Chapter 12

Foamy Omelet may be varied by using tomato juice instead of milk. Tomato sauce may be served with either of these omelets.

Sweet Omelet may be made as follows: Add 4 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar to the Foamy Omelet mixture; after cooking, spread with softened jelly; after folding, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Use 1/2 cupful of jelly for the Foamy Omelet recipe.

QUESTIONS

Why is the White Sauce cooled before adding the egg yolks in White Sauce Omelet?

Point out the most important differences between a Foamy and a White Sauce Omelet.

What is the purpose of cutting and folding in the whites of eggs in omelets?

What is the purpose of beating eggs?

What are the tests that show when egg white is beaten stiff and when dry?

What are the tests for thoroughly beaten egg yolk?

LESSON XLVI

MILK

MILK, AN INVALUABLE FOOD.--It has been said that there is no one food _except milk_ which cannot be eliminated from the diet. Milk is the only food for which there are no easily found substitutes. The housekeeper or one who plans the food for the family should purchase daily, if possible, a pint of milk for each adult and a quart for each child under ten years. She should see to it that this amount of milk is entirely used either as a beverage or in cooked foods. If one must economize in foods, _less should be spent for meat, and more for milk_.

Although more than 4/5 of milk is water, it contains only a little more water than do potatoes and lean meat. The value of milk is due to the fact that it contains: (_a_) _Proteins of "excellent quality_." An authority on diet says [Footnote 48: See "The Newer Knowledge of Nutrition," by McCollum, p. 74.]: "There can be no doubt that the proteins of milk are far superior to those of any foods derived from vegetable sources." The most important protein existing in milk is called _casein_.

Casein is a complete protein and is very important for growth. It has a peculiar property; it precipitates when acid is added to milk. When milk sours, the sugar contained in the milk changes to an acid, and this acid causes the casein to precipitate. Casein is also clotted by an enzyme occurring in the digestive juice of the stomach.

(_b_) _Valuable ash_. Lime which is so essential to bodybuilding is one of the minerals in milk. The following diagram from United States Food Leaflet No. 11 shows that milk is especially rich in lime. (Lime is calcium oxide.)

(_c_) _Vitamines_. These are substances contained only in certain foods. They are essential for maintaining life and health. Milk is rich in these indispensable materials (see Division Seven).

Milk also contains fat and carbohydrate. The presence of the foodstuffs in milk is shown by the following:

EXPERIMENT 44: SEPARATION OF MILK INTO FOODSTUFFS.

(_a_) By means of a cream dipper, remove the cream from a bottle of milk. Place a drop of the cream on a piece of paper. Let the paper dry. What foodstuff is indicated by the stain on the paper?

(_b_) Take 1/4 cupful of the skimmed milk. Heat it to blood temperature (test by dropping the milk on the wrist, see _Junket Custard_). Crush 1/8 junket tablet and add it to the warm milk. Stir until the powder is dissolved. Let the milk stand in a warm place until it is clotted. Heat the clotted milk and boil 1 minute. Pour it into a filter paper. Catch the filtrate in a beaker. What is the foodstuff that remains in the filter paper (see Proteins of "excellent quality")?

(_c_) Put 15 cubic centimeters of Fehling's Solution [Footnote 49: NOTE TO THE TEACHER.--Fehling's Solution is made as follows: Prepare a solution of Rochelle salts,--175 grams of Rochelle salts, 50 grams of sodium hydroxide, and 250 cubic centimeters of water. Prepare a solution of copper sulphate,--57.73 grams of copper sulphate, 250 cubic centimeters of water, and 0.4 cubic centimeter of sulphuric acid. Then combine 1 part of the alkaline Rochelle salt solution, 1 part of copper sulphate, and 4 parts of water. Boil the mixture.

This solution deteriorates readily. The best results are obtained by using a "fresh" mixture for testing sugar and by boiling just before using.] in a flask. Boil for 2 minutes. Add 2 cubic centimeters of the filtrate from (_b_) and boil one minute. To what color does the blue mixture change? A red precipitate indicates sugar. What foodstuff does this test indicate that milk contains?

(_d_) Put the remainder of the filtrate from (_b_) in a custard cup and evaporate over hot water to dryness. Note the residue. What foodstuff other than sugar is contained in the residue?

(_e_) What foodstuff has passed off in the form of vapor during evaporation?

(_f_) As mentioned above, milk also contains vitamines.

LESSON XLVII

MILK WITH COCOA AND CHOCOLATE

EXPERIMENT 46: SCALDING MILK.--Fill the lower part of a double boiler one third full of boiling water. Put 1/2 cupful of milk in the top of the double boiler, cover, and heat over the boiling water. In a few minutes examine. Carefully note the appearance of the surface of the milk. Explain why it is that dishes that have contained milk should be soaked in cold water, and then washed in warm water.

Insert a thermometer in the milk and record temperature. Is it possible to boil milk over hot water? Explain your answer. (Use this scalded milk to make cocoa and chocolate.)

The taste of milk is changed by heating it above 158 degrees F. Less change, however, is produced by scalding than by boiling. Milk is also apt to scorch if cooked at boiling temperature. It is sometimes necessary to boil milk to sterilize it.

COCOA AND CHOCOLATE as found at market are prepared from cacao beans. The latter grow in pods,--the fruit of the tropical cacao trees (see Figure 41). The beans are taken from the pods, allowed to ferment, dried, and roasted. The husks loosened by roasting are then removed from the beans.

Cacao beans are ground, molded, and sold as bitter or baker's chocolate. In the preparation of sweet chocolate sugar is added to the powdered chocolate before molding. Cocoa differs from chocolate in that some of the fat is removed.

Cocoa and chocolate contain protein, fat, and carbohydrates. These materials, in addition to the milk and sugar used in preparing the beverages, make the cocoa and chocolate beverages high in food value. But in addition to the materials mentioned above, there is present in cocoa and chocolate some tannin and stimulating materials. The large percentage of fat existing in chocolate may produce distressing effects when taken in addition to a full meal. If, however, the use of these beverages causes no ill effects, they may be classed among the nutritious foods and are much preferable to tea and coffee especially for girls and boys.

Neither cocoa nor chocolate is soluble in water. Some cocoas are very finely ground and are termed soluble cocoas.

When mixed with water these cocoas do not separate as rapidly as others, but they are not soluble. Because of its insolubility, chocolate should be blended as thoroughly as possible with other materials. A satisfactory and practical method of accomplishing this is to make a _smooth paste_ of chocolate and boiling water.

To develop flavor, it is well to cook both chocolate and cocoa at boiling temperature, especially when combining with liquids. The flavor of the cocoa beverage is improved by much cooking. Long cooking of the chocolate beverage causes the fat to separate and float.

COCOA

1/4 cupful cocoa 3 cupfuls milk 1 to 3 teaspoonfuls corn-starch 1/4 to 3/8 cupful sugar 1 cupful water 1/4 teaspoonful salt

Mix cocoa, corn-starch, and water and boil for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the mixture and cook over hot water for 1/2 hour. Add salt. Beat well and serve. Vanilla may be added to cocoa if desired.

Varying quantities of corn-starch and sugar are given so that the beverage may be thickened and sweetened to suit one's taste. If desired, the corn- starch may be omitted entirely.

CHOCOLATE

2 squares chocolate 3 cupfuls milk 1 cupful boiling water 1/4 teaspoonful salt 1/3 cupful sugar 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla

Cut the chocolate into bits and put it in a pan; add the boiling water. Stir and cook until it reaches the boiling point and is perfectly smooth. Heat the milk in a double boiler. Then gradually add the hot milk to the chocolate mixture, add the sugar, and heat all in a double boiler. Add salt and vanilla, if desired. If there is a scum over the beverage, beat well. Serve hot.

Whipped cream or marshmallows are often served with chocolate. The use of whipped cream with chocolate, however, makes the beverage excessively rich in fat.

QUESTIONS

What is the difference in method between scalding milk and boiling it? How can one determine when milk is scalded?

If it is necessary to heat milk, give two reasons why it is usually better to scald it than to boil it. Under what conditions should it be boiled?

What is the present cost of milk per quart? When is the price highest and when lowest?

If sweetened chocolate is used, how should the recipe for chocolate beverage be changed? Give two reasons why cocoa and chocolate should not be boiled after adding the hot milk.

Why is vanilla not added until the beverages are ready to be served (see _Flavoring Extracts_)?

What is the weight of one square of chocolate? How many squares in an ordinary cake of chocolate? What is the price per cake?

How many cupfuls are there in a half pound box of cocoa? What is the price per box?

See Chocolate Corn-starch Pudding. How much cocoa may be used for 1 ounce of chocolate when one is substituted for the other? What is the difference in cost of these quantities of chocolate and cocoa?

LESSON XLVIII

MILK AND CREAM

WHIPPING CREAM.--A popular way of preparing cream for serving is to whip it. This is done most successfully when the cream is cold and kept cold, _i.e._ surrounded with ice water during the beating process.

To show one of the points involved in chilling materials try the following:

EXPERIMENT 46: COMPARISON OF THE CONDUCTING POWER OF METAL AND EARTHENWARE.--Select a tin and an earthenware utensil of about the same size and shape. Put an equal quantity of water of the same temperature in each utensil. Surround each with ice water and cover. After 5 minutes, take the temperature of the water in the tin and in the earthenware utensil. Which is colder? Through which material,--tin or earthenware,--is heat transmitted more readily? When cream is to be surrounded by ice water for whipping, in which kind of utensil should it be placed? Explain your answer.

Use a Dover egg beater or a cream whip for whipping cream. Since cream "spatters" when being beaten, a cream whip arranged with a cover is very satisfactory. To prevent spattering, the bowl of cream may be covered with paper while the cream is being whipped. Cut a slit in a piece of paper, insert the Dover egg beater in the slit, put the beater in the cream and push the paper down to cover.

Since cream contains considerable fat, under certain conditions, it is possible to mass the fat together, that is, separate it from the other constituents, and form _butter_. For making butter the cream should be "ripened," i.e. it should contain certain bacteria. It should then be churned.

On the other hand, if it is desired to beat or whip the cream, but not to form butter, it is necessary to prevent the fat from massing together. To accomplish this, use thick cream (containing 20 per cent or more of fat) from 12 to 24 hours old [Footnote 50: Such cream contains a small amount of lactic acid.] and have it very cold; it will then whip quickly. Cream may be chilled by placing it on ice for some time before whipping or by surrounding it with ice water while whipping. In warm weather, it is safer not only to chill the cream but also to surround it with ice water while whipping.

A harmless substance called _viscogen_ may be added to thinner cream (_i.e._ the so-called coffee or 16 per cent cream) to make the latter whip. Viscogen is prepared by mixing the following ingredients:

1/2 cupful sugar 1 cupful water 1 tablespoonful milk of lime [Footnote 51: Milk of lime may be prepared by mixing 1 part of slaked lime with 3 parts of water.]

Mix the sugar and water and heat the mixture until it boils. Cool and add the milk of lime. Let the mixture stand at least 24 hours before using. Add 1 teaspoonful to each pint of cream, then whip the mixture as directed above.

COMPARISON OF MILK AND CREAM.--Cream is richer in fat than milk, average cream containing 16 per cent of fat and whole milk about 4 per cent. But cream contains less protein and ash than whole milk.

Since cream is always more expensive than milk, it is interesting to compare the food value of quantities of each which may be purchased for the same price. Although the prices of cream and milk vary in different places, usually 1/2 pint of cream costs about as much as 1 quart of milk. The following shows the approximate quantity of nutrients shown in the two quantities:

_In 1 quart of milk_ [Footnote 52: By permission Journal of Home Economics, Vol. X (August, 1918, p. 379).]

As much protein as in 5 eggs 2 1/2 tablespoonfuls of fat 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar

_In 1/2 pint of cream_

As much protein as in 1 egg 3 tablespoonfuls of fat 1/2 tablespoonful of sugar

Although 1/2 pint of cream contains 1/2 tablespoonful more of fat than does 1 quart of milk, the latter contains 2 1/2 tablespoonfuls more of sugar and as much more protein as is contained in 4 eggs. This comparison makes us question the advisability of buying much cream.

If whole milk is purchased, its top milk may often be used in place of cream. The skim milk that remains is a valuable food. Although whole milk contains more fat and vitamines than does skim milk, the latter has as much protein, lime, and sugar as whole milk. The use of both whole and skim milk is advised.

CARE OF MILK.--Milk is one of the foods that require the greatest care, and should be well cared for not only in the home but also on the dairy farm. It is one of the foods that afford ideal conditions for the growth of microscopic vegetable organisms, called _bacteria_ (see _Why Foods Spoil_). Many varieties of these bacteria or tiny plants produce changes in the milk which cause it to sour. A few varieties of disease- producing bacteria also sometimes exist in milk.

Milk can be kept reasonably free from bacteria by:

(_a_) Perfect cleanliness on the dairy farm.

(_b_) Cooling it immediately after being drawn from the cow, and by keeping it cool.

(_c_) Placing it in sterilized utensils.

(_d_) Covering it, thus keeping it free from dust.

Utensils for holding milk should be of glass, earthenware, or smooth, bright tin. They should be washed, scalded, or even better, boiled, and placed in the sun for two or three hours. In the home, milk should not be used after long standing, even though it is sweet. It is well to buy milk in small quantities and in bottles. The upper rim of a milk bottle should be washed before pouring milk from it. Because milk readily absorbs odors and flavors, it should be kept away from any substance having a strong odor or flavor.

RICE DAINTY

3/4 cupful cooked rice 3/4 cupful fruit, cut into pieces 3/4 cupful powdered sugar 1/2 to 3/4 cupful cream, whipped

Mix the rice, fruit, and sugar, then fold in the whipped cream. Pineapple, shredded or diced; bananas cut into pieces (not slices); dates, seeded and cut into pieces; or cooked apricots are desirable fruits for this dessert.

CREAM OF RICE PUDDING

1 quart milk _or_ 1 quart milk and water 1/3 cupful rice 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1/3 cupful sugar Grated rind of 1/2 lemon

Wash rice; put it and all the other ingredients into a buttered pudding dish. Bake in a _slow_ oven (250 degrees F.) until firm. This usually takes three hours. While baking, stir the mixture occasionally.

If desired, one half cupful of raisins may be added to the mixture, and 1 teaspoonful vanilla or 1/4 teaspoonful nutmeg may be substituted for lemon rind.

QUESTIONS

From your knowledge of the effect of intense heat upon milk, explain why Cream of Rice Pudding should be baked in a slow oven.

What change in quantity takes place in the milk of this pudding during long cooking? What change in quantity takes place in the rice during long cooking? From this explain why so much milk when combined with a little rice forms a solid mixture.

What is the price per pint of thin or coffee cream?

What is the price per pint of heavy or whipping cream?

What is the least quantity of cream that can be purchased?

Explain why it is that scalded milk does not sour as soon as uncooked milk (see _Care of Milk_).

Why should utensils that have held milk be scalded or boiled?

LESSON XLIX

CREAM SOUPS (A)

THICK SOUPS.--Milk combined with various vegetables, grains, and fish is used in making Cream Soups and Purees. The vegetables are cooked and mashed or forced through a strainer and combined with a liquid,--usually milk or milk with vegetable stock. In order to have the vegetable pulp uniformly mixed through the liquid, it is necessary to thicken the liquid with a starchy material. Flour with butter or substitute, mixed and cooked as in White Sauce, is used for this purpose. It is said to "bind" the vegetables and the liquid. Thus, Cream Soups and Purees are simply White Sauces to which vegetable pulp is added.

GENERAL PROPORTIONS.--_The usual proportion of vegetable pulp or puree to liquid is:_ One part of vegetable pulp or puree to 2 parts of liquid, _i.e._ milk, vegetable stock, or meat stock.

_The proportion of flour to liquid is:_ 1/2 tablespoonful flour to 1 cupful liquid, if a starchy vegetable is used, or, 1 tablespoonful flour to 1 cupful liquid, if a vegetable having little thickening property, as celery, is used.

Sometimes an egg or two is added to soup for thickening or flavor, and to increase the food value.

Different kinds of vegetables are sometimes mixed for a soup, as: Peas and beans, or corn and beans.

POTATO SOUP

3 potatoes 1 tablespoonful flour 1 pint milk _or_ 1 pint milk and potato stock 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls salt 1/8 teaspoonful pepper 2 slices of onion Celery salt 3/4 tablespoonful butter or substitute 2 teaspoonfuls chopped parsley

Cook and mash the potatoes, heat the milk and onion in a double boiler, then add them to the mashed potatoes. Press the potato mixture through a strainer and use it as the liquid for a White Sauce, using all other ingredients except the parsley in the sauce. If necessary, add more liquid, or evaporate to the desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley just before serving.

"Left over" mashed potatoes may be utilized in making this soup.

CROUTONS

Cut stale bread into half-inch cubes. Bake _slowly_ in the oven until a golden brown. Stir often. Serve with soups.

Save the crusts and prepare Dried Bread Crumbs with them.

QUESTIONS

What is the proportion of flour and liquid in one cup of White Sauce for Vegetables?

How does the proportion of flour and liquid for one cup of Cream Soup differ from the above proportion?

Why are the potatoes pressed through a strainer _after_ rather than _before_ adding the hot milk?

Why should the cubes of stale bread be baked slowly (see _Toast_)?

LESSON L

CREAM SOUPS (B)

FOOD VALUE OF CREAM SOUPS.--Since thin or clear soups contain much liquid, their food value is not as high as most solid foods. Cream Soups, however, are as concentrated as a potato; they are the most nourishing of all soups. The use of milk instead of water or stock and of flour and fat, to say nothing of vegetable pulp, increases their food value. Cream Soups are more suitable to serve at a meal of few courses such as luncheon or supper rather than at dinner where there is a greater variety of foods.

Thick soups may serve as a valuable part of a meal; a hot liquid taken into an empty stomach is easily assimilated, acts as an appetizer, and thus prepares for the digestion of the remainder of the meal.

CORN SOUP

1 can of corn 1 pint water l 1/2 tablespoonfuls butter or substitute 1 slice onion 2 tablespoonfuls flour 1 teaspoonful salt 1/8 teaspoonful white pepper 1 pint milk

Add the water to the canned corn and _simmer_ 20 minutes. Melt the fat, add the onion, and cook until light brown. To this add the dry ingredients and proceed as in making White Sauce. Add the cooked corn and strain.

Reheat before serving, if necessary.

NOTE.--The method of adding onion flavor to this soup (_i.e._ browning onion in fat) is often used in the preparation of other foods, especially meats and sauces.

SOUP STICKS

Cut stale bread into slices, remove the crusts, and spread with butter. Cut into strips and brown slowly in the oven. Save the crusts and prepare Dried Bread Crumbs with them.

DRIED BREAD CRUMBS

Dried Bread Crumbs may be prepared from crusts and small pieces of bread. Dry the bread in a slow oven or in a warming oven. Crumb it by rolling on a pastry board or putting it through a meat grinder. If fine crumbs are desired, sift the crushed bread. Place the fine and coarse crumbs in separate jars. Cover the jars by tying a piece of muslin over each. (The muslin covering can also be conveniently secured by means of a rubber band.) If each jar is tightly covered with a lid, air is excluded from the crumbs and molds often grow on them. Bread crumbs thoroughly dried and stored as directed will keep for several months (see Figure 42).

QUESTIONS

Explain why thick soup may serve as a valuable part of a meal.

Why is it served as the first course of a meal?

Is the mashed potato of Potato Soup strained before or after adding it to the other ingredients? When is the Corn Soup strained? How is the flavor extracted from the onion in preparing Potato Soup? How is the flavor extracted for Corn Soup? From this explain the difference in straining the soups.

If fresh corn were used for this soup, how would its cooking differ from that of canned corn?

How should fresh corn be cut from the cob for soup (see _Green Corn_)?

What is the price per can of corn?

In preparing Soup Sticks, why are the crusts removed from the bread before buttering it? Why is the bread spread with butter before cutting it into strips? Aside from flavor, what is the purpose of spreading the bread for Soup Sticks with butter?

How should dried bread crumbs be covered for storing? Why?

What is the difference between soft bread crumbs (see note under recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes) and dried bread crumbs? Which should be used for scalloped dishes? Which for covering fried foods? Think of the dishes which contain bread crumbs and then state for which foods either kind of crumbs could be used. Explain.

LESSON LI

MILK THICKENED WITH EGG (A)

CUSTARDS.--Since eggs have the property of stiffening when heated, they are often used for thickening liquids, especially milk. Milk thickened with eggs is called _custard_.

There are two kinds of plain custards: (_a_) steamed or baked custard and (_b_) soft custard. The method of mixing these custards is the same, but the methods of cooking and the tests for sufficient cooking differ.

That the milk may not scorch and that the egg may not cook too hard, all milk-and-egg mixtures should be cooked below the boiling temperature of water. They should never be cooked directly over the fire, but over hot water or in a double boiler. That the egg may cook evenly and not too quickly, the water in the double boiler _should not boil rapidly_.