Domestic science (1914 text-book)

From these crude beginnings has sprung the modern art of cookery, an art which reveals more than two hundred ways of cooking eggs, to say nothing of the hundreds of ways of pre- paring and combining other food stuffs with appetizing results. 9 Digitized by Google 10 DOMESTIC SCIENCE In order to understand well the lessons in cooking and allied subjects which are to follow, it is necessary first to know the main uses of food and the reasons for cooking food. 13tfei:ie is stn."Qld jg^&ig that we should not "live to eat, but eat 'to live.'"*'* Tfie'noied English author, Sydney Smith, once "Having ascerCdihed the weight of what I could live upon so as to preserve health and strength, and what I did live upon, I found that between ten and seventy years of age I had eaten and drunk forty-four wagon loads of meat and drink more than would have preserved me in life and health! The value of this mass of nourishment I considered to be worth seven thousand pounds, sterling. It occurred to nie that 1 must, by my own voracity, have starved to death fully a hundred persons. This is a frightful calculation, but irresistibly true." While it is true that we must eat if we would live, it is also true that the function of food in the body is not merely to keep it alive. Food in proper quantities and of the right quality supplies heat to the body and gives it energy and force whereby it may do needed tasks. Food replaces worn out cells and tis- sue and thus causes the body to grow and remain strong. Some foods, for instance, fats, produce more heat than others, such as fruits; consequently we find the Eskimos, who live in a cold coimtry, living upon a diet of the former, while the natives of the Philippines are satisfied to make the latter their chief food. The tissue-building foods are lean meats, the whites of eggs, part of milk, part of flour, and some vegetables, such as peas, beans, and lentils. The kind and amount of food a person requires depend upon his age, his work, his health, the time of year, and the climate. Of the many reasons for cooking food rather than serving it in its raw state, perhaps the most important is the fact that cooking renders most food more easy to digest, by changing its structure, putting it into a form which enables the tissues of the body to take what they need for renewal and growth. Digitized by Google INTRODUCTION H The flavor and odor of many foods are brought out by cook- ing and thus the appetite is tempted to a greater degree than when the food is raw. Add to this the fact that foods will keep longer in a cooked state and we have the principal reasons for practicing this modern art. Serving the meal in early times was perhaps even more crude than the preparation of the food for eating. Usually each one helped himself and to the strongest naturally fell the choicest morsels. A step in advance of this is the method which is practiced by the Eskimos today. A dish containing the food is set in the midst of the family and from this each one helps himself. From this to the refined way of serving the prepared food on tables covered with dainty white linen and decked with glass, silver, and china, with napkin and finger bowl at hand to insure cleanliness and comfort is a long step. Arrangement and Care of the Laboratory Before taking up the actual work in the cooking laboratory, there are several topics which need to be considered: 1. Dress and care of the person for laboratory work 2. The laboratory (or kitchen) (a) Lighting and ventilation (6) Order and cleanliness (c) Utensils