Experimental cookery

Potatoes cooked in skin trifling trifling . . Carrots cut in small pieces. . . 42 47 26 Carrots cut in medium pieces less than less than 26 42 47 Carrots cut in large pieces . . . 20 25 plus 16 Cabbage, started in hot water about 33 about 33 . . Cabbage, started in cold water about 50 about 50 Iron. The iron of foods is very important nutritionally, because of the fact that many dietaries do not contain the minimum daily amount recommended by Sherman. The loss of iron in cooking should be avoided. Iron salts are quite soluble. Blunt and Otis report the following losses of iron when the vegetables were cooked in water: spinach 43 per cent; string beans 39 per cent; navy beans 32 per cent; peas 36 per cent; and TABLE 14 Iron Loss in Salted and Unsalted Water {Steinharger) Vegetable Potatoes cut in halves Carrots Cabbage Onions Cauliflower Spinach Green beans Unsalted water. Salted water. per cent per cent 63.2 83.7 16.4 27.8 27.4 40.7 46.5 71.4 30.7 47.4 19.3 46.8 24.5 38.8 106 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES potatoes 15 per cent. Peterson and Hoppert report from 20 to 30 per cent iron loss for various vegetables. Morgan reports 46 to 50 per cent loss for canned peas. Steinbarger reports the loss of iron as greater in salted than in unsalted water. Table 14 is from her results. The vegetables given in Table 14 were cooked the following lengths of time: potatoes and onions 20 minutes; green beans 90 minutes; and the others 30 minutes. The results suggest some connection between iron salts and the globulins. The iron salts of potatoes have been reported as more concentrated near the surface, which may account for their high iron loss. Losses due to method o£ cooking and preparation. The losses through cooking of vegetables depend upon several factors, which include: (1) the method of cooking, (2) the nature of the vegetable, (3) its prep- aration, (4) the length of time of cooking, (5) the temperature of cooking, (6) the quantity of cooking water, (7) whether started in hot or cold water, and (8) the reaction of the cooking medium. Some of these have been considered under nitrogen and vitamin losses. Baking results in small nutritive losses. All investigators report small losses in steaming; this seems to be an ideal way of cooking vegetables whose color and flavor are not altered by this method. Masters and Garbutt report practically no loss in cooking vegetables in water, if the amount of water added is small and is evaporated just to dryness at the close of the cooking period. They designate this as the conservative method of cooking. If it is not practicable to evaporate the water to dryness, the use of as small a quantity of water as possible seems preferable to using a very large quantity. Leafy vegetables like spinach offer a larger surface area for loss than the compact ones like carrots. Soaking in water before cooking may increase the losses, and vegetables like carrots and potatoes, when cooked whole, in their skins, or left in large pieces lose less than if cut in small pieces. Loughlin reports that the amount of the sugars, the vitamins, and mineral salts dissolved in the cooking water is increased if a large amount of liquid is used, if much cut surface is exposed, and if the cooking time is prolonged.