Manual for army cooks

All cooked fruits are better served cold. After they have been prepared, as here directed, they ]nay also be used in many ways for pies, puddings, etc. STEWED CRANBERRIES. Pick the berries carefully; then wash them in cold water ; drain. Put them into fresh cold water and soak for five or ten minutes ; drain, and then put the fruit into a well-covered vessel (not iron), with sufiicient boiling water to cover it. Stew rather quickly, stirring occasionally until soft. They should cook in from twenty to thirty minutes. Five minutes before they are done stir in sugar to taste. Then pass them through a colander to remove the skins, if so desired. Remove from fire, put into a cold dish, and set them away to cool. When cold they are ready for use ; can be used as soon as cooked. STEWED RHUBARB. Wash the rhubarb and cut it into pieces one inch long. Do not peel it. Allow one pound of sugar to each pound of rhubarb. Put rhubarb into saucepan, cover it with sugar, and put on back part of fire until sugar melts. Then bring it to boiling point without stirring. Turn it all out to cool and it is ready for use. EGGS. Eggs are best twelve hours after they have been laid. They are good when translucent or will sink in water. They should be kept in a dry, dark, cool place. They may be kept for months by packing them (without touching one another) in salt, the small end down. When eggs are cooked in a frying pan the pan must be particularly clean. When butter, beef dripi^ing, or lard is put into the pan over the fire, it should be tossed about gently to melt it evenly, and to j)revent it blackening. As soon as melted the eggs should be turned into it. BOILED EGGS. Wipe the eggs clean with a wet cloth and put thoui into boiling water. If wanted soft, l)oil steadily for three or four minutes; if hard, from five to ten minutes. Eggs may be put into cold water over a brisk fire, and when the water comes to a boil taken up and served. Time, about ten minutes. FRIED EGGS. Heat in a frying pan over a good fire enough beef dripping or lard so that when melted it will cover tlie bottom of the pan one-quarter of an inch deej^. Break the eggs gently into a saucer or small plate, and slip them carefully, one at a time, into the hot fat until the bottom of the pan is covered, taking care not to allow the eggs to adhere together. Lose no time putting the eggs into the pan. . The eggs are first emptied into a saucer to keep the yolks from breaking and to detect the bad ones. They are cooked when the whites become firm, and should be taken up before the yolks become hard. When cooked, take them up without delay and pour the grease remaining in the pan over them, or strain it and set it aside in a cool place for cooking purposes. PLAIN OMELET. The fire must be brisk, as the quicker an omelet is made the better, and the less butter it requires. If the frying pan needs cleansing, instead of washing, heat it and wipe it very clean with a coarse towel. 12 eggs. ^ teaspoonful salt. 1 cupful of milk or cream. Pepper, butter. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs; the whites beaten to a stiff froth. Beat the yolks ; mix in the pepper and salt ; add butter half tlie size of