It is known that the body requires four to five ounces
of food for heat to one for muscle, and this is the key to
preparing food in dift'erent climates and for different
occupations and conditions. The whites of eggs (pure
albumen) are richest in nitrogen or muscle-providing
food. The lean parts of beef, mutton, venison and game
contain nearly as great a percentage — about fifteen parts
in one hundred. Grain, peas, beans and the curd of
milk are also rich in nitrogen, and if muscles were all
that were needed, these would be almost perfect food.
But for one ounce that goes to muscle, five ounces must
go to heat, and this means Carbon.
Carbon, the heat producer, .comes chiefly from starch,
of which the vegetable kingdom is largely composed,
20
THE FA TTERN COOK-BOOK.
Sago, tapioca, arrow-root and corn starch are almost pure
starch, and desserts made of them are easily digested and
contribute largely of carbon, but do not feed the muscles,
except they be combined with eggs, milk, etc., in cooking.
Consequently^ children and working people who need to
have their muscles fed should be fed on such things
rather sparingly, unless muscle-making food has also
been eaten. For the student, the aged and those who do
not exercise much, these foods are most valuable, being
easily digested and productive of warmth.
The following table shows the proportion of starch in
common grains, etc.
Rice Flour,
84 to 85 parts ii
Indian Meal,
77 '• 80 " "
Oat
70 " 80 " "
Wheat Flour,
39 ''11 " "
Barley "
67 " 70 " "
Rye
50 " 61 "
Buckwheat,
52 " "
Peas and Beans,
42 " 43 " '
Potatoes,
13 "15 " "
n 100.
The variation in wheat flour is due to the diiTerent
processes of grinding. The old method of making fine,
white flour used only the middle of the grain and rejected
the gluten, which is nitrogeneous and muscle-building ;
hence the whitest flour was the least nourishing, contain-
ing the largest percentage of starch. Modern grinding
has, however, reversed this, and the "new process " flour
contains the largest percentage of gluten. The old argu-
ment that graham contained the largest proportion of
muscle-making material no longer holds good, as analysis
THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 21
has proven that the '' new process "' flour and graham are
ahnost identical in these elements.
The substance of next importance in supplying carbon
to the body is oil. The oils used are butter, lard and the
fat of meat. They contain about 80 parts of carbon in
100. Grains contain oils in varying quantities, as follows :
Corn meal, 9 parts in 100.
Oatmeal, 6 " " "
Rye, 2>% " " "
Wheat, I to 2 " " "
This furnishes the best of reason why fats should be spar-
ingly used in hot weather, the grains and vegetables
supplying sufficient warmth-producing material. The
excessive use of fats in cooking causes an over-secretion
of bile, and this produces indigestion, sickness at the
stomach, and often fevers of different kinds. Dyspeptics
particularly should reject fried and oily foods.
Page 5
Presented as published in 1890. 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
It is known that the body requires four to five ounces of food for heat to one for muscle, and this is the key to preparing food in different climates and for different occupations and conditions. The whites of eggs (pure albumen) are richest in nitrogen or muscle-providing food. The lean parts of beef, mutton, venison and game contain nearly as great a percentage — about fifteen parts in one hundred. Grain, peas, beans and the curd of milk are also rich in nitrogen, and if muscles were all that were needed, these would be almost perfect food. But for one ounce that goes to muscle, five ounces must go to heat, and this means Carbon.
Carbon, the heat producer, .comes chiefly from starch, of which the vegetable kingdom is largely composed,
Sago, tapioca, arrow-root and corn starch are almost pure starch, and desserts made of them are easily digested and contribute largely of carbon, but do not feed the muscles, except they be combined with eggs, milk, etc., in cooking. Consequently, children and working people who need to have their muscles fed should be fed on such things rather sparingly, unless muscle-making food has also been eaten. For the student, the aged and those who do not exercise much, these foods are most valuable, being easily digested and productive of warmth.
The following table shows the proportion of starch in common grains, etc.
Rice Flour,
84 to 85 parts ii
Indian Meal,
77 '• 80 " "
Oat
70 " 80 " "
Wheat Flour,
39 ''11 " "
Barley "
67 " 70 " "
Rye
50 " 61 "
Buckwheat,
52 " "
Peas and Beans,
42 " 43 " '
Potatoes,
13 "15 " "
n 100.
The variation in wheat flour is due to the different processes of grinding. The old method of making fine, white flour used only the middle of the grain and rejected the gluten, which is nitrogeneous and muscle-building ; hence the whitest flour was the least nourishing, containing the largest percentage of starch. Modern grinding has, however, reversed this, and the "new process " flour contains the largest percentage of gluten. The old argument that graham contained the largest proportion of muscle-making material no longer holds good, as analysis
has proven that the "new process" flour and graham are almost identical in these elements.
The substance of next importance in supplying carbon to the body is oil. The oils used are butter, lard and the fat of meat. They contain about 80 parts of carbon in 100. Grains contain oils in varying quantities, as follows :
Corn meal, 9 parts in 100. Oatmeal, 6 " " " Rye, 2>% " " "
Wheat, I to 2 " " "
This furnishes the best of reason why fats should be sparingly used in hot weather, the grains and vegetables supplying sufficient warmth-producing material. The excessive use of fats in cooking causes an over-secretion of bile, and this produces indigestion, sickness at the stomach, and often fevers of different kinds. Dyspeptics particularly should reject fried and oily foods.