Fat can be heated to 3000 or 4000 and will brown food cooked in it unless there is water in the fat which will reduce the temperature ; so it must be heated until that is evaporated before it will brown nicely again. What harm does it do to have steam, and vapor from cooking fats escape through the house? They form a film of grease and moisture on walls, woodwork and hangings, which catches dust and germs. How may this be removed from the woodwork ? With a cloth with a little coal oil on. But the kitchen door should be kept shut to prevent these vapors from getting into the rest of the house. Unnecessary steam should be avoided, by not letting water boil long before it is wanted ; and food cooks just as quickly when it boils gently as when rapidly, which only means the heat is going off in steam. Will moisture evaporate more quickly from a large sur- face than a small one? It will, so the same pudding baked in a large, shallow dish, will be much dryer than if baked in a small, deep one. Is this true in making sauces, etc., in a large, shallow pan, or in a small, deep one? It is; it will be thicker cooked in a large, shallow pan. First Aid to Good Cooking 85 Should chicken be soaked in water when cleaning it? Never. Before cutting it up, rub a little baking soda all over the skin, then scrub it off with a clean cloth or brush kept for the purpose. Wash out the inside thor- oughly after all the contents have been removed. In baking, how much soda is required to one pint of sour milk? One level teaspoon ful. Should baking powder, or soda be mixed with the flour, milk or molasses? Always mix it with the flour, never with the liquids. Why? It needs the moisture to pro- duce the gases formed by the combination, and when the baking powder or soda is put in the liquid these are lost in the air instead of being retained in the batter. Why are pie crust and biscuits lighter when the in- gredients are cold? Because air expands when heated and the colder it is the more it expands when put in the hot oven, so forcing the particles of dough apart, and making the pie crust lighter. Also when the shortening and flour are warm it sticks together, so less air is mixed in when rolling and folding it. Is as much baking powder required when several eggs are used ? No ; for the eggs help to make the cake light. Is a cake improved by having an excessive amount of baking powder? No; it will make the cake coarse- grained. How may a greater variety be obtained in cooking? By using different seasonings and flavorings. Name some of them. Paprika, onion salt, celery salt, bay leaves, bitter almond, preserved ginger, capers. In seasoning a roast of beef where should the salt be put? On the fat portion, as it will then penetrate the rest, and not draw out the juices as it will if put on the fresh cut lean part. Will vegetables cook tender in hard water? It is diffi- cult to cook them tender. A little soda will help to make them more tender, especially beans, lentils and dried peas. What is one important point in serving food? To have it the right temperature. Soups, cereals, potatoes, 86 First Aid to Good Cooking and other vegetables served partly warm are not appetiz- ing.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Fat can be heated to 300° or 400° and will brown food cooked in it unless there is water in the fat which will reduce the temperature ; so it must be heated until that is evaporated before it will brown nicely again. What harm does it do to have steam, and vapor from cooking fats escape through the house? They form a film of grease and moisture on walls, woodwork and hangings, which catches dust and germs. How may this be removed from the woodwork ? With a cloth with a little coal oil on. But the kitchen door should be kept shut to prevent these vapors from getting into the rest of the house. Unnecessary steam should be avoided, by not letting water boil long before it is wanted ; and food cooks just as quickly when it boils gently as when rapidly, which only means the heat is going off in steam. Will moisture evaporate more quickly from a large surface than a small one? It will, so the same pudding baked in a large, shallow dish, will be much dryer than if baked in a small, deep one. Is this true in making sauces, etc., in a large, shallow pan, or in a small, deep one? It is; it will be thicker cooked in a large, shallow pan. First Aid to Good Cooking 85 Should chicken be soaked in water when cleaning it? Never. Before cutting it up, rub a little baking soda all over the skin, then scrub it off with a clean cloth or brush kept for the purpose. Wash out the inside thoroughly after all the contents have been removed. In baking, how much soda is required to one pint of sour milk? One level teaspoon ful. Should baking powder, or soda be mixed with the flour, milk or molasses? Always mix it with the flour, never with the liquids. Why? It needs the moisture to produce the gases formed by the combination, and when the baking powder or soda is put in the liquid these are lost in the air instead of being retained in the batter. Why are pie crust and biscuits lighter when the ingredients are cold? Because air expands when heated and the colder it is the more it expands when put in the hot oven, so forcing the particles of dough apart, and making the pie crust lighter. Also when the shortening and flour are warm it sticks together, so less air is mixed in when rolling and folding it. Is as much baking powder required when several eggs are used ? No ; for the eggs help to make the cake light. Is a cake improved by having an excessive amount of baking powder? No; it will make the cake coarsegrained. How may a greater variety be obtained in cooking? By using different seasonings and flavorings. Name some of them. Paprika, onion salt, celery salt, bay leaves, bitter almond, preserved ginger, capers. In seasoning a roast of beef where should the salt be put? On the fat portion, as it will then penetrate the rest, and not draw out the juices as it will if put on the fresh cut lean part. Will vegetables cook tender in hard water? It is difficult to cook them tender. A little soda will help to make them more tender, especially beans, lentils and dried peas. What is one important point in serving food? To have it the right temperature. Soups, cereals, potatoes, 86 First Aid to Good Cooking and other vegetables served partly warm are not appetizing.

Efficiency in home-making and first-aid to good cooking