Student's manual in household arts

Milk sugar is not so sweet as cane sugar and is more easily digested. It occurs in quite a large quantity and is an important commercial product of milk. ' It should always be used in preparing modified milk for babies. Cane sugar is not a substitute for it. In the natural souring of milk, certain bacteria, called lactic acid bacteria, get into the milk from the air and change some of the milk sugar to an acid. This acid gives the sour taste to milk and also causes the casein to separate from the whey. Bacteria work faster when kept slightly warm (from 80° to 100° F.). For this reason we warm the milk in making cottage cheese, so that the curd will separate from the ,whey more quickly. The mineral matter is more abundant in milk than in most of the common foods. Lime salts, so necessary in building bone, is one of the most important minerals found in the milk. Care of Milk. Milk and butter absorb odors and impurities readily. They should be kept in covered dishes in a cool, clean place. Milk dishes should be used for milk only. They should be scalded and then turned upside down to drain and cool before the milk is put into them. Milk almost always contains bacteria of many kinds. "The amount of bacteria in milk of a given age varies with the conditions; that from clean, healthy cows, with freshly washed udders, milked into well-scalded pails, in a clean place, free from air currents, by persons with clean hands and clothes, if quickly cooled and carefully handled may contain very few, while milk from ill-kept animals, untidily handled in a dirty place may contain enormous quantities. "> Farmers' Bulletin No. 363. These bacteria may be killed by sterilization. This process however, changes the taste of the milk and makes it less digestible. Pasteurization does not injure the milk as much but it only partially destroys the bacterial life in the milk. The wisest plan is to use milk that you know comes from a perfectly sanitary dairy. In case this cannot be procured. pasteurize the milk at home until you can obtain clean raw milk. Pasteurized Milk. 1. Put milk into scalded bottles. 2. Cork the bottles with cotton that has been baked in the oven until a light yellow. 3. Put an inverted, perforated pie tin in the bottom of a pail or kettle and set the bottles of milk on the tin. 4. Fill kettle with cold water until it reaches the top of the milk. 5. Heat the water to 160° F. or until small bubbles appear on top of the milk next to the glass. 6. Remove from the stove, cover kettle and let stand for twenty minutes. 7. Take bottles out of hot water and cool in water. Have water slightly warm at first so as not to break the bottles. Keep adding cold water until the milk is cold, then place in ice box until ready to use. Do not remove the cotton stoppers until you are ready to use the milk. Sterilized Milk. 1. Put milk in clean granite kettle and bring to full boil. 2. Cover tightly and let stand a few hours. 3. Repeat this process three times, then put milk into sterilized bottles and cork with sterilized cotton. Butter. 1 C. cream ^ t. salt 1. Put cream into a pint Mason jar and screw cover down tightly. •2. Shake the jar until lumps of fat appear. 3. Scald a wooden spoon or butter paddle, then chill it. 4. Gather the particles of butter into a ball and work with wooden spoon under cold water to wash out the sour buttermilk. 5. Put into bowl and press out the water. 6. Work the salt into the butter and put in a covered dish in a cool place. Cottage Cheese No. 1. 1 qt. sour milk I t. salt 1 T. butter cream to moisten 1. Remove the cream and put aside to use in moistening the cheese.