The modern housekeeper seems to be losing the art of drying foods, yet in many cases that mode of preser- vation is more desirable than canning or cold storage. Dried Foods Dried Prunes Before and After Soaking. v One reason why dried fruits have fallen into dis- repute is this : To remove the discoloration which takes place when cut fruits are dried or evaporated in fac- tories they are often bleached by sulphur and suffer loss of flavor. Another reason for not using dried foods is that it takes time to soak them. When they are to be made ready for use the first step is to supply as much water as they lost from evaporation. This is best accomplished by long soak- ing without heat, merely cooking them enough at the end to soften tough fibres and to prevent fermenta- tion. 34 PRINCIPLES OF COOKERY. Honey and olive oil may be considered with the food products requiring little preparation. They were commonly used by the ancients. Nuts Nuts are an important food in some parts of the world. The peasantry of southern Europe find in the chestnut a substitute for cereals. It is made more di- gestible by a partial cooking. The neglect of nuts in our country is due to the cheapness of cereal products but there is an increasing use of them as a substitute for meats. Average shelled nuts have weight for weight about twice the fuel value of wheat flour be- cause they contain so much fat. Chestnuts are about two-thirds starch, and contain little fat. Other nuts are from one-third to two-thirds fat. It is a common idea that nuts are very indigestible. That may be changed if we learn to masticate them properly or to grind them and combine with other foods instead of eating them without chewing properly, as dessert after sufficient nourishment has been taken. Nuts and fruits supplement each other, to some ex- tent, the one containing what the other lacks. The leguminous seeds, peas, beans, lentils, and pea- nuts, are somewhat like nuts, but are not so rich in fat and are unpalatable unless cooked. Most of our common vegetables are the result of ages of cultivation. We are only on the threshold of the possibilities of combining and preserving fruits. An increased use of fruit, fresh and preserved, will tend to cause a di- minished use of alcoholic beverages. Fruit juice is one Fruits Jellies CANNING. 35 of the best agents to quench thirst. A desire for some other beverage than water may be taken as a cry for food. Fruit juices, hot or cold, will better supply this desire than tea or coffee. The expressed juice of real fruit may- be sterilized and then charged with carbon dioxide, as well as the chemical compounds now sold as soft drinks. Inferior fruits and skins and cores, if clean, may under pressure yield juice for jellies, or to flavor other foods. Fruits may be blended, pressed, and strained, and used in many ways even for children and invalids when the solid particles and seeds would prove irritat- ing. The juice of the lemon or orange and the pulp of the banana may thus be combined. Since modern housekeepers lack patience to dry foods canned and soak them out again the canning factory has come Goods to their aid. Within the last half century this business has developed immensely. Home canning cannot com- pete with that of the factory, because there a higher temperature is gained which more effectively sterilizes the food.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The modern housekeeper seems to be losing the art of drying foods, yet in many cases that mode of preservation is more desirable than canning or cold storage. Dried Foods Dried Prunes Before and After Soaking. One reason why dried fruits have fallen into disrepute is this : To remove the discoloration which takes place when cut fruits are dried or evaporated in factories they are often bleached by sulphur and suffer loss of flavor. Another reason for not using dried foods is that it takes time to soak them. When they are to be made ready for use the first step is to supply as much water as they lost from evaporation. This is best accomplished by long soaking without heat, merely cooking them enough at the end to soften tough fibres and to prevent fermentation. Honey and olive oil may be considered with the food products requiring little preparation. They were commonly used by the ancients. Nuts Nuts are an important food in some parts of the world. The peasantry of southern Europe find in the chestnut a substitute for cereals. It is made more digestible by a partial cooking. The neglect of nuts in our country is due to the cheapness of cereal products but there is an increasing use of them as a substitute for meats. Average shelled nuts have weight for weight about twice the fuel value of wheat flour because they contain so much fat. Chestnuts are about two-thirds starch, and contain little fat. Other nuts are from one-third to two-thirds fat. It is a common idea that nuts are very indigestible. That may be changed if we learn to masticate them properly or to grind them and combine with other foods instead of eating them without chewing properly, as dessert after sufficient nourishment has been taken. Nuts and fruits supplement each other, to some extent, the one containing what the other lacks. The leguminous seeds, peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts, are somewhat like nuts, but are not so rich in fat and are unpalatable unless cooked. Most of our common vegetables are the result of ages of cultivation. We are only on the threshold of the possibilities of combining and preserving fruits. An increased use of fruit, fresh and preserved, will tend to cause a diminished use of alcoholic beverages. Fruit juice is one [illustration: Fruits] Jellies CANNING. 35 of the best agents to quench thirst. A desire for some other beverage than water may be taken as a cry for food. Fruit juices, hot or cold, will better supply this desire than tea or coffee. The expressed juice of real fruit may- be sterilized and then charged with carbon dioxide, as well as the chemical compounds now sold as soft drinks. Inferior fruits and skins and cores, if clean, may under pressure yield juice for jellies, or to flavor other foods. Fruits may be blended, pressed, and strained, and used in many ways even for children and invalids when the solid particles and seeds would prove irritating. The juice of the lemon or orange and the pulp of the banana may thus be combined. Since modern housekeepers lack patience to dry foods canned and soak them out again the canning factory has come Goods to their aid. Within the last half century this business has developed immensely. Home canning cannot compete with that of the factory, because there a higher temperature is gained which more effectively sterilizes the food.

Principles of cookery