Domestic science (Johnson, for schools and homes)

Coffee, like tea, has two important principles, caffeine and tannin. Caffeine is the same chemical substance as theine, and has the same eflFect upon the nervous system; the tan- nin, also, has the same eflFect as the tannin of the tea. Neither tea nor coflFee is a food-stuflF; but when prepared with water, sugar, and milk, they contain the food values of those articles of food. Making Coffee; For strong coflFee, allow two table- spoonfuls of the ground coflFee for each cup. When several cups are to be made, a smaller quantity for each cup may be COOKING 87 used. Put the coflFee into cold water and bring it to the boihng point; then remove it from the fire and allow it to stand for a few minutes at near the boiling point, before serving, to settle the grounds. Cocoa, while classed as a beverage, differs widely from both tea and coffee, in being a proteid food-stuff, and in containing half its weight in fat. It is made from the crush- ed bean of the cocoa tree, a native of tropical America. Its stimulating principle is called theobromine; and means "food lor the gods. In the manufacture of cocoa, large quanti- ties of sugar and starch are added, greatly increasing its food value Cocoa: Ic. milk. Ic. boiling water, 2 tbsp. cocoa, 2 tbsp sugar. Heat the milk in a double boiler; mix the cocoa and sugar together, and add them to the boiling water. Boil from five to ten minutes, pour the cocoa, thus cooked, into the heated milk, and serve. Lesson 11. Animal Fats and Oils: Fats are solid at ordinary temperature while oils are liquid. Oils are separated from the tats, by heat. ^^ The process of separating the oils from the tats IS called clarifying." Though differing greatly in appearance and flavor, fats and oils used as foods do essen- tially the same work on the body; they supply heat and energy. They, with the carbo-hydrates, starch, sugar, etc are the fuel which keeps the bodily machinery in action. Fat produces more than twice as much heat as the same weight of starch or sugar; yet the carbo-hydrates act more rapidly than the fats and oils, and are less expensive. Meat, fish milk, and eggs are the principal sources of animal fats. The fats commonly used are butter, lard, "drippings" (or tallow), suet, and marrow. Butter is the most digestible of these and the most costly. Lard is the semi-soHd fat derived, by heating, from the fat of the hog. Beef suet is obtained from and near the kidneys and loins. Marrow is a soft fat found in the cavities of the bones. The term, "dripping " means the clear fat of the beef, which has been melted and 38 DOMESTIC SCIENCE strained, and thu^ freed from impurities. It is also called clarified fat. All fats may be clarified, when stale or rancid, by heat- ing and straining. In this way, all remnants of fat from meat, and the fat skimmed from soups, gravies, etc., may be purified and saved. "Drippings," or Clarified Fat: Cut or chop the fat into small pieces, and put it into a saucepan or kettle half filled with water. Heat slowly. Stir occasionally, cook un- til scraps are light brown, and the fat has ceased to bubble. Remove saucepan from the heat. Let stand five minutes, and strain through strainer or cheese-cloth.