Foods and home making

(б) Repeat (a), making the follow- ing exception. Add no water to the spinach in the saucepan. Cook the spinach, stirring the leaves occasion- ally until they begin to wilt ; then continue to cook until the leaves are tender. Cut the spinach leaves and add the same quantity of seasoning materials as given in (a). Do not drain away the water. Taste the spinach leaves of (a) and those of ( b ). Does one have a better or more pronounced flavor than the other ? ( c ) Which is the better way of cook- ing spinach ? Why ? Figure 126. A Common Steamer The lower part of this utensil is a plain granite pan. The upper part is made of tin plate and has a perforated bottom. Water is put in the lower pan. Food held in a dish or other pan is placed in the perforated pan. The steam formed in the lower pan cooks the food. Why is steaming a good method for cooking vegetables? Figures 1 26 and 127 show different types of steamers. Regardless of their shape, steamers are built so that food may be cooked without being immersed in water. Food is cooked by steam. 4J4 Dinner The advantage of cooking vegetables in a steamer is that not so much mineral matter and vitamins are lost by dissolving in water as when vegetables are immersed in water. How does cooking in a steam-pressure cooker differ from cooking in a plain steamer ? Have you ever lifted up the cover from a teakettle and burned your fingers in the escaping steam? If you have, you realize how hot steam is. When steam is held under pressure, it be- comes even hotter than when it is allowed to escape immediately into the air. In a steam-pres- sure cooker the steam is held under pressure. In- side the cooker, the tem- perature becomes higher than that of boiling water, often as high as 240° F. At this high temperature food cooks in a short time. Root vegetables or dried vegetables, which require a longer time to cook than leaf vegetables, are successfully cooked in a steam-pressure cooker. How are vegetables baked ? Who does not like a piping hot baked potato better than a boiled potato? Baking is a very desirable method of cooking vegetables. Baked food is cooked Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co. Figure 127. An Aluminum Steamer In this utensil, the lower pan is made to fit the upper. A steamer must have a cover which fits well. Vegetables for Dinner 415 by dry heat. When food is boiled or steamed, it is cooked in moist heat. Changes are brought about in food cooked in dry heat that give it a different flavor from food cooked in moist heat. Moreover, when food is baked, no mineral matter or other nutrients are lost by dissolving in water. Not only potatoes, but many other vegetables, such as winter squash (see page 416) and tomatoes (see page 284), are delicious when cooked in the oven. Often, in the preparation of a meal, meat is cooked in the oven and vegetables on the surface burn- ers. When meat is cooked in the oven, it is a saving of fuel to cook the vegetables also in the oven. With careful planning it is often possible to cook an entire meal in the oven. Directions for baking some vegetables follow : Scrub the potatoes. Heat the oven to a high temperature — 500° F. Place the potatoes on the grate of the oven. Bake until tender when tested with a fork or knitting needle — usually 50 to 60 minutes.