The victory cookery book

a@ marrow, cucumber, turnip or cabbage than there is in milk, although the latter is i a fluid and the former are solids. ! | Soups Soups are an economical food because i they may be made of material which could i not well be utilised in any other way. Meat stock is not so economical as vegetable, i and, unless the meat is served with the | soup, is not so nourishing. Vegetables to- gether with cereals are the best materials t to use for soup. To extract the flavour from the vegetables they should always be ‘‘ stoved”’ first, then the water added, and cereals, potatoes or pulse added to thicken. Vegetables by themselves do not i bind a soup; some starch substance is necessary, and soups (except when clear) should always be of a fairly thick con- sistency. There is very little nourishment in liquids, however expensive they may be, and a clear meat stock contains no more food value than a clear vegetable stock. Stock made from meat and bone is ex- pensive in the use of fuel, whereas vegetable stock is quickly made and the vegetables are available for other dishes after the ta SSS GENERAL NOTES ON FOOD 9 stock has been extracted—a fact which the recipes in this book amply illustrate. Purées In purées (that is soups passed through a sieve) the use of a mincing machine is ad- vocated instead, because this method saves labour and sieves. Purées should always be finished by a slight additional thickening, viz. 1 teaspoonful of corn or potato flour mixed smoothly in milk or water, to each quart of soup, added at the last moment and boiled once. This will prevent the thickening from sinking to the bottom of the pan, which it would otherwise do. Too many ingredients should not be used in one soup; the flavour should be distinct. Four oz. of onion or leek and 4 lb. of vege- tables, together with 1 oz. fat and 1 to 2 oz. of cereals, will make 1 quart of good vege- table soup. To finish, 1 gill of milk and 1 teaspoonful of flour must be added for the final thickening. Soups should not overcook ; the flavour will be spoiled and unnecessary fuel used. Fish Fish is a food of high value. The most 10 THE VICTORY COOKERY BOOK nutritious are salmon, herring, _ sprats, mackerel, eels and shad. Fish should not be boiled. Cooked thus it loses much of its nutriment, which is washed out into the water. Boiled fish also loses its flavour. The best methods of cooking fish are steam- ing, baking and “‘ stoving,” stewing or frying. Meat There is about 75 per cent. of water in meat, some of which evaporates in the cook- ing; therefore the meat weighs less after cooking, but its value as a food has increased. Cooked meat becomes a concentrated food, which should be used as sparingly as possible. As a nation we have hitherto eaten too generously of meat. There is always fat present in the meat (even when it is what is termed lean) of a healthy animal, so that when we cook meat a certain amount of | fat will become available for use with fatless foods, such as vegetables, fresh or dried. | Eggs Eggs are dear, but the dried eggs now placed on the market are excellent food value. They can be used in the same manner as fresh eggs, but care must be taken not to GENERAL NOTES ON FOOD Il add too much water, otherwise they separate. The correct amount is generally three times as much water as egg by weight. If a dried egg is needed in a hurry, soak in warm water on the stove, and when the egg begins to rise beat it up well over heat. Cheese Cheese, raw or cooked, is a concentrated food, and should be used most carefully. It contains a large amount of fat, about 80 per cent. more or less, so to eat any other fat with cheese is extravagant and un- necessary. Milk