Some people separate the white of an egg from the yolk by cracking a small piece from one end and pouring out the white, leaving the yolk in the shell until last; others break the egg through the middle by striking it on the edge of the cup and pass the yolk back and forth from one half-shell to the other until all the white has run into the cup. Whatever method is used, care must be taken that no yolk runs into the white as this prevents the white from frothing. It is on this account that the whites and yolks are beaten separately when we want eggs especially frothy. Eggs also froth better when they are very cold. They are beaten before they are used because we sometimes wish to put air into a mixture by this means. _Fish._--Large fish are usually prepared and sold in pieces by the fish dealer. Small fish are usually left whole and should be cleaned as soon as possible after they are bought. First remove the scales by scraping them toward the head with the back of a knife. Hold the knife flat that it may slip under the scales. Have a pan of cold water at hand in which to rinse the knife frequently. Cut off the head just below the gills. Slit the body at the thinner edge and remove the entrails. Run the point of the knife along the backbone to remove the blood which lies there. Cut off the tail last, as it is a convenient handle. Shad containing roe must be slit very carefully, that the roe may not be cut or broken. Fish which are to be served with heads and tails on are slit from the gills half way down the body and the entrails removed as before described. After fish are cleaned, wash them carefully in cold water--some people prefer to use salted water--then salt inside and out and lay them on a plate in a cool place--not the refrigerator--until it is time to cook them. Wash off the salt and season them again before cooking. If a piece of fish which is to be boiled is wrapped in a thin cloth the motion of the water will not break it. _Shell-Fish._--Receipts for cooking oysters or clams which begin, "Open the oysters"--or "Take two dozen clams from the shells"--are rather amusing when one remembers what an exaggerated pleasure in retirement these creatures take. They do not open their shells when one reads a receipt at them.