Foods, their selection and preparation

Seasoning is an art. No definite rules can be laid down. Tastes differ; condiments vary in strength. All should be used with a light hand and blended to get different flavors. Chinese cooks are past masters at this. With only a trace of garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and vegetable juices they get a flavor rarely achieved in North American cookery. The French also have a flair for seasoning. They use herbs to advantage, as do all the Euro¬ peans. These are among the simplest of the condiments and may be had for the growing, and so offer a good place to begin. In using herbs, including mushrooms and ginger root, for seasoning, chop them fine to release the juice and blend them with fat. This helps to draw out the flavor. Herb flavors are volatile; so herbs should be added at the last of the cooking process. For com¬ binations most satisfactory with different foods, see Savory Herbs listed in the references. Spices should be added in small amounts and in intriguing combination. Whole spice in bags adds its flavor to liquids, and the bags can be removed when the flavor is just right. Dry spice may be combined with the dry ingredients in a mixture, or added separately. Flavoring extracts may be used singly or together, never in large amounts. Add after cooking, except in baked foods. In this country, cooking has never been a fine art. We have an abundance of foods of high quality; too often they are served over¬ cooked and poorly seasoned. Condiments are added at the table. The old-fashioned revolving castor carrying an assortment of seasoning used to be provided on the table for this purpose. Now a few standard season¬ ings are supplemented by a variety of bottled sauces. It is an insult to a well-cooked steak to smother its flavor in catsup or one of the numerous "steak sauces.” Seasoning is an art to be practiced in the kitchen. Most of the condiments discussed in this chapter are at their best if added to the food while it is being prepared. No def¬ inite rules can be given as to amounts or combinations. Begin with a little, using measured amounts, and taste until just the right flavor has been obtained by delicately adding more seasoning. Too much food leaves the kitchen untasted. We are not able to give all the answers. We hope we have stimulated an interest and pointed the way, so that you can do your part in the better feeding of our country through better selection and preparation of food, and that in this latter condiments may do their part. Crocker, E. C. Flavor. McGraw-Hill Book Com¬ pany, New York, 1945. DeSounm, Leonie. Magic in Herbs. M. Barrows & Company, New York, 1941. Harris, Florence La Gauke. Flavor's the Thing , pp. 9-22. M. Barrows & Co., New York, 1939. Lowman, M. S., and Birdseye, Miriam. Savory Herbs: Culture and Use, Federal Bulletin No. 1977, United States Department of Agriculture, Wash¬ ington, D.C., May, 1946. XXVII • Meal-Planning an Service Meal-planning is an important responsi¬ bility of the person who is responsible for the food for a family. Before any meal is served, it must be planned, even if only in someone’s mind. The food supplies must be obtained if not already on hand; and each dish which makes up the meal must be prepared and cooked, each started at the right time so that all can be served together or in the proper sequence.