Foods and home making

. . . . oz. to 13 oz. 8Z I cup . 8 oz. Luncheon or Supper Soups — Canned Foods 243 Many fruits and other canned goods can be bought in cans of different sizes. It takes two No. 1 cans to hold as much as one No. 2 can ; seven 8Z cans to hold as much as two No. 2\ cans ; four No. 300 cans to hold as much as one No. 5 can. The following canned foods and prices were obtained at a grocery store : MEDIUM QUALITY 2 No. 1 cans peas @ 13 cents 26 cents 1 No. 2 can peas @15 cents 15 cents Difference n cents 7 8Z cans pears @ 10 cents 70 cents 2 No. 2\ cans pears @25 cents 50 cents Difference 20 cents 4 No. 300 cans tomato juice @ 10 cents . .40 cents 1 No. s can tomato juice @ 23 cents ... 23 cents Difference 17 cents These figures make us realize that buying canned goods in small cans is not thrifty. If a portion of a large can is allowed to spoil, it may be better to buy the smaller can. However, a thoughtful housekeeper will not allow foods to spoil. If the family is small, the contents of a large can may be used in dif- ferent ways. Canned tomatoes, for example, may be used for plain stewing, soup, jelly (for salad) , and sauce (for meat) . It is, of course, not desirable to serve the same food in more than one course of a meal and often not desirable to serve the same food more than once a day. It may be necessary then to use a food on consecutive days. If this is done, care should be taken to keep the food in a cool place. It is often necessary to heat food and then cool it to keep it safely from one day to the next. How can you compare the costs of canned foods? Some canned food contains more solid and less liquid than others. The former variety of course furnishes more food than the latter. In judging of the value of a can of vegetable or fruit, the following must be determined : 244 Luncheon or Supper 1. Cost of can 2. Weight of the contents of the can (compare this with weight given on the label) 3. Weight of the solid materials of the can 4. Cost of an ounce of solid material To do this you must first of all know what the can cost at market. Then open the can and pour out its contents. Weigh in ounces its contents. Then separate the solid material. Weigh this. To find the cost of each ounce of solid material, divide the cost of the can by the weight in ounces of the solids, i.e., cost of can . . .. . — r- — j rri — y. r = cost of one ounce of solid. weight of solids (in ounces) By getting such data from different cans, you can compare the costs of the solids of different canned foods and thus determine which is the cheapest as far as weight is concerned. Of course, these data do not help you to compare the qualities of canned goods.