FoodNet

The Apsley cookery book

1905

Page 4

Presented as published in 1905. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
“ If this man lives and works in the open air, he may have such a good appetite for bread, macaroni, rice, potatoes, nuts and fruit, that no milk and cheese will be required ; but those who live in towns and are more sedentary, will generally require to add these latter to a greater or less extent.” A few hints on cooking have also been given, as most of the dishes depend largely upon their careful prepara- tion for their appetising properties. When the com- paratively small range of foods which the diet allows is remembered, the difficulties of the authors in arranging the combination of foods and vegetables will be appre- ciated. In vegetarian cookery the range is much larger, hence the number of recipes which the books can boast. But if they were debarred from using the yolks of eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, and the whole of the pulses in their savouries, and chocolate and coffee in their sweets, the number of recipes would be consider- ably diminished. The authors are indebted to various friends for certain recipes, which they have kindly supplied, and which have been adapted to the diet ; and especially to their respective cooks, for the intelligent interest and patience which they have shown in the working out of all the recipes. HINTS ON COOKING. It is as necessary to most people that their food should look nice as that it should have an agreeable taste ; and although on this diet the cook has not the materials for much show, it is all the more important that she should make the best of what she has. If care is taken in following the recipes given, both the eye and the palate will be gratified ; and the cook will have the satisfac- faction of knowing that the result is mainly due to her careful cooking. Indeed, this diet, though it would seem at first sight to give the cook but few opportuni- ties for showing her talents, yet gives her every chance of exercising both her taste and her ingenuity. As milk enters largely into the dishes which she has to prepare, one of the first things to impress upon the cook is the keeping of it fresh and sweet. It must never remain uncovered in the larder, as it will imme- diately take the flavour of anything that happens to be near it ; and if it is put in the ice chest in hot weather, it must never be placed in the same compartment with either fruit or vegetables. Strawberries will impart a very disagreeable flavour to milk, if it stands uncovered anywhere near them ; any article of food that has the least smell will spoil its flavour, so that the only remedy is to keep milk carefully covered. HINTS ON COOKING XVII The greatest possible care should also be taken with the saucepans, &c., in which it is cooked. Aluminium saucepans are the best for this purpose, for the milk is not so liable to burn in them as it is in enamelled saucepans, and they are much easier to keep clean. Although the first cost is much greater than the enam- elled saucepans, in the end they are certainly cheaper, for there is no enamel to wear off or become cracked. The cook must remember in cleaning them that no soda must be used or they will turn black ; if they are allowed to remain in plain water, there will be no difficulty whatever in cleaning them. They are to be bought at the Army and Navy Stores, or from any good iron- monger.