Principles of food preparation

Notes. It is said that the flavor of the beverage is improved if the dry, ground coffee is heated in the oven for a few minutes before adding the water. A very small amount of salt, one-quarter teaspoonful to a cup of water, is also said to improve very much the flavor of the coffee. The taste of the salt will not be apparent in so small quantity. One raw egg is sufficient to clear one cup of ground coffee. Clean eggshells, for the sake of the albumen which adheres to them, may be substituted for the egg — when these are at hand — for the sake of economy. Or a square inch of isinglass, or dried fish skin, or one of the patent coffee settlers, can also be substituted for the egg. Or a skillful coffee maker can make good clear coffee without any such aid. A perfectly clean coffeepot, free from the odor of the coffee of the day before, is another important factor in good coffee making. To this end, after scrupulous washing of the pot it should be put away on the shelf with the lid open until needed for use. TEA Freshly boiling water is invariably prescribed for making tea, but since there is often carelessness in carrying out this direction, it may be well to state that by freshly boiling is meant water that has just boiled for the first time, not water that has continued to boil for perhaps half an hour, nor water that has boiled and cooled and been boiled again for several times. And by freshly boiling is meant water that is actually boiling at the time of tea-making, not water that has been boiling a few minutes ago and been set aside. To Make Tea Method I. Allow one rounded teaspoonful of tea for every cup of water. Put the tea into the teapot, pour on the freshly boiling water, and set the pot where the beverage will keep hot, but not boil, for 5 m. — no longer. It can then be served from the pot, or strained from the leaves into a clean, thoroughly heated pot, since if the serving time is prolonged the tea acquires a bitter taste from standing on the leaves. A CUP OF TEA Method 2. Proceed as before, and after the hot water has been added to the tea, cover the pot closely with a tea cozy, and let it stand for 10 m. to '' draw " before serving. Method 3. Put the tea into a tea ball, or one of the open tea strainers, pour the water into the cup, and dip the ball up and down in the water until the color indicates the strength desired. If a tea strainer is used the strainer is held over each cup and the water poured through. Compare the flavor of the tea made in different ways. Cocoa I Ingredients. Cocoa, sugar, water, salt, and milk. Proportions. Twice as much sugar as cocoa, twice as much water as sugar, one tablespoonful of cocoa to every cup of milk, one-quarter teaspoonful of salt to every cup of milk. When more than a pint of cocoa is to be made, the proportion of water should be diminished, no more being required than will make a paste after a few minutes' boiling. Method. Cook the cocoa, sugar, water, and salt, stirring constantly, until the spoon leaves a track in the mixture. Add the milk, and let the whole boil for a minute. Decrease the temperature, and beat the mixture with a Dover beater until a thick froth forms on the top. Make on the basis of one tablespoonful of cocoa. Cocoa II