Foods and home making

2. Add salt to the water in which vegetables are cooked, 1 teaspoon to each quart. Cover to avoid loss of Vitamin C by oxidation. 3. If vegetables are cooked in water so that more than a tablespoon or two of moisture remains after cooking, the water should be drained away. After draining potatoes it is well to shake the pan in which they are held over a low flame for about 1 minute to dry the moisture. If it is necessary to let them stand before serving, place them uncovered in the warming oven or cover them with a clean cloth. What is waterless cooking? You found it was easy to cook spinach without adding water because spinach is itself more than 90% water. The spinach was cooked in the water that 2 quarts boiling water 2 teaspoons salt pounds onions \ cup top milk or cream 1 teaspoon salt £ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon butter Vegetables for Dinner 421 clung to the vegetable when it was washed and that was drawn from the vegetable when it was heated. Waterless cooking is not cooking without water. It is cooking food in some of the water which is contained within the food. On page 59, we learned that even a seemingly dry food like uncooked rice or flour really contains some water. Not all vegetables contain so much water as spinach, but they all contain more water than rice or flour. By placing vegetables or meat in a utensil having thick walls and bottom so constructed that the heat will spread, it is possible to cook the foods in their own moisture. The utensil must have a tightly fitting cover with a tiny opening in it so that some of the steam may escape. Because of its special construction, the device is expensive. In cooking some foods it is necessary to add a tablespoon or two of water. Foods may be cooked in a heat-regulated oven hy adding little or no water to them. Place the vegetable in an ordinary cov- ered pan or baking dish and bake it at 350° F. for from 35 minutes to i-| hours — the time depending upon the kind of vegetable. A longer time is required to cook the food in the oven than on the top burner. SUMMARY Vegetables should be cooked so as to lose as little nutriment as possible. This may be done by : 1. Cooking in a small quantity of water in a covered pan 2. Cooking vegetables whole and with their skins 3. Cooking pared vegetable in water, but using vegetable water drained away in making soups or sauces 4. Baking vegetables 5. Steaming vegetables When vegetables are cooked in water: 1. Place in boiling salted water. 2. Boil gently. 3. Dry starchy vegetables after cooking. 422 Dinner Waterless cooking is cooking food in some of the water contained within the food. Waterless cooking, steaming, and baking are desirable methods of cooking vegetables since little or no ash or other nutrients are lost by dissolving in water. REVIEW QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES 1. Why are onions cooked in a good deal of water while only a little water is used for cooking potatoes ? 2. Name two foodstuffs that are lost by cooking onions in much water. Is any advantage gained ? 3. In which utensil may vegetables be cooked at a higher tempera- ture — a plain steamer or a steam-pressure cooker? 4. Explain why foods may be cooked at a higher temperature in the one utensil than in the other. 5. Why is it unnecessary to add water to spinach when cooking it?