A manual of home-making

tftthe dttel I I BlaricMng. Blanching is an important preUminar>' step in the cold-paek tnethcMl of canning. It is used for s<jme fruits and may bi! uaed for all vegetables. Blanching may be done with either boiliag water or steam. When boiling water is used, the fruit or the vegdelable tt placed in a piece of cheeseK'loth or a crate, lowered eotindy under the water, and heated for the required numlx*r of miuutis (pages GI2 to 614). Only a small quantity of the produel FOOD PRESERVATION should bo blanched at a time in order that the water may be kept tis near the boiling point aa possil>le* Delicately fiavorwi greens are generally blanched by steam in order to avoid the loss of iron and other nutrients that oc- curs when they are inimemed in boiling water. For hlancliing in steam, the food is placed in some perforateil utensil or a piece of cheese-eloth and suspended in a tightly closed steamer. The food should be lilanched until no further shrinkage will occur; Blanching in steam generally requir-es n longer time than blanching in boiling water. The Hteani nmsfr penetrate to all parts of the mass, and for this reason the fruits or vege- tables should not be crowded together. Blanching in steam is not recommend tH I for strong-flavorefl greens. Blanching may accomplish one or more rc^sults: (1) it helps to insure a ck>se pack either by contracting the tissue and making the product flexible, as in the case of string beans and asparagus, or by causing a decided shrinkage, rui with greens; (2) it may partly eliminate strong acids or i utter flavors; (3) it may set the color; (4) it ]>egins the sterilization of the food ; (5) it loosens the skins of ceriain fruits and vegetables from the pulp so that they may lie slitiped or scrapetl off easily, as in the case of peaches, tomatocvs, or carrots. When blanching serv^es this last purpose, it is frequently calletl scalding. Blanch- ing may not be necessary but it is believed to give a superior product in many cases. The cold tlip is the rapid chilling of the outside of the blanched fruit or vegetable by plunging it into cold wiiter. While the food may neeil to be cold dipped in order to be c€H:>led sufBciently to make it easily handled and to insure the cooling of the center of the mass, it should not he allow^ed to remain long in the cold water. Sirups* The thickness of sirup for canning fruits depends on the kind of fruit w^ith which it is to be used and the richnass of the prmluct desired. In order to obtain three grades of sirup for ordinary use in 608 A MAX UAL OF UOMK-MAKINO airining, r.ugar and water may be combined in ' ^ri proportions and heated only until the sugar is dis- Yu^ quantity of water is kept constant in order to show the vanstiai| in the quantity of sugar used. Thin sirup (about a SOper-cent solution): 15^ cupfiaf i and 4 eups of water. This sirup may be used for such fruitj i apples, pears, raspberries, and other swrn^t bf^rru^^^, when a nrfc I prcxluct is not desirtxL Mt*diuni sirup (alx)ut a 40-perHTMjt suiutrori,!: 2*4 cupi «tj sugar and 4 cups of water. This sirup may be UfseiJ for 3 fruits as swei^t phmis, blacklx'rries. and sweot chcrriea Thick sirup (about a 5.5-per-cent solution): 5 eup9 of i and 4 cups of water. This sirup may be uswJ for such fr as peaches, cherries, or pineapples when a sweet product ii^ desired.