Principles of food preparation

Note. Corn meal, and perhaps one or two other cereals of similar texture, should be mixed with an equal volume of cold water before being stirred into the boiling water, to avoid lumping. The volume of cold water used should be allowed for in measuring the proportion of water to cereal. STUDY OF CEREAL IN COOKING Method I. To one cupful of rapidly boiling salted water add two ounces of any of the quick-cooking breakfast cereals. Boil for 3 m., cover, place in double boiler, and cook for one hour. Method 2. Put on the cereal in cold, salted water, let it come to a boil, allow to boil for 3 m., and proceed as before. Method 3. Cook the same amount of cereal in the manner and for the time prescribed in the directions on the box. Compare the three, as to taste and consistency, and frame, as a result of your experiments, the rule regarding the proportion of water to cereal that you think most appropriate for this particular variety. Remember, however, that great exactness is impossible, since the composition of the same cereal will vary from year to year, according to soil, season, and other factors. Method 4. Cook for from six to ten hours a similar proportion of cereal and water to the proportion used in Methods 1 and 2, but a much larger quantity should be prepared, lest the small amount should dry out too much during the prolonged cooking process. The cereal in this case might be cooked at home by some member of the class, or the process started earlier in the day by some student who has time. Method 5. Divide the cereal cooked by the first, second, or third method into three parts — A, B, and C. To A, previously cooled to from 100° to 150° F., add one teaspoonful of dry malt flour. Mix, and allow to stand for 5 m. Keep B at boiling point, and add to it a similar quantity of the malt flour, cooking the mixture for 5 m. Let C remain for a control test. Compare all three as to taste and consistency. Note. Malt flour can be obtained at any of the manufactories of malted breakfast foods, or it may be made by grinding up some barley or other grain that has been allowed to sprout in a shallow dish of water until the young shoots are about as long as the grain. ACCOMPANIMENTS TO CEREALS Dates, or any other dried fruit, chopped and lightly stirred in a few minutes before removing the cereal from the fire, make a pleasing variety. Or the cooked cereal may be served with baked apple or apple sauce. Or a spoonful of fig marmalade, made by pressing steamed figs through a colander, tastes good with rice, or cereals of undecided flavor. Cream is a logical accompaniment to the breakfast cereal, since it supplies the fat in which most of the grains are deficient. Boiled Macaroni Break some sticks of macaroni into one-inch pieces until you have from one-quarter to one-half a cupful. Cook in a large quantity of boiling, salted water until done. The time for cooking depends on both the method of manufacture and the age of the macaroni, and varies from 20 to 40 min. When done, the strips, if cut across, should not show a thin line of uncooked paste in the center.