Anonymous

“ Exercise and activity use up energy—or calories. If you cut down activity but not food, you are providing more energy than the body needs. The excess is stored as fat.
• Reduce food intake as you—as an adult—get older. As adults grow older, less energy is needed to keep the body functioning.
To reduce food intake without shortchanging the body of essential nutrients, follow the pattern of choices suggested by the Daily Food Guide. Weight watchers need the same types of food for health as everyone else. Crash diets and food fads are not the answer and may be dangerous to health. ”

“ Milk also provides protein, riboflavin, vitamin A, and many other nutrients. Cheese and ice cream also supply these nutrients, but in different proportions.
The bread-cereal group, with its whole-grain and enriched bread and other cereal products, furnishes important amounts of protein, iron, several of the B-vitamins, and food energy.
Fats, oils, sugars, and sweets are not emphasized in the guide because they are common in every diet. ”

“ Dry beans and peas are also economical choices for main dishes.
If the main dish is not high in protein, you can supply additional protein with other foods in the meal. If, for example, a pound of meat is to serve eight persons, you might combine it with vegetables or cereal in a casserole or stew, have milk to drink, and serve cheese-topped apple pie for dessert.
Meat
Meat cooked at low to moderate temperatures is more tender, juicy, and flavorful than meat cooked at high temperatures. There is more meat to serve because there is less shrinkage at low temperatures. ”

“ The grade of the egg does not affect its food value; lower grades are as high in nutrients as top grades. Buy either white or brown eggs. The color of the shell does not affect the nutritive value or quality of the egg.
Size.—Eggs are also classified by size according to weight per dozen. Size is independent of quality; large eggs may be of high or low quality and high-quality eggs may be of any size. ”

“ Everyone needs the same nutrients throughout life but in different amounts. Proportionately greater amounts are required for the growth of a body than just for its upkeep. Boys and men need more energy and nutrients than girls and women. Large people need more than small people. Active people require more food energy than inactive ones. People recovering from illness need more than healthy people.
You and your family can get all the nutrients you need from foods, but no one food contains all the nutrients in the amounts required for growth and health. ”

“ Foods that abound in protein—meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and cheese—make satisfying main dishes. Thrifty main dishes often combine these protein-rich foods with vegetables and cereals—beef stew with vegetables or dumplings, chicken with rice, fish with stuffing, cheese with macaroni. ”

“ Salads made from eggs and potatoes, from seafoods, and from meats and cheeses also deserve a place in your meal planning.
Tips on salad making
Selecting top-quality fruits and vegetables is a good start toward a good salad. Fresh food has eye and taste appeal.
Give salad foods the best care to avoid damage and to keep them fresh. If you prepare salad ingredients ahead of time, store them, without dressing, in the refrigerator. ”

“ As you become more expert, you can develop your own variations.
White sauce 1 cup
Melt butter, margarine, or other fat in heavy saucepan. Blend in flour until smooth. Add salt. Add milk slowly, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Thin white sauce is used in cream soup, gravy, and in creamed and scalloped vegetables, eggs, fish, and meat.
Medium white sauce is also used in gravy and in creamed and scalloped vegetables, eggs, fish, and meat. ”

“ Dry beans will cook more quickly if you add baking soda to the water before soaking. If tap water is of medium hardness, adding 1⁄8 teaspoon soda to the water for each cup of dry beans reduces cooking time about one-fourth. Measure soda exactly; too much soda affects flavor and nutritive value of beans.
To reduce foaming when cooking dry beans, add 1 tablespoon meat drippings or other fat to the cooking water for each cup of beans. ”

“ Brown meat slowly on all sides in enough added fat to keep meat from sticking. Use a heavy pan. Meats may be floured or not, as desired, before browning. Floured meats brown better than unfloured meats. Meats that have a considerable amount of fat and that are not floured can be browned without added fat.
Season the meat. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, add a small amount of liquid (about 1⁄2 cup for a roast) . Many cuts of meat can be braised without added liquid. Steam from meat juices trapped in a covered pan provides enough moisture. Cover pan tightly. ”

“ One-half to 1 cup water usually is enough for 6 servings of young, tender vegetables. Older root vegetables that need longer cooking may require water to cover. Spinach and other greens need only the water clinging to their leaves from washing if cooked over low heat in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Tomatoes can be cooked in their own juice. ”

“ Choose thin steaks, chops, or ham slices (1 inch thick or less) . Or shape meat patties less than an inch thick.
[Pg 21]
Slash fat around edge of meat to prevent it from curling. Grease pan lightly with fat or rub pan with fat edge of meat.
Cook meat slowly over moderate heat, turning occasionally as necessary. Pour off excess fat as it accumulates. Total cooking time will be 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness desired. Pork chops may take a little longer. ”

“ Broiler or fryer chickens can be roasted, ovenbaked, barbecued, or cooked on a rotisserie as well as broiled or fried. Fryer-roaster turkeys weighing 4 or 5 pounds can be roasted whole, or can be cut into parts and fried or broiled.
Rock Cornish game hens can be cooked like broiler or fryer chickens. Small ducks are suitable for broiling or frying; larger ones, for roasting or rotisserie cooking. Geese roast very well.
Roast poultry uncovered for best color and to reduce splitting and shrinkage. Poultry can be roasted with or without stuffing; unstuffed birds take slightly less time to cook. ”

“ In using the Boiling Guide for Fresh Vegetables on the following page, remember that vegetables may require shorter or longer cooking time than given, the exact time depending on quality and variety of vegetable. The altitude at which you live will also affect cooking times; you can shorten the time by cutting, slicing, dicing, or coarsely shredding vegetables. ”

“ The substitution of one size egg for another often makes little difference in recipe results. However, in some recipes—for example in sponge and angelfood cakes—the proportion of egg to other ingredients is very important. For these recipes, it may be necessary to increase the number of eggs if you are using a smaller size.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually best in quality and lowest in cost when in season.
Whatever fruit or vegetable you are buying, look first for freshness. Pointers on selecting some fruits and vegetables follow on page 12. ”

“ Add broth, milk, and seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Add chicken and vegetables; heat thoroughly.
For the pastry, mix flour, with baking powder and salt.
Mix in fat until mixture is crumbly. Add a little water at a time, blending lightly.
Dough should be just moist enough to cling together when pressed into a ball.
Roll dough on a lightly floured surface; shape to fit top of 9- or 10-inch piepan. Make a few small slits near center.
Pour filling into piepan; top with pastry. Turn under pastry edges and press firmly to pan. ”

“ Serve the eggs hot or plunge them at once into cold running water and leave until cold.
Note: The green discoloration that sometimes appears between the white and the yolk of a hard-cooked egg results from a chemical reaction, which is harmless. To help prevent this discoloration, cook eggs at low temperature, avoid overcooking, and cool promptly.
Fried eggs
Heat a small amount of fat in a frypan. Bacon or ham drippings may be used for flavor. Break eggs, one at a time, into a saucer, and slip them into the fat. ”

“ Unstuffed poultry may take slightly less time than stuffed poultry. Cooking time is based on chilled poultry or poultry that has just been thawed—temperature not above 40° F. Frozen unstuffed poultry will take longer. Do not use this roasting guide for frozen commercially stuffed poultry; follow package directions.
Stuffing About 1 quart
3 tablespoons butter, margarine, or poultry fat
3⁄4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 quart soft breadcrumbs
1⁄2 teaspoon savory seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, as desired
Melt fat in heavy pan ”

“ Pour warm sauce over ice cream. Makes about 3⁄4 cup or enough for 6 sundaes.
[Pg 74]
Ways to Use Leftovers
Don’t throw good leftover food away. Use your cooking skill—and your imagination—to make leftovers tasty.
Some leftovers make good second meals merely by reheating. Others are better prepared in a new way—with seasonings, sauces, crisp toppings. Try leftover fruit in muffins, vegetables in omelets. Substitute 2 leftover egg yolks for 1 whole egg in baked custard. And soups often become richer, more delicious when leftovers are added. ”

“ Count as 1 serving: 1 slice of bread; 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal; 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup cooked cereal, cornmeal, grits, macaroni, noodles, rice, or spaghetti.
OTHER FOODS
To round out meals and meet energy needs, almost everyone will use some foods not specified in the four food groups. Such foods include: unenriched, refined breads, cereals, flours; sugars; butter, margarine, other fats. These often are ingredients in a recipe or added to other foods during preparation or at the table. ”

“ Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing pan.
Variations
Use 12 canned apricot halves or 6 canned pineapple slices or 1 cup of drained canned crushed pineapple for the fruit.
Timesaver
Instead of quick coffee cake batter, use a 1-layer package of cake mix, prepared by package directions.
Cherry cobbler 6 servings
1⁄2 recipe sweet biscuit dough (p. 60)
2⁄3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can (1 pound) pitted red sour cherries, water pack
1⁄8 teaspoon almond extract
Few drops red food coloring
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Make biscuit dough but do not roll out. ”

“ Snacks are counted as a part of the day’s total food. Sensible snacking can help meet nutritional needs, but indiscriminate eating between meals usually leads to more calories than are wanted, less of some nutrients than are needed. ”

“ Broiling temperature can be regulated by the distance meat is placed from heat source and whether the door is open or closed during broiling. Because broilers vary widely, follow the manufacturer’s directions. If you like meat well done, place it farther from the heat source than for medium or rare meat—to avoid burning the outside before the center is cooked. ”

“ Add salt pork and salt to beans and simmer until beans are tender, about 11⁄2 hours. Drain; save 1⁄2 cup liquid. Place beans in a 3-quart casserole.
Combine bean cooking liquid, brown sugar, mustard, onion, and molasses. Pour over beans. Bake uncovered at 350° F. (moderate oven) 1 hour, or until beans are lightly browned on top and of desired consistency.
Menu suggestion
Serve with frankfurters or cold cuts, coleslaw, and baked apples.
[Pg 42]
Vegetables
Knowing how to prepare vegetables to retain their nutritive value and appetite appeal is a test of any good cook. ”

“ Thoroughly mix prunes into cake batter. Pour batter into two greased and floured 8- or 9-inch layer cakepans.
Bake according to package directions but increase baking time by 10 minutes. Cool cake a few minutes before removing from the pans. When cool, frost with creamy white frosting (p. 69) .
Velvety white cake Two 8-inch layers
2 cups cake flour
11⁄4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup softened butter or margarine or shortening
1 cup milk
4 egg whites, unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract, if desired
Mix dry ingredients well. ”

“ You can buy chicken and turkey in convenient sizes—chilled or frozen—any day of the year. And for variety, try duck and goose.
Preparing poultry
Ready-to-cook poultry needs little preparation before cooking. Inspect for pinfeathers. Wash and drain poultry.
Keep frozen poultry frozen until time to thaw or cook. Frozen poultry usually is thawed before cooking, but poultry parts or whole poultry frozen without giblets can be cooked without thawing. Cooking time will be longer than for unfrozen poultry. Do not thaw commercially frozen stuffed poultry before cooking. ”

“ Small fish are called pan-dressed and are ready to cook as purchased. Large dressed fish may be cooked as purchased, but often are filleted or cut into steaks or chunks.
Steaks.—Cross-section slices from large dressed fish cut 5⁄8 to 1 inch thick. Steaks can be cooked as purchased.
Fillets.—Sides of the fish cut lengthwise away from the backbone. They may be skinned or the skin may be left on. Fillets are ready to cook as purchased.
Chunks.—Cross sections of large dressed fish. A cross section of the backbone is the only bone in a chunk. They are ready to cook as purchased. ”

“ Place the chicken in a deep pan. Add enough water to half cover a whole chicken or to cover pieces. Season as desired.
Cover pan and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender—2 to 3 hours for a stewing chicken, 45 minutes to 1 hour for a broiler-fryer.
Cook giblets with the chicken or separately.
Serve stewed chicken in gravy made by thickening the broth, or use in any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.
Fried chicken Plump young chicken, 11⁄2 to 3 pounds ready to cook
Salt, pepper, flour
Fat or oil
Prepare chicken for cooking according to the directions on page 26. ”

“ For 6 servings, use 11⁄2 quarts finely shredded cabbage or 1 quart cut corn or thinly sliced carrots.
Heat 11⁄2 to 2 tablespoons butter, margarine, meat drippings, or oil in a heavy pan over moderate heat. Add vegetable and sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Add 3 tablespoons water (6 tablespoons for corn) and cover pan tightly to hold in steam.
Cook over low heat until vegetable is tender; stir occasionally to prevent sticking. ”

“ For best flavor and cooking quality, use eggs within 1 week if possible. Eggs held in the refrigerator for a long time may develop off-flavors and lose some thickening and leavening power.
Cover leftover yolks with cold water and refrigerate in a tightly covered container. Refrigerate leftover egg whites, too, in a tightly covered container. Use leftover yolks or whites within 1 or 2 days.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruits should be ripe when stored in the refrigerator. ”