FoodNet

A manual of home-making

1919

Page 248

Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
The housewife has the duty and privilege of spending for U on an average of at)out 30 or 40 per cent of the family irteome, HerH 18 the tremendous re^sponsibility of S4:*eiug that the family in supphed with Umd neees^sary for its growth and maint^^uarice at it?* highest efficiency, (lood buying is liaaetl ofi knowledge. This knowledge nuiy lie obtained only through praetic»«* m\d 8tudy, The houst*wife should , therefore, l>e alert nn<l ([uiek to seize every opportunity to know more of the pnxluetion, the marketing, the nutritive valuiN and the eost of the Vii;*t number of articles which she h:is to buy. She is expected to Ijc exi>ert in the buying of not only one article, but hundreds. She haa an unlimited field for study. A good buyer plans for the present and for the future. She carefully considers the material in the storeroonis, ice-boxe^, and gardens, and plans to buy only that which will supplement or enable her to ust* the ftMKl ulrejuly on hatid. The next step is to visit the markets. The good buyer rarely t^jlephonesc The exceptions to this rule would be an emergency call or the bu>'Tng of standard jiroducts, such a.s sugar, cereals, spices, or known brands of gen ids. The housewife uses the senses of sight, touch, taste, and smell in her final judgment of food. It is quit« as esst»ntial that she should use the same senses in buying food. To do thii§ it is necessar>^ that she shfiuld go to market. For bu>ang commodi- ties it might be well to have the followng |x>ints in mind: A definite amount should be onlered in pounds or definite meas- ure; the unit price of the commodity should l>e a^scertained ; correct scales and me^isures should be used and the full amount 438 I I I MARKETING FOR THE HOUSEHOLD 43d paid for delivered- To check the measures and weights, cor- rect scales and measures should be a part, of eveiy kitchen equipment (page 129). BUYING FRESH OR STAPLE FOODSTUFFS Kind of food. The kind of food which the buyer seeks is based on the family's standard of li\'ing. Such as may quite properly be l)OUght by those who can afford it, may not be at all suitable for those with a smaller income. In order to choose wisely l>etween two or more foods, the housewife should know the nutritive value, the proportion of etlible and non-edible material, and the cost. This knowledge eomes only through study and comparison. Grade of food. After the buyer has decidetl on the kind of food to buy, tlic next step is to select the grade best suited to individual neeiis. To be able to judge of grades, it is necessary to know the stand- ard products, or to know the qualities that enhance and the qualities that decrease the value of the food. In the case of fresh fruits and vegetables, the stantlard prod- uct should l>e well-matured, sound, free from blemish, uniform in size and shape, of good color, fresh, dean, and well packcMJ. Most of these qualities may be determined by the eye, some by the touchy and others l>y the odor and the taste. Among grades, as among foods themselves, there are differences in nutritive value, in proportion of edible and non-ediljle material, and in cost. These differences may be deternnnetl only by .^tudy and comparison. Selection of meat is discussed on page 510, and canned foods on page 445.