Many persons associate the idea of wealth with culinary
perfection ; others consider unwholesome, as well as ex-
pensive, everything that goes beyond the categories of
boiling, roasting, and the gridiron. All are aware that
wholesome and luxurious cookery is by no means incom-
patible with limited pecuniary means; whilst in roasted,
boiled, and broiled meats which constitute what is termed
true American fare, much that is nutritive and agreeable is
often lost for waut of skill in preparing tbem. Food of
every description is wholesome and digestible in proportion
as it approaches nearer to the state of complete digestion,
or, in other words, to that state termed chyme, whence the
chyle or milky juice that afterwards forms blood is absorbed,
and conveyed to the heart. Now nothing is further from
this state than raw meat and raw vegetables. Fire is there-
fore necessary to soften them, and thereby begin that elab-
oration which is consummated in the stomach. The pre-
8 Mother's Cook Book.
paratory process, which forms the cook's art, is more or less
perfect in proportion as the aliment is softened, without
losing any of its juices or flavor — for flavor is not only an
agreeable but a necessary accompaniment to wholesome food.
Hence it follows, that meat very much underdone, whether
roasted or boiled, is not so wholesome as meat well done
but retaining all its j trices. And here comes the necessity
for the cook's skill, which is so often at fault even in these
simple modes of preparing human nourishment.
Fork, veal, lamb, and all young meats, when not thor-
oughly cooked, are absolute poison to the stomach; and if
half-raw beef or mutton are often eaten with impunity, it
must not be inferred that they are-unwholesome in their semi-
crude state, but only less wholesome than the young meats.
Vegetables, also, half done, which is the state in which
they are often sent to the table, are productive of great
gastric derangement, often of a predisposition to cholera.
A great variety of relishing, nutritive, and even elegant
dishes, may be prepared from the most homely materials,
which may not only be rendered more nourishing, but be
made to go much farther in a large family than they usually
do. The great secret of all cookery, except in roasting and
broiling, is a judicious use of butter, flour, and herbs, and
the application of a very slow fire— for good cooking re-
quires only gentle simmering, but no boiling up, which only
renders the meat hard. Good roasting can only be acquired
by practice, and the perfection lies in cooking the whole
joint thoroughly without drying up the juice of any part
of it. This is also the case with broiling; while a joint un-
der process of broiling, as we have said, should be allowed
to simmer gently.
With regard to made-dishes, as the horrible imitations
of French cookery prevalent in America are termed, we
must admit that they are very unwholesome. All the
juices are boiled out of the meat which is swimming in a
Mother's Coos Book. g
neterogeneous compound, disgusting to the sight, and sea-
soned so strongly with spice and Cayenne pepper enough to
inflame the stomach of an ostrich.
French cookery is generally mild in seasoning, and free
from grease; it is formed upon the above-stated principle
of reducing the aliment as near to the state of chyme as
possible, without injury to its nutritive qualities, rendering
it at once easy of digestion and pleasant to the taste.
HINTS ON MABKETING.
Page 4
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Many persons associate the idea of wealth with culinary perfection ; others consider unwholesome, as well as expensive, everything that goes beyond the categories of boiling, roasting, and the gridiron. All are aware that wholesome and luxurious cookery is by no means incompatible with limited pecuniary means; whilst in roasted, boiled, and broiled meats which constitute what is termed true American fare, much that is nutritive and agreeable is often lost for waut of skill in preparing tbem. Food of every description is wholesome and digestible in proportion as it approaches nearer to the state of complete digestion, or, in other words, to that state termed chyme, whence the chyle or milky juice that afterwards forms blood is absorbed, and conveyed to the heart. Now nothing is further from this state than raw meat and raw vegetables. Fire is therefore necessary to soften them, and thereby begin that elaboration which is consummated in the stomach. The pre-
8 Mother's Cook Book.
paratory process, which forms the cook's art, is more or less perfect in proportion as the aliment is softened, without losing any of its juices or flavor — for flavor is not only an agreeable but a necessary accompaniment to wholesome food. Hence it follows, that meat very much underdone, whether roasted or boiled, is not so wholesome as meat well done but retaining all its j trices. And here comes the necessity for the cook's skill, which is so often at fault even in these simple modes of preparing human nourishment.
Fork, veal, lamb, and all young meats, when not thoroughly cooked, are absolute poison to the stomach; and if half-raw beef or mutton are often eaten with impunity, it must not be inferred that they are unwholesome in their semicrude state, but only less wholesome than the young meats.
Vegetables, also, half done, which is the state in which they are often sent to the table, are productive of great gastric derangement, often of a predisposition to cholera.
A great variety of relishing, nutritive, and even elegant dishes, may be prepared from the most homely materials, which may not only be rendered more nourishing, but be made to go much farther in a large family than they usually do. The great secret of all cookery, except in roasting and broiling, is a judicious use of butter, flour, and herbs, and the application of a very slow fire— for good cooking requires only gentle simmering, but no boiling up, which only renders the meat hard. Good roasting can only be acquired by practice, and the perfection lies in cooking the whole joint thoroughly without drying up the juice of any part of it. This is also the case with broiling; while a joint under process of broiling, as we have said, should be allowed to simmer gently.
With regard to made-dishes, as the horrible imitations of French cookery prevalent in America are termed, we must admit that they are very unwholesome. All the juices are boiled out of the meat which is swimming in a
Mother's Coos Book. g
heterogeneous compound, disgusting to the sight, and seasoned so strongly with spice and Cayenne pepper enough to inflame the stomach of an ostrich.
French cookery is generally mild in seasoning, and free from grease; it is formed upon the above-stated principle of reducing the aliment as near to the state of chyme as possible, without injury to its nutritive qualities, rendering it at once easy of digestion and pleasant to the taste.
HINTS ON MABKETING.