FoodNet

True food values and their low costs

1916

Page 19

Presented as published in 1916. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Endeavor to avoid waste either in food or3 coal. Some cooks will make a rich soup or savory I stew out of fragments that a wasteful one rejects J as useless. Poverty does not in any way prevent skill, and I skill in preparing food means better living at less J cost. Economy in buying does not mean buyir^ I cheap foods. It means the wise selection of such I foods as your purse will allow and those best J suited to the occupation of your family. Meat is the most expensive and extravagant of 1 all foods. Save every bit that is left over and * make it into a dish for another meal. Remember that pure molasses, honey, and maple syrup are wholesome foods, and often a meal supplemented by biscuits and honey, or mush ■ and syrup, instead of the usual heavy desert, is| not only more wholesome, but more enjoyable! and certainly more economical. Sugar is a source of quick energy. Give your J TRVE FOOD VALVES (-7 child a little pure candy and some coarse oatmeal crackers after school, and he is furnished with quick energy in an absolutely harmless form. Do not give candy or sweets just before a meal, for the appetite may be sated and the child refuse his regular food. No matter whether the income is large or small, the balanced ration can always be maintained. Remember that all expenses beyond a certain point are for flavor and luxuries rather than for necessities. To Freshen Vegetables: — Unless vegetables are taken direct from the garden, they are always improved by freshening in clear, cold water. This is especially true of cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers, and pie-plant. If new potatoes are soaked thus, the work of scraping them is made much easier and the potatoes themselves will be found mealier. Onions should always be put in cold water before cooking In order to remove the acrid part of the vegetable. Cheese, cabbage, fish, and baked beans should never be put into the refrigerator, They all leave an odor of which it is difficult to rid the refriger- ator, and they also flavor the food. Cooked foods of all kinds should be cooled before they are placed in the refrigerator. 68 TRUE FOOD VALUES Articles of food made of gelatin or of milk should be kept covered, as both absorb not only odors but germs. Brine in which articles for pickles are to be • stored should be strong enough to hold up an egg. A generous pint of coarse salt to one gallon of | water is the usual proportion. To Keep Eggs : — Place two inches of wood | ashes in the bottom of a tin pail. In this, stand ] on the small end as many fresh eggs as you can I easily, without letting them touch. Sift over | them two inches of ashes and adjust another j layer of eggs. When the pail is full, cover it I tight, and place it in a cool cellar. The eggs will I keep perfectly all winter. This is an easy andi perfectly satisfactory method of keeping eggs. Buying Meats in Midsummer In planning the meat for the day, bear in mind the fact that in hot weather all meats (especially the flesh of young animals), fish, shell fish, eggs, milk and cheese should only be used when per- fectly fresh, and even then should be watched most carefully. Therefore, buy in small quantities and 1 extra precautions in the cooking. During g heat, you cannot be too careful in examining I your purchase before cooking. AND THEIR LOW COSTS 69 When a joint shows signs of taint, cut off the affected part and make sure that the remainder is quickly washed in vinegar and water, and it will be quite sweet.