History and present status of instruction in cooking in the public schools of New York city

COOKERY. SYLLABUS OF LESSON ON WATER. Experiments showing- physical properties. Boiling Evaporation , Solution [Use of thermometer. Testing temperatures. iBlood heat. Simmering. Is it destroyed? What is steam? Vapor? Which is hotter? Mineral matter remaining. Why water assumes a spherical form when in- tensely heated. {Some substances insoluble. Starch. Sugar. Salt. Boiling to recover the substance dissolved. Suspension.. jChalk and insoluble material. Filtration.. .lUse of Pori>us material. . \A means of purification. Conclusions: The danger of it carrying disease-bearing germs or poisons in conse- quence of its great solvent power. Filtered to strain out or absorb visible impurity. Boiled to destroy invisible disease germs. Chemical composition : Decomposition by means of the metal sodium attracting the oxygen of the water. Hydrogen remains. Tested for blue flame. Showing why water should not be kept in contaminated air. Boiled water is tasteless. Dissolved gases are lost. Ou ex- posing again to fresh air the gases, principally oxygen, will be reabsorbed. Dissolves carbon dioxid, causing effervescence. Fish will not live in boiled water. Dissolves gases Impurities in water Dust mav contain J0rganic or living matter. Uustmay contain. jDea(] animal matter. Mineral matter. Lead. Crust formed on kettle lids and in boilers. Such waters better boiled before using. Use of living matter in water. Its influence on digestion : Digestion a softening and breaking up of food by means of body fluids. Indigestion often a want of fluid condition of digestive juices. Its wide distribution shows its importance, both to vegetable and animal kingdoms, and ranking it next to air in value. . Water as a means of cleansing: Different action of hard and soft water for this purpose. Hard water wastes soap. Importance of its liberal use. Water for cooking purposes: The saving of food nutriment by use of the double boiler, where vegetables or cereals can be kept at a lower temperature for a longer 41 42 time than when boiled violently in direct contact with the fire. Soups arid boiled meats also better so cooked. H. P., Teacher. PUPILS' EXERCISES ON LESSON ON WATER. Water. — Water is a liquid formed by the chemical combination of the two gases, oxygen and hydrogen. Water is capable of existing in three forms, as a liquid, a solid, or a gas. When heated it goes off into the air as an invisible vapor, and when frozen it forms ice which is a solid. When frozen it expands, a fact which is demonstrated by the bursting of pipes, a catastrophe which occurs frequently in winter. When a solid is dissolved in water it is recoverable after the water has evaporated. Hot is more capable of dissolving a solid than cold water; Ninety per cent of fresh vegetables is water. Three fourths of the earth's surface is water, and seven ninths of the human body is composed of it. It is next in importance to air. In burning sugar we discovered that it contained water the hydrogen of which burned with a blue flame. Water used for drinking purposes should not be conveyed through leaden pipes because it absorbs poison from them. As a classified food, water is a mineral or inorganic food, and its importance places it at the head of a long list of foods. Water is so necessary to the body that a per- son can hardly live a day without it or some similar liquid. E. E.