TX 145 .B7 the Kll J. M M ■ n H««HiiuiinnMJ Class XX-lAS Book.-."^ U. Copyright )^^. COKRIGIIT DEPOSIT. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN .A /«%«>=)£» «v- Fig. 1 Economy in the Kitchen ^^c,J BY j; F. BREAZEALE PRICE ONE DOLLAR FRYE PUBLISHING COMPANY 15 West 1 07th Street NEW YOEK CITY Currants % Dewberries ^ Gooseberries % Huckleberries . . .y^ Peaches I/4 Pears Vt Plums 1/0 Quinces I/2 Raspberries . . . . i/4 Strawberries .... 1/2 BERRIES Wash and prepare the fruit, put into the preserving kettle, add sugar according to the table, bring slowly to a boil, and boil for fifteen minutes. First put the rubber rings on the jars, and then immerse them for a moment in hot water. Do this carefully to prevent breaking the jars. Fill with the hot fruit. Dip the tops in boiling water and put them on the jars. Clamp or screw down the tops, and if using a screw top jar, stand upside down out of a draft to cool. 82 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN SOFT FRUITS — APRICOTS, CHERRIES, GRAPES, PEACHES, PLUMS, PEARS AND QUINCES Peel or seed the fruit. Put into a preserving kettle with a little water. Add sugar according to the table, bring to a boil and cook until thoroughly done. This requires about twenty minutes for pears and quinces. Put in jars and seal as directed. CANNING WITH SUGAR IN JARS For such fruits as apricots, cherries, grapes, peaches and plums and all berries, prepare the fruit, put in the jars, add the amount of sugar shown in the table, cover with water, put on the rubber rings and tops loosely. Place in wash boiler upon false bottom and sterilize for twenty-five minutes. Clamp on the tops and remove from the boiler. For such fruits as pears and quinces increase the time of boiling to forty-five minutes. GRAPE JUICE Many of the grapes that go to waste upon the farm every year should be used in making grape juice. This can be prepared with very little trouble and may be canned either with or without sugar. There are few ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 83 drinks that are as palatable or as nutritious as cold grape juice. The juice of the grape contains from 12 to 25 per cent of sugar, depending upon the variety. As long as the grapes are sound and attached to the vine the juicy- interior is sterile, but as soon as the skin is broken many- kinds of ferments, principally yeasts, which exist almost everywhere in great abundance, drop into the juice and begin to break up the sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid gas. This decomposition of the sugar by yeast is the process of \^dne making, and the process will go on as long as any sugar remains in the juice. When all the sugar is used up a different set of ferments begin work and converts the alcohol into vinegar. So it is necessary to stop the action of the ferments as soon as possible after the juice is pressed from the grapes. This may be done in two ways, by the use of some preservative or by heat. A little sulphur is sometimes burned and the fumes passed into the juice. This will stop the fermen- tation, but it is a procedure that I never recommend. It has been proved that all kinds of grape juice may be sterilized at a temperature considerably below that of boiling water, about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the flavor is some better if the sterilization is done at this temperature instead of that of boiling water. But the housewife seldom has a thermometer that will regis- ter this high and must depend upon the temperature of boiling water. Use sound ripe grapes. Pick them from the stems, put into a preserving kettle, crush a few of them and add a little water to start the boiling. Bring slowly to a boil 84 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN and boil for thirty minutes. Crush the grapes and pour the contents of the kettle into a clean cloth sack. Hang up the sack and allow most of the juice to drain out, then twist or press out the rest. Pour the strained juice into fruit jars, put on the rubber rings and the tops loosely, place in clothes boiler upon false bottom, bring to a boil and boil for fifteen minutes, clamp or screw down the tops and remove from the boiler. This may not be the most scientific, but it is the most practical way of handling grape juice. A sediment will form in the jars after a while, so when opening the jars for use pour off the juice carefully and leave the sediment in the bottom of the jar. If a wine or cider press is convenient the juice may be pressed out of the grapes first, then heated slowly up to near boiling point or until it begins to steam, and allowed to stand in a glass, enameled or aluminum vessel for about twenty-four hours. By this time a greater part of the sediment will have settled to the bottom of the vessel. The juice may now be poured off through a piece of thick cloth, put into fruit jars and sterilized as before directed. APPLE JUICE OR CIDER Put clean, sound apples through a cider mill and press out the juice. Strain the juice through a thick cloth sack. Put into fruit jars and sterilize for fifteen minutes, as described under grape juice. The common muscadine and fox grapes that grow wild in such abundance throughout the South make ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 85 excellent unfermented juice. Blackberries, cherries, plums and currant juice may also be canned in this way. Unfermented fruit juice when opened may be used for making jelly. QUINCE PRESERVES There is no preserve that is finer than the quince, if it is prepared with care. You will find that your time has been largely wasted if you try to make quince pre- serves from inferior fruit. Unless perfect fruit can be obtained it is best to use it only for jelly. The imperfect fruit can be used for jelly, but even then it is trouble- some to prepare and will hardly repay you. The fruit should be ripe when used for preserving. With a soft, damp cloth rub the quinces clean, peel, cut into quarters and core, being careful to remove all the hard, gritty portions around the seed. Drop into cold water, to which has been added a little salt to prevent discolora- tion. As you peel the fruit save all the perfect cores and all good skins, rejecting the blossom end. Place these in a preserving kettle and add enough water to cover them, let them simmer until soft and strain off the juice through a coarse cloth. Rinse the quinces in cold water, weigh and place them in the preserving kettle with this juice. Bring to a boil and boil slowly. Watch the fruit and remove the pieces as they begin to soften. Spread these on platters, each piece separate as much as possible. When all fruit has been removed from the juice add sugar, a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit, to this juice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently 86 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN until the sugar dissolves. Carefully return the quinces to the syrup and let cook very slowly. Scald a jar and put the rubber ring on the neck, and as the pieces of quince turn the desired color dip them out and place in the jar. When the jar is full, cover with syrup and screw on the top that has been dipped into boiling water. Repeat this until all the fruit has been put into jars. All the fruit does not cook in the same length of time and in this way you will not overcook any and all will be done. Stand the jars upside down until cool. CHERRY PRESERVES The best cherry preserves are made from the sweet red cherries, commonly known as sweethearts. When the cherries are thoroughly ripe, gather, wash and remove the seed. Place the cherries in a preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling each layer with sugar, allowing a half pound of sugar to a pound of cherries. Put over the fire and bring slowly to a boil. When the syrup is rich in color and about the thickness of honey, put in jars and seal. If the sour varieties of cherries are being preserved, use three-quarters of a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit. PEACH PRESERVES Cut the peaches in halves, remove the seed, peel them and place in a preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling each layer with sugar, allowing three-quarters of a pound of ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 87 sugar for each pound of peaches. Pour in just enough water to start the steam, about a cupful is enough, and place over the fire. After the sugar has dissolved and the syrup formed, let the peaches cook slowly until they begin to turn pink. Lift them carefully from the syrup and spread upon a platter, each piece separately as much as possible. Cook the syrup on until it is about as thick as honey. Return the peaches to the syrup and when they are as red as desired put them in jars and seal. The flavor of the preserve is improved by leaving two or three peach seeds in each jar. If the peaches are to be preserved whole, peel and proceed exactly as for those without seed except allow one-half pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. PRESERVED TOMATOES If the housewife would always plant a few vines of the small red or yellow, plum or pear varieties of toma- toes, she would never be left without something to pre- serve if the other fruit should fail. Even if there is plenty of fruit, tomato preserves will make an excellent addition. Take the ripe tomatoes and immerse them, a few at a time, in boiling water for a few minutes only. Remove the skins carefully so as not to break the tomatoes. Weigh them and put them into a preserving kettle with as many pounds of granulated sugar as you have of tomatoes. , Prepare green ginger root by carefully scrapmg off 88 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN the skin and shaving it into small bits. Add one level teaspoonful of these ginger shavings for each two pounds of tomatoes. Let the contents of the kettle come to a boil and boil for ten minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the syrup and spread them upon a flat dish to cool. This will keep them from coming to pieces. When cool return them to the boiling syrup and boil gently until they are about the consistency of honey. Put into jars while hot, adding a slice of lemon to each jar before sealing. TOMATO MINCEMEAT Slice up a quantity of green tomatoes and sprinkle well with salt. Put into a bag and hang up to drip all night. The salt which is left on the tomatoes will not need to be washed off. In the morning take equal weights of sugar and tomatoes and cook until the toma- toes are thoroughly done. To seven pounds of the mix- ture of tomatoes and sugar add three pounds of seedless raisins, with mace and cinnamon to suit the taste. Cook a short time after adding the seasoning and put into jars. This will keep \^athout being sealed and will make pies that many consider as good as those from ordinary mincemeat. PICKLES, KETCHUPS AND RELISHES In nearly every garden, upon the approach of frost, there are quantities of green tomatoes and green peppers ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 89 still left upon the vines. The canning and preserving for the winter is all over by this time and the housevrife can well utilize these in making pickles, ketchups and relishes, not only for home use but for the market. The last of the ripe tomatoes may be used for making chili sauce and ripe tomato ketchup, and the large green ones, if gathered and put in a cool place, will gradually ripen and may be used on the table, while the small green ones may be worked up into mixed pickles, piccalillis and ketchups. Wlien properly made, there is a good demand for homemade chili sauce, chopped pickles and other rel- ishes. I will give a few recipes that will be found suit- able either for home use or for market. I have a friend, Miss Helen Boyd, of Washington, D. C, who a few years ago made the chopped pickle for a social club of that city, after the following recipe. She received $3 a gallon for it : CHOPPED PICKLE Chop fine with a knife or run through a coarse food chopper : 14 peck of green tomatoes. 3 cucumbers. 14 peck of small onions. 6 large red peppers. 1/4 peck of yellow string 3 cauliflowers, beans. Place in a brine made by dissolving one pound of salt in five pints of water and let set over night. In the morning bring the brine, -wath the vegetables still in it, to a boil and keep boiling for a few minutes. 90 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN In a separate vessel bring one gallon of cider vinegar to a boil. With a little water make a paste of : 1/4 pound of ground mus- 1 cup of brown sugar, tard. 2 level tablespoonfuls of 1/4 ounce of tumeric. flour. Put this paste, with a half ounce of celery seed, in the vinegar and boil until it begins to thicken. Now take the vegetables up, drain off the brine, put the vege- tables in another saucepan, and pour the boiling vinegar mixture over them. Mix well, put in jars, and seal while hot. This pickle is best when about the consistency of thick cream. If very much water is left in the vege- tables in the form of brine it will be too thin. In this case use more flour and thicken it. Instead of the cauli- flower an equal part of celery or cabbage may be substi- tuted. A few years ago I was out upon the United States Reclamation Project at Fallon, Nevada, and Mrs. F. B. Headley, the wife of the Superintendent of the Experi- ment Farm, had some tomato relish which I thought was excellent, and since that time I have put up a great deal of it. This is her recipe : TOMATO RELISH Scald and skin fifteen ripe tomatoes. Pare, core and cut into small pieces six sour apples. Peel five medium sized onions. Chop all of these very fine, using a food chopper, if you have one. Put into a large saucepan with: ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 91 2 level tablespoonfuls of >^ teaspoonful of cayenne salt. pepper. 3 green peppers or 1 level I/2 pi^^t of vinegar. teaspoonful of black pepper. Bring to a boil and boil slowly for one and one-half hours. Remove the vessel from the stove, put the relish into jars or bottles and seal while hot. This is mild and delicious when served with meats, oysters or vegetables. Dr. B. L. Howard, of the Department of Agriculture, has originated the following recipe for chili sauce, which I think is superior to anything of the kind I have ever put up ; CHILI SAUCE Scald and peel sound, ripe red tomatoes. Chop into small pieces bj' pressing through a half-inch screen or by running through a coarse meat chopper : 36 pounds of tomatoes. 10 ounces of ripe bullnose 2 pounds of chopped peppers (after stems onions. and seed have been re- moved). The bullnose peppers should be hot enough to give the proper flavor to the sauce. In case they are too mild, a small amount of cayenne should be added. A pound of large, sweet, or Chinese peppers, if they can be had, will also add richness and color. Put into a granite- ware or enameled kettle and concentrate to eighteen pounds. Because of the tendency to settle to the bottom 92 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN of the kettle and burn, it is a good plan to allow the tomatoes to stand for a few minutes after chopping, during which time considerable juice will separate out. This can be poured off and placed in the kettle and con- centrated before the rest of the above ingredients are added. After concentrating to eighteen pounds, add two and one-quarter pounds of cider vinegar and nine ounces of salt. Concentrate further to eighteen and one-half pounds and add six pounds of sugar. Boil slowly five to ten minutes. Put into jars that have been washed in boiling water and seal while hot. The above quantity will yield about twenty-three pounds, or sufficient to fill eighteen to twenty pint jars. Throughout the boiling care must be exercised by stirring to keep the ingredients from settling to the bot- tom and burning. This is especially necessary after the sugar is added. In order to weigh the contents of the kettle at different stages in the process of concentration, the weight of the empty kettle should be noted at the start. The kettle, with its contents, can then be set on the scales or hung on the balance from time to time with- out inconvenience, and the weight of the contents easily determined. This sauce is not likely to mold ; but, as a precaution against spoiling, it is advisable — after filling the jars and putting on the rubbers and tops — to place them in the clothes boiler and sterilize them for about thirty minutes. If this sauce is properly made, it will have a bright red color and a rather mild and sweet taste. It is good when served with meats, oysters, baked beans, etc. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 93 For those wishing a sauce not quite so sweet, but more on the order of a pickle, the following recipe, which was given to me by Mrs. P. H. Smyth, of Falls Church, Virginia, will be found satisfactory : Recipe No. 2 Scald and peel twenty-four ripe tomatoes ; chop these up with two red bullnose peppers, two green bullnose peppers and two large onions. Put into an enameled saucepan and add : 4 cups of vinegar. 2 level teaspoonfuls of W2 cups of brown sugar. whole cloves. 2 level tablespoonfuls of 2 level teaspoonfuls of ein- salt. namon. 2 level teaspoonfuls of 2 level teaspoonfuls of whole allspice. ground ginger. 2 level teaspoonfuls of ground nutmeg. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorch- ing, and boil until the sauce begins to thicken. The onions will then be well done. This should not take over an hour. Remove the vessel from the stove, put the sauce into jars, and seal while hot. This will keep in wide-mouthed bottles if they are well corked and dipped in paraffin. TOMATO SWEET PICKLE Take one peck of green tomatoes and six large onions. Slice, sprinkle one cup of salt over them, and let stand 94 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN over night. In the morning drain, add two quarts of water and one quart of vinegar, boil fifteen minutes, then drain again and throw away this vinegar and water. Add to the tomatoes and onions : 2 pounds of sugar. 2 level tablespoonf uls of 2 quarts of vinegar. ginger. 2 level tablespoonfuls of 2 level tablespoonfuls of cloves. mustard. 2 level tablespoonfuls of 2 level tablespoonfuls of allspice. cinnamon. 1 teaspoonful of cayenne. Boil for fifteen minutes. The allspice and cloves should be tied in a piece of thin cloth, which should be removed when through cooking. Put in jars and seal while hot. PICCALILLI Slice up one peck of green tomatoes and two quarts of onions. Place the tomatoes and onions in a colander in alternate layers and sprinkle each layer with salt. Let these drain all night. In the morning put into an enameled kettle with : 4 level tablespoonfuls of 4 level tablespoonfuls of whole allspice. cinnamon bark. 4 level tablespoonfuls of 5 red bullnose peppers, whole cloves. 2 cups of sugar. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 95 Press down into the kettle and add enough vinegar to cover. Cook until tender. Put into jars and seal while hot. TOMATO KETCHUP It is quite an art to make good ketchup. The toma- toes should be of a red variety and thoroughly ripe. They should be gone over carefully, and all hard or green spots discarded. The boiling should be done as rapidly as possible in an enameled, aluminum, or porce- lain-lined preserving kettle. Long boiling has a tendency to darken the product. With the exception of cayenne pepper, which should be ground, whole spices should be used whenever possible. Ground spices darken the ketchup. I have used the recipe given here wdth good success : Take one peck of red ripe tomatoes, clean them, put them in a preserving kettle, and cook until thoroughly done. Mash them through a fine strainer to remove the skin and seeds. Add to this eight level tablespoonfuls of salt and one level tablespoonful of cayenne pepper. Sus- pend in the tomatoes a flannel bag containing : 2 level tablespoonfuls of 1 level tablespoonful of all- black pepper. spice. 6 level tablespoonfuls of 1 1 e v e 1 tablespoonful of mustard. cloves. 1 level tablespoonful of cinnamon. 96 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN Boil as rapidly as possible until the ketchup begins to thicken; then add one quart of vinegar and continue boiling until a teaspoonful placed in a saucer will not give off any water. Remove the bag containing the spices, put the ketchup in jars or bottles, and seal or cork while hot. If paraffin is convenient, melt a small quan- tity in a saucepan, invert the bottle of ketchup and dip the cork and upper part of the bottle neck in it. The paraffin will help to keep out mold spores. PICKLED CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS (UNCOOKED) 1 gallon of vinegar. 1 pint of sugar. 1 pint of salt. Mix these ingredients thoroughly. As your cucum- bers reach the size you like, gather them each morning, when still cool, wash them, but be sure they are dry, and drop them into the vinegar. The onions may be added whenever convenient and in any proportion desired. Red peppers improve the flavor, and any whole spices may be added that the individual taste may like. Keep in a cool place and be sure that the liquid covers the cucumbers and onions. This pickle is best after it has been standing for about six weeks. SWEET PICKLED CHERRIES It is best to use the Early Richmond, or some other large sour variety. "Wash the cherries, and cut the stems ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 97 to a half inch or less. Weigh the fruit and put it into the jars. For every pound of cherries, weigh out one- half pound of sugar. In a preserving kettle put a cup of vinegar for each pint of cherries, add the sugar, place over the fire, and when thoroughly dissolved, distribute it throughout the jars so that each jar will have the required amount of sugar. If any space is left in the jars, fill it up with pure vinegar. Put on the rubbers and tops. Place in the wash boiler on the false bottom and sterilize for twenty minutes. SWEET PICKLED PEACHES OR PEARS For twelve pounds of fruit use four pounds of sugar and a pint and a half of vinegar, wnth a few cloves and a few sticks of cinnamon. Place all together in a preserv- ing kettle. Cook slowly until the fruit begins to get a little soft. Dip out the pieces as they soften and fill up the jars with them. Cover with the boiling syrup and seal. BREAD MAKING It has been said that more divorces are due to poor bread than to any other one cause. This may be an extreme view of the case, but certain it is that few house- wives can make good bread. By good bread I mean wholesome, nutritious bread, and bread that can be easily digested. The hot biscuit, so common in the South, are good, there is no question about that, if taste alone is to 98 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN be considered. I ate them regularly for twenty-six years, but I don't want to have to do it again. At a bleached flour hearing in Washington, D. C, I heard a miller from St. Louis say that the Southern housewife required only fifteen minutes to get the flour from the barrel into her children 's stomachs. My sympathies went out to the children, for a few years ago I was one of them myself. The New England housewife is far ahead of her Southern sister when it comes to making bread. She has her "baking day," which is unknown in the South, and bakes enough at one time to last her all the week. It is possible for every housewife on the farm to make as good a loaf of bread as that which is turned out by the ordinary commercial bake shop. It is not a matter of luck, but she can not expect to do this on the first trial. It will necessitate repeated efforts with plenty of patience, until the skill or so-called technique, is devel- oped. In this short chapter it is, of course, impossible to give full directions, as the baking of bread can not be described in a few words, but enough may be said to cause the housewife to set out to improve her loaf, and the vast majority of loaves are capable of being im- proved. Bread making depends largely upon the indi- vidual, so practice and exercise patience, there is a reason for every step, think what you are doing as you go along and watch the improvement in your loaf. In this chapter by bread is meant the ordinary risen loaf, or bakers' bread. Bread is the most important part of the diet, the ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 99 "staff of life," and the ability to make a good loaf is one of the greatest accomplishments a woman can have. Its importance as a foodstuff is shown by the fact that every man, woman and child in the United States consumes about four and one-half bushels of wheat a year, or about as much as is required to make one barrel of flour. As in all kinds of cookery, there are many of the so-called essentials, but probably the most essential part of bread making is a good flour. All flours are not suit- able for bread making. A flour that will make good pastry will not make a good loaf of bread. The quality of flour depends absolutely upon the character of the wheat from which it is ground, and the character of the wheat depends largely upon the locality in which it is grown. The strong flours, or those suitable for bread making, are made from hard wheats, while the starchy flours, or those suitable for pastry, are made from soft wheats. In the United States the hard wheats are grown in a rather limited area, the best of them, the hard spring wheats, such as Blue Stem and Velvet Chaff, com- ing from Minnesota and the Dakotas, while hard winter wheats come largely from Kansas. The soft wheats are grown throughout the Eastern, Southern and Central states and in California. While not an infallible guide, the housewife can often judge a flour by where the wheat was grown and milled. While the hard wheats are often shipped out of their own locality to be milled, it is a rare occurrence when a soft wheat is shipped in and milled in a hard wheat section, therefore a flour coming from Minnesota or the Dakotas, under a good brand, is almost sure to be a strong flour, 100 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN and suitable for bread making. On the other hand, a flour that is milled in Virginia, for example, is almost sure to be a soft flour and suitable for pastry. The word ' ' patent, " or " fancy patent, ' ' upon a sack means little or nothing so far as the average housewife is concerned. She had better try out several brands that are available and select the one with which she is the most successful. As a general rule, the lower grades of flour are more nutritious and will be found just as satis- factory as the ' * fancy patent. ' ' The strength of the flour, or its ability to make a good loaf of bread, depends largely upon the amount and quality of the gluten it contains. The gluten is the sticky, gummy material that one gets by chewing a few kernels of wheat, and it is this gluten that gives wheat its superiority over other cereal grains. This gluten is the protein that contains the nitrogen and varies from 18 to 14 per cent in flours. Without some gluten a dough would not rise and hold its shape, and this fact makes it impossible to make a loaf out of rice flour, for example, because rice flour contains no gluten. The next essential in bread making is a good yeast. Yeast is just as much of a plant as the vegetables that grow in the garden and exists in nature in a great variety of species. It is so small, however, that it can not be seen with the naked eye, and, although it has no roots, it grows very much like some of our ordinary cultivated plants, that is, by throwing out buds or shoots. It is one of the oldest cultivated plants in existence, having been used by the Egyptians and other people of antiquity long before the dawn of history. In growing it has a ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 101 peculiar property of using up sugar and forming alcohol and carbonic acid gas. The fact that it produces alcohol is responsible for its use in the manufacture of whisky and beer, while its production of carbonic acid gas makes it valuable in bread making. Yeast is used in bread making for the same reason that baking powder or soda and sour milk are used in other forms of cookery, that is, because they liberate carbonic acid gas. It is necessary to have a gas mixed into the dough in order to stretch its particles apart and make it light. Yeast will continue to work as long as it has air, food, water and the proper temperature. If left with a lim- ited amount of air it sours and will not keep very long. However, if it is dried down it becomes dormant and may be kept for a long time and becomes the dried yeast of commerce. Fresh compressed yeast is always the most satisfactory, and in these days of rural mail and parcel post, a fresh cake can be gotten by almost every house- wife when required. However, dried yeast may be used with excellent results, as will be shown later. Sugar is added to the dough in order to start the action of the yeast. After it has once become active, it will secrete an enzyme, which converts the starch into sugar, and, if unmolested, the action will continue until all the starch has been used up. 102 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN SHORT PROCESS BREAD Proportions for Four Loaves 1 quart of water. 3 quarts sifted flour. 4 teaspoonfuls of salt. 1 cake of compressed yeast. 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar. In using the above proportions all measurements should be made level. The raising can best be done in some thick-walled vessel, such as an earthenware bowl or crock. Alwaj'^s have such a vessel warm and buttered before putting in the dough. Have the water luke warm, between 80 and 90 degrees, and mix into it the yeast and sugar. Mix the salt into the flour, and add this to the liquid. When all has been added and thoroughly mixed the dough should be at the proper consistency, and should not stick to the bowl or to the hands. A stiff dough will be apt to make a hard loaf. If it is still sticky, a little more flour may be added, but as little as possible to keep it from sticking. Knead the dough a few minutes until smooth. Cover closely in a bowl until it has raised to double its original size, keeping at a tem- perature as near 86 degrees as possible. The first raising \\all take two hours or a little more, work it back and let it rise again to double its size, which should take about one hour. Then make the dough into four loaves. Put into pans that have been lightly greased, cover and set to rise. When the dough has again doubled its bulk it is ready for the oven. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 103 The most difficult feature of bread making in the ordinar}- kitchen is the control of the temperature while it is rising. For the best results a uniform temperature of 86 degrees is required ; however, a variation of several degrees up or down makes very little difference. It should be remembered that the temperature of the body is about 98 degrees, so that the dough should always feel cool to the hands. Always keep the dough covered, and the crock wi'apped either in a heavy cloth or several thicknesses of paper. Keep in a warm place that is free from drafts or cold currents of air. In the control of temperature a tireless cooker is often used with very good results. The use of an incu- bator, which may be found on almost any farm, has been suggested by Miss Hannah Wessling, of the Bureau of Chemistry, and will be found practical in many cases. The stove oven may also be used, a tea kettle of boiling water being placed in the oven wdth the dough to keep the temperature even. The yeast plant in growing is quickly affected by a change of temperature, and if once chilled to 50 degrees, will probably require four times as long to do the same amount of work as it would have done had it been held at the proper temperature. There- fore never let thp dough get cold. Close both doors and windows when working over the dough and when form- ing it for pans, and have the bread board warm. Yeast needs air the same as any other plant, and this is one of the reasons for working back the dough. Not only is the gas that has already been generated by the yeast distributed uniformly through the dough, but oxy- gen is worked into it at the same time, which gives the 104 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN yeast fresh vitality. The large bubbles of gas are broken up into small ones, which will give the fine texture to the bread. It is a common mistake for the housewife to knead her dough too much, fifteen or twenty minutes is enough. One can easily tell when the dough has been worked enough by its smooth appearance and its spongy feel. A well-worked dough is elastic and will rebound when struck with the knuckles of the hand. Don't try to shape the dough to the pan, the last raising will take care of this, but pull out the dough to about the length of the pan, fold it over so that the crease will be under- neath, and pack it tightly into the bottom of the pan. It is a rather difficult matter to tell exactly when the pans should be placed in the oven. If allowed to stand too long the dough will "fall," that is, the amount of gas in the dough will have become too great to be held by it, and the dough will break and allow it to escape. The pan should be placed in the oven about fifteen min- utes before there is a possibility of this happening. At this stage in the baking process is where the experience of the housewife will be a great help. A safe plan is to allow the dough to rise to double the volume it had when placed in the pans. This can be roughly estimated by making a mark on the baking pan or by pinching off a piece of the dough and pressing it down into a warm tumbler, measuring its volume, doubling this, and mark- ing on the glass the volume to be obtained by the dough. Submit this to the same temperature as the dough in the pans, and put the pans in the oven when the dough has reached the mark. The oven should be about 400 degrees. The ordinary ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 105 household thermometer will not register this tempera- ture, but che housewife can get a fair idea by sprinkling a teaspoonful of flour upon a piece of white paper and placing it in the oven. If it turns light brown in five minutes the oven is right for the bread. If baking rolls, the flour should be bro\\Ti in three minutes. When baked in single loaves the time required in the oven varies from forty-five to sixty minutes. Contrary to what most people think, the interior of the loaf never gets any hotter than the temperature of boiling w^ater. In a well-regulated oven, after about fifty minutes, the loaves will become brown all over and Avill begin to shrink away from the sides of the pans. They are now ready to come out. Remove them from the oven, turn them upside down and shake them out of the pans, and set them across the sides of the pans on the edges to cool. Do not wrap up the bread until cool, as it will sweat and turn sour quicker than otherwise. When cold put in a closed bread box or wrap up until used. SOFT SPONGE METHOD When fresh compressed yeast is not available, the housewife must resort to the dried yeast or homemade yeast. As has been said before, the yeast plants in this form are dormant and do not begin acting on the sugar nearly so rapidly as the fresh yeast, therefore it must be given more time. As the yeast develops more rapidly in a soft than in a stiff dough, it is customary to make lOfi ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN up all of the water, sugar and salt and to use only about one-half of the flour. This is made up and allowed to stand over night, and in the morning the balance of the flour is worked in. From then on, the method is exactly the same as for fresh yeast. One cake of dried yeast is usually enough for four loaves. If preferable, the housewife may use milk instead of water, or a mixture of milk and water, in either of the two methods. The milk should be boiled before using. If any shortening is desired, about two tablespoonfuls of butter or any other cooking fat may be worked into four loaves when the first mixture is made. ROLLS Many housewives can make good rolls, when they nearly always fail on bread. Rolls may be made from the same dough that is used for bread, and oftentimes the same dough may be kept over from day to day, keep- ing it cool over night and working in flour to take the place of the dough removed for the daily baking. Rolls are better if they have some butter or other shortening kneaded into them. Shape out the dough, put into buttered pans, and bake in an oven that is little hotter than that used for bread. There is a flavor to good homemade bread that is seldom attained by the professional bakers, and the knowledge that it is the product of your own efforts, and is clean and wholesome, is worth much. There are few ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 107 things more beautiful than a well-shaped, brown loaf of bread, and when you learn to make one you will take great pride in your accomplishment. HOW TO MAKE SAUER KRAUT Prepare the cabbage as you would for the table by removing the stem and outer green leaves. Cut the head into quarters, and cut the four pieces into shreds with a large knife. Pack the shreds into any water-tight vessel that is not made of a material that will rust. A stone- ware crock or wooden keg will be satisfactory. As the shredded cabbage is packed in, add salt at the rate of one pound of salt to forty pounds of cabbage. Add the salt as evenly as possible and when the vessel is full, pack down firmly and cover with a clean board or plate, and cover over the top with a cloth. The salt will extract part of the water from the cabbage and form a brine, which should cover the cabbage during the fer- mentation process. If a scum forms on the top of the kraut it should be removed. Be sure to keep the cab- bage weighted down and covered by the brine. In cool weather it will take about four weeks before the kraut is ready to use. It is best to make sauer kraut out of late cabbage, as this will keep all winter. 108 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN HOW TO MAKE COTTAGE CHEESE The housewife upon the farm often has quantities of milk left over, which may be made into cottage cheese or schmierkase. Skim off the cream and set the milk aside to sour or clabber. The cheese will be better if the milk is kept cool — about 65 degrees — while this is taking place. As soon as the clabber is firm, put it into a saucepan or kettle and warm up to about the temperature of the body — 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir occasionally and keep it at about that temperature for one hour, or until w^hey has separated from the cheese. Pour into a clean cloth bag and allow the whey to drain off. Cool, add one pound of salt to every four pounds of cheese and work this in until the cheese is smooth. Now add the cream that was skimmed off the milk and work this into the cheese. This is not only a delicacy but a substantial article of diet. HOW TO MAKE MAYONNAISE DRESSING Mayonnaise dressing is one of the things often ordered in hotels and restaurants, but seldom received, as all kinds of dressings are served under the name of mayon- naise. When properly made and cold, mayonnaise should be firm enough to stand up and should resemble some- what the consistency of medium soft butter. While ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 109 very simple, the making of really good mayonnaise is a fine art. Olive oil is usually used, but any edible oil will do. If shaken up together oil and water will not mix, for the oil clings together and will not break up into small globules, but if some other material, such as soap or buttermilk is put in and the mixture shaken, the oil will break up and mix with the water This is called an emulsion. Mayonnaise is but an emulsion, and in this case the yolk of an egg acts as the emulsifying agent. As in the case of all other emulsifying agents, the action will take place quicker if all the materials are cold. Put the yolk of one egg in a plate and rub it smooth with a fork. A thick yolk will act much better than a thin one. You will find that a three-pronged steel or aluminum fork will be better than a silver one, because silver is a good conductor of heat and will convey the heat of the hand into the egg. Add a little oil and rub it quickly into the egg. The emulsion will usually start immediately; if it does not, continue rubbing with the addition of a few drops of oil until it does. A little salt, added from a shaker at this point, will often start the emulsion. You can tell when the oil begins to take with the egg by the way it thickens up. When the emulsion once begins to take there should be no further trouble. Add a little more oil and then a little vinegar or lemon juice, and work it into the egg. Don't try to work too fast, add the oil only as fast as it can be worked into the egg, and alternate with an occasional sprinkle of salt and a little vinegar. If the dressing shows a tendency to 110 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN become thin or to curdle, sprinkle in some salt and beat quickly. One egg is enough for about one-half pint of oil; if less oil is used the dressing is apt to taste of the egg. When enough has been made, add salt and cayenne pep- per to taste. Don't be afraid to use plenty of pepper, as the flavor of mayonnaise depends largely upon the pungency that is given it by the pepper. HOW TO MAKE A GOOD OMELET Break three eggs and separate the whites and yolks into two bowls. To the yolks add one-half teaspoonful of salt, and one heaping teaspoonful of flour or com starch. Add enough water to make a smooth paste, then one and one-half cupfuls of milk. Beat up the whites to a froth, add one level teaspoonful of baking powder to the yolks, mix the whites and yolks together lightly and pour into a hot frying pan. Have plenty of fat in the pan, and cook slowly with a cover on until the omelet begins to set ; then put it into a hot oven until brown on top. When brown, take out of the oven, turn upside down upon a large platter, sprinkle with black pepper and fold over. An omelet wiW take almost any kind of a sauce. The Italians stew tomatoes and onions to a thick consistency and pour this over the omelet. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 111 PRESERVING EGGS IN WATER GLASS In the spring, when eggs are plentiful, and there is no good market for them, the thrifty housewife on the farm often wishes she knew some practical way of storing them for the time of scarcity in the fall. There is no better or cheaper way of doing this than by the use of water glass. Water glass is sodium silicate, which is but a fused mixture of sand and soda. It may be bought at a drug store for about 25 cents a quart or less, and one quart, when diluted, is sufficient to keep twenty-five dozen eggs. For every quart of water glass add ten quarts of water, mix thoroughly, and pour the mixture into a stone jar, filling it about half full at the start. Put the fresh eggs into the jar each day as they are col- lected. Use only fresh, clean eggs and place them in the jar, carefully lowering them in by hand so as not to break them. The jar should be kept in a cool place and not moved very much after the eggs have been put into it, because of the danger of breaking them. The eggs should always be covered with the liquid, and if the water should evaporate off and leave them uncovered more water should be added. If the liquid becomes cloudy, it is no indication that the eggs are not keeping, for this cloudiness usually takes place. Eggs stored in this way may be used just as fresh ones, except that the yolks are apt to break easily and are therefore not well adapted to poaching. Water glass eggs may be mar- keted, but the greatest economy consists in using them in the home and selling those eggs that are laid during the fall and winter at fancy prices. 113 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN HOW TO KEEP WEEVILS OUT OF PEAS, BEANS AND POPCORN The eggs of the ordinary weevil that is so trouble- some are laid by a moth while the crops are still in the field, and, as the eggs are sticking to the outside of the seed, they may be easily destroyed before they have time to hatch out. As soon as the peas, beans or popcorn are gathered, put them in a bag and dip them for a few seconds in boiling water and spread them out to dry. This treatment is advisable for the seed that is to be used as food and not for the seed that is to be planted next year, HOW TO KEEP DRIED APPLES FROM DISCOLORING When apples are peeled and sliced for drying, they discolor, or darken, very quickly. This is caused by ferments or enzymes that exist in the fruit and may be prevented by dropping the apples in a salt solution. Dissolve about eight teaspoonfuls or about one ounce of salt in one gallon of water, and as fast as the apples are peeled put them into the solution. Take them out, one at a time, core and slice them, dropping the slices back into the same solution. In one or two minutes they may be spread out to dry. It is not necessary to wash off the salt, as the little that remains on the fruit will add to its flavor. Apples that have not become discolored will bring a better price than other^vase. ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 113 HCW TO KEEP SILVERWARE BRIGHT AND GLEAN While silverware does not rust like iron, it tarnishes very readily. This black tarnish is due in a large measure to a combination of silver with sulphur or silver sulphide. Sulphur is found in coal oil gas, eggs, rubber and in many fruits and vegetables. Every housewife knows how quickly silver will blacken if left in eggs; this is because the sulphur of the eggs is uniting with the silver and forming the black silver sulphide. This tarnish may be removed either by rubbing it off with a silver polish, which is usually some finely divided sub- stance like kaolin or white clay, or it may be removed by means of a weak electric current. In recent investiga- tions in the United States Department of Agriculture it has been found that the silver is worn away much more rapidly with the silver polish than with the electric cur- rent. Put the silverware to be cleaned into a graniteware or enameled saucepan. Put in a piece of aluminum — some old spoon or worn out cooking utensil — so that each piece of silver will touch the aluminum, or have one piece of silver touch the aluminum and the other pieces of silver touch this piece in a way to make contact with the aluminum. Cover with water and add a teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of either baking powder or washing soda for each quart of water. Bring to a boil and boil for a few minutes, remove the silverware and polish with a dry cloth. 114 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN The contact of the silver with the aluminum produces a weak electric current which causes the black tarnish to leave the silver and to be deposited upon the aluminum. This is an excellent way of cleaning silverware that is heavily ornamented, as it is almost impossible to get all of the tarnish out of the crevices with silver polish. An aluminum saucepan may be used, and in that case it will not be necessary to put in an aluminum spoon. How- ever, never use one that you expect to keep bright and clean, for the tarnish that accumulates in it is rather hard to remove. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 181 907 #