FoodNet

A practical cook and text book for general use

1896

Page 22

Presented as published in 1896. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
to its superior merits, in healthfulness, cleanliness and economy. It is said to contain the acids found in dairy butter ; is a pure, pearly white substance, very solid when cold, and contains 99.97 per cent, of edible fatty sub- stance, considerably exceeding any other production of the sort in this respect. It is entirely free from water . . and salt, is easily digested, keeps indefinitely and even | when exposed to the air will not become rancid like animal fat. This butter is also manufactured in England. In my own experiments two years ago I used the German make and found it in every way superior to animal fats, dairy butter or cream. It is now manufactured in America by the Pure Food Co., Chicago, 111. Although made in the city famous for its host of slaughtered animals, yet its cocoanut butter is free from germs and bacteria, " harm- less " or otherwise and has successfully passed the spec- ialist's test for animal fats. It is manufactured from shredded cocoanut, by a process that removes impurities and is guaranteed to be entirely free from animal fat and all injurious substances. ' VEGETABLE OILS. 59 As a cooking fat, the Diamond butter oil, manufac- tured by the Merchants and Planters Oil Co., Houston, Texas, fills all requirements. It is pressed from selected cotton-seed and afterwards refined ; the result being a clear, limpid sweet oil, so nearly resembling olive oil that only an expert could detect the difference in appearance, and only an epicure in taste, when used in food or as a salad oil. It is guaranteed free from animal fat, lard being too expensive to adulterate cotton-seed oil, but cotton-seed oil is extensively used to adulterate lard and other fats — if that can be said to be adulterated which is by so much improved. **But while the blending of cotton- seed oil with other ingredients has given rise to a diversity of products called by one name and another, there is no compound that has yet been made which is as good as the pure oil itself." It is however a significant fact thai thousands of bar- rels, representing millions of dollars, are exported every year to France, Italy, Spain and other countries, and is there manufactured into butter and into oHve oil, which is sent back to America, our country paying a large price and heavy duties on her own pure production obtained from the once despised cotton seed that Phoenix-like rose triumphant above every attempt to destroy it. Personal experience may not be amiss and I will state that my first can of Diamond Butter Oil, sent for trial from the Food Fair being held in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1894, reached me a few days before Thanksgiving. Mrs. S. T. Rorer, the head of the Philadelphia Cooking School, was using it at the Fair in cooking demonstrations, and has since commended it and continued its use with the most satisfactory results. To test the new product I 6o THE FAT OF THE LAND. quietly made use of the oil in every article prepared for my Thanksgiving dinner, which was served to a large company of guests. The quality of the dinner having been approved and the freedom from drowsiness and internal oppression, so frequent after such feasts, remarked upon, the guests were informed that the cause of it was doubtless owing to the fact that neither milk, cream, butter or animal fat had entered into the composi- tion of the dinner. Explanations and recipes followed and friends have since then daily used the new vege- table fat, while the outlay for animal food has gradually diminished and children have become healthier, happier and less troublesome. In this connection I will say that persons subject to rheumatism and -neuralgia have been entirely^ free from it since using vegetable fats and dis- carding animal food, butter and milk. Others have escaped common colds and La Grippe although living in the midst of these troublesome winter complaints.