A text-book of cooking

Care of Milk. — Milk is one of the foods that require the greatest care; it should be well cared for not only in the home but also on the dairy farm. It is one of the foods that afford ideal conditions for the growth of microscopic vegetable organisms, called bacteria. (See Wliy Foods Spoil, p. 289.) Many varieties of these bacteria or tiny plants produce changes in the milk which cause it to sour. A few varieties of disease-producing bacteria also sometimes exist in milk. Milk can be kept reasonably free from bacteria by : (a) Perfect cleanliness on the dairy farm. (b) Cooling it immediately after being drawn from the cow, and by keeping it cool. (c) Placing it in sterilized utensils. (d) Covering it, thus keeping it free from dust. Utensils for holding milk should be of glass, earthenware, or smooth, bright tin. They should be washed, scalded, or even better, boiled and placed in the sun for two or three hours. In the home, milk should not be used after long standing, even though it is sweet. It is well to buy milk in small quantities and in bottles. Because milk readily absorbs odors and flavors, it should be kept away from any substance having a strong odor or flavor. Cream. — Cream contains much fat. Under certain conditions, it is possible to mass the fat together, that is, separate it from the other constituents, and form butter. For making butter the cream should be " ripened," i.e. it should contain certain bacteria. It should then be churned. On the other hand, if it is desired to beat or whip the cream, but not to form butter, it is necessary to prevent the fat from massing together. To accomplish this, use thick cream and have it very cold ; it will then whip quickly. Cream may be chilled by placing it on ice for some time before whipping or by surrounding it with ice water while whipping. In warm weather, it is safer not only to chill the cream but also to surround it with ice water while whipping. To show one of the points involved in chilling materials try the following : ExperimenExperiment 43: Comparison of the Conducting Power of Metal and Earthenware. — Select a tin and an earthenware utensil of about the same size and shape. Put an equal quantity of water of the same temperature in each utensil. Surround each with ice water and cover. After 5 minutes, take the temperature of the water in the tin and in the earthenware utensil.are utensil. Which is colder ? Through which material, — tin or earthenware — is heat transmitted more readily ? When cream is to be surrounded by ice water for whipping, in which kind of a utensil should it be placed ? Explain your answer. Use a Dover egg beater or a cream whip for whipping cream. Since cream "spatters" when being beaten, a cream whip arranged with a cover is very satisfactory. To prevent spattering, the bowl of cream may be covered with paper while the cream is being whipped. Cut a slit in a piece of paper, insert the Dover egg beater in the slit, put the beater in the cream and push the paper down to cover the bowl. RICE DAINTY ½ cupful cooked rice ½ cupful powdered sugar ½ cupful fruit, cut into pieces ½ cupful cream, whipped Mix the rice, fruit, and sugar, then fold in the whipped cream. Pineapple, shredded or diced; bananas cut into pieces (not slices) ; dates, seeded and cut into pieces ; or cooked apricots are desirable fruits for this dessert. CREAM OF RICE PUDDING 4 cupfuls milk ½ teaspoonful salt ½ cupful rice ½ cupful sugar Grated rind of ½ lemon Wash rice ; put it and all other ingredients into a buttered pudding dish. Bake in a slow oven until firm. This usually takes three hours. While baking, stir the mixture occasionally. If desired, one half cupful of raisins may be added to the mixture, and nutmeg may be substituted for lemon rind.