Batter puddings are soggy and heavy when they contain too little flour, or when the baking powder has been mixed with the flour, and this added to the milk and egg some time before the pudding has been baked. Whole wheat bread should be as light as white bread; if it is not, too much flour has been added, or it has been kneaded a third time. Pies lose their juices in the oven when the upper and under crusts are not well fastened together. Use a wide-rimmed dish; brush the edge of the under crust with water or white of egg before placing the upper crust. Then press the paste together on the inner edge of the rim, but loosen it from the outer edge of the dish. To be more explicit, if the undercrust fastens itself to the dish the upper crust, in swelling, separates from it, and the juices escape. The meringue on a pie will usually remain fluff, if it is left in the warm kitchen after taking from the oven; but if taken into the cold it will fall. All pastry should be baked in a hot oven. The hottest part of the oven. ‘The question often arises as to which is the hottest part of the oven. ‘‘Where shall we bake pastry and cakes—on the grates, or on the floor of the oven?” This depends largely upon the stove. If it is a gas stove they should be baked on the grate, and, perhaps, one burner turned out after the oven has been thoroughly heated. In a coal oven the greatest heat is near the firebox, and on the floor of the oven at the opposite side. The middle of the oven, on the grate, is the choice baking place for cakes. Fried foods, as croquettes and oysters, are greasy because the fat has not been sufficiently hot to coagulate quickly the outside covering. All foods of this kind should be dipped in egg and bread crumbs before frying. To prevent doughnuts being greasy. When frying them have a kettle of boiling water on the stove, and as each doughnut is taken from the fat, plunge for an instant into the hot water and drain. Cream will not whip unless it is very cold and at least twenty- four hours old. 14 Blue Ribbon Cook Book Dry boiled rice is the result of rapid boiling and careful drain- ing. Like potatoes, rice is rich in starch; if boiled over-time, just a moment too long, it absorbs water and becomes heavy and sodden; from ten to fifteen minutes is sufficiently long to boil rice. After draining, stand the sieve on a plate in a warm oven until the rice is dry. Whites of eggs fail to beat stiff if they are not perfectly cold, or if they are too old. Fondant fails ‘‘to come’ when the syrup has not been boiled sufficiently long, or the stirring begins before the fondant is cool. The syrup grains because there has been motion during the boiling. A saltspoonful of cream of tartar, or double the amount of lemon juice, will prevent this mishap. When boiled meat is tough and dry it has been boiled rapidly, not cooked, as it should be, below the boiling point. All strong-flavored vegetables should be cooked in uncovered vessels. Slightly scorched foods may be much improved by taking the kettle at once from the fire, and setting in a pan of hot water for a moment or two. Of course any really burned bits should be at once removed. BLUE RIBBON COOK BOOK 3“ WEIGHT OF COMMON ARTICLES Ore LOOD Almonds — 1 cup, chopped = 3 ounces. Allspice Berries—6 tablespoons = | ounce. Beans (dried)—4 cups =1 pound. Bread Crumbs (dried)—1 cup =2 ounces. Butter — 2 cups = 1 pound; 2 tablespoons=1 ounce; size of an egg= 4 cup. Celery Seed—6 tablespoons = 1 ounce. Coffee (ground)—4$ cups = 1 pound; 4 tablespoons = 1 ounce. Cornmeal—1 cup=6 ounces. Cornstarch—3 cups = 1 pound. Currants (dry)—1 cup =6 ounces Dates—1 cup=% pound. Eggs —10 without shell = 1 pound; 8 with shell=1 pound; 1 unbeaten =3 tablespoons. Figs—1 cup=4% pound. Flour—4 cups=1 pound. Lard—Same as butter.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Batter puddings are soggy and heavy when they contain too little flour, or when the baking powder has been mixed with the flour, and this added to the milk and egg some time before the pudding has been baked. Whole wheat bread should be as light as white bread; if it is not, too much flour has been added, or it has been kneaded a third time. Pies lose their juices in the oven when the upper and under crusts are not well fastened together. Use a wide-rimmed dish; brush the edge of the under crust with water or white of egg before placing the upper crust. Then press the paste together on the inner edge of the rim, but loosen it from the outer edge of the dish. To be more explicit, if the undercrust fastens itself to the dish the upper crust, in swelling, separates from it, and the juices escape. The meringue on a pie will usually remain fluff, if it is left in the warm kitchen after taking from the oven; but if taken into the cold it will fall. All pastry should be baked in a hot oven. The hottest part of the oven. ‘The question often arises as to which is the hottest part of the oven.‘"Where shall we bake pastry and cakes—on the grates, or on the floor of the oven?"This depends largely upon the stove. If it is a gas stove they should be baked on the grate, and, perhaps, one burner turned out after the oven has been thoroughly heated. In a coal oven the greatest heat is near the firebox, and on the floor of the oven at the opposite side. The middle of the oven, on the grate, is the choice baking place for cakes. Fried foods, as croquettes and oysters, are greasy because the fat has not been sufficiently hot to coagulate quickly the outside covering. All foods of this kind should be dipped in egg and bread crumbs before frying. To prevent doughnuts being greasy. When frying them have a kettle of boiling water on the stove, and as each doughnut is taken from the fat, plunge for an instant into the hot water and drain. Cream will not whip unless it is very cold and at least twentyfour hours old. 14 Blue Ribbon Cook Book Dry boiled rice is the result of rapid boiling and careful draining. Like potatoes, rice is rich in starch; if boiled over-time, just a moment too long, it absorbs water and becomes heavy and sodden; from ten to fifteen minutes is sufficiently long to boil rice. After draining, stand the sieve on a plate in a warm oven until the rice is dry. Whites of eggs fail to beat stiff if they are not perfectly cold, or if they are too old. Fondant fails ‘"to come" when the syrup has not been boiled sufficiently long or the stirring begins before the fondant is cool. The syrup grains because there has been motion during the boiling. A saltspoonful of cream of tartar, or double the amount of lemon juice, will prevent this mishap. When boiled meat is tough and dry it has been boiled rapidly, not cooked, as it should be, below the boiling point. All strong-flavored vegetables should be cooked in uncovered vessels. Slightly scorched foods may be much improved by taking the kettle at once from the fire, and setting in a pan of hot water for a moment or two. Of course any really burned bits should be at once removed. BLUE RIBBON COOK BOOK 3“ WEIGHT OF COMMON ARTICLES Ore LOOD Almonds — 1 cup, chopped = 3 ounces. Allspice Berries—6 tablespoons = | ounce. Beans (dried)—4 cups =1 pound. Bread Crumbs (dried)—1 cup =2 ounces. Butter — 2 cups = 1 pound; 2 tablespoons=1 ounce; size of an egg= 4 cup. Celery Seed—6 tablespoons = 1 ounce. Coffee (ground)—4$ cups = 1 pound; 4 tablespoons = 1 ounce. Cornmeal—1 cup=6 ounces. Cornstarch—3 cups = 1 pound. Currants (dry)—1 cup =6 ounces Dates—1 cup=% pound. Eggs —10 without shell = 1 pound; 8 with shell=1 pound; 1 unbeaten =3 tablespoons. Figs—1 cup=4% pound. Flour—4 cups=1 pound. Lard—Same as butter.

Blue Ribbon and Pure Gold cook book