Science of food & cookery

The bacteria of typhoid fever sometimes find their way into drinking water, and those of typhoid and diphtheria into milk, bringing disease and death to many. Thus food and drink may become dangerous purveyors of disease. When food and drink are sufficiently heated in cooking, all organisms are killed. PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COOKERY "Civilized man cannot live without cooks." THE two fundamental principles of successful cookery are: first, simplicity; second, appetising serving. The meaning of simplicity in this connection is, to conserve and develop the natural flavors of the particular food under hand, and not to confuse it with so many foreign substances as to make the whole a nameless mixture. The Creator has placed in each food certain delicate flavors and attractive colors, which may be preserved in the food by proper cooking. A great lack of judgment is often observed in the way different foods are mixed together without regard to the effect of the flavor of one food upon the other; likewise in the addition of large quantities of strong flavored substances, such as bay leaf, sage, thyme, and onion, to foods of delicate flavor, whereby the identity of the food is largely lost. A sprinkle of onion flavor with the potato, in making potato soup, adds greatly to its palatability ; but a little too much onion will so cover up the delicate flavor of the potato as to make the soup a disappointment. Cream and tomato combined make a very palatable and nourishing soup, and the combination is agreeable. By the addition of fried bones, onion, and spices, however, the tomato flavor is so predominated by the stronger flavors as to make a the soup a sort of nondescript, and consequently not in harmony with that simplicity in cookery which specializes en the development and conservation of those delicate flavors in food which are really satisfying to the natural taste. The close affinity that exists between coloring matter in vegetable foods and their flavors, precludes any thought of retaining the one without the presence of the other. In order that the green color in fresh vegetables may be preserved, they should be put to cook in boiling water; for this seals up the cells, as it were, and prevents the escape of much of the valuable salts and coloring matter. And the water should be kept boiling continuously until the food is done. Cold water, when added to fresh vegetables in cooking, extracts both color and flavor from the food, leaving it more or less insipid to the taste. Exception is made in the making of soups and vegetable stews, where the object is to extract the flavors into the broth or the gravy. The second factor in successful cookery is appetising serving. Palatability is one of the first essentials in nutrition. No matter how wholesome the food may be, one must relish it in order to be fully benefited thereby. The meals should be made to please not only the sense of taste, but all the senses if possible. While it is unwise to use harmful and highly seasoned foods, we must recognize the need of providing foods that please the sense of taste, sight, and smell, as these all have a very direct bearing upon the digestion of food.