The junior cook book

Most kitchen cabinets have a wire rack on the inside of the cupboard doors ; the cook book can be propped open behind this rack where it can easily be seen and referred to, and yet be high and dry and clean. PREFACE There has been a real demand for a book of cooking directions for young folks ; a book that concerned itself not so much with candy and "unusual" desserts as with good, plain, nourishing food with directions so straightforward that any reader could understand. The recipes in this book are the result of much study and experiment with children. Every recipe given has been made by a child of twelve (or under) without any directions other than here given. The directions are given one step at a time — largely one sentence at a time — and nothing in the way of previous knowledge is taken for granted. By this method a young and ambitious cook may actually cook real food without the necessity of having a mother or other adviser right at hand while the work is going on. This independence is valuable at any time, but in case of illness in the family or of the sudden absence of the housekeeper, a child may, with the help of this book, teach herself to cook and thus tide the family over an emergency. Boys as well as girls will PREFACE want to be self-helpful ; it may be well enough to have no knowledge of cooking at home, perhaps, but how about the camping trip or the house party f At such a time the boy who knows how to cook is easily the leader and is well repaid in fun for his effort in learning. With the idea of helping toward this independence, a few menus are included at the end of the book, in order that the young cook may be guided toward knowledge of correct food combinations. These are merely suggestive but will be found a real help if no adviser is near. It will be noticed that there are an unusual number of recipes for cooking vegetables. Children do not know how vegetables should be prepared; yet fresh, well cooked vegetables are one of the cheapest and best of foods. By following the directions given here a young cook can greatly add to the variety of her menus. There are a considerable number of recipes for making ,iam. Some girls have found that they can make juin in vacation and sell it for pin money in the fall. Also, jam done up in nice paraffin covered glasses makes the nicest sort of a Christmas present, and the wise girl will use a part of her summer vacation in a profitable fashion. It is best to begin by making jam in small quantities, so all the recipes are planned for small amounts, but they are easily PREFACE doubled or increased still more when the cook has gained experience. Attention is also called to the large number of inexpensive dishes that have meat value — cheese dishes, egg dishes and dishes that call for a small amount of inexpensive meat. These foods -will be found very nourishing, tasty and inexpensive and many an older cook will be glad to use them in her menus. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Meats and Dishes that Have Food Value of Meat 15 Bacon Omelet 17 Cheese Omelet 21 Creamed Cheese on Toast 25 Corn Oysters 27 Broiled Oysters on Toast 31 Sunshine Eggs 33 Scrambled Eggs 37 Baked Sausage with Vegetables 39 Creamed Dried Beef on Toast 43 Deviled Eggs 47 Hani and Eggs, Junior Fashion 51 Mexican Lamb 53 Meat Loaf 57 Sardines on Toast 61