Remember then, that there is a right and a wrong way to boil vegetables. The essentials of the right way are: (l)'to put them into boiling water, which is slightly salted; (2) haw e plenty of it; (3) do not let the boiling sto2:> until they are done; (4) take them out as soon as they are done. The wrong way is the opposite of this — it is to use little water, let it simmer w^ithout really boiling, and to leave the vegetables in too long. If you will try the 2 methods once, the difference in the results and the superiority of the first method will be apparent. Asparagus, cauliflower and peas should boil, but the water should not bubble, as that tosses them around and breaks them. Time to boil. — The age of the vegetable and the time it has been gathered affects the time needed to boil it, so that it is impossible to give the exact time needed to boil different vegetables. When old and wilted, more time is needed than when young and fresh. The best rule is to test them by piercing them with a fork, watch them closely, and cook until they are soft and tender, but no longer. The Pbinciples Involved in Boiling Vegetables. — These are not generally understood. Each minute granule of starch, in its original state, is surrounded by a thin sheath of cellulose, much like the shell on a chestnut; this cellulose sheath is nearly insoluble in the digestive fluids, so that they cannot get at the starch inside. In boiling, the starch swells and bursts this sheath; the starch thus liberated is readily attacked by the digestive fluids, which turn it into sugar, and then it is as- similated by the system. The object therefore, in boiling any form of starch is merely to burst these cells, and that is best done by having the water as hot as possible, and by keeping it boiling actively as long as the article is in it. As soon as the starch cells burst, however, the vegetable should be taken out, as, if it is left in longer, the starch will absorb water and deteriorate. When starch is improper- ly cooked its digestion is very diflScult and much waste is caused the system, which is quite a loss even to one in good health; but for invalids it is particularly im- portant that the starch should be suitably cooked so as to be easily digested. The difference in the digestibility of different forms of uncooked starch is caused by the fact that the cellulose coating in some forms of starch is tougher than in others. When properly cooked, so that its cellulose sheath is burst open, all forms of starch are about equally digestible. In baking potatoes the heat of the oven causes the starch granules to swell and burst their sheaths, much as a chestnut or a grain of popcorn bursts open when roasted, thus liberating the starch. Overcoming the Odor of Boiling. — Various plans have been devised to mitigate the unpleasant odor caused by many vegetables while cooking. (1) Wrap a piece of bread about the size of a lemon in a cloth, and drop it in the kettle at the start; it wilt absorb the odor. (2) A lump of charcoal treated in the same way will alisorb the odor. (3) Fold a towel to 3 or 4 thicknesses and lay over the kettle. (4) VEGETABLES 219

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Remember then, that there is a right and a wrong way to boil vegetables. The essentials of the right way are: (1) to put them into boiling water, which is slightly salted; (2) haw e plenty of it; (3) do not let the boiling stop until they are done; (4) take them out as soon as they are done. The wrong way is the opposite of this — it is to use little water, let it simmer without really boiling, and to leave the vegetables in too long. If you will try the 2 methods once, the difference in the results and the superiority of the first method will be apparent. Asparagus, cauliflower and peas should boil, but the water should not bubble, as that tosses them around and breaks them. Time to boil. — The age of the vegetable and the time it has been gathered affects the time needed to boil it, so that it is impossible to give the exact time needed to boil different vegetables. When old and wilted, more time is needed than when young and fresh. The best rule is to test them by piercing them with a fork, watch them closely, and cook until they are soft and tender, but no longer. The Principles Involved in Boiling Vegetables. — These are not generally understood. Each minute granule of starch, in its original state, is surrounded by a thin sheath of cellulose, much like the shell on a chestnut; this cellulose sheath is nearly insoluble in the digestive fluids, so that they cannot get at the starch inside. In boiling, the starch swells and bursts this sheath; the starch thus liberated is readily attacked by the digestive fluids, which turn it into sugar, and then it is assimilated by the system. The object therefore, in boiling any form of starch is merely to burst these cells, and that is best done by having the water as hot as possible, and by keeping it boiling actively as long as the article is in it. As soon as the starch cells burst, however, the vegetable should be taken out, as, if it is left in longer, the starch will absorb water and deteriorate. When starch is improperly cooked its digestion is very difficult and much waste is caused the system, which is quite a loss even to one in good health; but for invalids it is particularly important that the starch should be suitably cooked so as to be easily digested. The difference in the digestibility of different forms of uncooked starch is caused by the fact that the cellulose coating in some forms of starch is tougher than in others. When properly cooked, so that its cellulose sheath is burst open, all forms of starch are about equally digestible. In baking potatoes the heat of the oven causes the starch granules to swell and burst their sheaths, much as a chestnut or a grain of popcorn bursts open when roasted, thus liberating the starch. Overcoming the Odor of Boiling. — Various plans have been devised to mitigate the unpleasant odor caused by many vegetables while cooking. (1) Wrap a piece of bread about the size of a lemon in a cloth, and drop it in the kettle at the start; it will absorb the odor. (2) A lump of charcoal treated in the same way will absorb the odor. (3) Fold a towel to 3 or 4 thicknesses and lay over the kettle. (4)

The household cook book