two-thirds of the housewives serve them in the brine that is in the can. They should be prepared as follows, and it will then be difficult to distinguish the difference between the canned and freshly picked : Pour off the brine, throw it away, then place the vegetables in cold water, washing well, and let stand a few minutes to freshen. Cook but a few minutes and season to taste. Many use milk instead of water with these vegetables. A small piece of pork added to string beans improves their flavor. Corn should be only thoroughly heated, as it has been sufficiently cooked in the cans. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper as desired. To retain the natural flavor of tomatoes they should be cooked quickly over a hot fire ; allowing tomatoes to simmer long tends to extract the bitter taste from the seed and gives dissatisfaction. Pumpkins, as now packed, have been run through a fine sieve and are sufficiently cooked in the hot processing of the cans, and simply require spic- ing. Asparagus is best cooked in the can before it is opened, by immersing the can in boiling water for from twenty to thirty minutes ; then open the can and slide the contents carefully onto a dish, taking care not to break the delicate tips. Always lay asparagus cans on the side, never upright, as the latter is apt to break the tips. Canned meat should be kept in a cool place. It will then, when turned out of can, slice evenly and present a better appearance on the table. In order to prevent tearing out the contents of cans of meat or plum pudding, open them as follows : Cut away the larger end of the can first, then puncture a hole in the smaller end to admit air, tap can lightly, and the contents will drop out whole. 198 MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. Plum-pudding cans should be immersed in boiling water for from one-balf to one hour, according to size ; then open in the same manner as canned meat. Soups. There are many grades of canned soups on the market. Buy only the best, which are skillfully and scientifically made. To serve, they simply need raising to the boiling point. Be careful not to scorch them. Use a double boiler, if possible, or immerse the cans in boiling water for half an hour to thoroughly heat the contents, and then serve. Salmon. The finest Columbia River salmon steaks are deli- cacies in cans. They are of a handsome high-pink color, flaky in texture, rich in oil, and the flesh is solid. A delicious salad can be made with salmon, lettuce, and mayonnaise dressing. If salmon is left over at meals pour oil or melted butter over it to exclude the air, and put in a cool place ; when ready to serve, the oil or butter can readily be removed by skimming, or the butter, by heating and skimming. Lobsters and Shrimps. Owing to the large quantity of sulphur in these crustaceans there is a great tendency to their turn- ing black if their meat comes in contact with the tin when they are packed dry. To overcome this trouble they are generally packed in parchment or linen bags, or in wood-lined cans. A new process has just been discovered that overcomes all this trouble, i. e., the packing in gelatin, which com- pletely envelopes the meat and prevents contact with the tin, and insures fine quality. MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. 199 ICING. To every pound of white sugar allow the whites of four eggs and one ounce of fine starch✪ Icing.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

two-thirds of the housewives serve them in the brine that is in the can. They should be prepared as follows, and it will then be difficult to distinguish the difference between the canned and freshly picked : Pour off the brine, throw it away, then place the vegetables in cold water, washing well, and let stand a few minutes to freshen. Cook but a few minutes and season to taste. Many use milk instead of water with these vegetables. A small piece of pork added to string beans improves their flavor. Corn should be only thoroughly heated, as it has been sufficiently cooked in the cans. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper as desired. To retain the natural flavor of tomatoes they should be cooked quickly over a hot fire ; allowing tomatoes to simmer long tends to extract the bitter taste from the seed and gives dissatisfaction. Pumpkins, as now packed, have been run through a fine sieve and are sufficiently cooked in the hot processing of the cans, and simply require spicing. Asparagus is best cooked in the can before it is opened, by immersing the can in boiling water for from twenty to thirty minutes ; then open the can and slide the contents carefully onto a dish, taking care not to break the delicate tips. Always lay asparagus cans on the side, never upright, as the latter is apt to break the tips. Canned meat should be kept in a cool place. It will then, when turned out of can, slice evenly and present a better appearance on the table. In order to prevent tearing out the contents of cans of meat or plum pudding, open them as follows : Cut away the larger end of the can first, then puncture a hole in the smaller end to admit air, tap can lightly, and the contents will drop out whole. Plum-pudding cans should be immersed in boiling water for from one-balf to one hour, according to size ; then open in the same manner as canned meat. Soups. There are many grades of canned soups on the market. Buy only the best, which are skillfully and scientifically made. To serve, they simply need raising to the boiling point. Be careful not to scorch them. Use a double boiler, if possible, or immerse the cans in boiling water for half an hour to thoroughly heat the contents, and then serve. Salmon. The finest Columbia River salmon steaks are delicacies in cans. They are of a handsome high-pink color, flaky in texture, rich in oil, and the flesh is solid. A delicious salad can be made with salmon, lettuce, and mayonnaise dressing. If salmon is left over at meals pour oil or melted butter over it to exclude the air, and put in a cool place ; when ready to serve, the oil or butter can readily be removed by skimming, or the butter, by heating and skimming. Lobsters and Shrimps. Owing to the large quantity of sulphur in these crustaceans there is a great tendency to their turning black if their meat comes in contact with the tin when they are packed dry. To overcome this trouble they are generally packed in parchment or linen bags, or in wood-lined cans. A new process has just been discovered that overcomes all this trouble, i. e., the packing in gelatin, which completely envelopes the meat and prevents contact with the tin, and insures fine quality. ICING. To every pound of white sugar allow the whites of four eggs and one ounce of fine starch.

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Manual for army cooks