A HANDBOOK
OF
HOME ECONOMICS
BY
ETTA PROCTOR FLAGG
> r
SUPERVISOR OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE IN THE
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1912
\J>
Copyright, 1912,
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
All rights reserved
Published, January, 1912
8. J. PARKHILL & Co., BOSTOK, U.S.A.
PREFACE
THE plan in this little book has been to give a simple
basis for the pupil to work from, leaving the teacher
free to present the lesson in her own way. The princi-
pal points to be brought out are suggested by the
questions at the end of each lesson. These questions
are to be answered by the pupil in the spare moments
which are so often wasted in the course of an ordinary
cookery period.
This course may be completed in one school year,
or in two, according to the frequency of the lessons.
The book is divided into two parts for the convenience
of classes which devote two years to the subject.
235338
PART I
A HANDBOOK OF HOME
ECONOMICS
SUGGESTIONS FOR HOUSEKEEPING
Let each pupil provide herself with two large, plain,
white aprons made from cambric, long cloth, or linen;
avoid lawn because it wears so short a time and rumples
so easily. In addition to the aprons, every girl should
have her own small hand- towel and cookery holder; the
towel need not be more than eighteen inches long, and
the holder should not be over five inches square.
When working in the cookery room, keep the wrists
free from bracelets and the fingers free from rings; let
the hair be neat and away from the face.
Before beginning the lesson see that the hands are
thoroughly washed and the nails well cleaned. Keep
the hand-towel fastened at the waist, ready for imme-
diate use.
When the lesson is over, fold both apron and towel
neatly and place in the locker assigned. Before leav-
ing the class-room be sure that all utensils are in perfect
order and, if possible, that your notes are all placed in
your text-book.
4' ; A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Dish-Washing
Clean all plates and dishes; if they are greasy, use
brown paper; if not, scrape with a rubber scraper or
with a case-knife.
Arrange neatly and in the most convenient manner.
Use hot, soapy water, filling the dishpan about one-
third full. Change the water frequently if many dishes
are to be washed. Rinse all dishes with clear, hot
water and wipe with clean towels free from lint.
Wash glassware first. If an extra polish is desired,
wipe from the soapy water.
After the glassware, wash the silver, then the china,
and then the cooking utensils.
Take fresh, hot water and wash the towels thor-
oughly, rinse in clear water, stretch carefully and hang
to dry; fold the dishcloth evenly and hang to dry.
Be very careful to keep bone, ivory, or wooden handles
of knives or forks out of the water, and make sure,
when washing a Dover egg-beater, that only the part
below the wheel touches the water.
If a saucepan has become burned place a few tea-
spoons of baking soda in the pan, fill with warm water
and let it stand for several hours or over night.
Abbreviations
tbsp. stands for tablespoon, qt. stands for quart,
tsp. stands for teaspoon. pt. stands for pint.
c. stands for cup. Ib. stands for pound.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 5
m. stands for minute. oz. stands for ounce,
h. stands for hour. spk. stands for speck.
Table of Equivalents
3 tsp. equal 1 tbsp.
4 tbsp. equal % c. or }/ gill.
2 gills equal 1 c.
2 c. equal 1 pt.
2 pts. equal 1 qt.
4 qts. equal 1 gal.
4 c. flour equal 1 Ib.
2 c. solid butter equal 1 Ib.
2 c. granulated sugar equal 1 Ib.
3 c. meal equal 1 Ib.
2 c. solid meat equal 1 Ib.
2 tbsp. butter equal 1 oz.
2 tbsp. sugar equal 1 oz.
2 tbsp. flour equal 1 oz.
2 tbsp. liquid equal 1 oz.
Measurements
Flour, soda, meal, powdered, or confectioners' sugar
should be sifted before measuring.
A cup means a cup filled level with the top.
A spoonful means a level spoonful.
To get this level spoonful, use the back of a case-
knife, drawing it smoothly across the spoon.
One half spoonful means a spoonful divided length-
wise.
6 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
One fourth spoonful means a spoonful divided length-
wise and then crosswise.
A salt spoon means one-fourth of a teaspoon.
When measuring dry material by the cup, fill lightly
with a spoon without shaking it down.
FIRE-BUILDING ,
To Build a Wood Fire
Remove ashes and open drafts.
Blacken, beginning at the back.
Place thin layer of crumpled paper on bottom of
fire box.
Arrange a loose layer of light wood over the paper.
Place hard wood over this lightly.
Polish while stove is heating.
When fire is burning well, close oven-damper and
check the drafts.
To Build a Coal Fire
Build like a wood fire, adding coal gradually until
the fire box is three-fourths full.
To Light a Gas Range
Turn the gas on freely before lighting.
Keep the blaze free from yellow flame and as low
as is allowable with the heat required.
In lighting the oven be sure that there is no free gas
to cause an explosion. (Usually it is wiser to open the
oven door before lighting.)
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 7
SETTING THE TABLE
Dust the table. Put on the silence-cloth, which
must be perfectly smooth.
Place tablecloth over this, center of cloth over center
of table. Use clean linen of as fine a quality as can
be afforded. Have the cloth long enough and wide
enough to hang well around the table.
Decorate by placing in the center of the table a vase
of flowers, a fern, or a dish of fruit.
Place plates, right side up, one at each end; then at
the sides. Have plenty of space between each plate,
and plates opposite one another if possible.
Place knife on right side of plate with sharp
edge of knife toward plate, one inch from edge of
table.
Place forks on left side with prongs turned up, one
inch from edge of table.
Place teaspoons at right of knife, bowls of spoons
turned up.
Place tumbler, top up, at end of knife.
Place butter, or bread and butter plate, in front of
plate toward the left.
Place napkins, neatly folded, at the left of fork.
WATER
Place }/2 c. water in saucepan and heat slowly. What
rises at first?
What collects on the bottom and sides of pan?
8 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
When is the water simmering? How can you tell,
and what is the temperature?
Give the temperature of boiling water.
How do you know when it is boiling?
What is "hard" water?
What is "soft" water?
TEA AND COFFEE
Keep tea and coffee in closely covered jars or cans.
Use enamel or nickel coffee-pots.
Use enamel, nickel, or earthenware teapots.
Use only freshly boiled water in making tea and
coffee, and scald the teapot or coffee-pot thoroughly
before using.
Tea
1 tsp. tea.
1 c. boiling water.
Put the tea in a scalded teapot and pour the boiling
water over it.
Steep 5 m. in a warm place. Strain, and serve either
hot or iced.
Boiled Coffee
4 tbsp. coffee, ground.
\y% c. boiling water.
4 egg shells, broken fine,
c. cold water.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 9
Mix coffee, shells, and half of the cold water. Add
boiling water, boil three minutes and add remaining
cold water. Let stand 10 minutes, pour out a little to
clear the spout, and serve.
Filtered Coffee -
Y% c. coffee, powdered.
3 c. boiling water.
Use a coffee-pot with an inside strainer. Place the
powdered coffee in the strainer and add the boiling
water gradually. Keep the coffee-pot covered while
the water is filtering. Serve at once, without cooling.
Where is tea found?
What part of the tea plant is used?
How is tea prepared for market?
Name four different varieties of tea, with prices for
each.
Why use freshly boiled water in making tea?
Why not boil the tea?
When would you drink tea?
Where does coffee grow?
Why are tea and coffee injurious?
In what form is coffee least injurious?
Name the two best varieties of coffee, with price per
pound.
10 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
FOOD
The food which we eat may be divided into three
distinct classes: proteins, carbohydrates, fats. These
will be studied in detail as we advance in the work.
Try to remember now that protein foods are the chief
sources of tissue and muscle, and that the carbohydrates
and fats give us energy and fat.
MILK
The first food that children take is milk, and for the
young child this seems an almost perfect food. Since
all young children must live on it, it is necessary for
us to know how to tell good milk and how to care for
it. It is very difficult to get fresh, pure milk in the
large cities, and nothing that comes into the house
requires more care.
Care of Milk
Select the best dairy you can find. Wipe milk bottles
when brought into the house. Place in refrigerator or
cold closet. If turned from bottles, place in glass, agate-
ware, earthenware, granite, or aluminum, and keep
covered. If doubtful about the purity, scald. To
scald the milk, heat over hot water; when a bead-like
ring forms around the edge, it is scalded. Remove
directly. Greater heat makes the milk less digestible.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 11
Composition of Milk
Water, about 87%.
Mineral matter,
casein.
Protein ,
[ albumen.
Fat.
Carbohydrate. Sugar.
What is the scum that rises to the surface of milk
when it is scalded?
What is pasteurized milk?
CHOCOLATE AND COCOA
Chocolate
lJ/ to 2 squares of Baker's chocolate.
4 tbsp. sugar.
1 c. boiling water.
<^c. scalded milk.
Spk. salt.
1. Melt the chocolate over hot water, add sugar and
salt, and pour the boiling water over the mixture,
stirring constantly.
2. Place directly over the fire and cook 5 m.
3. Add to the hot milk.
4. Beat 1 m. with Dover egg-beater and serve. For
special occasions 1 tsp. vanilla may be added, and
whipped cream may be served with the chocolate.
12 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Cocoa
2 tbsp. cocoa. 2 c. boiling water.
3 tbsp. sugar. 2 c. scalded milk.
1 spk. salt.
(A larger proportion of milk may be used.)
1. Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt with the water, and
boil 5 m.
2. Stir this into the hot milk and serve.
From what are chocolate and cocoa obtained?
What is the difference between the two?
Which is the more easily digested? Why?
Name the most nourishing part in a cup of cocoa.
Reduce the chocolate recipe to 1 c.
Reduce the cocoa recipe to 1 c.
How can you prevent the thick scum from rising to
the surface of a cup of chocolate or cocoa?
Apple Sauce
6 or 8 apples. J/ c. sugar.
1. Pare, core, and cut the apples into small pieces.
2. Cook the apples with enough water to keep them
from burning. When soft, add the sugar and remove
from the fire.
3. Cinnamon or nutmeg to suit taste may be added
for variety.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 13
Baked Apples
Wash and core apples. Place in baking-dish, fill
center with sugar, and cover the bottom of the baking-
dish with hot water. Bake until soft.
Cranberry Jelly
4 c. cranberries.
1 c. boiling water.
2 c. sugar.
1. Look over cranberries and wash them. Cook
cranberries and water 20 m.
2. Press through a strainer. Add the sugar and
cook 5 m.
3. Pour into cold, wet molds, or glasses.
Name the two classes of fruits.
Give the general composition.
What is the chief food value?
What fruits are included under the name citrus?
What gives them this name?
Name two varieties of good cooking apples.
Give the average cost per pound.
How many average-sized apples make a pound?
Where do most of the cranberries come from?
When are they at their best?
What is the average cost per pound?
14 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
What fruits are more wholesome cooked than un-
cooked?
What fruits may be exposed safely on the public
streets?
Why?
DRIED FRUITS
Prunes
Wash thoroughly, soak over night, and cook slowly
until the skins are tender. When nearly done, sweeten
slightly. Stick cinnamon, or a little juice and rind of
lemon, may be used to vary the flavor.
Peaches
Wash the dried peaches carefully, cover with water
and let stand over night. In the morning cook slowly
until tender; then add a very small amount of sugar.
Apricots
Treat in the same way as the others, but add more
sugar. Prunes and apricots may be mixed together,
half and half, and treated as either one would be treated
separately.
What is the difference in composition between the
fresh and dried fruits?
How is this lack supplied?
Why is the long cooking desirable?
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 15
Name three dried fruits rich in sugar. What per
cent of sugar do they contain?
How are fruits dried?
What do we need to be very careful about in their
preparation?
At what season of the year would you use dried fruits
freely?
Nut Brittle
1 c. sugar.
54 to 1 c. nuts, shelled and broken in pieces.
1. Put sugar in saucepan to heat, and when it begins
to melt on the bottom of the saucepan stir it until it
becomes a thin, light brown syrup with no lumps.
(Keep the sugar stirred down from the sides of the pan.)
2. Add nuts immediately and pour quickly on a
buttered plate or platter; mark in squares as soon as
the knife does not stick to the candy. (A tin plate need
not be buttered.) When cold, break in pieces.
Fudge
2 c. sugar. 2 tbsp. butter.
y?, to 1 c. milk. 1 tsp. vanilla.
1 to 1J/2 sq. unsweetened chocolate, or 4 tbsp. cocoa.
1. Heat milk and sugar and, when sugar is dissolved,
add the chocolate. Boil until it reaches the soft-ball
stage, stirring until chocolate is melted.
16 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
2. Remove from fire, add the butter and vanilla,
and beat until creamy and thickened. Pour quickly
into a greased tin. When firm, cut in squares.
Syrup
2 c. sugar. J/g c. water.
Place in saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Boil slowly, without stirring, until a light syrup is
made. Remove and cool. Color with caramel and
flavor with lemon, if desired.
What is the price of confectioners' sugar?
How many cups of granulated sugar make a pound?
How many cups of confectioners' sugar make a pound?
How do you caramelize sugar?
Estimate the cost of the nut brittle and give it in
itemized form.
Estimate the cost of the fudge in the same way.
To what class of foods does sugar belong?
What does it do in the body?
Why should we not eat large quantities of sugar in
any form?
Where is beet sugar made?
In what section do we find maple sugar?
How is maple sugar made?
What is the price of granulated sugar?
What does cane sugar come from, and how is it made?
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 17
HOUSEKEEPING
Care of Refrigerator
Look over the refrigerator daily to see that no food
is left to spoil. Food with a strong flavor, or hot food,
should not be put into the refrigerator.
Once a week every part of the refrigerator should be
washed with a solution of washing-soda, a dish mop
being used. Rinse, wipe as dry as possible, and air
thoroughly before using again. Flush the waste-pipe
with the soda solution.
Care of the Sink
Always pour dishwater through a sink strainer, and
put the refuse left in strainer in garbage pail.
When dish-washing is finished, wash every part of
the sink and sink strainer with hot, soapy water. Wash
above and around the sink, and use a scrubbing brush
and a skewer when necessary.
Flush the sink with boiling water every day, and
about once a week with a strong, hot solution of washing-
soda. (Cover 1 c. washing-soda with 6 qts. boiling
water and let remain on the fire until all the soda is
dissolved. Pour this, boiling hot, into the pipes, using
2 to 3 qts. for each sink.)
Garbage
Garbage should be burned, or should be put into
large pails to be collected several times a week. These
18 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
garbage pails should be cleaned thoroughly with the
hose, after emptying, and dried well in the sun. When
necessary, a strong, hot solution of washing-soda should
be used to clean them.
Scraps in the kitchen should be put into a granite-
ware pail. This scrap pail should be emptied into the
garbage pail every day. It should be washed as any
other dish and thoroughly dried. Once a week it should
be washed with the soda solution.
Care of the Range
When grease or other material is spilled on the range
while cooking is being done, rub off at once with paper.
Beside cleaning out the ashes from the range every
day, the space above and below the oven should be
cleaned out about once a month, as the soot and ashes
collected there prevent the proper heating of the oven.
Never blacken the range without cleaning it first.
Moisten some stove polish with cold water and rub it
over the range with a brush or cloth. Blacken when
stove is cold.
Use a dry brush for polishing, rubbing very briskly.
Begin at front of range when the stove is warm.
To Clean Metals
Always wash articles carefully before cleaning. After
cleaning, wash in hot water containing ammonia, and
dry carefully. The following cleansing agents may be
used:
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 19
Tin. Sapolio or silver-polish; whiting, moistened
with ammonia, alcohol, or water.
Steel Knives. Brick or Sapolio.
Silver. Silver-polish, or whiting moistened with
ammonia, alcohol, or water.
Gold. Silver-polish, or whiting moistened with am-
monia, alcohol, or water.
Copper. Vinegar and salt, then ammonia.
Brass. Vinegar and salt, then ammonia.
Zinc. Whiting moistened with vinegar, or powdered
pumice.
Iron. Rub with oil, then scour with ashes or pumice-
stone.
Nickel. Silver-polish, or whiting moistened with
ammonia, alcohol, or water.
What is the difference between an ice-box and a
refrigerator?
Which requires the more ice?
Why?
How may you keep the ice from melting rapidly?
Why should you frequently flush the sink-pipes?
How should you care for a gas range?
Name a standard silver-polish.
Which is the cheapest silver-polish?
20 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Experiments
Mix 1 tsp. cornstarch with % c * c ld water. State
result.
Mix 1 tsp. cornstarch with J4 c. boiling water. State
result.
Mix 2 tsp. cornstarch with J/g c. cold water, and stir
into J4 c - boiling water. State result.
Taste this mixture; then boil 15 m. and taste again.
What difference do you notice?
Mix 2 tsp. cornstarch with 4 tsp. sugar, and stir
into i/s c. boiling water. State result.
Cream 1 tsp. flour with 1 tsp. butter, and stir into
% c. boiling water. State result.
Cornstarch Pudding
1 pt. milk. 1 sq. chocolate.
1 tsp. vanilla. 1 spk. salt.
4 tbsp. cornstarch. J^ c. sugar.
1. Fill mold with cold water.
2. Scald milk in double boiler. Mix cornstarch,
sugar, and enough cold milk to make a smooth paste.
3. Pour the hot milk over this, stir, return to the
double boiler and cook 30 m., stirring all the time
until thick, and occasionally afterwards.
4. Remove from the fire, add flavoring, and pour
into the mold.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 21
5. Chocolate may be melted over hot water and added
when the cornstarch begins to thicken.
Serve cold, with sugar and cream, or milk.
Pineapple^Cream
2 c. milk.
3 tbsp. cornstarch.
3 tbsp. sugar.
Spk. salt.
Whites of 2 eggs.
4 tbsp. grated pineapple.
Cook as for cornstarch pudding; remove from fire
and fold in lightly the whites of the eggs, beaten stiff,
and the grated pineapple. Serve cold with cream.
To what class of foods does cornstarch belong?
What is its special use in the body?
CEREALS
The most important cereal food products are those
prepared from wheat, corn, rice, and oats.
Composition
"Cereals contain all the food principles; they aver-
age about two-thirds carbohydrates, one-tenth protein,
one-tenth water, and they contain a little fat and min-
eral matter."
22 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Their chief value, however, lies in their starch com-
position, and because of this they require thorough
cooking.
Rules for Cooking
Allow J4 tsp. salt to 1 c. boiling water.
Allow 1 c. rolled cereal to 2 c. boiling water.
Allow 1 c. coarse cereal to 3 c. boiling water.
Allow 1 c. fine cereal to 4 c. boiling water.
Add salt to water and stir in cereal with a fork. Cook
directly over the fire for five minutes, stirring constantly,
then place in double boiler or fireless cooker.
Cook the coarse grains 7 or 8 h.
Cook the rolled grains in double boiler 45 or 60 m.
Cook the fine grains in double boiler 30 or 45 m.
Gruels
In many cases of sickness the patient is unable to
take any solid food, and a gruel is prescribed by the
physician. This is nothing but a cereal cooked with a
much larger proportion of water; usually we use one
tablespoonf ul of the cereal to one cup of water or milk,
and cook very thoroughly. The gruel is then strained,
seasoned with salt, and served very hot.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 23
Indian Meal Gruel
4 tbsp. yellow corn meal. 4 c. boiling water.
Blend meal with a little cold water and stir into boil-
ing water. Boil gently 2 hrs. Salt to taste. Sweeten if
necessary, and add milk if desired. Strain, and serve
hot.
Flour Gruel
1 c. milk. Spk. salt.
1 tbsp. flour. 1 doz. raisins.
Stone and quarter raisins, then add water to cover
them; cook slowly until water has all boiled away.
Add to gruel just before serving.
Gruel : Mix the flour with a little cold milk and stir
into scalded milk. Cook in a double boiler J^ h., first
boiling well over the fire. Add salt and raisins; strain
and serve.
NOTE. Do not use the raisins if the patient has
bowel trouble.
Oatmeal Gruel
2 tbsp. rolled oats.
1 c. boiling water.
J4 tsp. salt.
Boil y% h. or longer, strain, thin with hot milk, and
serve.
24 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Barley Gruel
1 tbsp. barley flour.
1 c. water.
J4 tsp. salt.
Mix flour with a little cold water, stir into boiling
water, boil 30 m., thin with hot milk, strain, and serve.
Why serve cereals stiff enough to chew?
What fruits are most satisfactory to serve with them?
Why not acid fruits?
Why cook at first directly over the fire?
Which cereals are the more difficult to digest?
What is the advantage in buying cereals by the pack-
age? What is the disadvantage?
Name those that may be bought in bulk, and give
the difference in price per pound.
RICE
Rice contains more starch and less fat than any
other grain. It is a good food for people in tropical
countries and is very easily digested. It should be
combined with eggs, milk, or meat.
Boiled Rice
3 qts. boiling water.
1 c. well washed rice.
1 tbsp. salt.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 25
To wash rice well, put into a strainer and set in a
deep dish of cold water. Rub the rice, and lift the
strainer in and out of the water, changing the water
until it is clear.
Drain, drop the rice into the boiling water slowly,
and lift up grains of rice from bottom of pan with a
fork until the water is boiling rapidly again. Cook 20
m. to Yz h., or until soft, and add the salt when nearly
done.
Drain in the strainer and dry in an open oven, or
leave in stewpan, cover with napkin, and set back on
stove to steam and become dry.
Save water in which the rice is boiled and use for
soup, gravy, or rice pudding.
Molded Rice
1 c. well washed rice.
2 c. hot milk.
1 c. boiling water.
1 tsp. salt.
Scald milk in a double boiler, add rice, boiling water
and salt, cover and let cook 45 m., or until kernels are
soft. When cooked, uncover, that the steam may
escape. (More water and less milk may be used.)
Place a layer of rice in cup.
Add layer of prepared dates, another layer of rice.
Press firmly together. Turn from cups and serve with
sugar and cream or milk.
26 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Where does rice grow freely?
To what class of foods does it belong?
What vegetables may we substitute for it?
How does it differ from the potato in composition?
If used as a cereal, what proportions of water to rice
would be necessary?
Name three different ways in which it may be
served.
What is the average price per pound?
Estimate cost of the molded rice recipe.
VEGETABLES
Select vegetables carefully. Wash or scrub thor-
oughly, and if wilted, soak well before using. Choose
those of medium size rather than large; buy when in
season and use freely.
Preparation
Asparagus. Wash, cut in inch pieces, or leave
whole.
Beans, shell. Shell and wash.
Beans, string. Remove ends and string; cut in
inch pieces.
Beets. Scrub well, but do not cut.
Brussels sprouts. Remove outside leaves and
stand in salted water 20 m.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 27
Cabbage. Remove outside leaves ; cut in large
pieces; remove core; wash twice, and drain.
Cauliflower. Wash; remove outside leaves; stand
upside down in salted water 20 m.
Carrots. Wash and scrape off the thin skin.
Corn. Husk; remove silk and wash.
Onions. Peel and wash.
Parsnips. Wash and scrub.
Peas. Shell and wash.
Potatoes. Wash and pare; make a thin paring.
Summer squash. Wash, and cut in small pieces.
Spinach. Remove tough stems and wilted leaves.
Wash in five waters.
Turnips. Wash and pare; make a thin paring.
Boiled Potatoes
Select potatoes of medium size. Wash thoroughly,
using a vegetable brush, and pare as thinly as possible,
leaving them in cold water until ready to cook.
Cook in boiling, salted water, covered, until a fork
pierces them easily (from 20 to 25 m.). Allow 1 tbsp.
salt to 7 potatoes. The boiling water should cover the
potatoes.
When done, drain off the water and shake the pan
until the potatoes are dry and mealy.
Set on back of stove to keep warm, covered with a
folded napkin or clean towel. Serve uncovered.
28 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Mashed Potatoes
1 pt. mashed potatoes.
3 tbsp. hot milk or more.
2 tbsp. butter.
V tsp. salt.
1 spk. pepper.
Cook potatoes as directed above and, when dry,
mash at once in the pan in which they were cooked.
Add milk, butter, and seasonings, and beat with fork
until white and creamy.
Reheat; pile lightly in a hot dish and serve uncovered.
Potato Cakes
Shape cold mashed potato into small round cakes
and roll in flour. Butter a hot frying-pan, put in cakes,
brown one side, turn and brown the other side, adding
butter as needed to prevent burning. Remove to hot
platter and serve.
Baked Potatoes
Select smooth, medium-sized potatoes and scrub
them well with a brush.
Bake in shallow pan on rack of a hot oven until
soft, about 45 m. Turn occasionally. Serve at once
in an uncovered dish.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 29
Creamed Potatoes
1 tbsp. butter. J tsp. salt.
2 tbsp. flour. 1 spk. pepper.
1 c. milk. 13/2 c- potatoes.
Make a white sauce.
Add \ l /2 c. cold boiled potatoes, cut in half-inch dice.
Cook until potatoes are thoroughly heated. Add a
little chopped parsley, if liked.
Slice a small potato very thin. Place in a glass of
cold water and allow to stand for one-half hour or more.
Notice the appearance of the water. What has taken
place?
Hold a slice of the potato to the light. Draw, care-
fully, its appearance.
Boil the water in which the sliced potato stood.
What change takes place?
What causes this change?
Where does most of the mineral matter of the potato
lie?
Why should one not use potato water in cooking?
Stewed Tomatoes
Remove skins by placing in boiling water a few
minutes. They will then peel off easily. Cut in pieces
and stew in a granite saucepan until tender. To each
30 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
cup of tomatoes add 1 tsp. butter, J4 tsp. salt, J^ tsp.
sugar, spk. pepper. Thicken, if desired, with 2 tbsp.
cracker crumbs.
Scalloped Tomatoes
1 qt. stewed tomatoes or 1 can.
1 tsp. salt.
}4 tsp. pepper.
1 tbsp. sugar.
lJ^-2 c. bread crumbs
2-4 tbsp. butter.
Mix melted butter and crumbs. Sprinkle layer in
bottom of baking-dish. Pour in half the tomato,
scatter half the crumbs over this, add remaining tomato,
cover with crumbs. Brown in a quick oven.
Spinach
Freshen four bunches of spinach, pick over carefully,
and wash in five different waters. Place in a saucepan
without any water. Cover the saucepan, stirring occa-
sionally to prevent burning; cook 5 m. Drain in a
colander and chop fine.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in saucepan, add 1 tbsp. flour,
J4 tsp. salt, % tsp. pepper. Then stir in J4 c - vinegar
and y% c. water and add 2 tbsp. sugar. Stir constantly
and, when thickened, add the spinach. Serve, gar-
nished with hard cooked eggs.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 31
Why is spinach good for us?
How else may it be served?
White Sauce
1 c. milk.
2 tbsp. flour.
1 tbsp. butter.
J/ tsp. salt.
Spk. pepper.
Melt butter, add flour, salt, pepper, stir well to-
gether, add part of milk and stir until smooth and
thick. Add half remaining milk, stir until boiling; add
remaining milk and boil.
Creamed Carrots
2 c. cubed, cooked carrots.
1 c. white sauce.
Prepare carrots according to directions, cut into J^
inch dice, boil until tender in salted water, drain, and
serve in white sauce.
Young carrots will cook in twenty to thirty minutes;
the older ones will require one hour.
Green Peas
Prepare peas as directed. Wash the pods carefully
and boil in a small quantity of water. Cook the peas
in this water.
32 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
If young and fresh, the peas will cook in thirty
minutes; when old, allow forty-five to sixty minutes.
Drain, season with salt and butter, and serve. If de-
sired, the liquid may be thickened like a white sauce
and the peas served in this.
Always save the liquid in which peas have been
cooked, as it may be used in soups.
SERVICE
The Breakfast Table
Arrange cups and saucers, creamer and sugar bowl, in
front of the hostess. A coffee-stand should be placed
at the right of the hostess for the coffee-pot.
All heavy dishes are placed in front of the host, so
that he may serve.
With fruit, finger bowls should be used.
The Dinner Table
The carving set and knife and fork rests should be
laid in front of the host. The host serves the fish and
meat.
The soup ladle should be placed in front of the host-
ess, handle to the right. The hostess should serve the
soup, salad, dessert, and coffee, and usually the vege-
tables.
The soup spoons should be placed at the right of
the knives at each place, bowls up.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 33
Rules for Serving
Cold food should be served on cold dishes, hot food
on hot dishes.
Never fill glasses or cups more than three-fourths
full. Fill before each course.
Do not let the table become disorderly during the
meal.
When passing a dish, hold it so that the thumb will
not rest upon the upper surface.
The waitress should stand at the back of the hostess,
or while the meat is being carved, at the back of the
host. She should take each plate from the left as it is
ready to serve, in her right hand, and place it before
the person for whom it is intended. Everything is
served at the left, except liquids in glasses, or cups and
saucers.
In passing dishes from which a person is to help
himself, pass always to the left side, so that the food
may be taken with the right hand.
All soiled dishes should be removed from the left.
The waitress should never pile one dish upon another.
When one course is finished, soiled dishes should be
removed first, then food, then clean dishes, then
crumbs.
When folding the tablecloth or napkins always fold
very carefully in the same creases.
PART II
EGGS
Eggs are a tissue-building food, the chief protein
being a form of albumen. In food value and in digesti-
bility they compare favorably with meat, and during
the spring and summer should be freely used.
When an egg is perfectly fresh it will sink to the
bottom of a brine made in the proportion of two ounces
of salt to one pint of water; if stale, the egg will float
upon the surface. If a stale egg is shaken gently it will
give a rattling sound.
Soft-cooked Eggs
Place egg in stewpan of boiling water, using a spoon.
Cover closely and place where water will keep hot, but
where it will not boil. Cook 6 to 8 m.
Hard-cooked Eggs
Place egg in stewpan of boiling water, using a spoon.
Cover closely and place where water will keep hot, but
where it will not boil. Cook 40 to 45 m.
Poached Eggs on Toast
Have a shallow pan two-thirds full of boiling, salted
water, allowing 1 tsp. salt to 1 pt. water. Put a slightly
buttered muffin-ring in the water.
38 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Break egg carefully into a cup and slip into muffin-
ring. The water should cover the egg.
When there is a film on top, and the white is firm,
carefully take up ring and egg with a buttered griddle-
cake turner and place egg on a circular piece of buttered
toast.
Pour boiling water over the white of an egg and boil
hard. How does it appear?
Fry a little in hot fat. What is the effect?
Pour some water heated to 180 F. over the white
and let stand five minutes. What is the appearance?
Why should you not cook your eggs at 212 F.?
How much water do you need to use when cooking
one egg in the shell?
When cooking four?
Name the different parts of an egg.
Why does an egg become "stale"?
How many eggs of average size in a pound?
Compare the cost of steak and eggs.
Scrambled Eggs
4 eggs. J^ tsp. salt.
2 tbsp. milk. Spk. pepper.
J/2 tbsp. butter.
Beat eggs slightly with a fork, add milk and season-
ing. Melt butter in saucepan, turn in the egg mixture,
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 39
and stir over a slow fire until it begins to set. Remove
from fire and cook over hot water until firm, but not
hard. Serve at once on slices of buttered toast.
Light Omelet
2 eggs. y% tsp. salt.
1 tsp. butter. 1 spk. pepper.
2 tbsp. water.
Separate yolk from white of eggs. Beat yolks until
light and creamy, add salt, pepper, and water. Beat
whites until stiff, cut, and fold them into the yolks.
Heat omelet pan, and butter sides and bottom. Turn
in the mixture, spread evenly, place where it will cook
slowly, occasionally turning the pan that omelet may
brown evenly.
When omelet is well risen and delicately browned
underneath, place pan on oven grate to finish cooking.
Fold and turn upon a hot platter.
French Omelet
3 eggs. y^ tsp. salt. Spk. pepper.
Beat the eggs, with the seasoning, just enough to
break the yolks. Melt ^ tsp. butter in a frying-pan.
Turn in the egg mixture, and with a fork lift the cooked
portions of the egg, allowing the liquid on top to run
down underneath. When the egg is cooked, but still
quite soft on top, slip the knife underneath and roll
40 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
the omelet to the center. Let it cook for a moment,
then turn upon a hot platter. Serve at once.
Estimate cost of each recipe and note the number of
people it will serve.
Egg Vermicelli
Y^ tbsp. butter. % tsp. salt.
2]/2 tbsp. flour. 1 spk. pepper.
1J^ c. milk. 4 to 6 slices toasted bread.
3 hard-cooked eggs.
Make a white sauce of the first five ingredients.
Chop the whites of the eggs, add to the white sauce,
and pour over the toasted bread.
Press the yolks through a strainer and sprinkle over
the top.
General Rules for Custards
When using milk and eggs together in cooking, cook
them at a low temperature. Soft custards should be
cooked in a double boiler. Baked custards should be
set in a pan of hot water while baking.
When putting hot milk and cold egg together, pour
the milk on the egg very slowly, while stirring.
Stir a soft custard all the time while cooking, and
when done take out of the hot water immediately.
Should the custard curdle, place the saucepan in cold
water and beat the custard with a Dover egg-beater.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 41
A soft custard is done when it forms a coating on a
spoon.
A baked custard is done when a silver knife inserted
in the custard comes out clean.
Custard Sauce
c. milk. Y% tsp. salt.
Yolks of 2 eggs. J^ tsp. vanilla.
J4 c. sugar.
Heat the milk in a double boiler. Beat the egg yolk
slightly, add the sugar and salt.
Pour the hot milk over this mixture, stirring until
the egg is all removed from the sides of the bowl.
Return to the double boiler, and cook until a
coating is formed. Strain the custard and, when cool,
flavor.
Three egg yolks must be used if the custard is not to
be used as a sauce.
Baked Custards
2 c. milk. J4 c - sugar.
3 eggs. y% tsp. salt.
1 tsp. vanilla or a little grated nutmeg.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until light. Add
milk and vanilla. Pour into buttered custard cups.
Stand in pan of hot water.
Bake in oven until custards are firm in the middle.
Turn out when cold.
42 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Estimate cost of the egg vermicelli.
How could you turn the plain baked custard into a
caramel custard?
When should custard desserts be served?
MILK
Signs of Good Milk
"There should be no sediment of dirt after standing.
There should be about one-sixth the total depth of
cream the narrowing neck of the bottle may make it
seem even more. The milk should keep sweet twenty-
four hours, and when it tastes sour it should separate
into curds and whey, not be simply a uniform white
mass, as is likely to happen when soda is used to keep
it." l
Cottage Cheese
Heat thick, sour milk over hot water until the whey
separates. Place in cheesecloth and let drain until no
whey remains. Salt to taste, adding a little cream to
give the right consistency. Shape into balls of the de-
sired size.
Butter
Use thick, sour cream. If a large amount, place in
churn; if small, beat with spoon or egg-beater. When
small globules of butter have formed, drain off the
1 Mrs. Richards's " Food Materials and their Adulterations."
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 43
buttermilk, wash in clear, cold water, salt to taste, and
shape in rolls or balls.
Junket or Thick Milk
1 qt. milk. 2 tbsp. cold water.
1 junket tablet. }/ c. sugar.
Flavoring: vanilla, nutmeg.
(1 tbsp. liquid rennet may be used instead of junket.)
Place the milk in double boiler and warm it. Do
not let it become hot.
Add the rennet dissolved in the cold water, and stir.
Add flavoring.
Keep in a warm place till thick. Then set in a cool
place, taking care not to shake it.
Serve cold with a custard sauce.
Why does milk sour?
What is the curd of the milk composed of?
What is cheese a substitute for?
What is condensed milk?
What is certified milk?
CREAM SOUPS
Cream soups are a combination of strained, cooked
vegetable pulp and white sauce; sometimes a small
amount of white stock is also used. The proportions
are equal parts of pulp and white sauce. The vegetables
44 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
generally used are peas, beans, corn, asparagus, celery,
and potatoes.
Usually the vegetable is cooked in a small quantity
of water, and this is mixed with the pulp before meas-
uring and adding to the white sauce, but with potatoes
the water is not used.
The amount of starch in the vegetable used will make
it necessary for more or less flour to be used in the
white sauce; the final consistency of the soup should
be that of good cream. If the soup stands any length
of time it will become too thick, but may be thinned
with hot milk. Allow one cup of soup for each person
when planning your meal.
Potato Soup
1 c. potatoes. 3 tbsp. butter.
3 c. milk. 2 tbsp. flour.
1 c. water. J^ tsp. salt.
1 stalk celery. Spk. pepper.
J4 onion. Spk. celery salt.
Boil potatoes, and mash. Cook milk, celery, and onion
together 20 m. in double boiler. Add to potato, thicken
as for white sauce, strain, and serve at once.
Mock Bisque Soup
2 c. milk. 3 tbsp. butter.
3 tbsp. flour. Spk. pepper.
2 c. tomato juice. J^ tsp. baking soda.
Yz tsp. salt.
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 45
Combine milk, butter, flour, salt, and pepper as for
white sauce. Heat tomato and stir in soda, let the
mixture stand 5 m., add to the white sauce, heat, and
serve immediately.
Corn Soup
y% pt. water. 2 tbsp. minced onion.
1 pt. canned corn. }/2 tsp. salt.
1 pt. white sauce (thin). J/ tsp. pepper.
% tsp. celery salt.
Cook corn and water fifteen minutes. Strain. Cook
the onion in the milk, in a double boiler, before making
the white sauce. Add the strained corn pulp and sea-
soning to white sauce, and serve.
Tomato Soup
1 pt. strained tomato juice.
1 pt. water in which peas and pea pods have been
cooked.
1 tbsp. onion.
2 tbsp. butter.
3 tbsp. flour.
1 tsp. salt.
}/8 tsp. paprika.
Brown the onion in the butter, add the flour, salt,
pepper, and stir the tomato juice in slowly. Strain
into the pea liquid, heat, and serve.
46 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Why do you use soda in the mock bisque and not in
the other tomato soup?
Estimate the cost of the corn soup.
When would you usually serve cream soup?
MEAT
The most important of the protein foods are found
among the different varieties of meat. All meat is
composed of water, protein and fat, the proportions of
each varying in different cuts from the same animal,
and in different animals.
Beef is more commonly used than any other meat.
It is best when taken from a young, full-grown animal,
four to eight years old. The lean meat should be firm
yet juicy, and should turn a bright red when cut. The
fat should be generous in amount, creamy white in
color, and firm to the touch.
Next to beef, in importance, stands mutton; this,
like beef, is found in the market the year round, and,
if the sheep be not more than three or four years old,
is good. The lean meat should be bright red in color,
fine grained and juicy. The fat, however, is stronger
in taste, whiter in color, harder in appearance, and less
digestible than beef fat.
Veal, lamb, and pork are less digestible than beef
and mutton and require more thorough cooking.
Poultry includes all domestic fowls; it is more expen-
sive than the varieties of meat already mentioned, and
A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS 47
likewise contains less nourishment, but the flavor is
usually more delicate.
Game includes all varieties of wild animals used as
food, such as venison, bear, partridge, quail, rabbits,
wild turkeys, and squirrel.
Pull a small piece of lean meat apart.
What is the protein of meat called?
Scrape a small piece of meat.
Cook and taste both the portion scraped and that
remaining. (Cook in the frying-pan.)
What is the effect of heat on the meat?
Which portion is palatable?
Place a small piece of lean meat in cold water; after
fifteen minutes note the result.
Pour boiling water over a piece of meat. What
happens?
What causes the change to take place?
Where have you seen the same result before?
48 A HANDBOOK OF HOME ECONOMICS
Diagram of side of beef.
1. Neck.
2. Chuck.
3. Rib.
4. Short Loin.
5. Sirloin.
6. Rump.
7. Round.
8. Flank.
9. Shank.
10. Plate.
11. Clod.
Where will we find the tender meat in an animal?
Name the three cuts that are the least tender.
What are these used for?
Soup Stock
6 Ibs. shin of beef, well broken.
6 qts. cold water.
1 tbsp. salt.
12 pepper-corns.
6 cloves.
c. onons.
}/2 c. carrot.
y% c. turnip.
y
