The Worcester salt cook book

“In the case of all out of season and hot house vegetables, salt should never be added to the water. It takes the color out, and the seasoning can be done after the vegetables are cooked. More water is needed for cooking out of season vegetables, too. They should be drained. The seasonings should be added before the vegetables are taken from the kettle and the vegetables tossed lightly with a fork so the seasoning will be well distributed. “As a general rule, every dish that includes eggs requires salt. Speaking of eggs—poached eggs must be done in well salted water. The salt keeps the whites from running all over the place and so spoiling their appearance. Salt added to the water in which eggs are boiled (in the shell) will keep the shells from cracking in boiling. “In cooking mushrooms, salt should be added while cooking. The other seasonings afterwards. Mushrooms are such suscep- tible things that they lose their mushroomy flavor if seasoned in cooking. But the salt brings out the flavor. Likewise in mush- room soup—salt will bring out the flavor so perceptibly that, properly salted, a cream of mushroom soup will have a strong, full flavor of mushrooms even if much less of the mushrooms are used than could possibly give the same result without the salt. Taste it. Don’t over salt. “In all chocolate dishes salt is indicated. It takes off the too sweet effect and brings out the inherent flavor. It is as an impre- sario that salt fulfills its highest mission in the seasoning field. It brings out to an appreciative audience the talent that is hid- den in almost every food or flavor. “In sweet desserts, I always add the merest suspicion of salt. Not because I think salt should speak any lines here but, in the role of the voice off stage, it is very important. “In all salads, salt, of course, in the dressing; never on the salad itself. It would be de trop there, and again it is the sauce and dressing story over again. Salt in tomatoes helps to stop the flow of the juices and so conserves the flavor of the fruit. With such things as celery, cress, endive—the salt adds the zest they need to make them carry out their true mission. With cucum- bers, salt has to be depended upon to crisp the delicate slices. It tightens up the pores, in a way, and gives them life and vitality and takes away their native lassitude. “In fact, in every department of cookery, from soup to nuts— and especially for nuts—salt is essential, it is fundamental, the alpha and omega of seasoning. It simply must be had!” NOURISHING SOUPS « Oyster Stew (*) 1 quart oysters 142 teaspoons with liquor salt* 4 tablespoons Ys teaspoon pep- butter or per margarine 1 quart rich milk Place the cleaned oysters, liquor and butter in a sauce pan. Simmer gently until the edges of the oysters curl. Quickly add the milk and seasonings, heat and serve at once. Half cream and half milk may be used. « Lobster Bisque (D) 4 tablespoons flour 1 cup cold water Red pepper Salt* and pepper 1 medium-sized lobster 1 quart milk 4 tablespoons butter Make a white sauce of the milk, flour, © and butter. Remove meat from fresh- ly boiled lobster. Reserve the coral and the green fat. Put the cold water into a kettle and add the broken claws and shell and the finely chopped tail meat. Bring to the simmering-point and simmer for twenty minutes. Drain and stir liquid into the white sauce. Add the remainder of the lob- ster meat, cut in dice. Season with salt*, pepper and cayenne. Just be- fore serving, add the coral mashed to a paste with the green fat. Mix thor- oughly, reheat, and serve with crou- tons. * Worcester Salt ° 10 « Clam Chowder (*) 2 teaspoons salt* ¥g teaspoon 1 quart shucked clams and liquor 4cups potatoes, pepper sliced 2% cups boiling 3 onions, sliced water ¥%, cup diced salt 2 tablespoons pork butter 1 quart scalded milk