The Healthfulness of the Residues
The healthfulness of these residues is discussed in Bulletin No. 103
of the United States Department of Agriculture, professional paper, en-
titled "Alum in Foods," this being the decision of the Referee Board
after a long extended investigation. The members of this board were
selected by the President of the United States because their high scien-
tific knowledge, the eminent positions they occupy, and the complete
facilities for investigation at their command, were such as to render their
conclusions respect-impelling and final. The following is a quotation
from the report :
"Alum, as such, is not present in food when eaten."
Properly Balanced Action
A study of the keeping qualities and of the speed of action has
resulted in the production of baking powders containing a combination
of two of these ' ' acids. ' ' The most notable are those containing phosphate
and "alum." The aim has been to produce a baking powder with a
correctly balanced action, giving off a proper amount of gas in the cold,
with a sufficiently large amount of gas that will only be given off on
heating the mixture in the oven, and, at the same time, a powder that will
not easily spoil. As a result of such consideration and extensive experi-
ments, baking powders have been produced superior to any made with
a single "acid" ingredient. Properly proportioned powders, of the
"phosphate-alum" type, are not only the best in keeping quality, but,
when they contain sufficient phosphate, have also the best balanced speed
of action, and insure the housewife against the dangers either of fallen
biscuits on the one hand or of biscuits, which have crusted over too
quickly to obtain the desired lightness, on the other hand.
Cost of Baking Powder
The cost of any material used for a piece of work must be figured
on the cost of that material for a single unit of the work to be done.
An example of the difference in cost of baking powder is the fol-
lowing :
37
LESSON No. 2 Domestic Science
"A" sells baking powder at fifty cents per pound and directs that
yojl use two heaping teaspoonfuls to the quart of flour.
"B" sells baking powder at twenty-five cents per pound, and directs
that you use two rounded teaspoonfuls to the quart of flour.
What does it cost to leaven a quart o£ flour with "AV powder as
compared with that of " B 's ' ' ? ~ ;;, ,J1;.
Answer — Four times as much.
Caution: Never use more baking powder than recommended by
the manuf ac'turer. By following directions you will get the best results.
A baking powder that gives off nearly all of its gas in the cold, as
does a straight phosphate or a tartaric acid and a cream of tartar baking
powder,, will produce a large dough biscuit before being placed in the
oven. The dough in thisrcase is already much distended and the gluten
of the flour will not hold much more gas without breaking and allowing
the gas to escape. Practically all of the gas has been set free before it
is placed in the oven. If placed in an oven of a low temperature, any
jarring of the floor or slamming of the door of the oven is likely to cause
a fallen cake. This danger applies especially to straight phosphate and
to cream of tartar and tartaric acid powders.
Most of the widely advertised "pure cream of tartar ^baking
powders contain tartaric acid.
Self-Rising Flour
Page 17
Presented as published in 1916. 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
The Healthfulness of the Residues
The healthfulness of these residues is discussed in Bulletin No. 103 of the United States Department of Agriculture, professional paper, entitled "Alum in Foods," this being the decision of the Referee Board after a long extended investigation. The members of this board were selected by the President of the United States because their high scientific knowledge, the eminent positions they occupy, and the complete facilities for investigation at their command, were such as to render their conclusions respect-impelling and final. The following is a quotation from the report :
"Alum, as such, is not present in food when eaten."
Properly Balanced Action
A study of the keeping qualities and of the speed of action has resulted in the production of baking powders containing a combination of two of these ' ' acids. ' ' The most notable are those containing phosphate and "alum." The aim has been to produce a baking powder with a correctly balanced action, giving off a proper amount of gas in the cold, with a sufficiently large amount of gas that will only be given off on heating the mixture in the oven, and, at the same time, a powder that will not easily spoil. As a result of such consideration and extensive experiments, baking powders have been produced superior to any made with a single "acid" ingredient. Properly proportioned powders, of the "phosphate-alum" type, are not only the best in keeping quality, but, when they contain sufficient phosphate, have also the best balanced speed of action, and insure the housewife against the dangers either of fallen biscuits on the one hand or of biscuits, which have crusted over too quickly to obtain the desired lightness, on the other hand.
Cost of Baking Powder
The cost of any material used for a piece of work must be figured on the cost of that material for a single unit of the work to be done.
An example of the difference in cost of baking powder is the following :
LESSON No. 2 Domestic Science
"A" sells baking powder at fifty cents per pound and directs that you use two heaping teaspoonfuls to the quart of flour.
"B" sells baking powder at twenty-five cents per pound, and directs that you use two rounded teaspoonfuls to the quart of flour.
What does it cost to leaven a quart of flour with "AV powder as compared with that of " B 's ' ' ? ~ ;;, ,J1;.
Answer — Four times as much.
Caution: Never use more baking powder than recommended by the manufacturer. By following directions you will get the best results.
A baking powder that gives off nearly all of its gas in the cold, as does a straight phosphate or a tartaric acid and a cream of tartar baking powder,, will produce a large dough biscuit before being placed in the oven. The dough in this case is already much distended and the gluten of the flour will not hold much more gas without breaking and allowing the gas to escape. Practically all of the gas has been set free before it is placed in the oven. If placed in an oven of a low temperature, any jarring of the floor or slamming of the door of the oven is likely to cause a fallen cake. This danger applies especially to straight phosphate and to cream of tartar and tartaric acid powders.
Most of the widely advertised "pure cream of tartar baking powders contain tartaric acid.
Self-Rising Flour