Foods, their selection and preparation

For use in stuffings and certain desserts chestnuts are boiled in the shell or roasted in the oven (15 minutes in a moderate oven, 37 5° F.). Cut a gash on the flat side of the nut before boiling. Cook in boiling water to cover for 15 minutes. The shell and the brown skin should be removed while the kernel is still hot. Roasting improves the flavor of almonds, English walnuts, and filberts, whether they are to be used as salted nuts, or in ice creams, or in confections. Nuts may be roasted either in the oven or in hot fat. For oven-roasting, use 2 teaspoons cooking oil or table fat to each cup of nut meats. Mix the nuts and fat and spread in a single layer in a shallow pan. Heat in a moderate oven (375° F.), stirring frequently until heated through and lightly browned. Drain on absorbent paper and add salt while the nuts are still hot. For browning in fat use a frying basket or sieve. Cook in deep fat (oil is best) at a temperature of 300° F. As soon as they are light brown remove from the fat (6 or 7 minutes). They continue to cook after removal from the fat. Brown, Marion Julia. Soybeans and Soybean Products as Food. Miscellaneous Publication No. 534, United States Department of Agriculture, Wash¬ ington, D. C., 1943. Sherman, Henry C. Foods: Their Values and Management , Chap. Ill, pp. 35-48. Columbia University Press, New York, 1946. XIX • Batters and Doughs Batters and doughs are mixtures of flour and liquid in varying proportions. Other ingredients are added for tenderness, texture, flavor, and food value. A batter, as its name indicates, is a mixture of such consistency that it can be beaten or stirred. Batters vary in stiffness and are designated as "pour” or "drop” batters. A pour batter is thin enough to be poured, while a thick or stiff batter will not pour but will drop from a spoon. A dough is a flour mixture of such con¬ sistency that it can be handled or kneaded. There are soft doughs which are barely stiff enough to handle, while stiff doughs are kneaded with difficulty and usually are rolled or beaten. Chemically, batters and doughs are ex¬ ceedingly complicated mixtures. Practically, however, basic proportions and a few simple rules make it possible to control these mix¬ tures so as to achieve the results desired. To do this, a knowledge of the results to be ex¬ pected from the basic proportions of flour to liquid is advantageous. CLASSIFICATION OF FLOUR MIXTURES In order to establish basic proportions, standard terms must be used. The basic batters and doughs are classified in Table LIII and listed in the order of the amount of flour to liquid used. Popovers are the thinnest of the flour mixtures. Different flours vary in the amount of liquid they will absorb. In working out the relative proportions of liquid to flour in any series of batters or doughs it is highly desir¬ able to keep the kind and also the brand of flour the same. Even so, two sacks of the same brand and grade of flour may differ slightly in their power to absorb liquid. In the discussions which follow, it is assumed that an all-purpose, or "family,” flour of medium hardness is used. The absolute ne¬ cessity of accurate measurements is obvious. Table LIII • Classification of Basic Batters and Doughs Pour Batters Drop Batters Doughs Popovers Griddle cakes Waffles Cakes (contain¬ ing fat) Muffins