A text-book of cooking

In baking potatoes, the water contained in them vaporizes. The vaporized water or steam is held under pressure by the skin of the vegetable. The steam thus becomes hotter than boiling water, hence a baked potato is cooked at a higher temperature than a boiled potato, and the starch of a baked potato is more thoroughly cooked and therefore more easily digested. When the potato is baked, no nutrients are lost. POP CORN Moisten popcorn with cold water. Almost cover the bottom of a popper with the kernels. Hold the popper first at some distance from the heat and then gradually bring it closer, shaking it well all the time to keep the corn from burning. The corn should not begin to pop before three and one half minutes. When popping commences, most of the kernels should open. If there is some time between the popping of the first and last kernels, the corn will become tough. BUTTERED POP CORN NO. i 4 quarts freshly popped corn 1 cupful butter Salt Melt the butter and pour it over the corn, stirring with a spoon. Sprinkle at once with salt from a salt shaker, continue stirring. BUTTERED POP CORN NO. 2 1 tablespoonful butter and 1 tablespoonful lard or 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil 1 cupful shelled popcorn Salt Put the fat in a large frying pan ; when melted, add the salted corn. Stir until the corn is evenly coated with fat. Cover closely and heat gradually, shaking the pan vigorously all the time. J FOODS COOKED AT HIGH TEMPERATURE 75 BAKED POTATOES Place scrubbed potatoes on the grate of a hot oven. (Potatoes should be baked in a hot oven, to prevent them from becoming waxy or soggy.) Bake until they are soft when tested with a fork or knitting needle. Break the skin at once to allow the steam to escape or make two gashes in the top of each potato one at right angles to the other. Gently press the potato so that the steam may escape. Serve in an uncovered dish. It is well to place the steaming potatoes on a folded napkin for serving. STUFFED POTATOES 2 tablespoonfuls butter 1 teaspoonful salt 3 tablespoonfuls milk Pepper 6 baked potatoes Cut the baked potatoes in halves lengthwise. Remove the inside, taking care not to break the skin ; mash the potatoes, add the milk, butter, and seasoning and beat them as ordinary mashed potatoes. Return the mixture to the potato shells, place the stuffed potatoes in a pan, and bake in a hot oven until browned. Explain why popcorn can be cooked thoroughly in about 5 minutes while rolled oats or wheat requires 1½ hours for sufficient cooking. Analyze the difference in taste of a baked and a boiled potato. To what is the sweet taste of a baked potato due ? (See Experiment 23, p. 55.) Explain fully why baked potatoes are more easily digested than boiled potatoes. (See Experiment 23 and Solution and Digestion, p. 29.) Which contains more nutriment, — baked potatoes or boiled potatoes ? Explain. (See Comparison of Vegetables cooked with and without the Skins, and in Water or in Steam, p. 59.) What is the purpose of breaking the skins of potatoes at once after baking? Why are baked potatoes served in an uncovered dish? What could be used to cover them ? DIVISION THREE ENERGY-GIVING OR FUEL FOODS: FATS AND OILS LESSON Fat as a Frying Medium