,696.—Pedestal for a Cake Dish.—George Gill (assignor to Reed & Barton), Taunton, Mass. 4,697.—Table Caster.—William Parkin (assignor to Reed & Barton), Taunton, Mass. 4,698.—Buckle Frame.—John E. Smith, Waterbury, Conn. 4,699.—Back of a Chair or Sofa.—George Unverzagt, Philadelphia, Pa. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19180/pg19180-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Picture Frame.—John H. Bellamy, Charlestown, Mass

Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Inventions Patented in England by Americans. here Inventions Patented in England by Americans. [Compiled from the Commissioners of Patents' Journal.] APPLICATIONS FOR LETTERS PATENT. 350.—Breech-loading Fire-arms.—Eli Whitney, New Haven, Conn. February 10, 1871. 352.—Governor.—Stilliman B. Allen, ——, Mass. February 10, 1871. 357.—Windmill.—A. P. Brown, New York city. February 11, 1871. 332.—Furniture Casters.—F. A. Gardner and H. S. Turrell, Danbury Conn. February 8, 1871. 339.—Wire Fabrics for Mattresses.—Samuel Rogers, New York city. February 9, 1871. 340.—Screw Propeller Canal Boats.—Thomas Main, Pierpoint, N. Y. February 9, 1871. 362.—Flyer for Spinning Machinery.—Thomas Mayor and Geo. Chatterton, Providence, R. I. February 14, 1871. 373.—Telegraphic Apparatus and Detectors.—W. B. Watkins, Jersey City, N. J. February 14, 1871. 381.—Steam and other Safety Valves.—Walter Dawson Scranton, Pa. February 15, 1871. 388.—Iron Rails and Bars, and Modes of Manufacturing the same.—Eldridge Wheeler, Philadelphia, Pa. February 15, 1871. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19180/pg19180-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Inventions Patented in England by Americans

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A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Catharine Esther Beecher, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . ON THE CARE OF CHAMBERS AND BEDROOMS. here CHAPTER XXXI. ON THE CARE OF CHAMBERS AND BEDROOMS. Every mistress of a family should see, not only that all sleeping-rooms in her house well ventilated at night, but that they actually are so. Where there is no open fireplace to admit the pure air from the exterior, a door should be left open into an entry, or room where fresh air is admitted; or else a small opening should be made in a window, taking care not to allow a draught of air to cross the bed. The debility of childhood, the lassitude of domestics, and the ill-health of families, are often caused by neglecting to provide a supply of pure air. Straw matting is best for a chamber carpet, and strips of woollen carpeting may be laid by the side of the bed. Where chambers have no closets, a is indispensable. This is a moveable closet, with doors, divided, by a perpendicular partition, into two apartments. In one division, rows of hooks are placed, on which to hang dresses. The other division is fitted up with shelves, for other uses. Some are made with drawers at the bottom for shoes, and such like articles. A low square box, set on casters, with a cushion on the top, and a drawer on one side to put shoes in, is a great convenience in dressing the feet. An old champaigne basket, fitted up with a cushion on the lid, and a valance fastened to it to cover the sides, can be used for the same purpose. can be wardrobe A comfortable couch, for chambers and sitting-rooms, can be made by a common carpenter, at a small expense. Have a frame made (like the annexed engraving, Fig. ,) of common stuff, six feet long, twenty-eight inches wide, and twelve inches high. It must be made thus low, because the casters and cushions will raise it several inches. Have the sloping side-piece, , and head-piece, , sawed out of a board; nail brown linen on them, and stuff them with soft hay or hair. Let these be screwed to the frame, and covered with furniture patch. Then let slats be nailed across the bottom, as at , , four inches apart. This will cost two or three dollars. Then make a thick cushion, of hay or straw, with side strips, like a mattress, and lay this for the under-cushion. To put over this, make a thinner cushion, of hair, cover it with furniture-calico, and fasten to it a valance reaching to the floor. Then make two square pillows, and cover them with calico, like the rest. Both the cushions should be stitched through like mattresses. 38 a b c c The writer has seen a couch of this kind, in a common parlor, which cost less than eight dollars, was much admired, and was a constant comfort to the feeble mother, as well as many other members of the family. Another convenience, for a room where sewing is done in Summer, is a fancy-jar, set in one corner, to receive clippings, and any other rubbish. It can be covered with prints, or paintings, and varnished; and then looks very prettily. The trunks in a chamber can be improved in looks and comfort, by making cushions of the same size and shape, stuffed with hay and covered with chintz, with a frill reaching nearly to the floor. Every bedchamber should have a washstand, bowl, pitcher, and tumbler, with a washbucket under the stand, to receive slops. A light screen, made like a clothes-frame, and covered with paper or chintz, should be furnished for bedrooms occupied by two persons, so that ablutions can be performed in privacy. It can be ornamented, so as to look well anywhere. A little frame, or towel-horse, by the washstand, on which to dry towels, is a convenience. A washstand should be furnished with a sponge or washcloth, and a small towel, for wiping the basin after using it. This should be hung on the washstand or towel-horse, for constant use. A soap-dish, and a dish for toothbrushes, are neat and convenient, and each person should be furnished with two towels; one for the feet, and one for other purposes. It is in good taste to have the curtains, bedquilt, valance, and window-curtains, of similar materials. In making featherbeds, side-pieces should be put in, like those of mattresses, and the bed should be well filled, so that a person will not be buried in a hollow, which is not healthful, save in extremely cold weather. Featherbeds should never be used, except in cold weather. At other times, a thin mattress of hair, cotton and moss, or straw, should be put over them. A simple strip of broad straw matting, spread over a featherbed, answers the same purpose. Nothing is more debilitating, than, in warm weather, to sleep with a featherbed pressing round the greater part of the body. Pillows stuffed with papers an inch square, are good for Summer, especially for young children, whose heads should be kept cool. The cheapest and best covering of a bed, for Winter, is a , made to contain three or four pounds of cotton, laid in batts or sheets, between covers tacked together at regular intervals. They should be three yards square, and less cotton should be put at the sides that are tucked in. It is better to have two thin comforters, to each bed, than one thick one; as then the covering can be regulated according to the weather. cotton comforter Few domestics will make a bed properly, without much attention from the mistress of the family. The following directions should be given to those who do this work. Open the windows, and lay off the bed-covering, on two chairs, at the foot of the bed. After the bed is well aired, shake the feathers, from each corner to the middle; then take up the middle, and shake it well, and turn the bed over. Then push the feathers in place, making the head higher than the foot, and the sides even, and as high as the middle part. Then put on the bolster and the under sheet, so that the wrong side of the sheet shall go next the bed, and the come at the head, tucking in all around. Then put on the pillows, even, so that the open ends shall come to the sides of the bed, and then spread on the upper sheet, so that the wrong side shall be next the blankets, and the marked end at the head. This arrangement of sheets is to prevent the part where the feet lie from being reversed, so as to come to the face, and also to prevent the parts soiled by the body from coming to the bedtick and blankets. Then put on the other covering, except the outer one, tucking in all around, and then turn over the upper sheet, at the head, so as to show a part of the pillows. When the pillow-cases are clean and smooth, they look best outside of the cover, but not otherwise. Then draw the hand along the side of the pillows, to make an even indentation, and then smooth and shape the whole outside. A nice housekeeper always notices the manner in which a bed is made; and in some parts of the Country, it is rare to see this work properly performed. marking The writer would here urge every mistress of a family, who keeps more than one domestic, to provide them with single beds, that they may not be obliged to sleep with all the changing domestics, who come and go so often. Where the room is too small for two beds, a narrow trucklebed under another, will answer. Domestics should be furnished with washing conveniences in their chambers, and be encouraged to keep their persons and rooms neat and in order. On Packing and Storing Articles. Fold a gentleman's coat, thus:—Lay it on a table or bed, the inside downward, and unroll the collar. Double each sleeve once, making the crease at the elbow, and laying them so as to make the fewest wrinkles, and parallel with the skirts. Turn the fronts over the back and sleeves, and then turn up the skirts, making all as smooth as possible. Fold a shirt, thus:—One that has a bosom-piece inserted, lay on a bed, bosom downward. Fold each sleeve twice, and lay it parallel with the sides of the shirt. Turn the two sides, with the sleeves, over the middle part, and then turn up the bottom, with two folds. This makes the collar and bosom lie, unpressed, on the outside. Fold a frock thus:—Lay its front downward, so as to make the first creases in folding come in the side breadths. To do this, find the middle of the side breadths by first putting the middle of the front and back breadths together. Next, fold over the side creases so as just to meet the slit behind. Then fold the skirt again, so as to make the backs lie together within and the fronts without. Then arrange the waist and sleeves, and fold the skirt around them. In packing trunks, for travelling, put all heavy articles at the bottom, covered with paper, which should not be printed, as the ink rubs off. Put coats and pantaloons into linen cases, made for the purpose, and furnished with strings. Fill all crevices with small articles; as, if a trunk is not full, nor tightly packed, its contents will be shaken about, and get injured. A thin box, the exact size of the trunk, with a lid, and covered with brown linen, is a great convenience, to set inside, on the top of the trunk, to contain light articles which would be injured by tight packing. Have straps, with buckles, fastened to the inside, near the bottom, long enough to come up and buckle over this box. By this means, when a trunk is not quite full, this box can be strapped over so tight, as to keep the articles from rubbing. Under-clothing packs closer, by being rolled tightly, instead of being folded. Bonnet-boxes, made of light wood, with a lock and key, are better than the paper bandboxes so annoying to travellers. Carpet bags are very useful, to carry the articles to be used on a journey. The best ones have sides inserted, iron rims, and a lock and key. A large silk travelling-bag, with a double linen lining, in which are stitched receptacles for toothbrush, combs, and other small articles, is a very convenient article for use when travelling. A bonnet-cover, made of some thin material, like a large hood with a cape, is useful to draw over the bonnet and neck, to keep off dust, sun, and sparks from a steam engine. Green veils are very apt to stain bonnets, when damp. In packing household furniture, for moving, have each box numbered, and then have a book, in which, as each box is packed, note down the number of the box, and the order in which its contents are packed, as this will save much labor and perplexity when unpacking. In packing china and glass, wrap each article, separately, in paper, and put soft hay or straw at bottom and all around each. Put the heaviest articles at the bottom; and on the top of the box, write, "This side up.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Catharine Esther Beecher (2007). A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/21829/pg21829-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

ON THE CARE OF CHAMBERS AND BEDROOMS.

A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Catharine Esther Beecher, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . ON THE CARE OF BREAKFAST AND DINING-ROOMS. here CHAPTER XXX. ON THE CARE OF BREAKFAST AND DINING-ROOMS. An eating-room should have in it a large closet, with drawers and shelves, in which should be kept all the articles used at meals. This, if possible, should communicate with the kitchen, by a sliding window, or by a door, and have in it a window, and also a small sink, made of marble or lined with zinc, which will be a great convenience for washing nice articles. If there be a dumb-waiter, it is best to have it connected with such a closet. It may be so contrived, that, when it is down, it shall form part of the closet floor. A table-rug, or crumb-cloth, is useful to save carpets from injury. Bocking, or baize, is best. Always spread the same side up, or the carpet will be soiled by the rug. Table-mats are needful, to prevent injury to the table from the warm dishes. Teacup-mats, or small plates, are useful to save the table-cloths from dripping tea or coffee. Butter-knives, for the butter-plate, and salt-spoons, for salt-dishes, are designed to prevent those disgusting marks which are made, when persons use their own knives, to take salt or butter. A sugar-spoon should be kept in or by the sugar-dish, for the same purpose. Table-napkins, of diaper, are often laid by each person's plate, for use during the meal, to save the tablecloth and pocket-handkerchief. To preserve the same napkin for the same person, each member of the family has a given number, and the napkins are numbered to correspond, or else are slipped into ivory rings, which are numbered. A stranger has a clean one, at each meal. Tablecloths should be well starched, and ironed on the right side, and always, when taken off, folded in the ironed creases. Doilies are colored napkins, which, when fruit is offered, should always be furnished, to prevent a person from staining a nice handkerchief, or permitting the fruit-juice to dry on the fingers. Casters and salt-stands should be put in order, every morning, when washing the breakfast things. Always, if possible, provide fine and dry table-salt, as many persons are much disgusted with that which is dark, damp, and coarse. Be careful to keep salad-oil closely corked, or it will grow rancid. Never leave the salt-spoons in the salt, nor the mustard-spoon in the mustard, as they are thereby injured. Wipe them, immediately after the meal. For table-furniture, French china is deemed the nicest, but it is liable to the objection of having plates, so made, that salt, butter, and similar articles, will not lodge on the edge, but slip into the centre. Select knives and forks, which have weights in the handles, so that, when laid down, they will not touch the table. Those with rivetted handles last longer than any others. Horn handles (except buckhorn) are very poor. The best are cheapest in the end. Knives should be sharpened once a month, unless they are kept sharp by the mode of scouring. On Setting Tables.
Neat housekeepers observe the manner in which a table is set more than any thing else; and to a person of good taste, few things are more annoying, than to see the table placed askew; the tablecloth soiled, rumpled, and put on awry; the plates, knives, and dishes thrown about, without any order; the pitchers soiled on the outside, and sometimes within; the tumblers dim; the caster out of order; the butter pitched on the plate, without any symmetry; the salt coarse, damp, and dark; the bread cut in a mixture of junks and slices; the dishes of food set on at random, and without mats; the knives dark or rusty, and their handles greasy; the tea-furniture all out of order, and every thing in similar style. And yet, many of these negligences will be met with, at the tables of persons who call themselves well bred, and who have wealth enough to make much outside show. One reason for this, is, the great difficulty of finding domestics, who will attend to these things in a proper manner, and who, after they have been repeatedly instructed, will not neglect nor forget what has been said to them. The writer has known cases, where much has been gained by placing the following rules in plain sight, in the place where the articles for setting tables are kept. Rules for setting a Table. Lay the rug square with the room, and also smooth and even; then set the table also square with the room, and see that the legs are in the right position to support the leaves. Lay the tablecloth square with the table, right side up, smooth, and even. Put on the teatray (for breakfast or tea) square with the table; set the cups and saucers at the front side of the teatray, and the sugar, slop-bowls, and cream-cup, at the back side. Lay the sugar-spoon or tongs on the sugar-bowl. Lay the plates around the table, at equal intervals, and the knives and forks at regular distances, each in the same particular manner, with a cup-mat, or cup-plate, to each, and a napkin at the right side of each person. If meat be used, set the caster and salt-cellars in the centre of the table; then lay mats for the dishes, and place the carving-knife and fork and steel by the master of the house. Set the butter on two plates, one on either side, with a butter-knife by each. Set the tea or coffee-pot on a mat, at the right hand of the teatray, (if there be not room upon it.) Then place the chairs around the table, and call the family. For Dinner. Place the rug, table, tablecloth, plates, knives and forks, and napkins, as before directed, with a tumbler by each plate. In cold weather, set the plates where they will be warmed. Put the caster in the centre, and the salt-stands at two oblique corners, of the table, the latter between two large spoons crossed. If more spoons be needed, lay them on each side of the caster, crossed. Set the pitcher on a mat, either at a side-table, or, when there is no waiter, on the dining-table. Water looks best in glass decanters. Set the bread on the table, when there is no waiter. Some take a fork, and lay a piece on the napkin or tumbler by each plate. Others keep it in a tray, covered with a white napkin to keep off flies. Bread for dinner is often cut in small junks, and not in slices. Set the principal dish before the master of the house, and the other dishes in a regular manner. Put the carving-knife, fork, and steel, by the principal dish, and also a knife-rest, if one be used. Put a small knife and fork by the pickles, and also by any other dishes which need them. Then place the chairs. On Waiting at Table.
A domestic, who waits on the table, should be required to keep the hair and hands in neat order, and have on a clean apron. A small teatray should be used to carry cups and plates. The waiter should announce the meal (when ready) to the mistress of the family, then stand by the eating-room door, till all are in, then close the door, and step to the left side of the lady of the house. When all are seated, the waiter should remove the covers, taking care first to invert them, so as not to drop the steam on the tablecloth or guests. In presenting articles, go to the left side of the person. In pouring water never entirely fill the tumbler. The waiter should notice when bread or water is wanting, and hand it without being called. When plates are changed, be careful not to drop knives or forks. Brush off crumbs, with a crumb-brush, into a small waiter. When there is no domestic waiter, a light table should be set at the left side of the mistress of the house, on which the bread, water, and other articles not in immediate use, can be placed. On Carving and Helping at Table.
It is considered an accomplishment for a lady to know how to carve well, at her own table. It is not proper to stand in carving. The carving-knife should be sharp and thin. To carve fowls, (which should always be laid with the breast uppermost,) place the fork in the breast, and take off the wings and legs without turning the fowl; then cut out the merry thought, cut slices from the breast, take out the collar bone, cut off the side pieces, and then cut the carcass in two. Divide the joints in the leg of a turkey. In helping the guests, when no choice is expressed, give a piece of both the white and dark meat, with some of the stuffing. Inquire whether the guest will be helped to each kind of vegetable, and put the gravy on the plate, and not on any article of food. In carving a sirloin, cut thin slices from the side next to you, (it must be put on the dish with the tenderloin underneath;) then turn it, and cut from the tenderloin Help the guest to both kinds. In carving a leg of mutton, or a ham, begin by cutting across the middle, to the bone. Cut a tongue across, and not lengthwise, and help from the middle part. Carve a forequarter of lamb, by separating the shoulder from the ribs, and then dividing the ribs. To carve a loin of veal, begin at the smaller end and separate the ribs. Help each one to a piece of the kidney and its fat. Carve pork and mutton in the same way. To carve a fillet of veal, begin at the top, and help to the stuffing with each slice. In a breast of veal, separate the breast and brisket, and then cut them up, asking which part is preferred. In carving a pig, it is customary to divide it, and take off the head, before it comes to the table; as, to many persons, the head is very revolting. Cut off the limbs, and divide the ribs. In carving venison, make a deep incision down to the bone, to let out the juices; then turn the broad end of the haunch towards you, cutting deep, in thin slices. For a saddle of venison, cut from the tail towards the other end, on each side, in thin slices. Warm plates are very necessary, with venison and mutton, and in Winter, are desirable for all meats. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Catharine Esther Beecher (2007). A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/21829/pg21829-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

ON THE CARE OF BREAKFAST AND DINING-ROOMS.

A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Catharine Esther Beecher, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . ON STARCHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. here CHAPTER XXVII. ON STARCHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. Take four tablespoonfuls of starch; put in as much water; and rub it, till all lumps are removed. Then, add half a cup of cold water. Pour this into a quart of boiling water, and boil it for half an hour, adding a piece of spermaceti, or a lump of salt, or sugar, as large as a hazelnut. Strain it, and put in a very little blueing. Thin it with hot water. To prepare Starch. Put a piece of glue, four inches square, into three quarts of water, boil it, and keep it in a bottle, corked up. Dissolve four ounces of gum Arabic, in a quart of hot water, and set it away, in a bottle, corked. Use the glue for calicoes, and the gum for silks and muslins, both to be mixed with water, at discretion. Glue and Gum-Starch. Send a junk-bottle to the butcher, and have several gall-bladders emptied into it. Keep it salted, and in a cool place. Some persons perfume it; but fresh air removes the unpleasant smell which it gives, when used for clothes. Beef's-Gall. Directions for Starching Muslins and Laces. Many ladies clap muslins, then dry them, and afterwards sprinkle them. This saves time. Others clap them, till nearly dry, then fold and cover, and then iron them. Iron wrought muslins on soft flannel, and on the wrong side. , sew a clean piece of muslin around a long bottle, and roll the lace on it; pulling out the edge, and rolling it so that the edge will turn in, and be covered, as you roll. Fill the bottle with water, and then boil it, for an hour, in a suds made with white soap. Rinse it in fair water, a little blued; dry it in the sun; and, if any stiffening is wished, use thin starch, or gum Arabic. When dry, fold and press it, between white papers, in a large book. It improves the lace, to wet it with sweet-oil, after it is rolled on the bottle, and before boiling in the suds. can be whitened, by rolling them on a bottle, in this way, and then setting the bottle in the sun, in a dish of cold suds made with white soap, wetting it thoroughly, and changing the suds, every day. Do this, for a week or more; then rinse, in fair water; dry it on the bottle, in the sun; and stiffen it with white gum Arabic. Lay it away in loose folds. can be whitened, by laying them in flat dishes, in suds made with white soap; then rinsing, and stiffening them with gum Arabic, stretching them, and pinning them on a sheet, to dry. To do up Laces, nicely Blond laces Lace veils ON IRONING Articles to be provided for Ironing. A settee, or settle, made so that it can be used for an ironing-table, is a great convenience. It may be made of pine, and of the following dimensions: length, five feet and six inches; width of the seat, one foot and nine inches; height of the seat, one foot and three inches; height of the sides, (or arms of the seat,) two feet and four inches; height of the back, five feet and three inches. The back should be made with hinges, of the height of the sides or arms, so that it can be turned down, and rest on them, and thus become an ironing-table. The back is to be fastened up, behind, with long iron hooks and staples. The seat should be made with two lids, opening into two boxes, or partitions, in one of which, can be kept the ironing-sheets and holders, and in the other, the other articles used in ironing. It can be stained of a cherry-color; put on casters, so as to move easily; and be provided with two cushions, stuffed with hay and covered with dark woollen. It thus serves as a comfortable seat, for Winter, protecting the back from cold. Where a settee, of this description, is not provided, a large ironing-board, made so as not to warp, should be kept, and used only for this purpose, to be laid, when used, on a table. Provide, also, the following articles: A woollen ironing-blanket, and a linen or cotton sheet, to spread over it; a large fire, of charcoal and hard wood, (unless furnaces or stoves are used;) a hearth, free from cinders and ashes, a piece of sheet-iron, in front of the fire, on which to set the irons, while heating; (this last saves many black spots from careless ironers;) three or four holders, made of woollen, and covered with old silk, as these do not easily take fire; two iron rings, or iron-stands, on which to set the irons, and small pieces of board to put under them, to prevent scorching the sheet; linen or cotton wipers; and a piece of beeswax, to rub on the irons when they are smoked. There should be, at least, three irons for each person ironing, and a small and large clothes-frame, on which to air the fine and coarse clothes. A bosom-board, on which to iron shirt-bosoms, should be made, one foot and a half long, and nine inches wide, and covered with white flannel. A skirt-board on which to iron frock-skirts, should be made, five feet long, and two feet wide at one end, tapering to one foot and three inches wide, at the other end. This should be covered with flannel; and will save much trouble, in ironing nice dresses. The large end may be put on the table, and the other, on the back of a chair. Both these boards should have cotton covers, made to fit them; and these should be changed and washed, when dirty. These boards are often useful, when articles are to be ironed or pressed, in a chamber or parlor. Provide, also, a press-board, for broadcloth, two feet long, and four inches wide at one end, tapering to three inches wide, at the other. A fluting-iron, called, also, a patent Italian iron, saves much labor, in ironing ruffles neatly. A crimping-iron, will crimp ruffles beautifully, with very little time or trouble. Care must be used, with the latter, or it will cut the ruffles. A trial should be made, with old muslins; and, when the iron is screwed in the right place, it must be so kept, and not altered without leave from the housekeeper. If the lady of the house will provide all these articles, see that the fires are properly made, the ironing-sheets evenly put on and properly pinned, the clothes-frames dusted, and all articles kept in their places, she will do much towards securing good ironing. On Sprinkling, Folding, and Ironing. Wipe the dust from the ironing-board, and lay it down, to receive the clothes, which should be sprinkled with clear water, and laid in separate piles, one of colored, one of common, and one of fine articles, and one of flannels. Fold the fine things, and roll them in a towel, and then fold the rest, turning them all right side outward. The colored clothes should be laid separate from the rest, and ought not to lie long damp, as it injures the colors. The sheets and table linen should be shaken, stretched, and folded, by two persons. Iron lace and needlework on the wrong side, and carry them away, as soon as dry. Iron calicoes with irons which are not very hot, and generally on the right side, as they thus keep clean for a longer time. In ironing a frock, first do the waist, then the sleeves, then the skirt. Keep the skirt rolled, while ironing the other parts, and set a chair, to hold the sleeves, while ironing the skirt, unless a skirt-board be used. In ironing a shirt, first do the back, then the sleeves, then the collar and bosom, and then the front. Iron silk on the wrong side, when quite damp, with an iron which is not very hot. Light colors are apt to change and fade. Iron velvet, by turning up the face of the iron, and after dampening the wrong side of the velvet, draw it over the face of the iron, holding it straight, and not biased. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Catharine Esther Beecher (2007). A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/21829/pg21829-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

ON STARCHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING.

Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . TARQUIN OF CHEAPSIDE here TARQUIN OF CHEAPSIDE Running footsteps—light, soft-soled shoes made of curious leathery cloth brought from Ceylon setting the pace; thick flowing boots, two pairs, dark blue and gilt, reflecting the moonlight in blunt gleams and splotches, following a stone’s throw behind. Soft Shoes flashes through a patch of moonlight, then darts into a blind labyrinth of alleys and becomes only an intermittent scuffle ahead somewhere in the enfolding darkness. In go Flowing Boots, with short swords lurching and long plumes awry, finding a breath to curse God and the black lanes of London. Soft Shoes leaps a shadowy gate and crackles through a hedgerow. Flowing Boots leap the gate and crackles through the hedgerow—and there, startlingly, is the watch ahead—two murderous pikemen of ferocious cast of mouth acquired in Holland and the Spanish marches. But there is no cry for help. The pursued does not fall panting at the feet of the watch, clutching a purse; neither do the pursuers raise a hue and cry. Soft Shoes goes by in a rush of swift air. The watch curse and hesitate, glance after the fugitive, and then spread their pikes grimly across the road and wait for Flowing Boots. Darkness, like a great hand, cuts off the even flow the moon. The hand moves off the moon whose pale caress finds again the eaves and lintels, and the watch, wounded and tumbled in the dust. Up the street one of Flowing Boots leaves a black trail of spots until he binds himself, clumsily as he runs, with fine lace caught from his throat. It was no affair for the watch: Satan was at large tonight and Satan seemed to be he who appeared dimly in front, heel over gate, knee over fence. Moreover, the adversary was obviously travelling near home or at least in that section of London consecrated to his coarser whims, for the street narrowed like a road in a picture and the houses bent over further and further, cooping in natural ambushes suitable for murder and its histrionic sister, sudden death. Down long and sinuous lanes twisted the hunted and the harriers, always in and out of the moon in a perpetual queen’s move over a checker-board of glints and patches. Ahead, the quarry, minus his leather jerkin now and half blinded by drips of sweat, had taken to scanning his ground desperately on both sides. As a result he suddenly slowed short, and retracing his steps a bit scooted up an alley so dark that it seemed that here sun and moon had been in eclipse since the last glacier slipped roaring over the earth. Two hundred yards down he stopped and crammed himself into a niche in the wall where he huddled and panted silently, a grotesque god without bulk or outline in the gloom. Flowing Boots, two pairs, drew near, came up, went by, halted twenty yards beyond him, and spoke in deep-lunged, scanty whispers: “I was attune to that scuffle; it stopped.” “Within twenty paces.” “He’s hid.” “Stay together now and we’ll cut him up.” The voice faded into a low crunch of a boot, nor did Soft Shoes wait to hear more—he sprang in three leaps across the alley, where he bounded up, flapped for a moment on the top of the wall like a huge bird, and disappeared, gulped down by the hungry night at a mouthful. II “ He read at wine, he read in bed, He read aloud, had he the breath, His every thought was with the dead, ” And so he read himself to death. Any visitor to the old James the First graveyard near Peat’s Hill may spell out this bit of doggerel, undoubtedly one of the worst recorded of an Elizabethan, on the tomb of Wessel Caster. This death of his, says the antiquary, occurred when he was thirty-seven, but as this story is concerned with the night of a certain chase through darkness, we find him still alive, still reading. His eyes were somewhat dim, his stomach somewhat obvious—he was a mis-built man and indolent—oh, Heavens! But an era is an era, and in the reign of Elizabeth, by the grace of Luther, Queen of England, no man could help but catch the spirit of enthusiasm. Every loft in Cheapside published its (or magazine)—of its new blank verse; the Cheapside Players would produce anything on sight as long as it “got away from those reactionary miracle plays,” and the English Bible had run through seven “very large” printings in as many months. Magnum Folium So Wessel Caxter (who in his youth had gone to sea) was now a reader of all on which he could lay his hands—he read manuscripts in holy friendship; he dined rotten poets; he loitered about the shops where the were printed, and he listened tolerantly while the young playwrights wrangled and bickered among them-selves, and behind each other’s backs made bitter and malicious charges of plagiarism or anything else they could think of. Magna Folia To-night he had a book, a piece of work which, though inordinately versed, contained, he thought, some rather excellent political satire. “The Faerie Queene” by Edmund Spenser lay before him under the tremulous candle-light. He had ploughed through a canto; he was beginning another: The Legend of Britomartis or of Chastity It falls me here to write of Chastity. .... The fayrest vertue, far above the rest A sudden rush of feet on the stairs, a rusty swing-open of the thin door, and a man thrust himself into the room, a man without a jerkin, panting, sobbing, on the verge of collapse. “Wessel,” words choked him, “stick me away somewhere, love of Our Lady!” Caxter rose, carefully closing his book, and bolted the door in some concern. “I’m pursued,” cried out Soft Shoes. “I vow there’s two short-witted blades trying to make me into mincemeat and near succeeding. They saw me hop the back wall!” “It would need,” said Wessel, looking at him curiously, “several battalions armed with blunderbusses, and two or three Armadas, to keep you reasonably secure from the revenges of the world.” Soft Shoes smiled with satisfaction. His sobbing gasps were giving way to quick, precise breathing; his hunted air had faded to a faintly perturbed irony. “I feel little surprise,” continued Wessel. “They were two such dreary apes.” “Making a total of three.” “Only two unless you stick me away. Man, man, come alive, they’ll be on the stairs in a spark’s age.” Wessel took a dismantled pike-staff from the corner, and raising it to the high ceiling, dislodged a rough trap-door opening into a garret above. “There’s no ladder.” He moved a bench under the trap, upon which Soft Shoes mounted, crouched, hesitated, crouched again, and then leaped amazingly upward. He caught at the edge of the aperture and swung back and forth, for a moment, shifting his hold; finally doubled up and disappeared into the darkness above. There was a scurry, a migration of rats, as the trap-door was replaced;... silence. Wessel returned to his reading-table, opened to the Legend of Britomartis or of Chastity—and waited. Almost a minute later there was a scramble on the stairs and an intolerable hammering at the door. Wessel sighed and, picking up his candle, rose. “Who’s there?” “Open the door!” “Who’s there?” An aching blow frightened the frail wood, splintered it around the edge. Wessel opened it a scarce three inches, and held the candle high. His was to play the timorous, the super-respectable citizen, disgracefully disturbed. “One small hour of the night for rest. Is that too much to ask from every brawler and—” “Quiet, gossip! Have you seen a perspiring fellow?” The shadows of two gallants fell in immense wavering outlines over the narrow stairs; by the light Wessel scrutinized them closely. Gentlemen, they were, hastily but richly dressed—one of them wounded severely in the hand, both radiating a sort of furious horror. Waving aside Wessel’s ready miscomprehension, they pushed by him into the room and with their swords went through the business of poking carefully into all suspected dark spots in the room, further extending their search to Wessel’s bedchamber. “Is he hid here?” demanded the wounded man fiercely. “Is who here?” “Any man but you.” “Only two others that I know of.” For a second Wessel feared that he had been too damned funny, for the gallants made as though to prick him through. “I heard a man on the stairs,” he said hastily, “full five minutes ago, it was. He most certainly failed to come up.” He went on to explain his absorption in “The Faerie Queene” but, for the moment at least, his visitors, like the great saints, were anaesthetic to culture. “What’s been done?” inquired Wessel. “Violence!” said the man with the wounded hand. Wessel noticed that his eyes were quite wild. “My own sister. Oh, Christ in heaven, give us this man!” Wessel winced. “Who is the man?” “God’s word! We know not even that. What’s that trap up there?” he added suddenly. “It’s nailed down. It’s not been used for years.” He thought of the pole in the corner and quailed in his belly, but the utter despair of the two men dulled their astuteness. “It would take a ladder for any one not a tumbler,” said the wounded man listlessly. His companion broke into hysterical laughter. “A tumbler. Oh, a tumbler. Oh—” Wessel stared at them in wonder. “That appeals to my most tragic humor,” cried the man, “that no one—oh, no one—could get up there but a tumbler.” The gallant with the wounded hand snapped his good fingers impatiently. “We must go next door—and then on—” Helplessly they went as two walking under a dark and storm-swept sky. Wessel closed and bolted the door and stood a moment by it, frowning in pity. A low-breathed “Ha!” made him look up. Soft Shoes had already raised the trap and was looking down into the room, his rather elfish face squeezed into a grimace, half of distaste, half of sardonic amusement. “They take off their heads with their helmets,” he remarked in a whisper, “but as for you and me, Wessel, we are two cunning men.” “Now you be cursed,” cried Wessel vehemently. “I knew you for a dog, but when I hear even the half of a tale like this, I know you for such a dirty cur that I am minded to club your skull.” Soft Shoes stared at him, blinking. “At all events,” he replied finally, “I find dignity impossible in this position.” With this he let his body through the trap, hung for an instant, and dropped the seven feet to the floor. “There was a rat considered my ear with the air of a gourmet,” he continued, dusting his hands on his breeches. “I told him in the rat’s peculiar idiom that I was deadly poison, so he took himself off.” “Let’s hear of this night’s lechery!” insisted Wessel angrily. Soft Shoes touched his thumb to his nose and wiggled the fingers derisively at Wessel. “Street gamin!” muttered Wessel. “Have you any paper?” demanded Soft Shoes irrelevantly, and then rudely added, “or can you write?” “Why should I give you paper?” “You wanted to hear of the night’s entertainment. So you shall, an you give me pen, ink, a sheaf of paper, and a room to myself.” Wessel hesitated. “Get out!” he said finally. “As you will. Yet you have missed a most intriguing story.” Wessel wavered—he was soft as taffy, that man—gave in. Soft Shoes went into the adjoining room with the begrudged writing materials and precisely closed the door. Wessel grunted and returned to “The Faerie Queene”; so silence came once more upon the house. III Three o’clock went into four. The room paled, the dark outside was shot through with damp and chill, and Wessel, cupping his brain in his hands, bent low over his table, tracing through the pattern of knights and fairies and the harrowing distresses of many girls. There were dragons chortling along the narrow street outside; when the sleepy armorer’s boy began his work at half-past five the heavy clink and clank of plate and linked mail swelled to the echo of a marching cavalcade. A fog shut down at the first flare of dawn, and the room was grayish yellow at six when Wessel tiptoed to his cupboard bedchamber and pulled open the door. His guest turned on him a face pale as parchment in which two distraught eyes burned like great red letters. He had drawn a chair close to Wessel’s which he was using as a desk; and on it was an amazing stack of closely written pages. With a long sigh Wessel withdrew and returned to his siren, calling himself fool for not claiming his bed here at dawn. prie-dieu The clump of boots outside, the croaking of old beldames from attic to attic, the dull murmur of morning, unnerved him, and, dozing, he slumped in his chair, his brain, overladen with sound and color, working intolerably over the imagery that stacked it. In this restless dream of his he was one of a thousand groaning bodies crushed near the sun, a helpless bridge for the strong-eyed Apollo. The dream tore at him, scraped along his mind like a ragged knife. When a hot hand touched his shoulder, he awoke with what was nearly a scream to find the fog thick in the room and his guest, a gray ghost of misty stuff, beside him with a pile of paper in his hand. “It should be a most intriguing tale, I believe, though it requires some going over. May I ask you to lock it away, and in God’s name let me sleep?” He waited for no answer, but thrust the pile at Wessel, and literally poured himself like stuff from a suddenly inverted bottle upon a couch in the corner; slept, with his breathing regular, but his brow wrinkled in a curious and somewhat uncanny manner. Wessel yawned sleepily and, glancing at the scrawled, uncertain first page, he began reading aloud very softly: The Rape of Lucrece “ From the besieged Ardea all in post, Borne by the trustless wings of false desire, ” Lust-breathing Tarquin leaves the Roman host— About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. F. Scott Fitzgerald (2004). Tales of the Jazz Age. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18857/18857-h/18857-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

TARQUIN OF CHEAPSIDE

One a penny, two a penny, AI buns As a and part-time coder, I’ve seen first-hand the value of taking some text or code and using ChatGPT to help me infinitely improve it. If could refactor my code, it could surely help improve my cooking. product manager ChatGPT specifically, are my culinary kryptonite. This subtly sweetened, yeast-leavened bread native to the British Isles is both delicious and an absolute pain to bake. Despite multiple attempts, my buns better resembled than digestible delicacies. With only stodgy bricks to show for my efforts, I had vowed never to make these tasty treats again… until recently, that is. Hot Cross buns, hockey pucks Then one day, my American colleague strolled into the office, their hands brimming with a basket of homemade hot cross buns. Each one was a — a sweet slap in the face to my British pride. The gauntlet was thrown — I would master this recipe! But this time would be different. This time I had the power of large language models on my side. fluffy delight I mean, baking is not that different from coding right, right? A logically deductive combination of chemicals producing a desired result. Sure, I could find better recipes online, but I tried that before, and it doesn’t help. To achieve this, I will combine some of the most successful prompting techniques I’ve learned using ChatGPT: . Role Setting, Chain of Thought, and Self-Reflexion means giving the AI a focused purpose. Most of the time, asking the all-seeing ChatGPT sage is fine, but you can get the best results by focusing on its intent and drive. For example, I don’t want my AI to start randomly talking about the logistics of sourcing raisins. Role setting To achieve this, I prompted: You are BakerGPT. A Michelin award-winning baker who is here to help me create some of the most delicious baked items in human history, drawing inspiration and techniques from any source to achieve this goal. You will assist me in developing recipes and ask me clarifying questions if you think it will help you improve your answers or suggestions. If you understand, respond: UNDERSTOOD Excellent, so I’ve successfully explained to BakerGPT that I wanted to make amazing hot cross buns. Next, I want to improve its results by providing some examples of recipes I used before. This is . To achieve this, we will provide the AI with examples of things I would like it to imitate before asking it to generate its own. Usually, this would be stuff like a poem or press release, but recipes would be best in our case. It’s like a mini training session for the AI, helping reduce the risk of hallucinating weird solutions like using olive oil instead of butter. So I provided some examples of hot cross bun recipes I found online, and I already can see it commenting and even trying to suggest its own. Not so fast, BakerGPT! called Chain of Thought Prompting So we have our overqualified assistant who has been researching buns all its life. Let’s ask it to — what does it think makes a good or bad hot cross bun recipe? engage in some  self-reflexion So that’s promising — it seems to know exactly the qualities I’m after! Let’s ask what we must do with the recipe to get the best characteristics whilst eliminating the bad. I want more reflexion! How could it make the recipe even better? Let’s pause here because this is super impressive. Right away, the suggestion of had never even occurred to me. I mean, what even is bread improver? A quick search reveals a mixture of emulsifiers, enzymes, and flour treatment agents that help break down gluten and improve the quality of the dough and final rise. That sounds just like what I need! Other great shouts include soaking the dried fruit in orange juice and pre-fermenting. Nice to also know I could adapt this to be gluten-free or vegan if required. bread improver Ok, so this all sounds great. Let’s ask it to generate a recipe using all the suggestions provided. Here is what it produced: British Hot Cross Buns Ingredients: For the buns: - 300ml full-fat milk - 100g butter - 500g strong bread flour - 1 tsp salt - 50g caster sugar - 25g brown sugar - 1 tbsp sunflower oil - 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast - 1–2 tsp bread improver - 2 eggs, beaten - 100g mixed dried fruits (sultanas, raisins, currants, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots) - 50g chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds) - Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon - 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped - 2 tsp ground cinnamon - 1 tsp mixed spice - 1/2 tsp ground ginger - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg For the cross: - 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting For the glaze: - 100g powdered sugar - 2–3 tbsp milk or lemon juice Method: 1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk with the orange and lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and a few cardamom pods. Once warm, remove from heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the solids. 2. Bring the infused milk to a boil, then remove from heat and add 100g butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the strong bread flour, salt, caster sugar, brown sugar, fast-action or easy-blend yeast, and bread improver. Create a well in the centre. 4. Pour the warm milk and butter mixture into the well, followed by the beaten eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to form a sticky dough. 5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film or a damp tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 6. Add the mixed dried fruits, chopped nuts, orange and lemon zest, chopped apple, and spices to the dough. Knead to distribute the ingredients evenly. Cover and let rise again for another hour or until doubled in size. 7. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas. Then, divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g each) and roll into smooth balls. Place on baking trays lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space for expansion. Cover and let prove for 1 more hour. 8. Mix the plain flour with water to make a thick paste for the cross. Pipelines across the buns form crosses. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until golden brown. 9. Remove the buns from the oven and let them cool slightly on a wire rack. Mix powdered sugar with milk or lemon juice to create a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the warm buns. Serve these delicious, tender, and flavourful hot cross buns warm with butter, and enjoy the improved texture brought by the addition of bread improver. With bated breath and fingers crossed, I set out to create these AI-inspired buns. Hours of my life were at stake, and tension in the kitchen was palpable… then, finally, the iPhone timer pinged. I had done it, and I have to say the results were nothing short of . spectacular I brought a bunch into the office. My colleagues were blown away by how soft, moist, and flavourful these were (even after sitting in Tupperware for 2 days). Somehow through the alchemy of prompt engineering and baking, I’d made something incredible. I was running around the flat proclaiming to my partner we should start an . AI bakery But why stop there? How far could we push this? Growing up in an Iraqi-Austrian household, the exotic aromas and bold flavors of the Middle East were a comforting constant. So I decided to pay homage to my roots and mix some of those techniques and flavors into my buns, asking ChatGPT to reimagine this recipe from an Iraqi perspective. The idea of taking a British baked good with a literal cross on it and the best of the middle east has something of a crusader-esk poor taste to it. Still, the results were anything but — . an unholy union of deliciousness Spiced Za’atar Cross Buns - 300ml full-fat milk - 100g butter - 500g strong bread flour - 1 tsp salt - 1 tbsp sunflower oil - 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast - 1–2 tsp bread improver - 2 eggs, beaten - 100g crumbled feta cheese - 75g chopped dates or dried apricots - 50g toasted pine nuts - 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or parsley - 1 tsp ground cumin - 1/2 tsp ground coriander - 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon - 1/4 tsp ground cardamom - 1/4 tsp ground allspice - 1/4 tsp paprika - 1/4 tsp black pepper For the cross: - 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting For the topping: - 1 egg, beaten for egg wash - Sesame seeds Method: 1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk and butter until the butter melts and the mixture reaches hand temperature. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the strong bread flour, salt, sunflower oil, fast-action or easy-blend yeast, and bread improver. Create a well in the centre. 3. Pour the warm milk and butter mixture into the well, followed by the beaten eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to form a sticky dough. 4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film or a damp tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 5. Add the crumbled feta cheese, chopped dates or dried apricots, toasted pine nuts, fresh herbs, and spices to the dough. Knead to distribute the ingredients evenly. Cover and let rise again for another hour or until doubled in size. 6. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 7. Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g each) and roll into smooth balls. Place on baking trays lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space for expansion. Cover and let prove for 1 more hour. 8. Mix the plain flour with water to make a thick paste for the cross. Pipelines across the buns form crosses. Brush the buns with beaten egg for egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until golden brown. 9. Remove the buns from the oven and let them cool slightly on a wire rack.  Serve these Middle Eastern-inspired hot cross buns warm with a side of hummus or tzatziki, or enjoy them as a flavorful snack or accompaniment to a meal. The combination of feta cheese, dried fruit, pine nuts, and aromatic spices creates a delicious and unique twist on the traditional hot cross bun. A hot cross bun perfect for dipping with hummus? I’d found ! These buns were impressive, and the use of dried apricots with spices and cheese felt like little bites of bliss evoking memories of my father baking. heaven I went on to create a few more variations: with smoked ham, grated gouda, minced garlic, and chopped dill; Japanese Umami Cross Buns with tamagoyaki omelet, shitake mushroom, and pickled ginger flavored with soy sauce and mirin; and finally the comprised of strong cheddar, crumbled laverbread (seaweed) and crispy bacon topped off with fresh chives. Latvian baltic buns Welsh Celtic Buns Some of the wilder experiments asked what a hot cross bun could look like inspired by Japanese fashion designer (sweetened red bean paste, matcha, and chopped candied yuzu) or clothing brand (milk and white chocolate chips with toasted hazelnuts and vanilla). Issey Miyake H&M What surprised me about all this was how fun it is to use a tool like ChatGPT to create my own . It’s like a cooking simulator, a real-world version of Nintendo’s ‘Cooking Mama’. Within seconds I could be dreaming up new recipes and flavors with no limits on what techniques or ingredients to experiment with from any regional culinary background or school of cooking. test kitchen of ideas Machines are particularly well suited to this as their connections are more diverse and thus have a less compartmentalized view of the world than us humans. Even if I did not have an ingredient, ChatGPT could suggest an alternative or let me know if something in the cupboard would work. What is exciting about this for me is not just being able to produce better recipes but the ability to take chances and be more creative and curious in our approach to food. You usually find a recipe, buy the ingredients, cook, and hope for the best. Now with AI, we are freed up to play with it, tailor it to our tastes, and even ask why something may be better or worse. A chance to even take old recipes and rework them into something new. After all, very few (if any) foods are invented. Most are contemporary twists on traditional themes. As Lynne Olver wrote on the Food Timeline, “Today’s grilled cheese sandwich is connected to ancient cooks who melted cheese on bread. 1950s meatloaf is connected to ground cooked meat products promoted at the turn of the 20th century, which are, in turn, related to ancient Roman minces.” As a culture, we’re cooking less and buying more prepared meals. Since the mid-sixties, the time spent preparing meals has fallen by half. While the global trend is the same, Americans , spending less time cooking than any other country. I hope using AI to cook this way is more fun and exciting than working from prescribed recipes and will bring an entirely new type of cook into the kitchen. lead the way You see, cooking changes your relationship with food. Instead of consuming something, now you’re making it. The more people we can get interested in cooking and asking questions about where ingredients come from can only be better for us and our environment. The alternative is that we become so alienated that within a generation, cooking a meal from scratch will seem as exotic and ambitious — as “extreme” — as most of us today regard brewing beer, baking a loaf of bread, or putting up a crock of sauerkraut. I wouldn’t recommend asking a tool like ChatGPT to generate something from scratch just yet. Still, as shown above, a mixture of specific prompts that set R and use prompting and R is particularly effective in achieving the best results for not just cooking but many forms of creative work. oles Chain of Thought eflexion Now, every time I see a hot cross bun, I no longer feel a sense of dread — AI has given me a chance to think differently about baking. To those willing to experiment, AI makes exploring things like cooking more accessible. Meals become achievements, expressions, discoveries, and relationships and help us honor in a way where we come from. This mad hybrid of human, machine, and food goes beyond nutritionism and essentialism. It serves as a tool for training that connects us with nature and teaches us how to utilize AI for a brighter future. Happy prompt baking everyone. Also published [here.](https://How ChatGPT Took Me From Baking Disaster to Masterchef)

How ChatGPT Took Me From Baking Disaster to Masterchef

In the high-frequency beat of our lives, it is normal for us to read in such a fast mode that we get parts of a story, the high moments of it; but miss the opportunity. This article, inspired by the work of Casper ter Kuile, reminds us to consider the power in certain kinds of texts - such as Harry Potter - that sets us to pause and reflect on our lives and our behavior. Imagine these guys here, all of them reading one of the Harry Potter books as if it were some ritual, a sacred moment: According to Casper ter Kuile (The Power of Ritual), some readings, like Harry Potter, have the power that causes you to reflect beyond the story - into your life. For example, the reading may bring up a nostalgic moment, memories about tragedies, and more. Certain kinds of fiction reading may create an opportunity for you to reflect on who you are and your behavior too. Think of a reader who, after reading an excerpt from one of the Harry Potter episodes, thought: Am I like that villain? Casper indicates that this phenomenon (he didn't say phenomenon) is confirmed by research too. He points to the work by Keith Oakley from the University of Toronto - . check out A Feeling for Fiction Therefore, we may consider that certain narratives provide a chance to develop empathy for a specific character, which allows us to be open and reflect on our lives. For example, consider a reader experiencing a narrative reflexively and more slowly having the opportunity to feel like this: Wow, poor villain. He became like that because his life wasn't easy too. And even in the second stage, the reader might think, "Oops, I also find myself in a similar situation." Many readers of fiction books, such as Harry Potter, wrote letters to Casper revealing how some episodes made them reflect and understand more about themselves. Now, in the high-frequency beat of our lives, it is normal for us to read in such a fast mode that we get parts of a story, the high moments of it; but miss the opportunity. Pages often pass in front of us, next to these micro screens of distractions and social media taps and rhythms. When we have a minute to rest, what do we do? We enter into a new rapid interaction and even hurried readings that don't allow us to pause and reflect - on our lives, ourselves, and behavior. To help us this way, Casper wrote, "Reading is a path to greater awareness. To courage and commitment. To helping us see our mistakes, and to finding a better way forward. " (Kuile, 2020, p.59) Thank you, Casper. The following is a 1-min video I made after reading the section from Casper’s book: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiodovale/video/7165199787942268166?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1?embedable=true Kuile, Caster ter. (2020). The Power of Ritual. William Collins. For articles and animation related to great readings, please contact me at Tio do Vale.

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