The Century Cook Book Part 6

b.u.t.ter very readily absorbs flavors and odors, indeed it is the medium used for extracting perfumes in the manufacture of those articles. The flavored b.u.t.ter is spread in the ordinary way on the bread, which has been treated also to a bath of flowers. b.u.t.ter sandwiches must be exceedingly thin and shapely, and have no suggestion of mussiness. They should be laid in a folded napkin to keep them fresh. Any sweet wafers may also be used, but as this is not a meal, nothing should be offered which will take away the appet.i.te for dinner, which follows shortly afterward.

A HOMILY ON COOKING

It is a trite saying that a thing worth doing at all is worth doing well, but, from the inefficiency of the large number of domestics who hold the office of cook, and from the acceptance of careless work by so many families, it would seem that the truism is not regarded in reference to cooking. Since it is upon the kitchen that the health and comfort of the family so greatly depend, is it not a duty, and would it not be a pleasure, for the mistress of every house to understand the science of cooking as well as the arts which give other attractions to the house? A knowledge of its fundamental principles would give her a sense of independence and power, which knowledge is proverbially said to do. If she were familiar with the nature of the yeast plant, and the action of heat as applied in boiling, broiling, and frying, if she could make a sauce and clear a soup, her family would be relieved from the affliction of sour bread, burned meats, and muddy soup. An ordinary kitchen servant can do these simple things well, if she is once told how, and this basis would be a guide in other work, and a safeguard against many failures. There is no such thing as luck in cooking. Laws govern the chemical changes which take place, and can always be relied upon. Water will boil at 212, and cannot be made hotter by violent boiling in an open vessel. Frying can be properly done only when the fat is smoking hot. Broiling can be properly done only over, or under, hot and bright coals. For baking, the oven must be of the right temperature. The same thing cooked in the same way will always be the same, and failure comes simply from neglect of the rules. It is as easy to have good cooking as bad; the former requires only the elements of care and intelligence. With very little trouble, dishes may be made to please the sight as well as the taste. The difference between the elegance and refinement of one table and the vulgarity of another often lies merely in the manner of dis.h.i.+ng and serving. Again, the step from plain to fancy cooking is very short. A simple and tasteful arrangement, or combination, of materials prepared in the ordinary way will make an ornamental dish. Minced chicken pressed into a ring mold to give it shape, and the center filled with a mushroom sauce, will make a more appetizing dish than if placed carelessly together with no regard to symmetry. Potatoes pressed into a fancy mold, a part of the center removed, and the s.p.a.ce filled with chopped seasoned meat, will give a chartreuse, and no thought of hash suggested. A jelly with a flower in the top, or of two colors, will make a decorative piece for the table. Uniformity in size and shape of potatoes, chops, pancakes, slices of bread or anything that is served on the same dish, gives a pleasing sense of order and care, which is as marked as the proper arrangement of the table furniture.

It is in little things only that fancy differs from plain cooking, but as soon as a cook comprehends the value of the appearance of dishes she is sure to think of their perfection in every other way.

There is a popular prejudice against fried foods, and a belief that abstaining from them will cure us of our dyspepsia, but if articles are properly fried they should contain no more grease than the boiled one does of water. Smoking fat has such a high degree of heat, that certain articles are better cooked by frying than by any other method. Minced meat, rolled into the form of croquettes and fried, a.s.sumes a different character both in taste and rank from the minced meat heated in other ways. If the croquettes are coated with egg and crumbs and immersed in smoking hot fat, as the rule directs, the egg is instantly hardened, and no fat can be absorbed through it. That which covers the outside is evaporated by draining and drying in a hot place. The napkin on which the croquettes are served will not be stained if they are rightly fried. Saratoga chips can be handled with a glove without soiling it. We need not be a nation of dyspeptics from eating pie when the French are not from eating puff-paste, or from hot breads when the English are not from plum pudding and pork pies. It is from the manner of preparing our foods that we suffer. Cooking has not been one of the virtues of our new country, as we have been satisfied to get our cooks from France and Ireland, but if intelligent American housewives will take interest and pleasure in this important department, which is delegated to their care, some of the serious trials of life will be overcome, and emanc.i.p.ation from many petty cares and annoyances will follow.

COOKING AS A PLEASURE AND AN ACCOMPLISHMENT

The common sayings about waste in American kitchens, dyspeptic results of American cooking, etc., reflect the opinion held by other nations of our culinary art, and though the judgment may be too severe, it has been p.r.o.nounced, and should remind us of our shortcomings.

It seems, however, as though a new era were now dawning.

Cooking-schools are established in large cities, cooking lectures are given everywhere and are well attended. The nutritive values of different foods and the chemistry of cooking are studied. This, and the recognition of the fact that health proceeds largely from the diet, seem to indicate that there has been an awakening of interest in the subject of gastronomy. In this day of fads, it will soon be discovered also that pleasures lie in this line of work. Fancy cooking has an interest quite as engaging as other occupations of diversion. Fine cooking utensils, gas-stoves, and modern conveniences, make the well-appointed kitchen as attractive as the laboratory or workshop. Trying a new dish has the same interest as any other experiment. The construction of ornamental pieces is as interesting as other fancy work.

Making puff-paste, ice-creams, fancy molding of desserts and salads, boiling sugar, etc., are in reality simple processes, and with very little practice found to be as easy to prepare as dishes which from familiarity have come to be called plain cooking. Skill and dexterity of hand may be enjoyed in boning, trussing, and larding, and taste shown in decorating with truffles and other articles, in molding with flowers and fruits, in icing cakes, in spinning sugar, and in making bonbons. The pleasure of decorating the table and adorning the dining-room will be found secondary to that of preparing artistic dishes when that art has once been learned.

The gas-stove obviates the objection, formerly existing, of one's being subjected to excessive heat while cooking. At a cost of about $2.00 a stove can be bought which will stand on a table anywhere, and answer all ordinary purposes of boiling and frying. More expensive ones, fitted with ovens and other appliances, answer the requirements of all kinds of cooking.

When the preparation of a new or a fancy dish comes to be looked upon as a pastime instead of a task, there may be discovered in America Savarins and Bechamels. We have already had a Sam Ward, but to the women should belong the honor of raising our standard of cooking, and though they need not agree with the terrible sentiment expressed by Margaret Fuller, that a woman to have influence must cook or scold, still it must be conceded that the former accomplishment will enable her to wield a potent scepter. Perhaps, however, the strongest word to be said in favor of every mistress of a house knowing how to cook is the usefulness of it. The difficulty of getting trained cooks at reasonable wages, the caprices of the cla.s.s, whose consciences do not prevent their leaving at the moment when their services are most needed, and the many occasions that arise when a knowledge of cooking is of the greatest comfort and service, make it difficult, for those who know how to cook, to comprehend how any one can keep house without this knowledge, or how, with the inferior service generally rendered, the pleasures of hospitality can be enjoyed, or the comfort of a well-ordered culinary department experienced.

TO TRAIN A GREEN COOK

If one is obliged to accept the service of inexperienced cooks, or of women who claim to be plain cooks, but in reality know nothing of the right ways of preparing anything, it is often necessary to do more or less teaching or supervising.

Often it would be found easier to begin at the beginning, and teach an entirely green girl who has intelligence and a desire to learn, than it is to correct careless habits or bad methods already formed. A formula for teaching a green cook is given below for the benefit of any who care to avail of it.

_First._ Impress the necessity of clean utensils, being particular that every saucepan used is perfectly clean on the outside as well as the inside.

_Second._ Have all the utensils of one kind kept together in definite places, and insist that each one is returned to its place as soon as it has served its use, thus establis.h.i.+ng system.

_Third._ When sugar, b.u.t.ter, spices, or any articles are taken out for use, have the boxes returned to their places as soon as the desired quant.i.ty is removed.

_Fourth._ Do not allow any acc.u.mulation of soiled utensils waiting for a general cleaning-up. A great deal of time and work can be saved, and an orderly kitchen maintained, by was.h.i.+ng things as you go along so far as possible at odd moments, and also in not using an unnecessary number of dishes.

_Fifth._ Explain about exact measurements. Insist upon the use of the tin measuring-cup (see page 77).

_Sixth._ Have a time-table giving time per pound for cooking meats, fastened in a convenient place against the wall, for easy reference.

_Seventh._ Have all meats weighed and wiped off with a wet cloth before proceeding to cook them.

_Eighth._ At all times give attention to right management of the fire; be especially careful not to have coal piled above the grate, nor to let the top of range become red-hot. Shut off drafts before the coal is burned out, and have the ovens clean and at the right temperature.

_Ninth._ Have everything dished neatly, and garnished simply.

_Tenth._ No matter how simple the dish, insist that it be attractive in appearance, and that every dish placed on the table show the care of the cook in its preparation; for instance, have every piece of toast of the same size and shape, evenly browned and carefully arranged on a hot plate.

To instil strict care in every detail is a most important point in forming a good cook.

DISHES RECOMMENDED FOR FIRST LESSONS.

To make beef stock for soups, page 88.

To boil potatoes, page 201.

To boil rice, page 222.

To make a white sauce, page 277.

With one half the sauce make cream potatoes, add a little onion juice to the other half, and add to it meat minced very fine, making a creamed mince. Serve it on moistened toast; or make creamed chicken and serve a border of rice around it.

When making a roux, and a white sauce is understood, it is easy to show the variations of it, such as to cook onion or vegetables with the b.u.t.ter before the flour is added; or to brown the flour if a brown sauce is wanted; or to use stock instead of milk, thus making a Bechamel sauce; or to add an egg to white sauce, making a poulette sauce, etc.

To poach eggs: Serve them on toast cut uniformly and moistened. Place symmetrically on dish and garnish with parsley; or, spread the toast with creamed mince, place a poached egg on each piece, and put a spot of pepper on the center of the yolk.

To make coffee, page 551.

To broil a steak, page 156.

To boil a leg of mutton, caper sauce, pages 163 and 164.

To roast beef and baste frequently, roast potatoes in the same pan, pages 146 and 204.

To draw and truss a chicken, pages 180 and 183.

To clear the beef stock for clear soup, page 86.

To make common stock, page 87.

To make potato soup, page 103.

To clarify drippings, page 74.

To try out all other fat, page 74.

To dry bread and roll it into crumbs, page 51.

To make bread and bread biscuits, page 340.

To make rice pudding, page 433.

To make bread pudding, page 434.