Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

becomes porous, and lets in air. Fit each jar with a ring and a cover ; pour water into them, and invert them to see if they are air-tight. If not, do not use them. Sterilize jars and covers by placing them in a dishpan of cold water and letting this slowly come to the boiling-point, and boil fifteen minutes. 454. Preparing and cooking the fruit; strawberries. — Wash and hull the berries ; weigh them, and add one- third of a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit. Let them stand for forty-five minutes or longer. Cook the berries slowly until the juice is thick and syrupy, and the berries soft. Remove scum as it rises. 455. Peaches. — Pare the peaches, dropping them into cold water. Why not leave them in the air ? Make a syrup, allowing two cups of water and one pound of sugar to three pounds of peaches ; boil it fifteen min- utes. Cut peaches into two, stone them, and put peaches and stones into the syrup. The flavor of peaches is improved by cooking the stones with them. Cook the fruit until, when tried with a knitting needle, it is found to be soft. Pears, cherries, apples, and plums may be canned like peaches. 456. General directions for filling jars. — Remove the jars from the boiling water, and stand them on a cloth wet in boiling water. What would happen to the jar if set while hot on a cold table ? Place a silver spoon in the jar to be filled first. Silver, being a good con- 286 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY ductor of heat, absorbs heat from the fruit, thus further lessening the risk of the jar's breaking. Dip a rubber ring into boiling water (to sterilize it), and place it on the jar. Dip a silver spoon into boiling water, and with it fill the jar with fruit ; then fill the jar to over- flowing with syrup. With the handle of the spoon press the fruit away from the side of the jar, that any air-bubbles between may escape. Put on the cover, and screw it tight. Turn the jar upside down ; if syrup oozes out, remove cover and rubber, put on an- other rubber, refill with boiling syrup, and again screw down the cover. The jars must be sealed air-tight. Directions for Canning Tomatoes Select small, round, smooth tomatoes : scald and peel them. Pack them in sterilized jars and fill the jars with boiling water. Sterilize the covers and put them on without screwing down. Set the jars on small blocks of wood in a kettle of cold water, and let the water heat slowly for fifteen minutes. Remove the covers, fill the jars to overflowing with boiling water, put on the rubber rings, and screw the covers down. JELLY-MAKING 457. Before the principles of sterilizing were under- stood, fruit was preserved by cooking it with its weight of sugar. Only jellies are commonly done in this way now. 458. Pectin. — The juice of fruits that contain con- siderable pectin can be made into jelly. Pectin, although THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD 287 a carbohydrate, in some ways resembles gelatin. It dis- solves in boiling water, and stiffens on cooling. It is most abundant in the harder parts of the fruit, the core and skin. From what animal tissues is gelatin obtained ? Apples, quinces, crab apples, currants, and grapes make the h est jellies. General Directions for making Jelly