a large quantity of water. To this rule, there are a few exceptions.
Old cabbage, for instance, is likely to have a strong flavor and a
dark color if cooked by this method; but if the leaves are pulled
apart and then dropped into deep boiling water, they will retain
their delicate green color and will have a mild flavor in contrast
to the dark color and strong flavor that result when it is cooked
in compact form or in large pieces. When cabbage is very tender
and crisp, if shredded fine, it may be cooked in a covered vessel,
with the addition 'of a little vegetable butter, and no water, the
vessel being covered, and the cabbage stirred often. The moisture
in the vegetable is sufficient.
During the cooking of green vegetables, such as new peas,
string beans, etc., the cover should be drawn a little to one side
of the stewpan or kettle, so as to allow the escape of the steam,
which is laden with volatile bodies that will, if retained, impart
to the vegetable a strong flavor and a dark color.
Mustard greens, beet and turnip tops, spinach, etc., after being
washed in several waters to remove grit, should be put to cook
in deep boiling water with the cover off. The reason why greens,
especially those well grown, require more water in the cooking
than ordinary succulent vegetables, is that in growing for some
time exposed to the sun, they develop a bitter flavor, and this is
largely extracted by this manner of cooking. When spinach is
very tender, it may be cooked with no additional water beyond
that remaining on the leaves after washing. During the cooking,
it should be turned over occasionally with a fork or a spoon, the
saucepan being covered, to inclose the steam. It will require but
a few minutes' cooking. Serve without chopping.
Fresh vegetables should be thoroughly cpoked, but the cooking
should stop wrhen the vegetable is yet firm. Overcooking toughens
the texture of vegetable foods, destroys the coloring matters, and
injures the mineral bodies that contribute to their flavor and nutri-
ment. Vegetables should be allowed to boil slowly during the
cooking process, as rapid boiling tends to chip off the surface of
the food, making it less palatable, and causing a loss in nutriment.
Rapid boiling hardens some foods ; for instance, green corn, which
65
SCIENCE of FOOD ancf COOKERY
should be put into boiling water, brought to the boiling point, and
then drawn to the side of the stove for twenty minutes.
A most valuable form of vegetable food is raw green stuff,
containing the organic salts unchanged by heating. This includes
such foods as lettuce, water cress, celery, cabbage, radishes, cu-
cumbers, and ground, chopped, or diced raw vegetable salads. In
these, the cellulose is best when eaten crisp; and their mineral
salts, largely lost in cooking, are preserved.
The third object of cooking is the destruction of disease germs
or other dangerous organisms that may be present. Vegetables
and some fruits may become contaminated with the eggs of para-
sites from fertilizers applied to them. Hence raw fruits and
vegetables should always be thoroughly washed before they are
served, if there is any doubt as to their cleanliness.
Page 35
Presented as published in 1921. 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
a large quantity of water. To this rule, there are a few exceptions. Old cabbage, for instance, is likely to have a strong flavor and a dark color if cooked by this method; but if the leaves are pulled apart and then dropped into deep boiling water, they will retain their delicate green color and will have a mild flavor in contrast to the dark color and strong flavor that result when it is cooked in compact form or in large pieces. When cabbage is very tender and crisp, if shredded fine, it may be cooked in a covered vessel, with the addition 'of a little vegetable butter, and no water, the vessel being covered, and the cabbage stirred often. The moisture in the vegetable is sufficient.
During the cooking of green vegetables, such as new peas, string beans, etc., the cover should be drawn a little to one side of the stewpan or kettle, so as to allow the escape of the steam, which is laden with volatile bodies that will, if retained, impart to the vegetable a strong flavor and a dark color.
Mustard greens, beet and turnip tops, spinach, etc., after being washed in several waters to remove grit, should be put to cook in deep boiling water with the cover off. The reason why greens, especially those well grown, require more water in the cooking than ordinary succulent vegetables, is that in growing for some time exposed to the sun, they develop a bitter flavor, and this is largely extracted by this manner of cooking. When spinach is very tender, it may be cooked with no additional water beyond that remaining on the leaves after washing. During the cooking, it should be turned over occasionally with a fork or a spoon, the saucepan being covered, to inclose the steam. It will require but a few minutes' cooking. Serve without chopping.
Fresh vegetables should be thoroughly cooked, but the cooking should stop when the vegetable is yet firm. Overcooking toughens the texture of vegetable foods, destroys the coloring matters, and injures the mineral bodies that contribute to their flavor and nutriment. Vegetables should be allowed to boil slowly during the cooking process, as rapid boiling tends to chip off the surface of the food, making it less palatable, and causing a loss in nutriment. Rapid boiling hardens some foods ; for instance, green corn, which
should be put into boiling water, brought to the boiling point, and then drawn to the side of the stove for twenty minutes.
A most valuable form of vegetable food is raw green stuff, containing the organic salts unchanged by heating. This includes such foods as lettuce, water cress, celery, cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, and ground, chopped, or diced raw vegetable salads. In these, the cellulose is best when eaten crisp; and their mineral salts, largely lost in cooking, are preserved.
The third object of cooking is the destruction of disease germs or other dangerous organisms that may be present. Vegetables and some fruits may become contaminated with the eggs of parasites from fertilizers applied to them. Hence raw fruits and vegetables should always be thoroughly washed before they are served, if there is any doubt as to their cleanliness.