Baking is cooking by means of heated air in a confined space called an oven. Bread, cakes, and pastry are usually cooked in this way. As a general rule, anything containing starchy materials, as flour, airowroot, etc., should, if not previously boiled, be first placed in a hot part of the oven to burst the starchy grains and enable them to mix thoroughly with the surrounding liquid ; they should then be removed to a cooler part, to cook slowly without scorching. If pastry is put at first into a cool part of the oven, the fat melts ; but as the starch grains of the flour are not burst, they cannot absorb the fat, which runs out and makes the paste greasy and heavy. 1 he proper management of an oven must be the result of experience, as it is impossible to give exact rules. A large brick oven gives the most steady heat. Iron ovens become easily overheated, and small iron ones are apt to scorch what is cooked in them unless carefully regulated. Therefore, bread should be divided into smaller loaves when baked in a small oven, to prevent the outside being browned while the inside is still uncooked. 1 o test an oven, put into it a piece of stale crumb of bread ; if in five minutes it is a golden colour, the oven is hot enough for cooking pastry or bread; if, on the contrary, the bread becomes dry and only slightly GENERAL DIRECTIONS — BAKING. 45 coloured, the oven is of a moderate heat, and suitable for browning puddings, etc. Another test is to put a piece of kitchen or writing paper into the oven it it curls up in about a minute, the oven is hot enough tor b Where there is no oven, puddings may be browned before the fire. Meat, puddings, and even pastry, may be cooked in a Dutch oven before the fire. Dutch Oven. Scones, oat-cakes, etc., may be cooked on a girdle (much used in Scotland) instead of in an oven. Girdle. 46 SOUPS. Explanation of various terms : — rJfvbr'a* f)our is.t0 very gradually a small quantity of cold liquid, stirring it until it is smooth. y together ^ * miXtU1"e “ t0 add milk or eSg to make it hold - fT° l>’'mvn meat’ etc-> is to place it in a small quantity of hot l. and not turn it until the part is brown. , 'ko ,rice is ,to Put. >t on in cold water and bring it to the boil. This bursts the grains of starch. • T °j!e™ cu]rrants ’,s to r.ub them (the stalks being previously picked) in a damp cloth till clean, or to sprinkle a little Hour over them and rub them in a dry rough cloth. To core is to remove the heart of an apple or pear; this is e.ther done when the apple is whole with a special utensil called a corer, or, after it is quartered, with a knife. To grease a dish, paper, etc., is to rub soft fat, such as dripping or butter over it. It is best to grease a dish with the fingers or a piece of paper, and to spread the fat on paper with a knife. To parboil is to boil anything until half cooked. I o scald vegetables, etc., is to pour boiling water over them for a few minutes, and then throw away the water. To scald milk is to bring it almost, but not quite, to the boil. 1 o shred suet is to cut it with a sharp knife so thinly as to be almost scraping ; the suet should be so thin as to curl up. To wash rice, barley, etc., is to pour cold water over them, stir and pour off the water, repeating this till the water poured off is quite clear. VII.— SOUPS.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Baking is cooking by means of heated air in a confined space called an oven. Bread, cakes, and pastry are usually cooked in this way. As a general rule, anything containing starchy materials, as flour, arrowroot, etc., should, if not previously boiled, be first placed in a hot part of the oven to burst the starchy grains and enable them to mix thoroughly with the surrounding liquid ; they should then be removed to a cooler part, to cook slowly without scorching. If pastry is put at first into a cool part of the oven, the fat melts ; but as the starch grains of the flour are not burst, they cannot absorb the fat, which runs out and makes the paste greasy and heavy. 1 he proper management of an oven must be the result of experience, as it is impossible to give exact rules. A large brick oven gives the most steady heat. Iron ovens become easily overheated, and small iron ones are apt to scorch what is cooked in them unless carefully regulated. Therefore, bread should be divided into smaller loaves when baked in a small oven, to prevent the outside being browned while the inside is still uncooked. To test an oven, put into it a piece of stale crumb of bread ; if in five minutes it is a golden colour, the oven is hot enough for cooking pastry or bread; if, on the contrary, the bread becomes dry and only slightly GENERAL DIRECTIONS — BAKING. 45 coloured, the oven is of a moderate heat, and suitable for browning puddings, etc. Another test is to put a piece of kitchen or writing paper into the oven ; if it curls up in about a minute, the oven is hot enough for b Where there is no oven, puddings may be browned before the fire. Meat, puddings, and even pastry, may be cooked in a Dutch oven before the fire. Dutch Oven. Scones, oat-cakes, etc., may be cooked on a girdle (much used in Scotland) instead of in an oven. Girdle. Explanation of various terms : — To blend flour is to very gradually add a small quantity of cold liquid, stirring it until it is smooth.h. y together is to add milk or egg to make it hold To brown meat, etc., is to place it in a small quantity of hot fat and not turn it until the part is brown. To rice is to put it on in cold water and bring it to the boil. This bursts the grains of starch. To clean currants is to rub them (the stalks being previously picked) in a damp cloth till clean, or to sprinkle a little flour over them and rub them in a dry rough cloth. To core is to remove the heart of an apple or pear; this is e.ther done when the apple is whole with a special utensil called a corer, or, after it is quartered, with a knife. To grease a dish, paper, etc., is to rub soft fat, such as dripping or butter over it. It is best to grease a dish with the fingers or a piece of paper, and to spread the fat on paper with a knife. To parboil is to boil anything until half cooked. I o scald vegetables, etc., is to pour boiling water over them for a few minutes, and then throw away the water. To scald milk is to bring it almost, but not quite, to the boil. 1 o shred suet is to cut it with a sharp knife so thinly as to be almost scraping ; the suet should be so thin as to curl up. To wash rice, barley, etc., is to pour cold water over them, stir and pour off the water, repeating this till the water poured off is quite clear. VII.— SOUPS.

The school cookery book