Effects of Cold Water. — Cold water is an extractive. It
"draws out" the flavors of meats and the starch of the
starchy vegetables. Therefore the latter should not soak in
it, nor should meats be subjected to its influence unless it is
desired to extract the soluble elements, to make a broth, or
soup, or bouillon.
Method. — To show the effects of cold water on starchy
vegetables and something of their composition, use Experi-
ment 5 and the suggested "Home Work" given under
164 HANDBOOK OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE
Method in the first part of the chapter on Starchy Foods.
Experiments 2, 3, and 4 show the effects of heat on starch.
White sauce, its theory and practice, should be taught also.
To make this still clearer, show them these illustrations : —
1. Cells of a Raw Potato, with Starch Grains in Natural
Condition
To show the effects of different temperatures on albumen,
try the following experiments : —
(1) Put an egg in a cold saucepan, cover it with boiling
water, cover, and put it on a board away from the fire for
ten minutes. Take the temperature.
(2) Put an egg in a saucepan in which water is boiling.
Cover and put away as in 1. Take temperature.
(3) Put an egg in boiling water and let it boil for ten
minutes. The temperature will be of course 212° F.
Notice that in each case the Qgg has cooked for ten min-
utes, but at temperatures ranging from about 170°, 185°, to
PRINCIPLES OF COOKING
165
2. Cells of a Potato boiled in Water One-half Hour
3. Cells of a Potato well steamed and mashed
166 HANDBOOK OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE
212°. In the first case the white will be coagulated, the
yolk still uncooked, and the whole egg flavorless ; in the
second, the albumen will be coagulated, but soft, the yolk
somewhat thickened, and the whole quite flavory ; in the
third the white will be hard and indigestible, but the yolk
will be mealy and eatable. The difference between the time
occupied in the proper cooking of the yolk and the white is
due to the fact that the yolk contains a very large amount
of oil. The presence of oil or fat renders protein less
susceptible to the hardening effects of heat. The egg in
experiment two would have been even more satisfactory had
it been put in cold water and brought to a boil. The high
temperature at first coagulates the outside a little too much.
But in no other way was it possible to make the time
element the same in all experiments. From these ex-
periments it is evident the best temperature for cooking
the proteids is below the boiling point.
To show the effect of cold water on proteid, let each stu-
dent take two small pieces of beef of equal size. Put one
in cold water, and the other in boiling water, kept boiling
for several minutes. At the end of half an hour examine
both liquids and both pieces of meat. In the first instance
the water will be red at the expense of the meat, from which
it has extracted much of its juice and soluble food materials.
In the second instance the hot water coagulated the protein
on the outside. Within it is still red and juicy.
Each student should, if possible, perform all these experi-
ments herself, and must herself think out the deductions.
She must also be drilled on the facts, for it is only when
they are at the instant command of her mind that. she will
be able to continue the subject.
Page 79
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Effects of Cold Water. — Cold water is an extractive. It "draws out" the flavors of meats and the starch of the starchy vegetables. Therefore the latter should not soak in it, nor should meats be subjected to its influence unless it is desired to extract the soluble elements, to make a broth, or soup, or bouillon.
Method. — To show the effects of cold water on starchy vegetables and something of their composition, use Experiment 5 and the suggested "Home Work" given under
Method in the first part of the chapter on Starchy Foods. Experiments 2, 3, and 4 show the effects of heat on starch. White sauce, its theory and practice, should be taught also. To make this still clearer, show them these illustrations : —
1. Cells of a Raw Potato, with Starch Grains in Natural Condition
To show the effects of different temperatures on albumen, try the following experiments : —
(1) Put an egg in a cold saucepan, cover it with boiling water, cover, and put it on a board away from the fire for ten minutes. Take the temperature.
(2) Put an egg in a saucepan in which water is boiling. Cover and put away as in 1. Take temperature.
(3) Put an egg in boiling water and let it boil for ten minutes. The temperature will be of course 212° F.
Notice that in each case the egg has cooked for ten minutes, but at temperatures ranging from about 170°, 185°, to
2. Cells of a Potato boiled in Water One-half Hour
3. Cells of a Potato well steamed and mashed
212°. In the first case the white will be coagulated, the yolk still uncooked, and the whole egg flavorless ; in the second, the albumen will be coagulated, but soft, the yolk somewhat thickened, and the whole quite flavory ; in the third the white will be hard and indigestible, but the yolk will be mealy and eatable. The difference between the time occupied in the proper cooking of the yolk and the white is due to the fact that the yolk contains a very large amount of oil. The presence of oil or fat renders protein less susceptible to the hardening effects of heat. The egg in experiment two would have been even more satisfactory had it been put in cold water and brought to a boil. The high temperature at first coagulates the outside a little too much. But in no other way was it possible to make the time element the same in all experiments. From these experiments it is evident the best temperature for cooking the proteids is below the boiling point.
To show the effect of cold water on proteid, let each student take two small pieces of beef of equal size. Put one in cold water, and the other in boiling water, kept boiling for several minutes. At the end of half an hour examine both liquids and both pieces of meat. In the first instance the water will be red at the expense of the meat, from which it has extracted much of its juice and soluble food materials. In the second instance the hot water coagulated the protein on the outside. Within it is still red and juicy.
Each student should, if possible, perform all these experiments herself, and must herself think out the deductions. She must also be drilled on the facts, for it is only when they are at the instant command of her mind that. she will be able to continue the subject.