Parents would never think of setting a young man up in business unless he had been trained, probably by a long apprenticeship ; and yet it has been practically de- cided by many people that a young woman instinctively knows all about housekeeping : that she can cook without being taught, and can manage a house, and instruct servants without ever having studied the sub- ject of domestic management; that if she has received a liberal education and some knowledge of needlework, everything else necessary to set her up as the mistress of a house comes naturally. Good mothers do and have always done great things in training their daugh- ters, but many girls have not that advantage; and even mothers may see the necessity of their best instructions being supplemented. Happily most people are now alive to the necessity of training girls of all classes for their natural and certain occupation — the care of the home; and domestic economy and cookery, instead of being shunted aside and picked up by degrees how and where they can be, are now prominent branches of instruction, and few girls of any rank finish their education without these branches being studied. This little book proposes to be a practical guide to some departments of domestic management in a plain household, — namely, in cookery, laundry work, and household management. Ignorance of these sub- jects has caused many a young housekeeper headaches and heartaches; and only after many trials and much waste has she succeeded in learning duties which a little early training would have made quite easy. Perhaps the most important result of this training is, that a knowledge of the constituents of different INTRODUCTION. 9 classes of food is acquired, and children may be fed with suitable food, which so greatly promotes health, and thus sent out to fight the world’s battles with the sound, healthy bodies which so greatly assist the sound mind; for improper or unsuitable food generally impairs health or saps its foundations; and want of health impairs very greatly the energy and usefulness, as well as the individual happiness. The recipes given have all been repeatedly worked by the writer, and are perfectly reliable, and purposely made so plain that very young people can easily follow them. There are only a few specimens of the different classes of recipes given, because, with a little experience and practice, they may be varied and altered to a great extent to suit the circumstances of the household; they are moderately economical, and, if necessary, can be made more so. Three different constituents must enter into the daily food of all to supply the waste and the wants of the human body, and keep all the organs in good working order — Nitrogenous, Carbonaceous, and Mineral Foods. Nitrogenous food forms flesh and muscle, and supplies strength; carbonaceous food gives heat, and acts as the fuel to the engine; mineral food is necessary for the formation and repair of bone, and is an important con- stituent of the blood. PRINCIPAL NITROGENOUS FOODS, OR FLESH FORMERS. Animal. Butcher Meat. Poultry. Fish. Eggs. Cheese, Milk. Vegetable. Flour. OatmeaL Peas. Beans. Lentils. 10 INTRODUCTION. CARBONACEOUS OR BODY-WARMING FOODS. Animal. Butter. Suet. Oil. Fat. Vegetable. Sugar. Treacle. Rice. All starchy foods. MINERAL FOODS. Green Vegetables. Wheat and OatmeaL Water, Milk.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Parents would never think of setting a young man up in business unless he had been trained, probably by a long apprenticeship ; and yet it has been practically decided by many people that a young woman instinctively knows all about housekeeping : that she can cook without being taught, and can manage a house, and instruct servants without ever having studied the subject of domestic management; that if she has received a liberal education and some knowledge of needlework, everything else necessary to set her up as the mistress of a house comes naturally. Good mothers do and have always done great things in training their daughters, but many girls have not that advantage; and even mothers may see the necessity of their best instructions being supplemented. Happily most people are now alive to the necessity of training girls of all classes for their natural and certain occupation — the care of the home; and domestic economy and cookery, instead of being shunted aside and picked up by degrees how and where they can be, are now prominent branches of instruction, and few girls of any rank finish their education without these branches being studied. This little book proposes to be a practical guide to some departments of domestic management in a plain household, — namely, in cookery, laundry work, and household management. Ignorance of these subjects has caused many a young housekeeper headaches and heartaches; and only after many trials and much waste has she succeeded in learning duties which a little early training would have made quite easy. Perhaps the most important result of this training is, that a knowledge of the constituents of different INTRODUCTION. classes of food is acquired, and children may be fed with suitable food, which so greatly promotes health, and thus sent out to fight the world’s battles with the sound, healthy bodies which so greatly assist the sound mind; for improper or unsuitable food generally impairs health or saps its foundations; and want of health impairs very greatly the energy and usefulness, as well as the individual happiness. The recipes given have all been repeatedly worked by the writer, and are perfectly reliable, and purposely made so plain that very young people can easily follow them. There are only a few specimens of the different classes of recipes given, because, with a little experience and practice, they may be varied and altered to a great extent to suit the circumstances of the household; they are moderately economical, and, if necessary, can be made more so. Three different constituents must enter into the daily food of all to supply the waste and the wants of the human body, and keep all the organs in good working order — Nitrogenous, Carbonaceous, and Mineral Foods. Nitrogenous food forms flesh and muscle, and supplies strength; carbonaceous food gives heat, and acts as the fuel to the engine; mineral food is necessary for the formation and repair of bone, and is an important constituent of the blood. PRINCIPAL NITROGENOUS FOODS, OR FLESH FORMERS. Animal. Butcher Meat. Poultry. Fish. Eggs. Cheese, Milk. Vegetable. Flour. Oatmeal Peas. Beans. Lentils. INTRODUCTION. CARBONACEOUS OR BODY-WARMING FOODS. Animal. Butter. Suet. Oil. Fat. Vegetable. Sugar. Treacle. Rice. All starchy foods. MINERAL FOODS. Green Vegetables. Wheat and Oatmeal Water, Milk.

Household cookery and laundry work