Domestic science (Clark, Cornell home economics)

From this experiment we may decide that food should be fried in still fat instead of in bubbling fat. The fat bubbles when bread is dropped into it because the water in the fat makes it bubble when heated. This water must boil away so that the temperature is raised above 212°. After it has all passed off, the fat becomes still, and the fat becomes hotter. Notes In school laboratories it is easiest to use lard, since other fats, as beef drippings, etc., will not be on hand. Explain this, and discuss why and what fats are best. Read notes on fats in Book I. Temperature at which fats burn: butter, 206° F.; beef, veal, mutton, suet, 302° F.; clarified fat, 336° F.; lard, 392° F.; goose grease, 500° F.; olive oil, 608° F. Each pupil should make the dough for the doughnuts and fry them in small saucepans, or in a small iron dish, if there is one. It is not best to use the granite saucepan, as it is hard to remove the black. Or, the pupils may make their own dough and fry the doughnuts together in iron kettles, using wire baskets. It depends on what frying-dishes there are in your laboratory. It will save time if there are individual dishes that may be used. If the work is done in groups, shorten the preliminary discussion, which, in any case, must be short, as the practice work is long. Order of Lesson 1. Review deep-fat frying, as in lesson on croquettes. 2. Explain recipe and compare with method of cooking and frying croquettes. 3. Discuss recipe. 4. Practice. 5. Wash dishes. SHORTCAKE 283 SHORTCAKE Lesson XXXIV Shortcake is used as a dessert. Since the proportion of flour and liquid is about the same, the consistency of shortcake dough is practically the same as the biscuit dough. Shortcake, as the name implies, has shortening in it to make it richer than such dough as is used for biscuits. In handling dough for shortcake, the same cautions must be used as are necessary in biscuit-making; that is, the ingredients must be kept cold and the mixture handled as little as possible with the hands. The dough, when cooked, is the basis for many desserts which are made by adding sweetened crushed fruits of various kinds between the layers of dough and upon the top. Strawberries are most frequently used. Raspberries, blackberries, peaches, pineapple, and other fruits, may be used. The shortcake may be served with or without cream. Shortcake — Home Recipe. 1 pt. sifted flour, 2 tbsp. baking powder, or § tsp. soda and 1 tsp. cream of tartar, i c. butter, 1 c. milk or cold water (scant). Mix the salt, baking-powder and flour, and sift two or three times. Cut in the butter until fine like meal; or, if it is liked very short and crisp, melt the butter and add it hot with the milk. Add the liquid gradually, mixing and cutting with a knife, and use just enough to make it of a light spongy consistency. Scrape out the dough on a well-floured board. Toss it with the knife till floured. Divide into two parts. Pat and roll each part into a large, round cake, the size of a pie plate, and bake in oven about 15 m. The dough may be divided into two parts and cooked on a griddle, or made into small cakes and cooked on griddle or in the oven. If a griddle is used, grease it well with salt pork or butter, and cook the cakes slowly, watching and turning them, that all may be browned alike. When they are well puffed up, put a bit of butter on the top of each and turn over, or move them aside and grease again with the pork, and turn over upon the freshly greased place. When browned on the other side and done, which you can judge by the firmness of texture or by pulling one partly open, serve immediately. Tear them open, as cutting with a knife makes them heavy and indigestible. If baked in small cakes in the oven, put them close together in a shallow pan and bake 10 or 15 m.