Mary A. Wilson

“ Fish is similar to meat in composition and structure and is classed among the protein or body-building foods; it may replace meat or its equivalent on the menu.
The muscle consists of a bundle of fibers, bound together by a connective tissue; it is so tender that it requires much less time to cook than meat. Fish, as a rule, contains less fat than meat, and while there is considerable refuse, it will be found to be about equal to the bone in meat.
The methods of cooking fish are: Broiling, boiling, baking, deep fat frying and sautéing. ”

“ Truly, the words of "trusting to luck" should be taboo in the efficient woman's kitchen.
The temptation to add just a little more sugar, flour or shortening to a recipe with the idea of improving it must be eliminated if you wish to cook successfully. When using vegetable oil in place of butter in making cakes cut down the quantity of fat fully one-third. Many cake recipes contain too much fat.
When the amounts are less than one cup, frequently it is easier to measure with a spoon. Remember all measures are level:
Sift the flour once before measuring. ”

“ Meat cooked in an oven by radiated heat is frequently called in this country "roasting." It is well known and needs little description. When baking meat always use a wire rack to lift the meat from the bottom of the pan. This will insure even cooking.
Use the broiling oven in the gas range for roasting, placing rack sufficiently low. Have the oven hot enough to brown the meat quickly, then reduce the heat so that it will cook evenly; turn the roast three times during this process.
Allow one-half an hour after placing meat in the oven before counting time. ”

“ Meat allowed to lie on a platter soon loses its nutritious qualities with the escaping of the juices.
FILLET OF BEEF
Have the butcher trim the fillet into shape and then lard it with salt pork. Dust lightly with flour and then place on a rack in the roasting pan and place in a hot oven, basting every ten minutes. Cook, allowing the meat one-half hour to become thoroughly heated and to start cooking; then allow twelve minutes for every pound. This cut is the choicest of the entire cattle and is without a single ounce of waste. It is delicious either hot or cold. ”

“ One quart of water,
One and one-half cups of honey,
One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the fruit is soft, mashing frequently with the potato masher. Cool and strain into punch bowl. Add a piece of ice and the juice of one orange or one lemon.
FATS
Fat is a heat-or fuel-producing food which is very valuable in cold weather for supplying the body with heat and energy. Often foods that are cooked in fat are termed indigestible; this means that the food is not utilized in the body and, owing to some digestive disturbances, it becomes part of the waste. ”

“ The French lay great stress upon two essentials in making soup successfully. First, it must not go below the boiling point, just a gentle bubbling, and, second, after once started, no water should be added. In making soup always use cold water to start with. Do not use salt or any seasoning, and heat slowly, keeping the pot closely covered.
Protein, which is the chief constituent of meat, is drawn into the liquid, making it very nutritious. Rapid boiling destroys the fine aroma and volatile oils, which escape in the steam. ”

“ Cook for five minutes after the boiling point is reached and then remove from the fire and add seasoning. It is then ready to use. If you desire a butter flavor, add one tablespoonful of butter with the seasoning and stir until melted.
Part milk and water, stock, chicken broth, oyster or clam juice may be used in place of all milk with very good results. When making soups or sauces for meat and vegetable dishes the liquid from the canned vegetables, or the water in which the fresh vegetables were cooked, may be combined with an equal portion of milk. ”

“ In filling the cake pan put the mixture well into the corners and leave a slight depression in the centre. This will leave the cake perfectly smooth on top. Now, if the oven is too cool when the cakes go into it the cake will rise over the top of the pans and become coarse-grained. While, on the other hand, if it is too hot it will brown quickly on the top before the cake has had a chance to rise; then when the dough does attempt to rise it will break through and crack the crust. Too much flour will also cause this. Now to break the old hoodoos about cake-baking! ”

“ Cream soups are a combination of vegetables, puree and milk. Almost all of the green vegetables will make delicious soups. Clean the vegetables well and then cut into small pieces. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook slowly until tender and then mash well; then rub through a fine sieve. Use this vegetable stock with equal parts of milk to make the soup.
Carrots, peas, tomatoes, turnips, corn, beans, celery, lettuce, potatoes, beets, cucumbers, asparagus, all these afford a splendid variety. ”

“ The placing of water in the broiler pan prevents fat from catching fire. This liquid may be allowed to cool and then the fat may be removed and clarified and used for other purposes. Baste roast with one pint of boiling water while cooking.
ROASTING AND BAKING MEATS
Roasting or grilling is done before open fire, the meat being turned frequently, so that all sides may be cooked alike. The meat is basted with its own fat. This method of cooking meat is used daily in Europe, but not much used in this country.
When a piece of meat is large it is roasted. ”

“ While she may sometimes have a failure, she will never attribute it to her measure or the method of compounding the ingredients; oftentimes she will blame the flour, the baking powder or even the oven.
One woman wrote me that she wished to know what the trouble was with her cakes. I asked her to give the recipe and she answered that she generally used a bowl for measuring and that then she used sugar, eggs, butter, flour and enough milk or water to make a batter—there was no real definite amounts. ”

“ Many people who go on a diet for reducing flesh in a few days complain of great, weariness, exhaustion and gnawing hunger in the pit of the stomach. A diet that cuts down the supply of food with the intention of reducing is extremely dangerous unless it is supervised by a physician. But persons who wish to make a visible reduction of flesh in a time ranging from five to six weeks can do so, if they will learn the foods that cause and feed these flesh-forming tissues and learn to replace this with non-fat-forming foods. ”

“ When putting the suet, raisins and dried fruit through the food chopper, add a dried crust of bread to prevent clogging.
EGGS
The similarity in the proportion of the shell, yolk and white of eggs in the chicken eggs is that the shell averages about one-tenth, the yolk about three-fourths and the white about four-tenths. The shell alone is counted as waste. The white contains about six-eighths water, the solids of the white are virtually all nitrogenous matter or protein. The yolk contains about one-half water and one-third fat, and the balance is of nitrogenous matter or protein. ”

“ A poor range will spoil the best cook
You are not always to blame when a roast goes bad in the oven—when a cake falls in the centre—the fault may be with your gas range—your oven does not heat uniformly or you have to use too much gas to get the results you are after.
The Fortune gas range was designed to help you cook. The Fortune is not merely our conception of what a good gas range should be. ”

“ Use a good grade of blended flour.
Use the ball of the hand, near the wrist, to knead and work the dough. Kneading is most important and should be thoroughly done. Do not be afraid of hurting the dough; you can [pg 4] handle it as roughly as you like. Heavy, active kneading distributes the yeast organisms and develops the elasticity of the gluten and gives body and strength to the dough.
Now, a word about the baking. Bread is baked to kill the fermentation and to hold the glutinous walls of the dough in place and to cook the starch and thus make it palatable and easy to digest. ”

“ When ready to turn on a moulding board cut the dough in half and roll each piece out one-quarter of an inch thick. Spread with shortening and then lightly with brown sugar and with one-half cupful of finely shredded almonds or peanuts. Roll like a jelly roll. Press flat with a rolling pin until just one inch thick. Cut in pieces six inches long and then place in a well-greased baking pan and let rise thirty-five minutes. When ready to bake, cut a gash three inches long on each cake. Wash with egg and milk and strew with finely shredded almonds. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. ”

“ Mutton or lamb fat must be clarified and then blended with ham and bacon or sausage fat. Fat from bacon, ham and sausages may be used for flavoring vegetables in place of butter, for cooking omelets, potato cakes, mush and scrapple. It is a splendid seasoning to use for macaroni, baked beans with tomato sauce, dried beans and peas in soups and when cooking dried lima beans. There is really no need to allow a spoonful of these fats to be wasted. Fats that are not available for table use should be collected and made into soap. ”

“ Use salad oil in a new sewing-machine oil can to grease waffle iron.
Almost everyone loves good sweet butter on the hot cakes in the morning. At the present prices of butter the frugal housewife looks upon the fast disappearing pat of butter with alarm. Now try this and save the butter and yet give the [pg 31] folks the butter flavor upon their cakes; place two tablespoonfuls of butter in a pitcher which will hold a cupful of syrup. Add the syrup and then place the pitcher in a pan of warm water and set on the stove to heat. Beat constantly until the butter melts and produces a creamy mix. ”

“ A few essential utensils are necessary to produce successful results; first, a heavy kettle that will not tilt, and second, a frying basket, so that the food may be removed quickly when cooked.
The correct temperature for deep-fat frying is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for raw foods, such as crullers, fish, fritters, potatoes, etc. For cooked dishes and oysters, cheeseballs, etc., 370 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do not attempt to cook large quantities at one time. This will cause a sudden drop in the temperature of the fat, allowing it to permeate the food which is cooking and thus give a greasy product. ”

“ Use oven for baking and boiling and then cook your meats in the old-fashioned English way by direct contact with the flame. This means that you must first place one quart of water and one tablespoon of salt in the broiler pan of the gas range; then place in the roast, steak or chops, upon the broiler; turn [pg 155] every few minutes. The roast must be placed farther from the flame to prevent burning. A good rule for this is to keep roasting meat four inches from the flame, steaks and chops two and one-half inches and fish three inches. ”

“ When the yeast cells have absorbed or consumed all the food that they can obtain from the sugar, flour, etc., the dough will recede or fall. Now, if the dough is carefully handled at a given time, this will not take place, and so for this reason the dough is permitted to stand only for a given length of time before it is worked and then placed in the pans.
Few utensils will be required for making bread, but they must be scrupulously clean, if the bread is to have a good flavor. Potatoes and other cooked cereals may be used with good results. ”