Vegetables, Treatment of. — Those
who value fresh vegetables and sweet
salads will never have them wash-
ed until they are just about to be
cooked or eaten. Even potatoes lose
their flavor quickly after being wash-
ed ; and so do carrots and turnips ;
while water will very speedily be-
come tainted in summer when in con-
tact with cauliflowers and cabbages,
and thus destroy their freshness and
flavor. The case is still worse with
salads. If washed at all, it should
be only just before they are dress-
ed, and they should be dried and
dressed immediately. Nothing ruins
the flavor of vegetables, and renders
good salads uneatable, sooner than
water hanging about them. If let-
tuces are quite clean, they make
the best salad unwashed ; but if wash-
ed, the operation should be done
quickly, the water instantly shaken
out, and the leaves dried with a clean
cloth. The best practice is simply
to remove all superfluous earth by
scraping or rubbing, and all rough
tops or leaves by cutting. Enough
tender leaves may still be left on
cauliflowers and broccoli to overlap
the flowers. Salad should be sent in
from the garden with most of the
outside leaves and main root on.
The tender leaves are easity tainted
and injured by exposure, and if the
chief root is cut off sharp, much of
the juice oozes out of the wound.
Where vegetables and salads have
to be bought from a grocer the con-
ditions are altogether different. Not
only washing, but soaking often
becomes necessary to restore their
crispness.
Vegetables, Cooking of. — Few per-
sons know how to cook vegetables.
The rule is simple, and should never
be forgotten. Old potatoes should
either be steamed or be put into plen-
ty of cold water and boiled slowly.
New potatoes should be put into plen-
402
General Remarks VEGETABLES
General Remarks
ty of boiling water. With both, the
water should be drained off when the
roots are tender, and they should
finish cooking in their own steam.
Green vegetables should be put
into plenty of fast -boiling salted
water. They should be quick-
ly boiled, and the lid should be
left off the pan. If they are of good
quality they will not need soda —
indeed, soda will spoil them. If the
water boils from the moment that the
vegetable is immersed in it, the albu-
men is partially coagulated near the
surface, and serves to retain the
virtue of the vegetable. The reverse
is, of course, the rule for making soup,
or any dish from which the water
will not be drained. By placing the
vegetables in cold water, the albu-
men is slowly dissolved, and actual-
l3T mixes with the water — a process
most necessary for the production of
nutritious soup. Dry vegetables as a
rule are cooked in cold water grad-
ually heated to the boiling-point.
Vegetables, Insects Cleared from. —
Put plenty of cold water into a large
pan and add salt in the proportion
of a large table-spoonful to two quarts
of water. Lay the vegetables in this,
stalk uppermost, and shake them
occasionally. This will cause the in-
sects, which hide between the leaves,
to fall out and sink to the bottom of
the pan. If liked, a small proportion
of vinegar may be added to the water
instead of salt, and this will answer
the same purpose.
Page 452
Presented as published in 1902. 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
Vegetables, Treatment of. — Those who value fresh vegetables and sweet salads will never have them washed until they are just about to be cooked or eaten. Even potatoes lose their flavor quickly after being washed ; and so do carrots and turnips ; while water will very speedily become tainted in summer when in contact with cauliflowers and cabbages, and thus destroy their freshness and flavor. The case is still worse with salads. If washed at all, it should be only just before they are dressed, and they should be dried and dressed immediately. Nothing ruins the flavor of vegetables, and renders good salads uneatable, sooner than water hanging about them. If lettuces are quite clean, they make the best salad unwashed ; but if washed, the operation should be done quickly, the water instantly shaken out, and the leaves dried with a clean cloth. The best practice is simply
to remove all superfluous earth by scraping or rubbing, and all rough tops or leaves by cutting. Enough tender leaves may still be left on cauliflowers and broccoli to overlap the flowers. Salad should be sent in from the garden with most of the outside leaves and main root on. The tender leaves are easity tainted and injured by exposure, and if the chief root is cut off sharp, much of the juice oozes out of the wound. Where vegetables and salads have to be bought from a grocer the conditions are altogether different. Not only washing, but soaking often becomes necessary to restore their crispness.
Vegetables, Cooking of. — Few persons know how to cook vegetables. The rule is simple, and should never be forgotten. Old potatoes should either be steamed or be put into plenty of cold water and boiled slowly. New potatoes should be put into plen-
General Remarks VEGETABLES
General Remarks
ty of boiling water. With both, the water should be drained off when the roots are tender, and they should finish cooking in their own steam. Green vegetables should be put into plenty of fast -boiling salted water. They should be quickly boiled, and the lid should be left off the pan. If they are of good quality they will not need soda — indeed, soda will spoil them. If the water boils from the moment that the vegetable is immersed in it, the albumen is partially coagulated near the surface, and serves to retain the virtue of the vegetable. The reverse is, of course, the rule for making soup, or any dish from which the water will not be drained. By placing the vegetables in cold water, the albumen is slowly dissolved, and actually mixes with the water — a process most necessary for the production of nutritious soup. Dry vegetables as a rule are cooked in cold water gradually heated to the boiling-point.
Vegetables, Insects Cleared from. — Put plenty of cold water into a large pan and add salt in the proportion of a large table-spoonful to two quarts of water. Lay the vegetables in this, stalk uppermost, and shake them occasionally. This will cause the insects, which hide between the leaves, to fall out and sink to the bottom of the pan. If liked, a small proportion of vinegar may be added to the water instead of salt, and this will answer the same purpose.