The Fireless Cook Book - A Manual of the Construction and Use of Appliances for - Cooking by Retained Heat: with 250 Recipes

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Title: The Fireless Cook Book - A Manual of the Construction and Use of Appliances for - Cooking by Retained Heat: with 250 Recipes
Author: Mitchell, Margaret Johnes
Language: English
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131

Transcriber’s Notes

Texts printed in italics have been transcribed between _underscores_,
bold face texts are represented between =equal signs=. Small capitals
have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS.

More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text.

THE FIRELESS COOK BOOK

The
Fireless Cook Book

A Manual of the Construction and Use of
Appliances for Cooking by Retained Heat

WITH 250 RECIPES

By
MARGARET J. MITCHELL

Author of “Cereal Foods and Their Preparation”; formerly Dietitian
of Manhattan State Hospital, New York; Director of
Domestic Science in Public Schools, Bradford, Pa.;
Instructor in Domestic Science, Drexel
Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.

[Illustration]

GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1913

Assistance is gratefully acknowledged from Mr. Abraham Henwood,
Professor of Chemistry at Drexel Institute, who supplied valuable
information and revised the chemistry in the Appendix.

Thanks are also due to Mrs. Runyon, manager of the lunch room in the
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, and to Miss Armstrong, director of the
Drexel Institute Lunch Room, for information furnished by them upon the
subject of fireless cookery with large quantities; and to many others
who have aided the author by advice, information, and encouragement.

PREFACE

The aim of this book is to present in a convenient form such directions
for making and using fireless cookers and similar insulating boxes, that
those who are not experienced, even in the ordinary methods of cookery,
may be able to follow them easily and with success. The fact that their
management has been so little understood has been the cause of failures
among the adventurous women who, attracted by their novelty, have tried
to experiment with them and have come to the mistaken conclusion that
they are not practical, have limited scope, and are altogether a good
deal of a disappointment. Such women have made the statement that they
are not adapted to cooking starchy foods; that they will not do for most
vegetables; that raised breads and puddings cannot be cooked in them,
and that there is little economy in using them! It has invariably been
found, however, that a better understanding of their management has
resulted in complete success, followed inevitably by enthusiasm.

The first few chapters of the book give directions for making and using
a cooker, methods of measuring, and some tables for quick reference,
followed by a large number of frequently tested recipes, some of which
are entirely original, but many of which are based on the well-tried
recipes from such books as Miss Farmer’s “Boston Cooking School Cook
Book,” Mrs. Lincoln’s “Boston Cook Book,” Miss Smedley’s “Institution
Recipes,” and Miss Ronald’s “Century Cook Book,” somewhat modified and
adapted to hay-box cookery. “The Fireless Cooker,” by Lovewell,
Whittemore, and Lyon, has furnished some excellent ideas, such as the
refrigerating box and home-made insulated oven and insulating pail,
which have been elaborated in this book. Miss Huntington’s bulletin,
“The Fireless Cooker,” has also been suggestive of a number of
experiments which are to be found in the Appendix.

The chapter on “Institution Cookery” was introduced in the hope that
many small institutions, boarding-house keepers, and those who are
managing lunch-rooms, would be induced, by finding recipes arranged in
suitable quantities for them, to introduce fireless cookers into their
kitchens, and benefit by the great saving in labour and expense which is
specially necessary to those who are dependent upon their kitchens for
support. When a little experience is gained by using them, it will be
found that all the other recipes in the book can be enlarged without
minute directions.

It will be noticed that nearly every recipe in the book states how many
persons it will serve, the idea being that, in spite of the variable
quantities which different people use, this would act as a guide to
those who wish to plan rather closely. Where two numbers are given the
variation is in proportion to the difference between the amount eaten by
men and by women.

The Appendix describes or suggests a series of experiments illustrating
the scientific as well as the practical side of fireless cookery. Many
of them would be easy for the average housekeeper to carry out, and
would illuminate the subject to an extent which would repay her; but
they are specially planned for students of household economics who have
time and opportunity for such work, and who are supposed to know more
than mere methods of housework, and to require an explanation of the
principles involved.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. The Fireless Cooker 3
II. The Portable Insulating Pail 32
III. The Refrigerating Box 36
IV. Cooking for Two 40
V. Measuring 43
VI. Tables of Weights and Measures 45
VII. Table of Proportions 47
VIII. Seasoning and Flavouring Materials 49
IX. Breakfast Cereals 52
X. Soups 57
XI. Fish 81
XII. Beef 89
XIII. Lamb and Mutton 106
XIV. Veal 114
XV. Pork 120
XVI. Poultry 126
XVII. Vegetables 136
XVIII. Steamed Breads and Puddings 154
XIX. Fruits 168
XX. Miscellaneous Recipes 183
XXI. Recipes for the Sick 195
XXII. Recipes for Cooking in Large Quantities 202
XXIII. The Insulated Oven 221
XXIV. Menus 250
Appendix 257
Additional Recipes 277
Classified Index of Recipes. 297
Alphabetical Index of Recipes. 307

THE FIRELESS COOK BOOK

The Fireless Cook Book

THE FIRELESS COOKER

Does the idea appeal to you of putting your dinner on to cook and then
going visiting, or to the theatre, or sitting down to read, write, or
sew, with no further thought for your food until it is time to serve it?
It sounds like a fairy-tale to say that you can bring food to the
boiling point, put it into a box of hay, and leave it for a few hours,
returning to find it cooked, and often better cooked than in any other
way! Yet it is true. Norwegian housewives have known this for many
years; and some other European nations have used the hay-box to a
considerable extent, although it is only recently that its wonders have
become rather widely known and talked about in America. The original box
filled with hay has gone through a process of evolution, and become the
fireless cooker of varied form and adaptability.

Just what can we expect the fireless cooker to do? What foods will it
cook to advantage?

Almost all such dishes as are usually prepared by boiling or steaming,
as well as many that are baked--soups, boiled or braised meats, fish,
sauces, fruits, vegetables, puddings, eggs, in fact, almost everything
that does not need to be crisp can be cooked in a simple hay-box. If the
composition of foods and the general principles of cookery are well
understood, but little special instruction will be needed to enable one
to prepare such dishes with success; though even a novice may use a
fireless cooker if the general directions and explanations, as well as
the individual recipes, are carefully read and followed. While such
dishes as toast, pancakes, roast or broiled meats, baked bread and
biscuits, are impossible to cook in the simpler form of hay-box, the
insulated oven, the latest development of the fireless cooker, opens up
possibilities that may lead to a much wider adaptation of home-made
insulators to domestic purposes. Roast meats, however, may first be
cooked in the oven and completed in the hay-box or cooker, or they may
be cooked in the hay-box till nearly done and then roasted for a short
time to obtain the crispness which can be given only by cooking with
great heat.

During ordinary cooking there is a great loss of heat, due to radiation
from the cooking utensil and escaping steam. If, however, this heat
could be retained, the food would continue to cook in the absence of
fire. This is what occurs in the hay-box. Hay, being a poor conductor of
heat, will, if closely packed around a kettle of boiling food, maintain,
for a number of hours, a sufficiently high temperature to continue the
cooking process. The familiar practice of using newspapers or carpet in
keeping ice from melting depends upon the same principle. In both cases
a material which is a poor conductor of heat, when interposed between
the surrounding air and articles which are either colder or hotter than
the air, being found to preserve their temperature. Other materials than
hay or papers will act in the same way; such, for instance, as
excelsior, sawdust, wool, mineral wool, and others. A vacuum will have
the same effect as insulating materials. The “Thermos Bottle” and
similar inventions, which are glass bottles surrounded by a vacuum and
contained in metal cases, will keep foods hot or cold for many hours. If
heated with a little boiling water before boiling food is poured in they
will even cook some foods satisfactorily. A vacuum is expensive, as it
is difficult to obtain, and therefore the ordinary fireless cooker is
better suited to every-day use; but if one of these bottles is at hand
it may be utilized in cases of illness or on journeys or in other
unusual circumstances, when a cooker is not available.

The general trend of recent scientific investigation seems to indicate
more and more clearly that the prevalent idea that all food must be
cooked at a high temperature, such as that of boiling water (212 degrees
Fahrenheit), is a mistaken one. Experiments have shown that starches are
made thoroughly digestible at temperatures varying from 149 degrees to
185 degrees Fahrenheit. Cellulose, the woody fibre of vegetable foods,
becomes perfectly softened at a temperature considerably below 212
degrees, while albuminous materials, of which all animal and many
vegetable foods are largely composed, are not only well-cooked at a low
temperature, but are decidedly more easily digestible than when cooked
at the higher temperatures of boiling or baking.

SPECIAL ADVANTAGES OF THE FIRELESS COOKER

First, its _economy_, not only of fuel and of space on the stove, but of
effort, of utensils, and also of food materials and flavour. It has been
stated that 90 per cent. of the fuel used in ordinary cooking will be
saved by the hay-box. This percentage will vary with different
housekeepers, as some understand the economy of fuel much better than
others, but there is no doubt that it is very great when the cooker is
used. This is especially true when the fuel is gas, kerosene, gasolene,
or denatured alcohol (possibly the coming fuel for common use). Where a
wood fire or, particularly, where a coal fire must be maintained, the
fuel saved by the cooker will manifestly be less than with such fuels as
can be readily extinguished when their use is over, but even in such
cases there is some economy of fuel. One must use the cooker to realize
the saving in work that it means. Think what it is to have a method of
cooking involving no necessity for remaining in the kitchen to keep up a
fire or watch the food! As most hay-box cooking takes a considerable
length of time, and many articles are not specially injured by
overcooking, this means that foods can often be placed in the box and
left for hours, while the housekeeper is enabled to go out for a day’s
work, or to occupy her time in other ways, with a mind free from all
care of the meal that is cooking. The user of a hay-box will soon find,
too, that utensils are not so hard to wash after lying in hay as when
food has been dried or burned on, and as the scraping and scouring given
to ordinary utensils wears them out very fast, there is here also a
considerable economy of utensils. There is found to be a very great
saving of food materials on account of “left-over” foods and others
that might be utilized, if the long cooking which they require to make
them palatable did not involve such expense in the way of fuel as to
offset the advantage of using them, such as in the case of soup stock,
tougher cuts of meat, etc. Special attention is paid in this book to the
preparation of a variety of cheap foods and “left-overs.”

The _absence of heat and odours_ in the kitchen is another of the
advantages of this cookery. On the hottest summer days a cooker will not
increase the heat of the room, while even in a living-room, onions,
turnips, cabbage, and such ill-smelling foods could be cooked with no
suspicion of the fact on the part of the family or visitors. The fact
that a cooker can also be made attractive in appearance, and used in
rooms not ordinarily used for cooking, is of interest to some people who
are not able to command even the ordinary amenities of housekeeping
life.

In the matter of _flavour_ there is a distinct gain in fireless cookery.
Many are familiar, by experience or hearsay, with the specially
delicious flavour of food cooked in primitive ways, such as burying the
saucepan in a hole in the ground, of clambakes, or of cooking food by
dropping heated stones into the mixture, in which cases the closely
covered food is slowly cooked at a low temperature. The praises given to
such cookery are often ascribed to the “hunger-sauce” that usually
accompanies outdoor cookery, but not with entire justice, for there is a
real difference in flavour.

As it has been well proved that _tasteless food is less easily or
thoroughly digested_ than food which has a good flavour, owing,
probably, to the fact that high-flavoured food stimulates the flow of
digestive juices, the advantage lies in this respect also with hay-box
food over much of the ordinary food served.

The bearing of fireless cookery upon the _servant-problem_ might well
fill a chapter by itself. Any woman who uses this device for a year can
become eloquent upon this subject. When cooking no longer ties one to
the kitchen, is no longer a labour that monopolizes one’s time,
dishevels one’s person, and exasperates the temper, the cook may go. We
shall save her wages, her food, her room, and her waste, and have more
to spend in ways that bring a more satisfactory return.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING A HAY-BOX OR FIRELESS COOKER

_The box_ may be an unpainted one such as can be obtained for a few
cents from any store where one of suitable size and shape is used, or
it may be a handsome hardwood chest, or even an old trunk. In selecting
it, choose one made of sufficiently heavy boards to admit of having
hinges and a hasp put on it. If it is to be used in a dining-room, or
where attractive appearance is to be desired, it may be covered with
chintz or denim, or a coat of paint, if not made of finished hard wood.
An old ice-box, one that has a hinged lid at the top, has been utilized
for this purpose with success. A barrel makes an excellent hay-box,
especially for very large kettles, but the cover cannot easily be hinged
and must, therefore, be weighted to hold it down tight. In size the box
should be from two to five inches larger in every dimension than the
kettle it contains. The kettle is, therefore, the first thing to be
secured, and full directions for choosing it are given on page 13. The
next point to consider is the packing material. When this has been
chosen, the directions for packing the box, given on page 15, will tell
how much space must be allowed for insulation and, consequently, of what
size the box must be. If it is so large as to admit of more insulation
than that absolutely required, there is no objection, only a possible
gain. If it is intended to pack the box with more than one utensil this
will also have a bearing upon its size. Allow nearly, or quite, double
the insulation between the utensils that is provided on the other sides,
otherwise there may be difficulty in removing one utensil while the
other is still cooking.

_Hinges_ and a _hasp_, or some device to hold the cover of the box shut,
will be necessary, as the packing should be such that there is a little
upward pressure on the cover.

A _cushion_ is desirable to cover each kettle used, one which is thick
enough to fill the hay-box after the kettle is in place. For making
these cushions use muslin, denim, or any thing of the kind that is at
hand, filling them, generally, with the same material as that used in
packing the box. Shape them like a miniature mattress, joining two
pieces which are the dimensions of the top of the box with a strip which
is from two and one-half inches to four or five inches wide, the width
depending upon the material with which the cushion is stuffed, some
materials requiring thicker insulation than others.

[Illustration: HAY-BOX WITH TWO COMPARTMENTS.

Partly packed compartment of hay-box, showing pail in place for packing.
Cushion. “Space adjuster.” Small pail to fit in “space adjuster.”

Finished compartment of hay-box. Cushion. Large Pail. Pan and cover.]

The _packing material_ may be either hay, straw, paper, wool, mineral
wool, excelsior, ground cork, Southern moss, sawdust, or any other
non-conducting material that is adapted to filling the space between the
kettle and the box. If hay is used, choose soft hay. Wool is, perhaps,
the best heat retainer of those mentioned, and it is easy and pleasant
to handle. Clean, soft wool may be purchased at woollen mills and
elsewhere. It should cost about thirty-five cents a pound, but as it is
very light it requires much less, by weight, than of some other cheaper
materials. Mineral wool can be purchased at large hardware stores. It
costs about five cents a pound, but about five times as many pounds are
required as an equivalent for wool. Cheap cotton batting can be obtained
at dry-goods stores; ground cork from large grocers. This is used by
them as packing for grapes or other fancy fruits. Sawdust, obtainable at
sawmills, and perhaps elsewhere, must be well dried before using.
Excelsior is used by many kinds of merchants, and can be bought for
about two cents a pound. Hay is plentiful in country places and can also
be purchased at feed-stores in the cities. Southern moss, easily
procurable in the Southern States, can be found at many upholsterers’ in
the North as well. Newspapers and hair, such as is used by plasterers,
are available in city and country.

_The utensils._ Perhaps the best _shape_ for the cooking utensil, that
is, one which will have the least possible radiating surface, is a pail
about the depth of its own diameter. The sides should be straight and
perpendicular to the bottom. The cover should fit securely into place.
If a smaller utensil is to be used inside the large one, which is often
a great convenience, it must not be so high that the cover of the larger
pail will not go on. A “pudding pan” may be used for the inside utensil,
resting on the rim of the pail; but care must be taken, with this
arrangement, that a cover is secured that will fit the pan closely.

To select the _material_ best adapted for cooker utensils one must
consider its wearing quality, its heat-absorbing power, to some extent,
and also the action upon it of the water, acids, salts, etc., which are
found in the foods. For instance, iron utensils, as well as most tinware
that has been used for any length of time, will rust with the long
subjection to heat and moisture; acids will make a disagreeable taste
with iron or old tin utensils; while acids in such long contact, with
even new tin might also form poisonous tin salts in sufficient quantity
to be decidedly injurious. Earthenware would seem ideal except that it
is likely to break when over the flame. It is desirable that the covers
be of the same material as the utensil, or of some other rust-proof
material. It will pay to get the best, when buying these kettles, for
they will last well, with reasonable care, and a poor utensil will soon
be of no use whatever. Well-enameled iron, except for its weight, is
good; also the best quality of agate ware, ordinary aluminum, or,
perhaps best of all, for very large utensils at least, cast aluminum.
Aluminum is expensive, but its light weight, excellently fitting parts,
and lasting qualities commend it above other materials, and it will be
found to pay in the end.

The _size_ of the pails will depend to some extent upon the number of
people to be served, although there is a minimum size, below which there
is not a sufficient bulk of food to cook well. Under the heading
“Practical Suggestions on the Use of the Fireless Cooker,” this matter
of quantity is more fully discussed. For a family of five or six persons
a six-quart pail with a pan to fit inside of it has been found
satisfactory. It will be convenient to have also a larger pail for large
pieces of meat, such as hams.

_Method of packing the box._ This will vary somewhat with the different
insulating materials used. These may be classified as:

Those into which the cooking utensil may be set without any intervening
covering, among which are hay, excelsior, and paper.

Those requiring a covering material to keep them in place and to protect
them from contact with the utensil, among which are wool, mineral wool,
cork, sawdust, and cotton.

[Illustration: Figure No. 1.

Pasteboard cylinder to fit the pail.]

Boxes to be filled with the first class of insulating materials are
packed in the following manner:

Line the box and cover, smoothly, with one thickness of heavy paper, or
several thicknesses of newspaper. This will prevent cold air from
finding its way through the cracks, and dust and pieces from sifting
out. Asbestos sheeting also makes a good lining. Pack in the bottom of
the box a firm layer of insulating material not less than three or four
inches in depth. This must raise the cooking pail to within from three
to five inches of the top of the box. Set the utensil in the middle of
the space allowed for it on this layer, and pack around it, very
tightly, until level with the top of the kettle. When this is removed it
will be found to have left a hole just large enough for it to slip into
again. A little manipulation will make the rim of this pocket less
ragged than at first. The cushion for boxes packed with excelsior or hay
should be at least four inches thick. In packing with paper, lay first
an even layer three or more inches thick of folded papers, filling the
space around the kettle with soft, crumpled papers. In place of the top
cushion, make a bundle of papers folded to just the right size. This can
only be done when perfectly flat pail covers are used, unless a
supplementary soft cushion be first laid over the pail.

The box is now ready for cooking, but if, after considerable use, the
material shrinks so that the whole space is not firmly filled, a little
more may be added. There should always be at least a slight pressure
when the cover is closed. The paper lining described on page 20, while
not necessary to this class of boxes, is an improvement.

[Illustration: Figure No. 2.

Showing how to cut the cloth pieces for lining a home-made cooker.]

[Illustration: Figure No. 3.

Showing the cloth lining just about to be placed in the box.]

Boxes to be filled with the second class of material are packed in the
following manner:

Line the box with a smooth covering of paper or asbestos, tacked into
place. Pack a layer of insulating material, three inches or more in
thickness, in the bottom, laying a piece of heavy paper on this. Sew two
or three thicknesses of pliable cardboard into the form of a cylinder
that will fit around the utensil loosely. (Fig. No. 1.) It must be of
the same height as the kettle. Set this cooker-pail, surrounded by the
cylinder, on the layer in the box. Holding the kettle in place with one
hand, pack tightly around it, to the level of the top of the pail. (See
page 12.) The efficiency of the box depends largely upon this packing.
Cut a round hole, the size of the cooker nest, in a piece of heavy
pasteboard, to fit the top of the box. Lay this over the packing, so
that it will cover it completely. The box is now ready for its cloth
lining. To make this, cut three pieces of cloth; one to be one-inch or
more larger than the top of the box, with a round hole cut in its
centre, one inch smaller than the diameter of the cooker-pail (Fig. No.
2:1); another to be a round piece one-inch larger than the diameter of
the pail (Fig. No. 2:2); and the third to be a strip one-inch wider than
the height of the pail, and long enough to go around it with an inch to
spare (Fig. No. 2:3). Sew the ends of this strip together to make a
cylinder. Into one end of this cylinder sew the round piece. The other
end is to be sewed into the large piece, taking in each case a half-inch
seam. When this is put into the box it will line the nest for the
kettle, and cover the pasteboard which rests on top. (Fig. No. 3.)
Remove the pail and tack this cloth lining in place, turning in the
edges where it is tacked to the box. A paper lining may be substituted
for cloth in the following manner:

[Illustration: Figure No. 4.

Showing the manner of cutting the paper covering for a fireless cooker.]

Take a sheet of very heavy paper, at least one inch larger in every
dimension than the top of the box. Draw a circle in the centre of it the
size of the pail. In the centre of this circle cut a small hole large
enough to insert the blade of a pair of scissors. From this hole, cut to
the circle, so as to strike it at intervals of about one and one-half
inches. (Fig. No. 4.) Fit the paper over the top of the packing in the
box so that this circle will come just over the nest for the pail. Put
the cooker-pail into the nest and it will crease the points down at
exactly the right place. Figure No. 5 shows the cooker completed. A
paper lining is in some respects to be preferred to cloth. It is easy
and quick to make and can be readily replaced if it becomes soiled.

With either class of cooker more than one nest may be made. It is well,
in that case, to have a wooden partition put into the box before
packing it, although this is not strictly necessary. Each portion of
the box can then be packed independently and for utensils of different
sizes if desired.

[Illustration: Figure No. 5.

Showing the paper lining of a fireless cooker in place.]

If possible, when packing a box with _mineral wool_, do the work out of
doors, wearing a pair of gloves, as particles from it fly into the air
and are extremely irritating to the throat and skin. Twenty-five pounds
of mineral wool will pack a nine-quart pail in a box fifteen by fifteen
inches and eleven inches high. Five pounds of _wool_ will pack the same
box for using a nine-quart pail. If a smaller pail is used, more wool or
mineral wool will be required.

_Sawdust_ is one of the easiest materials to handle. It packs easily and
does not require a cloth covering, heavy paper answering the purpose
perfectly. Proceed with the packing as for wool or mineral wool and such
other materials, omitting the pasteboard top. In place of this and the
cloth covering use a paper lining.

[Illustration: “Space adjuster” before it is covered; and small pad to
fill the space below the pail.]

_The “space adjuster”_ is a padded cylinder which slips into a cooker
pocket and makes a receiver for a smaller cooker-pail than that for
which the cooker was packed. It can be made by putting together two
pasteboard cylinders of equal length, one of which will fit rather
loosely outside of the small pail, and the other of which will slip
easily into the cooker pocket and line it from top to bottom. When the
small cylinder is stood inside of the larger one the space between the
two should be firmly packed, preferably with a soft material such as
cotton or wool. To keep the filling in place while packing it the
cylinder may be wound with twine, as shown in the accompanying
illustration. It may then be covered with a fitted muslin cover. Sew two
tabs on this cover, with which to lift the space adjuster out. When
slipped into the cooker pocket, and the small pail placed in the new
pocket thus formed, there will be found to be a space below the pail,
which may be filled by a round cushion made for the purpose.

[Illustration: Section view of “space adjuster” showing the pail and
cushion in place.]

_Ready-made hay-boxes_ and fireless cookers are to be found on the
market, some of which have advantages over the home-made article along
with some disadvantages. First of the disadvantages is, perhaps, the
cost, the expense being considerably greater than for the home-made box.
Also the choice in the matter of shapes and material for the utensils
cannot be as great as in home-made boxes, and some of the cookers are
unpractical in minor details. On the other hand, the commercial cookers
are ready for use, some of them being excellently adapted to their
purpose, and to many people this would offset the cost. Those that are
made of metal, on the plan of refrigerators, perhaps not boxes at all,
would appeal to certain housekeepers as likely to be more cleanly than
upholstered boxes. But, as food is always in tightly-covered vessels,
and as experience has shown that ordinary care will prevent anything
from being spilled, a hay-box having been kept sweet and clean without
refilling for over a year, the danger of uncleanliness is not so great
as would at first appear. Doubtless where servants are entrusted with
the use of the cooker there would usually be a greater necessity for
guarding against untidiness.

In selecting a ready-made cooker certain points should be considered.
See that the parts fit closely together, are simple and strong in
construction; that there are no seams or pockets in the kettles which
would be difficult, if not impossible, to get clean; that the kettles
are a suitable size, namely, not too large, if they are to cook food for
a small family, and not too small to ensure sufficient heat for proper
cooking; and that there is no air space over the cover that will not be
filled when the cooker is closed. In the case of the metal cookers a
round cover with a single hinge is a point of weakness, for the cover is
not sufficiently supported to endure the strain of constant use. Many of
the cookers also use tin very considerably, which is objectionable.
Doubtless there will be constant improvements in these inventions, as
there is a growing demand for them and an increasing intelligence as to
their use.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR A HOME-MADE FIRELESS COOKER

A box or barrel (see page 9).
One pair of strong hinges.
A hasp.
Material for stuffing (see page 11).
One or more large pails (see page 13).
One or more small pails or pans (see page 13).
Muslin, 1¹⁄₂ yards or more, depending upon the size of the box.
A cooking thermometer.
Heavy pasteboard.
Pliable pasteboard.
Brown paper.
Tacks and screws.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR USING A FIRELESS COOKER

While success in using a cooker is reasonably sure if directions are
clear and detailed, and can be followed exactly, yet it is well to
understand, in a general way, the conditions of success in order that a
deviation from directions, if such should ever be found necessary, will
not mean failure.

As the cooking depends upon the retention of heat, it stands to reason
that there must be heat to retain. A pint of food does not contain as
much heat as a quart, even though both be of the same temperature to
begin with. This can be demonstrated by setting a pint and a quart of
boiling water side by side. The pint will lose its small amount of heat
and grow cold much sooner than the quart, with its larger amount. After
an equal time eight quarts of food in the cooker have been found to
register 15 degrees Fahrenheit higher than one and one-half quarts,
other conditions being the same. This explains the failures of some
beginners which are due to the fact that such a small quantity of food
was taken that there was not sufficient heat to begin with. Obviously
this danger is less with foods requiring only a slight cooking, since,
even with small quantities, some time elapses before the food grows too
cold to cook at all.

The _total quantity of food_ is, therefore, seen to be an important
factor in success. The larger the amount of food, the higher the
temperature will be at the end of a given length of time. Where the
amount is very large, as in the case of hotel and institution cookery,
this gain is so great that the time required for cooking is materially
reduced.

_The proportion between the amount of food and the size of the utensil_
in which it is cooked is equally important. Experiments have shown that
one and one-half quarts of water, in a pail just large enough to hold
it, will register 15 degrees Fahrenheit more than the same measure of
water in a nine-quart pail at the end of an hour; while at the end of
twelve hours there is 28 degrees of difference. It is thus seen that a
well-filled kettle is more likely to cook successfully than one
partially filled. When it is impossible to cook in a smaller pail, and
thus avoid vacant space in the kettle, the difficulty may, to some
extent, be offset by using a pan for the food with sloping sides and
broad rim, such as a “pudding pan,” which may be set into the
cooker-pail and, by resting upon its rim, will be suspended in it. This
arrangement admits of filling the lower part of the pail with boiling
water or with boiling food, in case a second kind of food is to be
cooked for the same length of time.

_Space between the pail and packing material_ is also likely to be
disastrous, so that it is not advisable to try to use a small pail in a
“nest” made for a large one without the “space adjuster” described on
page 22. Even the space which results after a short use of a newly
packed box will be sufficient for the escape of some heat and should
always be filled in.

_Place the cooker near the stove_, since it is important to transfer the
food very quickly from one to the other. The cooker should be open, the
cushion removed and everything in readiness before the food is taken
from the fire; then, before it has time to stop boiling, it should be in
place in the box. Loss of time at this juncture owing to uncertain
movements is a fruitful source of failure among beginners.

_Keep the box tightly closed_ from the moment the food is put into it
until it is entirely done, as if for any reason the box is opened before
the appointed time, the contents must be _reheated to boiling point_
before being replaced.

The _time for cooking foods on the stove_, previous to putting them into
the cooker, is usually very short. Food in large, solid masses, as ham,
pot roasts, moulds of bread, etc., must be boiled until thoroughly
heated to the centre, obviously requiring longer boiling the larger and
denser the pieces are. Food that is broken and less compact will be
readily penetrated by heat and will be boiling hot nearly or quite as
soon as the surrounding water. Such foods need only a moment’s brisk
boiling before being put into the cooker. Cereals, although in fine
particles, easily settle into a dense, impenetrable mass during the long
period of undisturbed cooking, unless boiled until they are slightly
thickened.

The _length of time for cooking in the cooker_ depends upon several
factors: (1) the kind of cooker, whether well or ill packed, and whether
good or poor insulating material is used; (2) the skill of the cook in
getting the kettle into the box quickly; (3) the amount, toughness,
density, and size of the pieces; (4) whether hard or soft water is used.
If hard water is used foods require more cooking to become tender than
with soft water. Hard water may be softened, however, by the addition of
a little baking soda. The time given in this book is adapted to a
home-made cooker, well packed with any of the materials suggested in the
section giving directions for packing the cookers. With some commercial
cookers a shorter time may be sufficient.

It is frequently stated that few foods are injured by overcooking, but
while this is true of a great many foods, it has not proved to be the
case with all. Potatoes, rice, custards, raised mixtures, such as
dumplings, suet pudding, and brown bread, as well as many other foods,
are decidedly injured by overcooking. The recipes generally state the
minimum and maximum time which each food should have. This information
will also be found easily accessible in the classified index. There is
danger in leaving meats or soup stock or even cereals in the cooker long
after they have cooled down, as they will be likely to spoil.

Needless to say, careful reading of all the directions given, and
following them in every particular, will be necessary until one becomes
well acquainted with this novel method of cookery. Mistakes in
temperature tests, in measuring, in time, and in other conditions, may
result in failures, which must not be imputed to the cooker, but to the
cook.

It will probably not be long, after the first experiment with a cooker,
before several compartments are fitted up; in which case it is difficult
to remember what food is in each and at what time it is to be removed,
since it is left for so many hours. To meet this difficulty a slate,
hung in the kitchen near the box, will be found a great convenience. It
may be permanently ruled and arranged in the form of a table, to be
filled out with pencil. A good form to use is the one given below. The
compartments may be numbered or described.

+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
| Compartment | Food | Time put in |Time for removal|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
| | | | |
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
| | | | |
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+

THE PORTABLE INSULATING PAIL

A cheap, portable retainer, for keeping food hot or cold on picnics,
automobile trips, and other outings, will be found a great convenience
and will fill a long-felt want. Tight-fitting covers, fastened in place,
will be necessary to keep food from spilling; and very cheap, easily
obtained insulating material should be used for these pails, so that in
case the packing becomes soiled it can be discarded without loss.
Newspapers, hay, or excelsior are best for the purpose. The object in
using such pails is not to cook the food, though this might be done if
the inner pail were small enough or the outer pail large enough to allow
of sufficient insulation, but to keep food already cooked, or nearly
cooked, at a temperature which will make it appetizing. For this purpose
a couple of inches of insulation, with such materials as those
suggested, will answer very well. If an ordinary fibre or wooden
household pail is used, this will carry two or three quarts of food.
Take for the inner utensil one just large enough to hold the food, and
pack the outer pail to accommodate it, like any hay-box or cooker. If
designed for frequent use it will pay to make a fitted cushion, but for
a single occasion it will not be worth while to take this trouble. Any
small cushion or pillow can be used, merely turning the corners under,
if it is square. In order to protect it from danger of becoming soiled,
lay a number of thicknesses of newspaper over the inner pail before
putting on the cushion. Be careful to pack it so that the cushion will
fill the upper space completely. A cover must be found for the outer
pail, and if a wooden cover is not at hand, a round tray or large kettle
cover that will fit it may be utilized. A butter pail, tin pail or candy
pail will have its own cover.

To fasten the covers on, tie a loose slip-knot in the middle of a piece
of very strong twine (Fig. No. 6:1); before pulling it up tight, slip
the noose over the cover of the pail and draw the remainder of the knot
out till it is loose enough to go around the pail. If it is placed under
the rim near the top of the utensil, or under the fastenings of the
handle, it will be held by them from slipping off. Then draw the knot up
tight, and tie the two ends of twine over the top. (Fig. No. 6:2.) For
greater safety, especially on the outer pail, it will be well to use two
such strings, placing the loops at right angles to one another. Soft
copper wire might be used for this purpose instead of twine. When the
food is in the inner pail, tie on the cover, put it again on the fire
until it is boiling hot, and place it quickly in the insulating pail.
More than one kettle of food may be placed in the pail if there is room.
Food thus insulated will keep hot for hours, even in cold weather.

[Illustration: Figure No. 6.

1. Method of tying slip-knot. 2. Method of tying the cover on a pail.]

Obviously, this arrangement will work equally well in keeping cold foods
cool in summer, such as ice water, or cool drinks. Even frozen creams
and ices, if packed well in a mould, covered tin pail or can, sealed and
surrounded with a small quantity of ice and salt, and the whole thus
insulated, will keep for many hours. To seal the mould, dip a narrow
strip of muslin in melted fat and lay it quickly over the crack between
the cover and mould.

III

THE REFRIGERATING BOX

As we have seen in the case of the insulating pail, the principle
involved in cooking by retained heat may be reversed, and the heat may,
by similar means, be excluded from foods which are to be kept cold.
Ice-boxes and refrigerators are made with this end in view. They are
constructed with heavy walls, usually, if not always, with an
interlining of some non-conducting material, to exclude the heat of the
atmosphere. Where such an article is needed permanently, or for large
quantities of food, the various refrigerators on the market are better
adapted to the purpose than a home-made box. But, in cases of temporary
necessity or to supplement a refrigerator, the home-made refrigerating
box will doubtless find a use. Ingenuity will suggest variations in the
manner of applying the principle of insulation to keeping foods cold,
but by way of suggestion two forms of refrigerating boxes are described
below.

[Illustration: Refrigerating box packed with three crocks.]

Take three or more stoneware crocks with well-fitting covers of the
same material. The size of the crocks must be determined by the quantity
of food to be kept. Good results in the way of temperatures have been
obtained with those holding a half gallon, but the amount of food
accommodated in them is, of course, small.

Proceed exactly as for packing a cooker, except that the crocks must be
set in place so that all of them touch the central one, which is to be
filled with ice.

Although any insulating material suitable for cookers will answer for a
refrigerating box, sawdust will be found the easiest to handle, for the
reason that its fine particles will more readily fill the acute angles
between the crocks, which must be carefully packed or the insulation is
not complete. It will be best to make one narrow cushion that may remain
in place over the central crock, except when the ice is to be renewed,
and two others, each of which can be removed singly when the crock under
it is to be opened. Put the food into dishes or pails that can be
removed with it and washed. This will obviate the necessity for taking
out the crocks frequently and will mean a considerable saving of ice. In
lieu of one solid piece of ice, broken pieces will be found to answer
excellently. Fill the ice-crock as full as possible, and do not open it
until it needs refilling. A little observation of your own individual
box will be necessary to tell you just how long your crock of ice will
last. It will probably be safe, in any case, to leave it two full days
after filling it before opening it. If no foods that have not been
reasonably cooled are put into the refrigerating box it is possible that
the ice may last three or four days.

Aside from the efficiency of the insulation, the consumption of ice will
depend largely upon the amount and temperature of the food in the other
crocks and the frequency with which they are opened to the warm outside
air; therefore chose as cool a place as possible for the box to stand,
and open it only when necessary. Try to think of all the articles you
want from it before taking off the cushion. Better results in the way of
temperature can be obtained with these boxes than with many commercial
refrigerators, although the skill and care in using either will be a
large factor in the economy of ice. When it is necessary to open the
box, let it be for as brief a time as possible, as every moment that it
is open means an increase of temperature and, consequently, a loss of
ice.

Another variety of refrigerating box may be made by thoroughly
insulating a tin pail partly filled with ice, or a bread box, containing
a crock for ice. Allow the same amount of insulation as that called for
with the various packing materials used for hay-boxes or cookers, and
pack them similarly. It will not often be necessary to remove the inner
box if care is taken in handling the dishes of food; but when it is to
be scalded, take it out, wash it well, boil or scald it with soda and
water, and cool it again before replacing it in the packing.

COOKING FOR TWO

While the fireless cooker is, perhaps, especially adapted to families of
average size, or larger, there is no reason why small quantities of food
cannot be equally well cooked, provided the cooker is properly made with
that in view.

A large utensil will involve a great waste of gas and time, for in every
case it will be necessary to heat a considerable quantity of water which
is only required to fill the utensil. Select, instead, a two-quart pail,
pack it very tightly in a moderately small box, allowing, however, the
requisite thickness of insulation (see page 16). This will be suitable
for much of the cooking to be done, such as vegetables, steamed breads,
etc., that are cooked in much water; but for such articles as oatmeal,
stews, puddings, and some vegetables, use a small pudding pan, just
fitting into the pail and resting on its rim, with a cover that will
closely fit the pan. The pail must always be filled with boiling water
or food to touch the upper pan, and if these conditions are fulfilled
and the food is put quickly, and while boiling hard, into a cooker which
stands close to the range, it will be found to cook as perfectly as
larger amounts. Two kinds of food can thus be cooked at once, but, when
only water is used in the lower pail, it can be kept in the cooker
during the meal, and will be hot when the time comes for washing the
dishes.

The fact that almost all the recipes in this book tell the number of
persons which they will serve will make the quantity to be cooked easy
to ascertain. Where articles are to be cooked in moulds, as steamed
breads, puddings, meat loaves, etc., one-half pound baking powder cans
may be used. It will be safer to test them to see whether or not they
leak. The only change in the method of cooking such dishes that will
then be necessary is shortening the time of boiling previous to putting
them into the cooker. Small cuts of meat will also require shorter
preliminary boiling. One-half the time given will be found sufficient.
The great majority of dishes may be cooked as directed in the full-sized
recipes, without any change on account of the small quantity.

For such purposes as preserving and baking (see page 228), a large pail
will be needed, even by a family of two, and it is suggested that the
cooker be packed first to accommodate such a pail, and the box then be
made to receive also the two-quart pail by means of the space-adjuster
described on page 22.

MEASURING

All measurements given in this book are made in standard half-pint cups,
tablespoons, teaspoons, quarts, pecks, etc. The dry materials are
leveled even with the top of the cup, spoon, or other measure by filling
it heaping full, then pushing off with a knife that which lies above the
top. When held level with the eyes, nothing should be seen above the cup
or spoon, and yet the receptacle should be completely filled. Where
standard cups, with divisions in thirds and quarters, are not to be
obtained, it will be better to use a straight-sided glass if one can be
found which holds an exact half-pint. It will be easier to get an
accurate half or third of a cupful in such a measure than in one which
grows smaller at the bottom, as most cups do. A cupful or spoonful of
liquid is all that they can be made to hold.

Such materials as flour, powdered sugar, mustard, meal, and others, that
pack as they stand, should first be sifted or stirred up, and must have
any lumps pressed out. Do not shake such materials to level them, or
they will settle and the measure will be incorrect. Half cupfuls or
other fractions of a cupful of dry material, fat, etc., may be leveled
with the back of a tablespoon.

To measure fractions of a spoonful, whether a teaspoon or a tablespoon,
fill the spoon, level it, then with a knife divide halves lengthwise of
the spoon; quarters crosswise of the halves; eighths by dividing these
in halves; thirds crosswise; and sixths by dividing the spoon first in
halves, then in thirds across the halves.

TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

2 Cupfuls of granulated sugar equals 1 pound
1 Tablespoonful granulated sugar equals ¹⁄₂ ounce
2²⁄₃ Cupfuls of powdered sugar equals 1 pound
2²⁄₃ Cupfuls of brown sugar equals 1 pound
3¹⁄₃ Cupfuls of bread flour not shaken down equals 1 pound
1 Cupful of bread flour equals 5 ounces
3¹⁄₃ Tablespoonfuls flour equals 1 ounce
1 Pint of milk or water equals 1 pound
2 Cupfuls of solidly packed butter equals 1 pound
2 Tablespoonfuls butter equals 1 ounce
2 Cupfuls of solidly packed lard equals 1 pound
2 Cupfuls of chopped meat equals 1 pound
1⁷⁄₈ Cupfuls of rice equals 1 pound
1 Cupful of rice equals 8¹⁄₂ ounces
1 Cupful of raisins equals 7 ounces
2¹⁄₄ Cupfuls of raisins equals 1 pound
3¹⁄₅ Cupfuls of currants equals 1 pound
1 Cupful of currants equals 5 ounces
2 Cupfuls of hominy grits equals 1 pound
2 Cupfuls of samp equals 1 pound
1 Cupful of split peas equals 8 ounces
1 Cupful of dried beans equals 7¹⁄₂ ounces
1 Quart of bread crumbs equals 7 ounces
1 Cupful peanuts, chopped equals 5¹⁄₂ ounces
1 Cupful prunes equals 6¹⁄₂ ounces
1 Cupful dried apricots or peaches equals 6 ounces
1 Cupful macaroni equals ¹⁄₃ pound
1 Cupful oatmeal equals 4 ounces
1 Cupful cornmeal equals 6 ounces
8 Medium-sized eggs in shells equals 1 pound
1 Medium-sized egg in shell equals 2 ounces
10 Medium-sized eggs (broken) equals 1 pound
1 Cup almonds, blanched and chopped equals 5 ounces
1 Square Baker’s chocolate equals 1 ounce
2¹⁄₈ Tablespoons salt equals 1 ounce
4 Tablespoons pepper equals 1 ounce
2¹⁄₂ Tablespoons ground ginger equals 1 ounce
2¹⁄₄ Tablespoons ground cinnamon equals 1 ounce

VII

TABLE OF PROPORTIONS

Batters; 1 cupful liquid to 1 cupful flour.

Muffin or cake dough; 1 cupful liquid to 2 cupfuls flour.

Dough to knead; 1 cupful liquid to 3 cupfuls flour.

Dough to roll out; 1 cupful liquid to 4 cupfuls flour.

6 teaspoonfuls baking-powder to 1 quart flour, if no eggs are used; or

1¹⁄₂ teaspoonfuls baking-powder to 1 cupful flour.

¹⁄₂ teaspoonful soda and 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar is about
equivalent to 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder.

¹⁄₂ cup liquid yeast equals ¹⁄₂ dry yeast cake, and ¹⁄₄ compressed
yeast cake.

1 cupful liquid yeast, 1 dry yeast cake, or ¹⁄₂ compressed yeast cake
to 1 pint liquid if bread is raised during the day.

¹⁄₂ cupful liquid yeast, ¹⁄₂ dry yeast cake, or ¹⁄₄ compressed yeast
cake to 1 pint liquid if bread is raised over night.

1¹⁄₂ teaspoonfuls soda to 1 pint thick, sour milk.

1¹⁄₂ teaspoonfuls soda to 1 pint molasses.

1 teaspoonful soda to 1¹⁄₂ cupfuls thick, sour cream.

¹⁄₂ cupful corn-starch to 1 quart milk for blanc-mange.

1 teaspoonful salt to 1 quart soup stock, sauces, etc.

¹⁄₈ teaspoonful pepper to each teaspoonful salt.

2 to 4 egg yolks to 1 pint milk for soft custards.

2 or 3 whole eggs to 1 pint milk for cup custards.

1 teaspoonful salt to 1 quart water for boiling vegetables, meats,
etc.

2 tablespoonfuls flour to 1 cup liquid for white sauces and gravies.

3 tablespoonfuls flour to 1 cup liquid for brown sauces.

Whites of 8 eggs make 1 cupful.

3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon.

16 tablespoons equal 1 cup.

2 cups equal 1 pint.

VIII

SEASONING AND FLAVOURING MATERIALS

Having always to substitute a familiar and time-worn flavouring, which
is in the house, for the newer and particular flavour called for and
required to give the distinctive “tang” to a dish, is what gives some
people’s cooking a monotony that is no easier or less expensive to
produce than a variety, if only the kitchen is as well supplied as it
might be. Many different recipes can be made, using the same ingredients
as a basis, by changing the flavouring, as in stews, cakes, etc.
Macaroni and rice admit of a wide range of variation.

For the housekeeper who does not want all her cooking to taste alike, it
will be found convenient to have always on hand a variety of flavouring
and seasoning materials. A list is given below of the ones frequently
called upon in this book; those which are commonly used in sweet dishes
being grouped together, and those used in savoury dishes, such as
soups, stews, etc., although in some cases these are used
interchangeably:

=Flavourings for Sweet Dishes=

Vanilla bean or extract
Almond extract
Orange rind and juice
Lemon rind and juice
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Allspice
Ginger
Wine

=Seasonings for Savoury Dishes=

Pepper
Cayenne
Curry powder
Sage
Summer savoury
Sweet marjoram
Thyme
Bay leaves
Worcestershire sauce
Parsley
Celery seed
Celery leaves
Dried peppers

Many of these can be prepared at almost no cost, and put away in tin
cans or boxes, either whole or powdered with a mortar and pestle. The
leaves of celery and parsley, the herbs and peppers may be washed well
and hung near the kitchen stove or in the sun, if they can be kept free
from dust and flies out of doors, or put into a warming oven. Orange and
lemon rind make good flavourings for puddings and cakes, if correctly
prepared, to vary the monotony of perpetual vanilla. The yellow part
only of the rind should be grated, for cakes, or shaved off with a knife
for custards and puddings, which can be strained to take out the
pieces. Caramel is easy to make, and is useful in custards and creams.

_To make caramel._ Melt one cupful of sugar with one tablespoonful of
water, in a frying-pan. Stir it constantly until it is a golden brown
colour, add one-half cupful of water, one-half at a time. The sugar
becomes very hot, and, if only a small amount of water is added, it does
not cool it enough and will be so quickly turned to steam as to have
almost the effect of exploding. If the sugar is allowed to become dark
brown it will taste bitter. Such caramel is sometimes used to color
gravies, but is not sufficiently delicate in taste for flavouring
purposes.

Avoid using the same seasonings in every dish. It is better to put only
a few flavours together for each dish than to mingle a great many and be
obliged always to use the same. It is a good general principle, where
several flavours are combined, to keep all somewhat equally balanced so
that no one is conspicuously present. Public opinion seems to agree that
the skilful cook is the one who makes something good, “but you can’t
tell what’s in it.” This is done chiefly by the careful selection and
equalizing of flavouring ingredients.

BREAKFAST CEREALS

That so cheap and easy a food to prepare as cereals should so often be
unappetizing, and even indigestible, because of poor cooking, is partly
due to ignorance of the great improvement in flavour which long cooking
gives them, and partly to the difficulties attending such long cooking.
No one wants to rise two hours before breakfast to cook a cereal which
is advertised on the package to cook in ten minutes or less, and those
who do not have coal fires burning through the night are somewhat at a
loss to know how to keep cereals cooking over night. The fireless cooker
seems to fill a long-felt want in this direction. At the cost of a
fraction of a cent for fuel it accomplishes an all-night cooking without
danger of scorching, boiling dry, or needing to be stirred. The
fallacious idea that boiling temperature is necessary for cooking
starches and starchy foods has been proved false. As a matter of fact, a
temperature of 167 degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient for the starch
grains of some cereals, while long-continued cooking at much below
boiling point will serve to soften and rupture the woody fibre which
surrounds and entangles the starch and other nutrients. The nitrogenous
or tissue-forming substance is probably rendered less easily digestible
by boiling, and is perfectly cooked at a temperature which will cook the
starches. Merely reaching these temperatures for a short time is not
sufficient, however, to produce well-cooked cereals. A further change
affecting the flavour, and perhaps the digestibility, is accomplished by
long cooking.

The length of time required depends upon the amount and character of the
woody fibre, whether the grains are left whole or ground fine, and the
degree of cooking they may have had in the course of manufacture. Rolled
oats and wheat are steamed to some extent, and do not, therefore,
require as much cooking as whole or cracked wheat and oats. Preparations
of corn, having more woody fibre than any of the other cereals, will,
unless cooked during manufacture, require more cooking than equally
finely ground preparations from other cereals. Rice requires the least
cooking of all, as it contains the least woody fibre.

Rolled Oats

2¹⁄₂ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats

Look over the oats and remove any husks or pieces. Put water, salt, and
oats in a pan, or pail that fits into a cooker-pail, boil them for five
minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring them frequently, then put
the pan over a cooker-pail of boiling water and put it into a cooker for
from two to twelve hours. Although soft and digestible after two hours,
it is greatly improved in flavour by longer cooking. If cooked over
night it will need to be heated, somewhat, before serving. This can be
done by putting it over the fire while still in the cooker-pail of
water. When the water in the pail boils, the oatmeal may be served.

Serves four persons.

Cornmeal Mush

4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
¹⁄₂ cup cold water

Mix the meal with the cold water, add it to the boiling salted water;
let it boil five minutes, stirring it frequently, then set it in a
cooker-pail of boiling water and put it into a cooker for from five to
ten hours. If the mush is to be used for frying, use two cupfuls of milk
and two cupfuls of water, reserving one-half cupful of the milk cold to
mix with the cornmeal. When cooked, pour it into a wet bread pan, and
slice it when perfectly cold. If coarsely ground meal is used, sift it
through a coarse sieve before cooking it, to remove the largest
particles of bran. Granulated meal will not require sifting.

Serves six or eight persons.

Hominy Grits

5 cups water
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
1 cup hominy grits

Add the hominy to the boiling salted water, boil it for ten minutes, and
put it into a cooker for ten hours or more.

Serves six or eight persons.

Cracked Wheat

¹⁄₂ cup wheat
1 cup cold water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water

Soak the cracked wheat in the cold water for nine hours or more; add the
boiling water and salt, and let all boil hard for ten minutes in an
uncovered pan. Place the utensil in a cooker-pail of boiling water and
put it into a cooker for ten hours. Reheat it to the boiling point and
cook it again for ten hours.

Serves four or five persons.

Steel Cut Oatmeal

¹⁄₂ cup oatmeal
1 cup cold water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water

Cook it in the same manner as cracked wheat. Serves four or five
persons.

Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food

2¹⁄₂ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food

Add the salt and cereal to the cold water, stir until it boils, boil it
for five minutes, or until it has thickened, and put it into a cooker
for from two to twelve hours. It is improved by the longer cooking.

Serves four or five persons.

Cream of Wheat

3¹⁄₂ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup cream of wheat

Put all together, stir until boiling, and put it into a cooker for from
one to twelve hours.

Serves four or five persons.

Wheatlet

Cook it in the same way as cream of wheat.

Farina

Cook it in the same way as cream of wheat.

SOUPS

There are two classes of soup, (1) those made with meat stock, which is
the water in which meat has been cooked, sometimes in combination with
other materials for seasoning purposes, and (2) those made without meat
stock.

Soups made with meat stock include:

_Bouillon_, made from lean beef, always served clear; or from clams.

_Brown stock_, made usually from beef, preferably one-half lean and
one-half bone and fat, with seasonings of vegetables, herbs, and spices.

_White stock_, made from chicken or veal.

_Consommé_, made from several kinds of meat, seasoned highly with
vegetables, herbs, and spices, and always served clear.

_Broths or beef tea_, made usually from lean mutton, lamb, or beef, and
not clarified.

Soups made without meat stock include:

_Cream soups_, made from vegetable or fish stock with milk or cream and
somewhat thickened with flour or corn-starch.

_Purées_, made from vegetables or fish put through a strainer, often
with the addition of milk or cream. They also are thickened with flour
or corn-starch and are usually thicker than cream soups. White stock
also is sometimes used in purées.

_Bisques_ are made like purees, except that pieces of vegetables, fish,
meat, or game are served in them in addition.

SOUP MAKING

_To make stock._ Wash and cut the meat into small pieces or gash it
frequently; crack the bone; let meat and bone soak in the cold water
while preparing the seasonings; then add the seasonings, boil the stock
ten minutes and put it into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. When
cooked, pour it through a wire strainer and set it away to cool. When
cold, it should be kept in a refrigerator or other cold place. Be
careful that the pail is well filled, or the soup will cool with the
long cooking and may sour. If too small a quantity is cooked to fill the
pail or pan it should be set over hot water. The cake of fat which forms
on top when the stock is cold should not be removed until the soup is to
be made, as it seals the stock and keeps out air and germs, thus
helping to preserve it. When soup is to be made, the fat is taken off,
the stock heated, and any desired seasonings or additions are put in.

_To clear soup stock._ Remove the fat, taste the stock, and if it needs
more seasoning add it before the clearing. Put into each quart of the
cold stock the slightly beaten white of one egg and one crushed
egg-shell. Wash the egg before breaking it. Stir the stock constantly
while heating it. Let it boil two minutes and set it in a cooker for
one-half hour or more. Remove the scum and strain it through two
thicknesses of cheese-cloth laid in a colander.

_To remove fat from hot soup or broth._ Skim off all that can be taken
off with a spoon. With a succession of small pieces of soft brown paper
take off the rest as if you were using blotting paper on the surface of
the soup. When no spotted appearance is seen on the papers, the fat is
all removed.

_To bind soups._ This name is given to the process of thickening cream
soups and purées, the liquid and solid part of which would separate
unless bound together. Melt the butter, and when it is liquid add
usually an equal quantity of flour and rub them together till well
blended. They are then added to the soup and stirred constantly till
perfectly mixed. If the proportion of flour is greater than that of the
butter it will be better to add a little of the soup to the flour and
butter in a separate saucepan as for making white sauce, and when enough
has been added to make a smooth sauce, it may be poured into the soup.

Brown Stock No. 1

3 lbs. shin of beef
3 qts. cold water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon peppercorns
6 cloves
¹⁄₂ bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig sweet marjoram
2 sprigs parsley
¹⁄₂ cup carrot
¹⁄₂ cup turnip
¹⁄₂ cup celery
¹⁄₃ cup onion
1 tablespoon salt

Prepare the meat as directed for making stock, brown one-third of it in
a frying pan with the fat. Wash the vegetables, scrape or pare them, and
cut them in small pieces. Put all the ingredients together and bring
them to a boil. When they have boiled for ten minutes put them into a
cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Unless there is a large quantity
of soup it is not safe to leave it more than twelve hours, lest it grow
cold and sour; but nine or more quarts may safely be left for fifteen
hours or more, provided the kettle is at least two-thirds full. Pour it
through a wire strainer and cool it as rapidly as possible.

Brown Stock No. 2

1¹⁄₂ lbs. meat and bone, raw or cooked
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
6 peppercorns
3 cloves
¹⁄₂ teaspoon shaved lemon rind
3 sprigs parsley
¹⁄₄ cup carrot
¹⁄₄ cup turnip
¹⁄₆ cup onion
¹⁄₄ cup celery
1 teaspoon salt

Do not use salt or smoked meats for soup stock, or any parts of meat
which have become charred or blackened in the cooking. Very little of
these would be enough to destroy the good flavour of soup.

Cut from the bones all the meat that is easy to get off. Tough ends from
steak or roasts should be cut off before they are cooked, and saved for
soup or stews. Cut meat for making soup in small pieces. Separate the
bones at the joints and crack them if they are large. Soak the meat in
the water while preparing the seasoning. Put all the ingredients
together and bring them to a boil. Boil them for ten minutes and put
them into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours, standing the pan or
pail in a large pail of boiling water, unless this recipe fills the
cooker pail. Strain the stock through a wire strainer, and cool it as
rapidly as possible.

White Stock No. 1

1 chicken or fowl
Water to cover the chicken
Salt (1 teaspoon to 1 qt. water)

Cook chicken or fowl according to the directions given on page 131 for
stewed chicken. The water in which the chicken was cooked makes white
stock.

White Stock No. 2

2 lbs. knuckle of veal
2 qts. cold water
1 tablespoon salt
12 peppercorns
¹⁄₂ cup celery or 1 teaspoon
celery seed
1 onion

Prepare the meat as directed for making stock. Pare and slice the onion;
cut the celery in pieces. If celery cannot easily be obtained,
substitute dried celery leaves, using three or four sprays, or use
celery seed.

Put all the ingredients together, let them boil for ten minutes, and put
them into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Set the pail or pan in
a larger cooker-pail of boiling water unless the soup nearly fills the
cooker-pail.

Bouillon

3 lbs. lean beef from round or shoulder
2 lbs. marrow bone
3 qts. cold water
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup carrot
¹⁄₃ cup onion
¹⁄₂ cup turnip
¹⁄₂ cup celery

Prepare the meat as directed for making brown stock. Use the marrow fat
for browning the meat. Boil all together for ten minutes and put them
into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Strain the stock through a
wire strainer and cool it. When cold, remove the fat and clear the soup
as directed on page 59. Serve in bouillon cups with crisp crackers.

Serves fifteen to twenty persons.

Beef Broth

1 lb. lean beef from round or shoulder
1 pt. cold water
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Wash and chop the meat fine, removing any pieces of fat. Add the salt
and let the meat soak for one hour in a cold place. In a small
cooker-pail or pan set over a larger cooker-pail of hot, but not boiling
water, heat the broth till it registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Slip the
pails into a cooker for one-half hour. Strain the broth through a coarse
wire strainer, remove all fat by the directions on page 59, and serve it
immediately in a heated cup; or it may be chilled, or frozen to the
consistency of mush.

Mutton Broth

3 lbs. mutton (from neck)
2 qts. cold water
2 teaspoons salt
Few grains pepper
3 tablespoons rice or
3 tablespoons barley

Wipe the meat, remove carefully all skin and fat, as these impart a rank
flavour to mutton broth. Cut the meat into small pieces, or put it
through a food chopper. Cover the meat and bones with the water, add the
salt, and when boiling put them into a cooker for from nine to twelve
hours. If barley is used, soak it over night and cook it in a small pail
or pan set into or over the broth in the same cooker-pail. When broth
and barley are both boiling, put the pails together and slip them into
the cooker. Rice would be over cooked if treated in this way, and should
be cooked in the strained broth, or separately, for one hour in the
cooker. When the broth is done, strain it and remove every particle of
fat as directed on page 59.

Consommé

3 lbs. lower part of round or shoulder of beef
1 lb. marrow bone
3 lbs. knuckle of veal
1 qt. chicken stock
¹⁄₃ cup carrot
¹⁄₃ cup turnip
¹⁄₃ cup celery
¹⁄₃ cup onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon shaved lemon rind
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig marjoram
2 sprigs parsley
¹⁄₂ bay leaf
3 qts. cold water

Prepare the meat as directed for making brown stock, using the marrow
fat to brown half of the meat. Soak the raw meat and bone in the cold
water while browning the remaining meat and preparing the vegetables and
seasonings. Prepare the vegetables as directed for making soup stock,
and brown them in the butter. Bring all to a boil together, reserving
the chicken stock. Boil for ten minutes, and put it into the cooker for
from nine to twelve hours. Strain this stock through a wire strainer,
add the chicken stock, and, if it is not seasoned sufficiently, add what
seasoning it needs. Cool it as rapidly as possible, and when cold, clear
it according to the directions on page 59.

It is served, usually, with custard cut into fancy shapes; or with
noodles, macaroni, or other Italian pastes, which are first cooked as
directed on page 143; or with delicate vegetables, such as peas or
string beans, or other vegetables cut into fancy shapes; or with cooked
chicken, cut in dice, and green peas. A poached egg is sometimes served
in each plate of soup.

Serves sixteen or twenty persons.

Mock Turtle Soup No. 1

1 calf’s head
6 cloves
8 peppercorns
6 allspice berries
2 sprigs thyme
¹⁄₃ cup sliced onion
¹⁄₃ cup carrot cut in dice
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
2 cups brown stock
¹⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup flour
1 cup stewed tomatoes, strained
Juice ¹⁄₂ lemon
Madeira wine

Clean and wash the calf’s head, reserving the tongue and brains to use
for some other dish. Soak it for one hour in enough cold water to cover
it. Boil it in a covered pail for twenty minutes with three quarts of
salted water and the vegetables and seasoning, and put it into the
cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Remove the head; cut off the face
meat and reserve it; boil the stock until it is reduced to one quart.
Strain and remove the fat from it as directed on page 59; or cool it,
and remove the hard fat. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir it
until it is well browned; then add the brown stock, one-half at a time,
stirring it constantly, and allowing the mixture to boil before adding
the second cupful of liquid. To this add the head stock, tomato, one
cupful of the face meat cut in dice, and the lemon juice. Simmer for
five minutes. Just before serving it add Madeira wine to taste, more
salt and pepper, if desirable, custard cut in dice, and egg balls or
forcemeat balls. If the soup is prepared, as it may be, some time before
it is to be served, slip the pail into the cooker until time for
serving. If kept many hours it will need to be reheated.

Mock Turtle Soup No. 2

1 calf’s or lamb’s liver
1 calf’s heart
1 knuckle of veal
Water to cover (about 2 qts.)
¹⁄₃ cup onion
¹⁄₃ cup turnip
¹⁄₃ cup celery
4 cloves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
4 yolks of hard-cooked eggs
¹⁄₂ lemon
Madeira wine

Wash the meat, cover it with cold water in a cooker-pail. Let it stand
in a cold place while the vegetables are being prepared. Wash the
vegetables and cut them in small pieces. Put them and the seasonings
with the meat, bring all to a boil, and boil it for ten minutes. Put it
into a cooker for nine hours or more. Strain it, and add to it one
cupful of the heart and liver meat cut into small dice. Pour it into a
tureen in which the lemon and the egg yolks, cut in quarters, have been
placed. Add Madeira wine to taste. The remaining heart and liver may be
used for stew or hash.

Serves ten or eleven persons.

Vegetable Soup with Stock

2 qts. brown stock
¹⁄₂ cup turnip
¹⁄₂ cup carrot
¹⁄₂ cup celery
¹⁄₂ cup cabbage
¹⁄₄ cup onion
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rice or barley

Wash and pare the vegetables. Put all but the celery through a coarse
food chopper. Cut the celery in fine pieces. Boil all the ingredients
together hard for one minute. Put them into a cooker for three hours or
more. If barley is used, soak it over night in cold water and boil it
till soft; or cook it in the cooker with boiling salted water for five
or six hours.

Cream of Celery Soup

2 cups white stock
3 cups celery, cut small
1 cup water
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups hot milk
1 cup hot cream
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Cook the first four ingredients together in a cooker for three hours or
more. Rub them through a sieve; bind the soup with the butter and flour,
as directed on page 59, and add the milk, cream, and seasonings.

Serves six or eight persons.

Asparagus Soup

3 cups white stock, or
3 cups water in which asparagus has cooked
1 can asparagus, or
1 pt. cooked asparagus
¹⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₄ cup flour
2 cups hot milk
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1 slice onion

If canned asparagus is used, drain and rinse it. Cut off the tips about
an inch long, and reserve them. Put the stalks of asparagus, stock or
asparagus water and onion into a cooker-pail. When boiling, put them
into a cooker for two and one-half hours or more. Rub through a sieve,
bind it with the butter and flour, as directed on page 59, and add the
remaining ingredients and the tips.

Serves six or seven persons.

Tomato Soup with Stock

1 qt. brown stock
1 can or 1 qt. tomatoes
1 onion
4 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₃ cup flour
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt

Cook the first three ingredients for one hour or more in the cooker. Rub
through a strainer, bind it with the butter and flour, as directed on
page 59, and add the salt. Or bind the soup before putting it into the
cooker, and strain it just before serving.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Creole Soup

1 qt. brown stock
1 pt. tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped green sweet peppers
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¹⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₃ cup flour
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Few grains of cayenne
2 tablespoons grated horseradish
1 teaspoon vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup macaroni rings

Cook the pepper and onion in the butter for five minutes, add the flour,
then the stock and tomatoes gradually, and cook all in the cooker for
one hour or more. Rub it through a sieve, and add the remaining
ingredients. The macaroni rings are made by cutting cooked macaroni into
very short lengths. Do not soak macaroni for making rings.

Serves six or eight persons.

Ox Tail Soup

1 small ox tail
1¹⁄₂ qts. brown stock
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
Few grains of cayenne
2 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₄ cup Madeira wine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Flour

Cut the ox tail into small pieces, wash it, drain it, and sprinkle it
with the salt, pepper, and flour. Brown it in the butter. Add it to the
stock with the vegetables, which have been cut small or with French
vegetable cutters. Put it into the cooker for two hours or more. Add the
seasonings and lemon juice.

Serves six or eight persons.

Julienne Soup

1 qt. brown stock
¹⁄₄ cup carrot
2 tablespoons peas
2 tablespoons string beans
¹⁄₄ cup turnip

Clarify the stock and add the cooked beans and peas and the carrot and
turnip, which have been cut into thin strips one and one-half inches
long and cooked for two hours in the cooker. When boiling hot, serve it.

Serves four or five persons.

Macaroni Soup

1 qt. brown stock
¹⁄₄ cup macaroni rings

Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water for two hours in the cooker.
Drain it in a colander. Cut it into very short lengths to make rings.
Heat them in the stock.

SOUPS MADE WITHOUT STOCK

Vegetable Soup

¹⁄₃ cup carrot
¹⁄₃ cup turnip
¹⁄₂ cup celery
¹⁄₂ cup onion
1¹⁄₂ cups potato
1 pt. tomatoes
5 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ tablespoon parsley
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 qt. water

Wash the vegetables, scrape the carrot, pare the turnip, potatoes, and
onions, remove the leaves and strings from the celery, and cut the
vegetables in small pieces, or put all except the potatoes and celery
through a coarse food chopper. Measure the vegetables after they are
prepared. Put them all, except the potatoes and parsley, into a frying
pan with the butter, and cook them for ten minutes; add the potatoes and
cook them for two minutes more, then put all the ingredients, except the
parsley, together in a cooker-pail, and when they are boiling put them
into a cooker for three hours or more. Add the parsley just before
serving. “Left-over” vegetables, in pieces, may be added, in place of an
equal measure of any of the first five given.

Serves six or eight persons.

Bean Soup

1 pt. beans
2 qts. water or stock
1 onion
¹⁄₂ lb. lean, raw beef, if stock is not used
2 tablespoons Chili sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
2 stalks celery

Wash and soak the beans over night, cut the meat small, and pan-broil
the pieces in a dry, hot frying pan till brown. Put all the ingredients
except the butter and flour into a cooker-pail, and when they are
boiling put them into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Rub the
soup through a strainer, and bind it.

Serves eight or ten people.

Black Bean Soup

1 pt. black beans
2 qts. water
1 small onion
2 stalks celery, or
¹⁄₄ teaspoon celery salt
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon mustard
Cayenne
3 tablespoons butter
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons flour
2 hard-cooked eggs
1 lemon

Soak the beans over night, drain them and add the two quarts of water.
Cook the onion in one-half of the butter; add onion and celery to the
beans, and, when boiling, put them into a cooker for from eight to
twelve hours. Rub the soup through a strainer, add the seasonings, bind
it, and when it has boiled for five minutes pour it over the sliced
eggs and lemon in a soup tureen.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Tomato Soup

1 can tomatoes, or
1 qt. raw tomatoes
1 pt. water
12 peppercorns
1 small bay leaf
4 cloves
1 slice onion
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour

Cook the first six ingredients together in a cooker for one hour or
more. Strain, add the salt and soda, and bind it. If it is not to be
served at once it may stand in the cooker, to keep hot, for an
indefinite period.

Serves six or seven persons.

Purée of Lima Beans

1 cup dried lima beans
3 pts. water
2 slices onion
2 slices turnip
1 cup cream or milk
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper

Wash the beans and soak them over night. Drain them, and, when boiling,
cook them with the prepared onion and turnip and the water in a cooker
for four hours or more. Rub this through a strainer, add the seasoning
and cream or milk, and bind it.

Serves seven or nine persons.

Baked Bean Soup

3 cups cold baked beans
3 pints water
2 slices onion
2 stalks celery
1¹⁄₂ cups tomato
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Cook the first five ingredients in a cooker for three hours or more, rub
them through a strainer, bind this with the butter and flour, as
directed on page 59, and add the seasonings.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Green Pea Soup

1 can marrowfat peas, or
1 pt. shelled peas
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pt. water
1 pt. milk
1 slice onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₆ teaspoon pepper

If fresh peas are used take those which are too old to be good to serve
as a vegetable. If canned peas are used, drain and rinse them, add the
sugar, water, and onion, and, when boiling, put them into a cooker for
two hours or more. Rub them through a strainer, add the hot milk and
seasoning and bind the soup with the butter and flour, as directed on
page 59.

Bean and pea soups are very nourishing and should not be followed by a
rich, hearty meal.

Serves five or six persons.

Potato Soup

3 potatoes
1 pt. milk
1 pt. water
2 slices onion
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon celery salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
Cayenne
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Scrub and pare the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Cook them in
a cooker with the water and onion for one and one-half hours or more,
standing the pail or pan in a larger cooker-pail of boiling water. Rub
the soup through a sieve, bind it, and add the seasoning.

Serves five or six persons.

Fish Chowder

4 lbs. cod, haddock, or other firm white fish
4 cups potatoes (in ³⁄₄ inch dice)
1 onion, sliced
4 cups scalded milk
1¹⁄₂ inch cube fat salt pork
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
²⁄₃ cup oyster crackers

Skin the fish (see page 82), cut the flesh into two-inch pieces, put the
head, tail, and bones into a small cooker-pail or pan, add two cups of
cold water and bring it to a boil. Set this into a larger cooker-pail of
boiling water to which one teaspoonful of salt has been added for each
quart of water. Put the potatoes in this lower pail and, when boiling,
cook all in the cooker for one hour.

Cut the pork into small pieces, try out the fat in a frying-pan and fry
the onion in it. When the fish and potatoes are cooked, drain off the
fish-liquor, add all the ingredients except the milk and crackers to it,
bring it to a boil and place it in the cooker for one-half hour. Add the
milk and pour the chowder over the crackers in a tureen.

Serves twelve or sixteen persons.

Connecticut Chowder

Make this in the same manner as fish chowder, substituting two and
one-half cups of stewed or canned tomatoes for the milk. The tomatoes
may be added to the other ingredients when they are put together. If
desired, crumble the crackers and add them just before serving.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Clam Chowder

¹⁄₂ pk. clams in the shell or 1 qt. clams
1 qt. potatoes, cut in ³⁄₄ inch dice
1 cup water
1¹⁄₂ inch cube fat salt pork
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 qt. scalding hot milk, or
6 or 8 soda crackers, broken or crumbled
2¹⁄₂ cups stewed tomatoes

Wash the clams in a strainer, pick them over, to see that there are no
bits of shell with them, and cut off the soft parts. Chop the hard parts
or cut them into small pieces. Cut the pork into pieces, try out the
fat, and fry the onion in it. Put all the ingredients together, except
the crackers and the milk, if that be used, into a cooker-pail. Bring
them to a boil and put them into the cooker for from one to two hours.
Reheat the soup and add the milk and crackers.

Serves ten to sixteen persons.

Split-pea Soup

1 pt. split peas
1 soup bone (2 lbs.)
2 qts. cold water
2³⁄₄ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper

Soak the peas over night and drain them. Wash the bone, boil it for ten
minutes in the water and skim it, add the peas and seasoning, bring all
to a boil and put it into the cooker for four hours or more. Take out
the bone and serve the soup without straining it. The peas must be
cooked until they fall to pieces easily when well beaten. If desired,
the meat may be taken from the bone, cut into small pieces and served in
the soup.

Oyster or Clam Stew

1 qt. oysters or clams
1 qt. milk
¹⁄₄ cup butter
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
¹⁄₆ teaspoon pepper

Heat the milk till it boils. Heat the oysters or clams in their liquor
which has been strained through cheese-cloth. Add the pepper and the
hot milk and put the stew at once into a cooker for one-half hour or
more. Oysters will keep for some hours without curdling if they do not
boil after the milk is added and if the salt is put in just before
serving. It will be safer to keep the clams and milk separate while in
the cooker and combine them just before serving. Less salt will be
needed for clams than for oysters.

SOUP GARNISHES

Noodles

1 egg
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
Flour to make a stiff dough

Beat the egg until it is evenly mixed, add a little flour, through which
the salt has been mixed. Gradually add more flour until a dough is made
that can be rolled out very thin. Knead it a few minutes, then roll it
as thin as possible. Let it stand for fifteen or twenty minutes covered
with a towel, then roll it like jelly-roll and cut, from the end of the
roll, very narrow slices. Unroll these strips and lay them on a board,
covered lightly with a towel or clean cloth, to dry. When perfectly dry
they are ready to use, or may be put away in covered cans or boxes and
kept in a cool place.

If noodles are used as a vegetable they should be prepared as macaroni,
except that they must not be soaked before cooking.

Egg Balls

4 eggs, cooked
1 egg, raw
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon butter
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Put the eggs into enough cold water to more than cover them (at least
one quart for every four eggs), bring this to a boil and put it into a
cooker for twenty minutes. Drop the eggs into cold water, take off the
shells and when they are cold carefully remove the whites, leaving the
yolks whole. These may be dropped into soup as they are, or they may be
mashed, mixed with the butter and salt and enough egg yolk, or egg white
or whole egg, beaten, to moisten them, so that they may be moulded into
balls about the size of a hard-cooked yolk. Roll these in flour and
sauté them in butter.

Forcemeat Balls

¹⁄₄ cup fine, soft crumbs
¹⁄₄ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
²⁄₃ cup raw fish or meat
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter

Cook the bread and milk to a paste, cool it, add the beaten egg and fish
or meat, forced through a fine meat-chopper or chopped and then ground
fine with a mortar and pestle. Mould it into balls, lay them in a pan
with the flour and shake it until the balls are floured; then sauté
them with the butter, shaking the pan carefully from time to time, till
the balls are browned on all sides. Or the balls may be dropped into
boiling soup and put into the cooker for one-half hour.

Croûtons

Cut slices of bread one-half inch thick, spread thinly with butter. Cut
the slices into strips one-half inch wide, and these into dice one-half
inch thick. Put them into a baking-pan, and brown them in a hot oven,
stirring them about frequently that they may be brown evenly. Add them
to the soup just before serving, or pass them after serving.

Soup Sticks

Prepare the bread exactly as for croûtons, except that the strips of
bread are not cut into dice. If desired the strips may be sprinkled with
grated cheese after they are cut. Lay them side by side with enough
space between them to allow them to brown on the sides. Serve them as an
accompaniment to soup.

Crisp Crackers

Split plain, thick crackers; spread the rough sides slightly with
butter, and brown them delicately in a hot oven.

FISH

_To tell fresh fish._ The flesh of fresh fish is firm, and will rise
quickly if pressed with the finger; the eyes are bright, and the gills
red. Frozen fish may be kept for a long time, but must be used at once
when thawed, as it spoils more quickly than fresh fish. Thaw frozen fish
in cold water.

_Care of fish._ Clean it and wipe it, inside and out, with a cloth
dipped in strongly salted water. Do not put steaks or cutlets of fish
into the water. Lay it on a plate on cracked ice, or in a cool place. It
must not be kept in an ice-box unless wrapped in two thicknesses of
brown paper, or it will impart an odour to milk, butter, and other
foods.

_To clean a fish._ Before opening it remove the scales by scraping
slowly from the tail toward the head, holding the knife nearly flat on
the fish. Rinse the knife frequently in cold water. Open the fish on the
under side, cutting a slit from the gills half-way down the body.
Remove the entrails clear to the backbone, scraping the inside if
necessary.

_To skin a fish._ Cut a slit down the back to the tail, on both sides of
the dorsal fins, deep enough to take them out. Insert a sharp-pointed
knife under the skin as near the gills as possible. Holding the head by
the bony part near the gills, work the knife down toward the tail.

_Cooking of fish._ Fish is sufficiently cooked when the flesh will
easily flake away from the bones. If boiled too long, it becomes soft
and watery. An acid flavour is palatable with fish, and for this reason
slices of lemon or an acid sauce are often served with it.

Left-over boiled fish may be served in a variety of ways, as creamed
fish, scalloped fish, fish soufflé, croquettes, casserole of fish, etc.

TABLE OF THE SEASONS, ETC., OF FRESH-WATER FISH

NAME OF FISH WEIGHT IN SEASON
Salmon 5 or 6 lbs., or more May to Sept.
Shad 3 lbs., or more Jan. to June
White fish 4 lbs. Winter
Bass 3 to 8 lbs. Always
Perch Average 8 to a lb. Summer
Pickerel 1 to 4 lbs. Always
Brook Trout Apr. to Aug.
Lake Trout 4 to 9 lbs. Apr. to Aug.
Pike Summer

TABLE OF SEASONS, ETC., OF SALT-WATER FISH

NAME OF FISH WEIGHT IN SEASON
Cod 3 to 20 lbs. Always
Haddock 5 to 8 lbs. Always
Black Bass 3 lbs. Aug. to Mar.
Cusk 5 to 8 lbs. Winter
Halibut Always
Flounders ¹⁄₂ to 5 lbs. Always
Red snapper 4 lbs., or more Late winter
Bluefish 4 to 8 lbs. June to Oct.
Tautog July to Sept.
Sturgeon Summer
Swordfish July to Sept.
Weakfish 3 to 5 lbs. Winter
Mackerel ³⁄₄ to 2 lbs. May to Sept.
Turbot Jan. to Mar.
Herring 6 or 8 to a lb. Mar. and Apr.
Smelts Average 8 to a lb. Sept. to Mar.
Lobsters 1 to 2 lbs. Always
Oysters Sept. to May
Clams Always
Crabs Summer

Boiled Fish

Put a three-pound fish, or three pounds of small fish, into four quarts
of boiling water to which four teaspoonfuls of salt have been added. Set
it at once into the cooker for one hour. Larger fish may be cooked in
the same way if more water is used. For instance, a four-pound fish
should be put into five or six quarts of water. Or, with large fish,
put them into boiling water to cover them, let them come to a boil, and
put them into the cooker for three-quarters of an hour or more,
according to the size of the fish. Fish when overcooked will be watery,
but will not break to pieces, unless very much overdone, if cooked in a
hay-box or cooker.

Creamed Salt Codfish No. 1

1 lb. fish
3 or 4 qts. water

Wash the fish and, without shredding it, put it into the cold water,
bring it to a boil, and put it into a cooker for one and one-half hours.
Drain, pick into pieces, and bring to a boil in one cup of white sauce,
omitting the salt. It is improved by adding a beaten egg before serving.

Serves six or seven persons.

Creamed Salt Codfish No. 2

1 lb. codfish
3 or 4 qts. water
¹⁄₄ cup butter
4 eggs
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Cook the fish as for creamed salt codfish No. 1. When picked to pieces,
put it into a double boiler with the butter. When this is absorbed by
the fish add the remaining ingredients beaten together. Cook, stirring
constantly, until it thickens like custard. Serve at once or it will
curdle.

Serves six or eight persons.

Codfish Balls

1 cup raw salt codfish, in small pieces
1 heaping pint potatoes in 1-inch pieces
3 qts. cold water
1 egg
¹⁄₂ tablespoon butter
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Bring the fish and potatoes to a boil in the water. Put them into a
hay-box for one and one-half hours. Drain and shake them, uncovered,
over the fire to dry them as boiled potatoes, till white and mealy. Mash
them thoroughly, add the other ingredients, and mix them together
thoroughly. If necessary, add a little more salt. Take the mixture up by
tablespoonfuls and, without moulding them, drop them into hot, deep fat.
Fry until they are a rich brown, and drain them on brown paper.

To test the temperature of fat for fish balls, drop a cube of stale
bread into the fat. If it grows a rich brown in forty seconds the fat is
of the right temperature. If fat is too hot, fried food is injured in
flavour and digestibility; if not hot enough the food will be greasy. If
fish balls fall apart in the frying, it is because the fish and
potatoes were not well dried before adding the other ingredients.

Serves four or six persons.

Salt Fish Soufflé

1 cup salt codfish
1 heaping pt. potatoes
3 qts. water
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons butter
⁷⁄₈ cup milk
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Cook the fish and potatoes as for codfish balls. When drained and dried,
add the butter, milk, pepper, and yolks of eggs; then the whites, beaten
stiff. Turn into a buttered baking-dish, and bake until puffed and brown
(about one-half hour) in an insulated oven, the stones heated until the
paper test shows a golden brown.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Salmon Loaf

1 can salmon
¹⁄₄ cup butter (melted)
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
4 eggs
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 small bay leaf

If only hard, dry crumbs can be obtained, add one-fourth of a cup of
water to the recipe, mixing it with the eggs, and soaking the crumbs
one-half hour in the mixture.

Rub the fish and butter together, add the other ingredients, and put all
into a buttered one-quart bread-mould or water-tight empty coffee or
baking-powder can. Set the mould in enough cold water to reach
two-thirds of the way up its sides. Let this come to a boil, boil
fifteen minutes and put into the cooker for one hour. It will not be
injured by remaining in the hay-box two hours. Or set the mould into
boiling water, boil one-half hour, and put into the cooker for an hour.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Casserole of Fish

1 cup cold flaked fish
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 hard-cooked eggs
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper

Butter a quart mould, put into it alternate layers of fish, potatoes,
and egg; seasoning each layer. Stand the mould in a cooker-pail of
boiling water to reach two-thirds of the way up its sides. Boil ten
minutes and put it into the cooker for from three-quarters of an hour to
two hours.

Serves six persons.

Cape Cod Turkey

1 lb. salt codfish
4 qts. cold water
¹⁄₄ lb. fat salt pork

Wash the fish and put it on the stove in the water. When boiling, put it
into a cooker and let it cook from one and one-half to three hours.
While this is cooking cut the pork into one-fourth inch slices, gash
the slices occasionally, nearly to the rind. Pour boiling water over it,
drain it, and try it out in a frying-pan till brown and crisp. When the
codfish is done, drain it and garnish it with a border of the hot, crisp
pork. Serve drawn-butter sauce and boiled potatoes with it.

Serves six or eight persons.

Creamed Oysters

1 qt. oysters
2 cups milk or cream
¹⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₄ cup flour
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Few grains of white pepper

Drain and wash the oysters. Strain the liquor through cheese-cloth. Heat
the oysters in the liquor by themselves and scald the milk. Rub the
butter and flour together, add them to the hot milk or cream, and let it
boil. Put this mixture with the boiling oysters and set it in a cooker
for one-half hour or more. Just before serving add the seasoning. Serve
it on toast or crisped crackers, or in croustades.

XII

BEEF

_To select good beef._ (1) Quality. “Heavy” beef, that is, taken from
fat, heavy animals, is the best. It should be mottled with fat all
through the lean, and the large masses of fat should be firm and of a
creamy white colour. The grain of tender meat is fine. Coarse-grained
meat, and meat streaked with connective tissue or gristle, is sure to be
tough. (2) Freshness. Fresh beef is a good red colour, modified, when it
is very cold, to a purplish shade. If black or greenish in tint the meat
is stale, and its odour will be bad. Meat is flabby after it is killed,
but soon grows firm. It is in suitable condition for cooking before this
change takes place, or some days after it.

[Illustration: Figure No. 7.

Diagram of the cuts of beef. The double line shows the division between
forequarter and hindquarter.]

_Uses of the different cuts._ Beef is cut variously in different parts
of the country, and the same cuts are not always similarly named. Merely
to call the cuts by name would, therefore, make this chapter
unintelligible to some readers; but by consulting the accompanying
chart the pieces can be selected without reference to their names,
according to the part of the animal adapted to each particular use.
Those muscles which are much used and which have hard work to do will
have the most juice and the best flavour, though, at the same time, they
will be the toughest. For instance, all cuts, such as round, shoulder,
shin, and rump, which come from the legs or parts by which the legs are
connected with the body, will be tough and high-flavoured. The neck
also, and upper part of the shoulder, by reason of the support they give
to the weight of the head, are tough, although rich in flavour. Any cuts
from these parts, by whatever name they are called, are not suitable for
cooking with dry heat, such as that of baking, or broiling, but will
require long, slow cooking with water to make them tender. Such pieces
are the ones to buy for cooking in a hay-box. They do not command the
price of the tender cuts from the back of the animal, and it is,
therefore, a distinct economy to buy these cheap pieces and by skilful
cooking make them digestible and palatable. The parts numbered 1, 2, 7,
8, 9, in Fig. 7 are suitable for stews; those marked 11 and 12, as well
as all bones, are suitable for soups. Numbers 2, 5, 6, and 10 may be
used for stews or broth, but are adapted also to pot roasts, rolled
steaks, cannelon, Hamburg steak, etc., while only numbers 3 and 4 are
adapted to roasting or broiling.

Other parts of beef used as food, suitable for cooking in the hay-box or
cooker, are:

Brains, stewed or scalloped, or for croquettes.

Heart, stuffed and braised.

Liver, braised.

Tongue, boiled; fresh, corned, or pickled.

Kidneys, stewed.

Tail, soup.

TABLE SHOWING SOME OF THE NAMES GIVEN TO CUTS OF BEEF IN DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE COUNTRY.

The numbers indicate the part from which the cuts are taken, as shown
on the chart (Fig. No. 7).

1. Neck, part of the Rattleran, and Sticking piece.

2. Chuck, part of Rattleran.

3. Chuck and Rib roasts.

4. Sirloin steak, Porter-house steak, Pinbone roast. The latter
includes also a part of Number 7.

5. Rump, Aitchbone.

6. Round.

7. Flank, Top of Sirloin.

8. Flank, Plate.

9. Brisket, Navel.

10. Shoulder, Shoulder clod, Rattleran, Bolar, Cross ribs.

11. and 12. Fore and hind shin, Soup bones.

13. Vein, Veiny piece.

_Care of meat._ All meat should at once be removed from the wrapping
paper when it comes from the store, otherwise the paper absorbs the
juices and sticks to the meat. Never put meat into water, except it be
such parts as kidney, liver, heart, etc., or the water will soak out the
juice which is the part of meat that contains the flavour. Wipe it with
a clean, wet cloth, and keep it in a cool place. If it must be kept
longer than is safe for raw meat, it may be partially cooked, cooled
quickly, and kept cold till time to complete the cooking.

_Cooking meat._ If meat is put into cold water and gradually heated to
the boiling point, a large proportion of the juice will be extracted.
The meat will thus be rendered tasteless and the water will contain the
flavouring matter. Long cooking in water dissolves the gelatine of the
bones and connective tissue. These effects are desirable for soups and
broths, but undesirable when the meat itself is also to be used.

If meat is put into boiling water, allowed to boil a few minutes, and
then cooked a long time at a lower temperature, the albumen of the juice
is hardened on the surface of the meat and the remaining juice is thus
kept to a considerable extent. The long cooking may then soften the
tough tissue while the meat retains much of its flavour, the water
becoming also flavoured. This is desirable for stews, meat pies, pot
roasts, poultry, etc., in which cases meat and liquor are both to be
served.

Braised Beef

Wipe the beef with a wet cloth, cut off any tough ends and bone if it
will not mar the appearance of the meat, as these parts will not become
palatable in the length of time required for the remainder of the roast.
They will be found useful for soups, stews, cannelon of beef, Hamburg
steak, and such dishes. Roast the meat in a hot oven for half an hour,
transfer it quickly to a cooker utensil, add enough boiling water to
nearly cover it, let the whole become very hot in the oven, and place it
quickly in the cooker. The time that is required for completing the
cooking will depend upon the size of the piece and the degree of
cooking desired. A five-pound roast may be cooked four hours, and if not
found done to taste, it can be reheated to boiling point and cooked
longer. A larger roast will require more time in the cooker. If
preferred, the meat may first be partially cooked in the hay-box and
browned in the oven afterward. It must then be boiled for half an hour,
cooked three or more hours in the cooker, and then roasted. Lay a piece
of raw fat on top of the roast, or baste it with drippings to assist in
the browning.

Pot Roast

3 lbs. beef rump
3 cups boiling water
1 bay leaf
1 small onion
Salt and pepper
2 small carrots
2 sprigs parsley
¹⁄₂ teaspoon celery seed, or
¹⁄₄ cup celery, cut in pieces
Flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Have the butcher bone and roll the meat, dredge it well with salt,
pepper, and flour, and brown it on all sides in a frying-pan with a
little of the fat from the meat, or one or two tablespoons of beef
drippings or pork fat. Put all the ingredients together in a small
cooker-pail, let it simmer thirty minutes, set it into a larger pail of
boiling water and put into a cooker for nine hours or more. Reheat it to
boiling point; strain and thicken the liquor for gravy. Round of beef
may be used for pot roast, but it is drier than the rump, which has some
fat on it. Four or five pounds of rump will make three pounds when
boned. Have the bone sent from the market to use for soup stock.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Beef à la Mode

3 lbs. beef from the round
1 oz. fat, salt pork
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
Flour
1 onion
¹⁄₈ teaspoon allspice
¹⁄₈ teaspoon nutmeg
6 cloves
2 tablespoons rendered beef fat
Water to nearly cover it

Wash the meat, lard it with the pork cut into strips, or gash it deeply
and insert the pork in the gashes. Dredge it with the salt, pepper, and
flour, and fry it in the beef fat till well browned on all sides. Put
the meat and other ingredients into a two or three quart cooker-pail or
pan, and nearly cover the meat with boiling water. Let it simmer for
half an hour, then stand the pail in a larger cooker-pail of boiling
water and put it into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Unless
several times this recipe is cooked at once, do not allow the meat to
cook more than twelve hours, or it may ferment. Reheat it before
serving. Strain and thicken the gravy.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Corned Beef

Order eight or ten pounds of rump of beef corned for four days. Put it
into a large cooker-pail and fill the pail with cold water. When it
boils, allow it to simmer for thirty or forty minutes, then put it into
a hay-box for ten or twelve hours. Reheat it before serving it. If
ordinary corned beef is used it will be more delicate if, when it is
allowed to come to a boil, the water is changed and fresh boiling water
added. It may then be cooked as directed above for that specially
corned.

Serves twenty or twenty-five persons.

Boiled Dinner

2 lbs. lean, salt pork
3 turnips
4 beets
2 carrots
1 head cabbage
12 potatoes
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
Water to cover

Wash the pork and gash it in slices; wash and pare the vegetables. If
preferred, the beets may be cooked separately, without paring them. Put
all, except the potatoes, into the cooker-pail and cover them with
boiling water. When boiling let them cook ten minutes on the stove, then
put the pail into the cooker for six hours or more. Add the potatoes,
reheat it to boiling point, and replace it in the cooker for two hours.
If more salt or pepper is required add it when the potatoes are put in.
In order to save time the potatoes may be cooked separately, drained and
added to the dinner before bringing it to a boil for serving. Corned
beef may be used in place of pork, if preferred.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Beef Stew à la Mode

1¹⁄₂ lbs. beef brisket
Flour
4 tablespoons rendered fat
1 onion
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
6 cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 slices lemon
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground allspice
¹⁄₈ teaspoon nutmeg
Water to cover (about 1 pt.)

Buy two and one-half or three pounds of brisket to get one and one-half
pounds of clear, lean meat. Cut the meat into one inch pieces, roll them
in flour, and fry them in the fat till brown. The onion may be sliced
and added when the meat is nearly brown. Put the meat with the other
ingredients into a small cooker-pail, cover it with hot water, boil for
ten minutes, and cook it in a hay-box for five hours or more. If left
for many hours the meat becomes a trifle dry, but otherwise the stew is
not injured by overcooking. The gravy may be thickened, if desired, with
flour and water mixed together in equal parts. The bones may be put in
with the stew during the cooking and removed before serving, or they may
be used to make soup stock.

Serves five or six persons.

Stuffed Rolled Steak

1 flank steak
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ teaspoon thyme or summer savoury
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Wash the steak and remove the membrane that covers it, unless that has
been done at the market. Make a stuffing of the crumbs, melting the
butter and adding the crumbs and other ingredients to it. If the steak
is large enough, use more stuffing than one cupful. Spread the stuffing
over the meat to within two inches of the edge. Roll and skewer or tie
it into shape. Brown it well on all sides in a dry frying-pan, or dredge
it with flour and fry it in rendered beef fat. Lay it in a small
cooker-pail or pan. Make two cupfuls of Brown Sauce, or enough to cover
the roll. Boil the roll for two minutes and set the pail in a larger
pail of boiling water. Put it for five or six hours into a cooker. When
it is to be served, remove the string or skewers, lay the roll on a
platter, and pour the gravy over it.

Round steak, cut about one-half inch thick, may be used. Remove the bone
before rolling it.

Beef Stew with Dumplings

2 cups cooked or raw beef
2 cups raw or cooked potatoes
²⁄₃ cup tomato
1 onion, cut in slices
4 tablespoons rendered fat or butter
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₃ cup flour
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1¹⁄₂ cups water, or more

If cooked meat and potatoes are used, cut them in three-quarter-inch
dice, make a brown sauce of the fat, flour, seasoning, and water, add
the vegetables and meat and enough water to just cover the stew. Place
the dumplings on top, boil it for five minutes, and cook in a hay-box
for one and one-quarter hours. If the meat is tough it will be better to
treat it like raw beef. If raw beef is used, cut it in pieces, bring it
to a boil with the water, and put it into the cooker for three or four
hours before adding the other ingredients.

Dumplings for Stew

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons lard or butter
4 teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
³⁄₄ to 1 cup water

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together, work the fat into them
with the fingers, or cut it in with a knife. Add enough water to make a
stiff dough. Drop it by tablespoonfuls on the top of the stew. The
dumplings should rest on the meat and vegetables, as they will not be so
light if submerged in the gravy.

Serves six or seven persons.

Irish Stew

3 cups meat
2 cups potatoes
¹⁄₂ cup turnip
¹⁄₂ cup carrot
¹⁄₃ cup onion
¹⁄₂ cup celery
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₃ cup flour
4 tablespoons rendered fat
3 cups water

Wash and cut about two pounds of beef, from the leg, brisket or other
cheap cuts, into one-inch pieces. Remove most of the fat, or all of it,
if desired. Wash and pare the turnip and carrot and cut them into small
pieces. Pare the potatoes and cut them into one-inch cubes. Slice the
onion and cut the celery into small pieces. Roll the meat in the flour
and fry it till it is brown in the fat. Put all the ingredients, except
the remaining flour, into a cooker-pail and, when boiling, put them into
a cooker for five hours. Mix the remaining flour with an equal quantity
of cold water. Stir it into the stew, and when it has boiled it is ready
to serve. It will not be harmed by being kept hot in the cooker for
another hour or more.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Cannelon of Beef

1 lb. lean beef, chopped
Grated rind ¹⁄₄ lemon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon scraped onion
2 tablespoons butter or rendered fat beef
¹⁄₈ tablespoon nutmeg
¹⁄₂ tablespoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Mix in the order given, add the eggs, which have been slightly beaten,
put it into a well-greased one-quart brown bread mould or water-tight
can. Stand the mould in a large pail of water, arranged on a rack, if
necessary to raise the top of the mould to the level of the top of the
pail. Fill the pail with boiling water, to within one-third of the top
of the mould. Boil it for one-half hour and put it into a cooker for
four hours. If several times this recipe is used, and put into larger
moulds, it should be boiled a longer time. It is good served hot, with
brown sauce, or cold.

Serves six or eight persons.

Meat Pie

2 cups cooked or raw meat
2 cups potatoes
1 cup tomatoes
2 sprigs parsley, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon celery salt
2 onions
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₄ cup flour
1 bay leaf, broken fine
Water (about 1 pt.)

If cooked meat is used, cut it into three-quarter-inch cubes. Cut the
potatoes into similar pieces, slice the onions, put all the
ingredients, but the flour, together in a cooker-pail or pan, add the
boiling water, and, when boiling, add the flour mixed to a paste with an
equal quantity of water. Boil five minutes and put it into a cooker for
two hours or more. Raw meat will require five hours or more. If the
stewed mixture is not in a pan suitable for baking, transfer it to a
baking-pan or dish, cover with a crust and bake for one-half hour.

Crust for Meat Pie

1¹⁄₂ cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₃ teaspoon salt
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ cup water, or more

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, work in the fat, and put in enough
water to make a dough stiff enough to roll on a board. Roll it out to
the dish and bake it. An inverted cup in the centre of the pie, under
the crust, will prevent the gravy from boiling over during the baking.

Serves six or eight persons.

Braised Beef’s Liver

1 liver
¹⁄₄ lb. fat salt pork
1 onion
Flour
Fat
2 teaspoons sage leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
Water to cover

Lard the liver with the pork. Dredge it with flour and brown it in a
frying-pan, with rendered beef or pork fat or butter. Put it into a
cooker-pail or pan just large enough to hold it. Cover it with boiling
water, boil it for five minutes, set the pail in a larger cooker-pail of
boiling water, and put it into a cooker for ten hours or more. Reheat it
and serve it on a platter, cutting it through, but not separating the
slices. Pour over it the gravy, which has been strained and thickened
with flour and water mixed to a paste.

The number of persons that it will serve depends upon the size of the
liver. Allow one pound for three or four persons.

Beef Kidney

Wash and soak two kidneys in a large amount of water, for several hours
or over night, changing the water at least once. Cut them open, rinse
them and put them on to boil in boiling salted water to barely cover
them, in a small cooker-pail. Let them boil five minutes, set the pail
in a larger pail of boiling water, and cook them ten hours or more in a
cooker. When tender, remove the tubes and membranes and slice the
kidneys. Thicken as much of the gravy as you wish to use, with
one-fourth of a cupful of flour mixed with one-fourth of a cupful of
water to each pint of gravy. Add the sliced kidneys and serve them when
they are boiling hot.

Stuffed Heart

1 heart
¹⁄₂ cup crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon powdered thyme
1 thick slice bacon
Flour

Wash the heart, remove the arteries and veins and squeeze out any clots
of blood that there may be. Stuff it with the soft bread crumbs to which
the seasonings and melted butter have been added. Try out the fat from
the slice of bacon, dredge the heart with salt, pepper and flour and
brown it on all sides in the bacon fat. Put the heart and the crisp
bacon into as small a cooker-pail as will hold it, cover it with boiling
water, boil it for five minutes and put the pail into a larger
cooker-pail with as much boiling water as it will hold when the small
pail is in place. Put it into a cooker for ten hours, or over night.
Boil it again and cook it for three or four hours. Reheat it when ready
to serve it, thickening each pint of the gravy with one-fourth cup of
flour and an equal quantity of water mixed to a smooth paste. The heart
will look more attractive if sliced and covered with gravy before
serving.

Beef or calf’s heart may be cooked without a stuffing and served with
caper sauce.

Corned Tongue

Wash the tongue, put it into a cooker-pail of from four to six quarts
capacity. Fill the pail with cold water, bring the tongue to a boil and
boil it for from twenty minutes to half an hour, depending upon its
size. Put it into a cooker for ten or twelve hours. If not perfectly
tender, bring it again to a boil and cook it from two to four hours
longer. Plunge it into cold water, remove the skin, and serve it cold,
cut in thin slices.

Fresh Tongue

1 tongue
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
8 cloves
Salt

Wash the tongue, put it into as small a cooker-pail as will easily hold
it, add the other ingredients and fill the pail with boiling water,
using one teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water. Let it boil for
twenty minutes or half an hour, depending upon the size of the tongue.
Put it into a cooker for ten hours or more. If not perfectly tender,
reheat it to boiling point and cook it for from two to four hours longer
in the hay-box. Plunge it into cold water and remove the skin. Serve it
hot with caper sauce, using the liquor in which the tongue was boiled in
place of water, to make the sauce.

XIII

LAMB AND MUTTON

Spring lamb is the meat of lambs from six weeks to three months old. It
is obtainable in March and throughout the spring. Yearling is lamb one
year old. The flesh of lamb is lighter in colour than that of mutton and
the bones are pinker. It may be distinguished from mutton, also, by the
smaller size of the cuts, which are otherwise the same in mutton and
lamb. Mutton, as all dark meats, may be served rare; but lamb, being
lighter, is classed with white meats in this respect, and should be
thoroughly cooked. The rank flavour of mutton is greatly reduced if the
pink membrane, which surrounds the animal, is pulled off before cooking.
The fat of mutton has a strong, disagreeable flavour, and most of it
should be removed. It will not be good for any cooking purposes as veal,
beef, and pork fat are.

_Cuts of Mutton._ The favourite cuts are the rib and loin chops and the
leg, but as other parts of the sheep are much cheaper, it is well to
know their possibilities. Shoulder, boned and tied into shape, will,
when cooked in the hay-box or cooker, make a very good substitute for
the leg, while shoulder of lamb makes a good roast for small families
who grow tired of perpetual steak and chops.

[Illustration: Figure No. 8.

Diagram of the cuts of mutton and lamb.]

TABLE SHOWING THE WAYS IN WHICH THE VARIOUS CUTS OF MUTTON AND LAMB MAY
BE COOKED IN THE HAY-BOX OR COOKER

1. Neck, stews and broth.

2. Chuck, stews, broth, meat pie, casserole of rice and meat, hash.

3. Shoulder, braising, plain or boned and stuffed, casserole of rice
and meat, hash.

4 and 5. Loin chops, cooked as veal cutlets, breaded or plain.

6. Flank, soups, stews.

7. Leg, braised or boiled.

OTHER PARTS OF THE ANIMAL, USED FOR FOOD, WHICH MAY BE COOKED IN THE
HAY-BOX OR COOKER

Heart, braised, plain or stuffed.

Liver, braised, or breaded as veal cutlets.

Tongue, boiled.

Kidneys, stewed.

In the chapter on the Insulated Oven directions are also given for
roasting some cuts of mutton and lamb. They are not included in this
list, since the oven is not an accompaniment of every cooker.

Boiled Leg or Shoulder of Mutton

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, put it into a cooker-pail with boiling
salted water enough to cover it, and to permit of at least three or four
quarts of water being used, the amount depending upon the size of the
leg. Boil it for half an hour and cook it in the cooker for six hours or
more. The broth should be saved for soup stock and gravy. Serve it with
brown gravy or with caper sauce. Shoulder will not require more than
twenty minutes boiling, but will take the full time in the cooker. Lamb
may be treated in the same manner.

Braised Leg or Shoulder of Mutton

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, roast it in a hot oven till brown, or
dredge it with salt, pepper, and flour, and brown it in a frying-pan;
put it, while still hot, into a cooker-pail with enough boiling water to
half cover it, or more. Bring it to a hard boil, while tightly covered,
put it at once into a cooker for six hours or more. Serve it with brown
gravy, saving the remaining broth for soup stock. Lamb may be treated in
the same manner.

Mutton Stew

2 cups meat
²⁄₃ cup tomato
1 onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cups potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1¹⁄₂ cups water, or more
¹⁄₄ cup butter, lard or beef fat
¹⁄₃ cup flour

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, cut it into three-quarter-inch cubes,
put it into a cooker-pail with all the other ingredients, except the fat
and flour. The potatoes should be pared and cut into one and
one-half-inch cubes. Bring all to a boil, boil it for five minutes and
put it into a cooker for from four to six hours. Make a brown sauce,
using the fat, flour, and liquor from the stew. Heat the stew in this
till boiling. Or the meat may be dredged with the flour and fried in the
fat until meat and flour are brown, before being put into the cooker. If
cooked meat is used, one and one-half hours in the cooker will be
enough, unless the meat is very tough, in which case it may be cooked as
long as raw meat. The addition of one green pepper makes a good
variation of this stew.

Serves five or six persons.

Chestnut Stew

2 cups raw mutton
2 onions
2 tablespoons fat
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups blanched nuts
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
Water

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, cut it into three-quarter-inch cubes;
peel and slice the onions. Dredge the meat with the flour, brown it and
the onions in a frying-pan with any fat suitable for cooking. Put all
the ingredients into a cooker-pail, barely cover them with boiling
water, and let the stew boil five minutes before putting it into a
cooker for four hours or more.

Serves six or eight persons.

Syrian Stew (Yakhni)

2 cups raw mutton
2 tablespoons fat
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups string beans
2 onions
2 cups tomatoes
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₆ teaspoon pepper
Water

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, cut it into cubes, dredge it with the
flour, and brown it in the fat. Put all the ingredients together,
scraping from the frying-pan all of the flour and fat. Add enough water
to barely cover them, let them boil for five minutes, and put them into
the cooker for six hours or more, depending upon the beans. If they are
old and tough they may require more than six hours to cook.

In Syria this stew is always served with boiled or steamed rice.

Serves six or eight persons.

Okra Stew

2 cups raw mutton
2 tablespoons fat
¹⁄₈ cup flour
2 onions
2 cups tomatoes
2 cups okra
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₆ teaspoon pepper
Water

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, cut it into cubes. Wash and cut the
okra in pieces, dredge it and the meat with the flour and fry them, till
brown, in the fat. Put all the ingredients into a cooker-pail, add
enough water to barely cover them, boil them for five minutes, and put
them into a cooker for four hours, or more.

Serves six or eight persons.

Syrian Stuffed Cabbage

1 cup raw chopped meat
2 tablespoons fat
¹⁄₃ cup raw rice
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 head cabbage
¹⁄₂ lemon

Strip off the leaves from a head of cabbage, throw them into boiling
water, and let them stand till they are wilted. Mix the remaining
ingredients, except the lemon, using for the meat either mutton or beef.
Lay a cabbage leaf on a plate, remove the thickest part of the midrib,
so that it will roll. Spread on it a rounded teaspoonful of the mixture
and roll it like a cigarette. Do the same with the other leaves, packing
each one, as it is finished, into a pan which will fit over a
cooker-pail, unless a pail is used which will be nearly filled by the
cabbage. The rolls must be carefully packed or they will float and
unroll when the water is added. Cover them with boiling water, bring all
to a boil, and boil it for five minutes, then put it directly into a
cooker, if the pail is full, or over boiling water if not, and leave it
for from four to six hours. Take the rolls out carefully with a cake
turner or skimmer, lay them in a platter, and squeeze the juice of half
a lemon over them. They are usually served as the meat dish for
luncheon.

Serves six or eight persons.

Casserole of Rice and Meat

4 cups cooked rice (1 cup raw)
2 cups cooked mutton
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¹⁄₄ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
Stock or water

Line a greased mould of one and one-half quarts’ capacity with three
cups of the rice. Remove all the fat from the meat, chop it fine, and
mix it with the other ingredients, adding enough stock or water to
barely keep it from crumbling. Pack the meat into the mould and cover it
with the remaining cupful of rice. Grease the cover and put it on. Stand
the mould in a large cooker-pail of water to two-thirds of its depth,
or, if it is shallow, prop it on a rack, so that the water will reach
half its depth; boil it for fifteen minutes, and cook it for one hour or
more in the cooker. Turn it out carefully on to a hot platter, and pour
tomato sauce around, but not over it.

Serves six or eight persons.

Ragout of Cold Mutton

2 cups cold mutton
1 onion, sliced
1 cup mutton stock
2 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ can peas
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 head of lettuce
Farina balls

Cut the mutton into one-inch cubes. Put all the ingredients except the
lettuce and farina balls into a cooker-pail together, cover it closely,
and when boiling put it into a cooker for one hour. Serve it on a
platter garnished with lettuce leaves and farina balls.

Serves four to six persons.

XIV

VEAL

[Illustration: Figure No. 9.

Diagram of the cuts of veal.]

Veal varies greatly with the age of the calf from which it is taken. It
should be pink, with firm, white fat. Pale, flabby veal comes from
calves which have been killed too young, or bled before death, and is
likely to be tasteless and stringy when cooked. The older veal grows,
the more like beef it appears. The cuts are larger and the colour is
darker and more like the red of beef. Veal can be purchased the year
round, but the best season for it is spring and summer. Almost all parts
of the calf are tender, but the cheaper cuts correspond with the cheaper
cuts of beef, except the cutlets or steaks, which are taken from the
same part of the animal as the round of beef, and command a good price.
Veal, like other white meats, should be thoroughly cooked. Its delicacy
commends it for many purposes, but it often requires the addition of
pork, or high seasoning, to give it flavour.

TABLE SHOWING THE WAYS IN WHICH THE VARIOUS CUTS OF VEAL MAY BE COOKED
IN THE HAY-BOX OR COOKER.

1. Head, Jelly, soups, and broths, calf’s head à la terrapin.
2. Neck, Stews, soup, veal pie.
3. Chuck, Veal loaf, stews, soup, veal pie.
4. Shoulder, Braised, stuffed and braised.
5. Shanks, Soups.
6. Ribs, Braised or breaded as veal cutlets.
7. Breast, Soups, stews, veal loaf.
8. Loin, Braised or breaded as veal cutlets.
9. Flank, Soups or stews.
10. Leg, Breaded cutlets or plain cutlets.

OTHER PARTS OF THE CALF, USED FOR FOOD, WHICH MAY BE COOKED IN THE
HAY-BOX OR COOKER.

Brains, Stewed and creamed.
Heart, Braised, plain or stuffed.
Liver, Braised, or stewed.
Tongues, Boiled.
Sweetbreads, Stewed or creamed.
Kidneys, Stewed or creamed.

Breaded Veal Cutlets

2 lbs. veal cutlets
Fine, dry breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
1 egg
1 pt. water or stock
¹⁄₂ cup butter or drippings
¹⁄₃ cup flour
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¹⁄₂ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Wipe the cutlets with a clean, wet cloth. Cut them into pieces suitable
for serving, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Dip them into
sifted crumbs, then into the egg, which has been beaten slightly and
mixed with one tablespoonful of water. Dip the cutlets again into the
crumbs and fry them until they are a rich brown, in one-half the butter
or drippings. Put them into a small cooker-pail or pan. Make Brown
Sauce, using the remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce over the cutlets
and, when boiling, stand the pail in a large cooker-pail of boiling
water. Put it into a cooker for from two to four hours, depending upon
the age and toughness of the veal. Reheat them before serving.

Serves six or eight persons.

Plain Veal Cutlets

Wipe the cutlets with a wet cloth, trim off any tough membranes, and cut
them into pieces suitable for serving. Brown them in a very hot
frying-pan with butter or rendered fat, being careful not to let them
scorch. Sprinkle them well with salt and pepper and put them into a
small cooker-pail or pan. Pour a little boiling water into the
frying-pan and, when all the brown juice which has hardened on the pan
has been dissolved, pour this over the cutlets. Add enough boiling water
to barely cover them and, when boiling, stand the pail or pan in a large
cooker-pail of boiling water. Put it into the cooker for from two to
four hours, depending upon the age and toughness of the veal. Reheat
them before serving, if necessary.

Veal Loaf

2 cups minced veal
2 eggs
¹⁄₄ cup melted butter
1 cup soft bread crumbs
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¹⁄₄ inch slice fat salt pork
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground sage

Wipe meat from the cheaper cuts of veal, remove the fat and toughest
membranes, and put it through a fine food-chopper. Mix the seasonings
with the crumbs, add the melted butter, mix these with the veal, add the
pork and, lastly, the eggs. Put the mixture in a well-buttered one-quart
brown bread mould or water-tight can. Spread it level but do not pack it
in the mould. Stand it in a large cooker-pail with enough boiling water
to come at least two-thirds of the way up the mould. Boil it for twenty
minutes and put it into the cooker for four hours. Serve it either hot
or cold.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Sweetbreads

Wash and soak the sweetbreads in cold water for one hour. Plunge them
into boiling salted water (one teaspoonful of salt for each quart of
water). Boil them two minutes and put them into the cooker for two
hours. Plunge them into cold water, remove the membrane which covers
them, and they are then ready to be broken in pieces for creamed
sweetbreads or rolled in crumbs and egg and fried.

Creamed Sweetbreads

Make a white sauce, using part milk and part cream, if desired. To each
cupful of sauce add two cupfuls of prepared sweetbreads broken into
small pieces, let them come to a boil and serve them at once, or put
them into a cooker to keep warm until they are needed.

Calf’s Heart

Calf’s heart may be cooked as beef’s heart, except that it will not
require so long to cook. Ten minutes is sufficient to allow for cooking
over the flame, and ten hours in the hay-box.

Calf’s Liver

Prepare and cook it in the same manner as beef’s liver, allowing only
four hours for it to cook in the hay-box.

Veal Kidney

These are almost as delicate as sweetbreads. They may be cooked for two
hours in the same manner as beef kidney, or creamed or fried as
sweetbreads.

Calf’s Head à la Terrapin

1 calf’s head
Salt
Water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₂ cup cream
4 egg yolks
Madeira Wine

Carefully clean a calf’s head and put it into a cooker-pail. Cover it
with boiling water, add one teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water
and let it boil for twenty minutes. Put it into a cooker for nine hours
or more. Cool it and cut the face meat into small dice. Make a cupful of
sauce using the butter, flour, pepper, one-half teaspoonful of salt and
one cupful of the water in which the head was boiled. Add the cream and,
when boiling, the raw yolks of two eggs which have been slightly beaten.
Stir it constantly for about two minutes until the eggs have cooked.
Then add two tablespoonfuls of Madeira wine and the yolks of two
hard-cooked eggs cut into quarters.

Serves five or six persons.

PORK

Whatever may be true of the extent to which pork and pork products are
wholesome for particular individuals, there can be no doubt that its
delicious flavour will insure its being eaten by a large number of
people who either do not know or do not care whether it agrees with them
or not. Experiments undertaken under the management of the Department of
Agriculture[1] have resulted in the conclusion that pork is as
thoroughly and easily digested, under normal conditions of health, as
any meat, although personal experience would indicate that pork does not
agree with some people as well as other kinds of meat. It is specially
important, however, that pork be very well cooked or well cured, in
order to insure against the danger from trichinosis. We are told by B.
H. Ransom[2] that it is only by eating raw or insufficiently cooked or
cured pork that there is thought to be any danger of this disease.
Curing is the process of smoking, salting, or combined salting and
smoking of meat, which acts as a preservative for it. We thus see that,
not only because it is a white meat, as mentioned in the chapter on
veal, pork and pork products should be cooked until very well done.

[1] Office of Experiment Stations, Bulletin 193, 1907.

[2] U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry, Circular
108, 1907.

As pork is the fattest of all meats, it is suitable for a cold-weather
diet and will probably be found to agree better at that season. For
whatever reason it may be, fresh pork seems to be less wholesome than
when cured, bacon having the reputation of being one of the most easily
digested of all fats.

Young pigs (four weeks old) are frequently dressed and roasted whole.

[Illustration: Figure No. 10.

Diagram of the cuts of pork.]

Pork is usually cut for market in the manner illustrated in figure No.
10.

The back is fat and is used for salt pork or lard. The ribs are used for
spare-ribs, and the loin or chine, which is the backbone with its
adhering meat, is used for roasts or chops. The legs are roasted, if
fresh, or they are cured, by salting and smoking, for hams, sugar being
used in the salting process, which gives the name “sugar-cured hams”;
the shoulders are treated in the same way and may be used very much as
hams, although the flesh is not so thick and the proportion of bone is
greater. The belly is cured for bacon, the head and feet are soused or
pickled, and the trimmings of fat and lean are chopped, highly seasoned,
and used for sausage, or combined with meal and made into scrapple.

_To select fresh pork._ The meat should be firm and of a pale red
colour, the fat hard and white and the skin white and clear. Yellowish
fat, with kernels in it, and soft, flabby flesh are an indication of
inferior pork.

Boiled Ham or Shoulder

Put a ham or shoulder in a large enough cooker-pail to allow of its
being covered with eight or ten quarts of water. A special oblong or
extra deep utensil may be required for cooking hams and such very large
cuts of meat. Put in the ham, add cold water to fill the utensil, and
bring it to a boil. This will serve to draw out a good deal of the salt
from the meat and will not extract much of the meat flavour, if the ham
be whole. A cut ham may be covered with boiling water which will seal
the pores on the surface of the meat and help to retain its juices.
Allow the ham to simmer for twenty minutes, or, if very large, for
one-half hour, then put it into a cooker for seven hours or more. The
larger the ham the greater the quantity of water must be, a
fifteen-pound ham taking as much as fifteen quarts of water. Success in
cooking large cuts of meat will depend to a great extent upon using
sufficient water.

Fresh Pork with Sauerkraut

Wash and gash a two-pound piece of fresh, lean pork into slices. Put it
with one quart of sauerkraut into a cooker-pail of boiling salted water.
Let it boil for fifteen minutes, tightly covered. Place it in a cooker
for eight or ten hours. Reheat till boiling, drain it, and serve the
pork in a platter, with the sauerkraut arranged as a border; or put the
sauerkraut into a vegetable dish. It grows cold quickly and must be
served promptly and on hot dishes.

Serves six or eight persons.

Head Cheese

Cut a hog’s head into four pieces. Remove the brain, ears, skin, snout,
and eyes. Cut off the fat to try out for lard. Put the lean and bony
parts to soak in cold water over night to extract the blood. Clean the
head thoroughly, put it into a cooker-pail, cover it with cold water,
boil it for fifteen minutes and put it into the cooker for ten hours or
more. If the meat will not then slip readily from the bones, bring it
again to a boil and put it into the cooker until it will (perhaps six
hours more). Remove the bones and hard gristle, drain off the liquor,
reserving it for future use. Put the meat through a food-chopper, return
it to the cooker-pail with enough of the liquor to cover it, and salt,
pepper, and powdered sage to taste. Let it boil, put it into a cooker
for an hour or more, then pour it into a shallow pan or dish; cover it
with cheese-cloth and a board with a weight, to hold it in place. When
cold it will be solid, and is ready to serve, thinly sliced.

Souse

Treat a hog’s head in the same manner as for head cheese, adding a
little vinegar with the other seasonings.

Scrapple

Treat a hog’s head in the same manner as for head cheese, up to the
point where the liquor is added to the chopped meat. The heart and liver
may also be cooked with the head, and any scraps or bloody parts of the
meat may be soaked and cooked with it. When the meat is freed from bone,
gristle, and skin, and chopped finely, and all the liquor is added to
it, it is seasoned with salt, pepper, sage, thyme or marjoram, and
brought to a boil. Enough corn-meal, or corn-meal and buckwheat flour in
the proportion of one-third cupful of buckwheat to two-thirds of a
cupful of corn-meal, is added, to make the mixture of the consistency of
corn-meal mush. About one cupful of the two combined will be required
for each three pints of the pork mixture. Let this come to a boil,
stirring it constantly; boil it five minutes, and put it into a cooker
for four hours or more. Pour it into a mould or bread pan and, when
cold, slice and fry it like sausage.

Pickled Pigs’ Feet

Wash the pigs’ feet, soak them in warm water for one-half hour, then
scrub and scrape them well; soak them again for twelve hours in cold,
salted water, and clean them again. If necessary, singe them; remove the
toes, and bring them to a boil in salted water to more than cover them.
Boil them five minutes, and cook them for ten hours or more in a cooker.
If not tender, reheat them till boiling, and cook them again. Remove
them from the water, split them with a cleaver, unless this is done
before cooking, pack them in a jar, and cover them with hot, spiced
vinegar, preferably made from white wine. They are eaten cold, or dipped
in batter and fried.

XVI

POULTRY

In buying poultry select that which has clean, unbroken skin and is as
fat as possible. Young chickens have often a darker appearance than old,
owing to the fact that there is less fat under the skin or that the skin
is thinner. They have few hairs, many pin-feathers, and the end of the
breast-bone, toward the tail, is limber and cartilaginous. In old
chickens (fowl) this bone is stiff, there are many hairs, few
pin-feathers, and the scales on the legs are hard and horny. The wing
joint is firm in old chickens, but is sometimes broken by poultry
dealers in order to make the purchaser think the poultry younger than it
is.

Chickens are frequently kept in cold storage for months, or even years,
and they undergo decided changes during these periods. The effect of
eating such storage poultry is still under debate; but, while there is
uncertainty as to whether they may not be responsible for some obscure
intestinal disorders or other disturbances, it is well to know how to
tell them from fresh-killed birds. In an article entitled “Changes
Taking Place in Chickens in Cold Storage,” in the Yearbook of the
Department of Agriculture, for 1907, we read that the fresh chicken is a
pale, soft yellow, without any tinge or suggestion of green in the
colour of the skin, while there is enough translucency to show through
it the delicate pink of the muscles underneath. It can be plainly seen
that the pink tint is not of the skin itself. While the skin is
perfectly flexible, and is not adherent over any part of the body, it is
well filled by the tissues below, so that areas distended by either
fluids or gases are wanting. The feather papillæ are perfectly distinct,
and, though of the same tint as the skin, are plainly visible because of
their elevation. In those regions where the papillæ are most numerous,
or support heavier feathers, they lend a much brighter yellow hue to the
skin. The neck is smooth and well rounded, the comb and gills red, and
the eye full.

With storage birds the skin becomes somewhat dried, and finally quite
leathery and stretched in appearance; is less translucent than that of
the fresh, and the feather papillæ tend to flatten and disappear. In
time the colour of the skin alters in places to browns, reds, purples,
or greenish tints.

_Care of poultry._ Poultry should be drawn as soon as purchased, if it
has not been already done; it should be wiped out with a dry cloth, if
not to be cooked immediately, and kept in a cold place. Old chickens can
be made as tender as young chickens in a cooker, and will have more
flavour.

_To draw poultry._ Cut off the head, turn back the skin of the neck and
cut off the neck close to the body. If the crop has food in it, remove
it from the neck, otherwise it will come out with the other organs. Cut
off the windpipe. Make an opening above the vent with a small sharp
knife, cut around the vent, being careful not to cut into the intestine.
Put the hand just inside the wall of the body and work it carefully over
the whole inner surface of the body, detaching the organs in one mass.
When the hand can pass freely all around them, draw them all out
together. The lungs and kidneys, imbedded in the bones, will remain
behind and must be removed separately. Cut out the little oil bag on the
back of the tail. Singe the chicken, and wash it well inside and
outside. The heart, liver, and gizzard are the giblets, and are boiled
and often used in the gravy.

_To cut up a chicken._ After it is drawn, a chicken may be cut for stew
or fricassee, into thirteen pieces. First remove the neck, then the
legs, by cutting the skin, etc., that holds them to the body; then cut
on either side down to the joint which lies almost at the back. Bend the
leg out from the body and this will break the ligaments that hold it.
Separate the two joints of the leg in large chickens. Remove the wings
by cutting around the joints and bending them out as the leg was done.
Next cut off the wishbone by placing the knife across the breast and
cutting close to the end of the breast-bone toward the neck. If desired,
remove the meat from the breast in two fillets, beginning to cut at the
top and following the bone closely, separating the meat from the
breast-bone and sides of the chicken. Next cut from the back to the
front, through the ribs. Separate the “side bone” from one side, and
break the back in two where the ribs end.

[Illustration: Figure No. 11.

Method of cutting chicken for stew or fricassee.]

_To truss poultry._ Stuff the poultry two-thirds full, from the tail
opening. It may be skewered into shape, but the quickest and easiest way
is to tie it. The slight mark left by the string on the breast may be
covered with a garnish of parsley or fine celery leaves. Fold the neck
skin under the body, putting the loop end of a doubled piece of string
under it; bring the ends of string up and cross them over the breast so
as to hold the wings in place; carry the string down over the thighs to
the under side of the tail to hold the thighs in place, and bring it up
around the tail and the ends of the drumsticks, and tie it securely.
This will hold the leg bones down to the tail. If this is not sufficient
to hold in the stuffing, close the opening with a skewer, or sew it with
heavy thread before trussing the bird. Old chickens, turkeys, and tough
ducks or geese can be stuffed, trussed, and cooked for some hours in a
cooker, then be removed and browned in an oven.

[Illustration: Figure No. 12.

Chicken, trussed for roasting or braising.]

Stuffing for Poultry

1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon powdered thyme or sage
1 teaspoon grated onion
2 tablespoons water

Stewed Chicken

Draw and cut up a fowl. Put it, with the giblets, in enough boiling
salted water (one teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water) to cover
it. Let it boil for ten minutes and put it into a cooker for ten hours
or more. If not quite tender, bring it again to a boil and cook it for
from six to eight hours, depending upon its toughness. Skim off as much
as possible of the fat from the liquor, pour off some of the liquor and
save it to use as soup or stock, and thicken the remainder with two
tablespoonfuls of flour for each cup of liquid, mixed to a paste with an
equal quantity of water. A beaten egg or two, stirred into the gravy
just before serving, improves it. Add pepper and salt to taste, and
serve the chicken on a hot platter with the gravy poured around it. The
platter may be garnished with boiled rice piled about the chicken.

Chicken Fricassee

Draw a fowl and cut it in pieces, cook it as directed for stewed
chicken, dredge the cooked pieces with salt and pepper, roll them in
flour and sauté them in fat taken from the stewed chicken. When richly
browned, place the pieces on a hot platter and pour around them a brown
sauce, made with the fat and the stock from the stewed chicken. Chicken
fricassee is often served on a platter of hot toast.

Chicken Pie

Prepare and cook the chicken as for stewed chicken; cut the meat from
the bones, put it into a baking-dish, cover it with chicken gravy, and
put over the top a crust made as directed for meat pie on page 102. Bake
this for thirty minutes in a moderate oven.

Curried Chicken

Prepare and cook one fowl as for stewed chicken, adding two onions,
pared and cut into slices. Add one tablespoonful of curry powder to the
flour when thickening the gravy. Or the chicken may be rolled in flour
and browned in butter, and the curry powder added before putting it into
the cooker. It is served with a border of boiled rice.

Creamed Chicken

Prepare and cook a fowl as directed for stewed chicken. Make White
Sauce, using half chicken stock and half cream for the liquid. A little
grated onion and one-fourth can of mushrooms may be added.

Braised Chicken

Draw, stuff, truss and roast a young chicken in a hot oven until it is
brown; put it into a hot cooker-pail with water about one inch deep in
the pan. Cover it quickly, bring it to a boil, and put it into a cooker
for two and one-half hours or more. Make a brown sauce of the liquor in
the pan. The giblets may be added when the chicken is put into the
water, and may be chopped and added to the gravy. Only young, tender
chicken can be treated in this way. A tough bird may be trussed and
cooked in water to half cover it for ten or twelve hours before it is
stuffed and browned. Baste it when in the oven with fat taken from the
broth.

Jellied Chicken

Draw, clean, and cut up a fowl of about four or five pounds. Put it into
a cooker-pail, add one teaspoonful of salt, two or three slices of
onion, and cover the fowl with boiling water. Boil it for ten minutes,
then put it in the cooker for ten or twelve hours. Boil it up again and
replace it in the cooker for six hours or more. Repeat this if the meat
is not found to be tender enough to fall readily from the bones. Remove
the meat from the bones; take off the skin and season the meat with salt
and pepper. Skim off all possible fat from the liquor and boil it down
to about one cupful; strain it, and take off the remaining fat. Decorate
the bottom of a mould or bread pan with parsley and slices of
hard-cooked egg, pack in the meat and pour over it the stock. Place the
meat under a weight, and leave it in a cold place till firm.

Braised Duck

Prepare and cook the duck in the same manner as braised chicken. If the
duck is tough it may be cooked for eight or more hours in water in the
cooker, then stuffed and browned in the oven, basting it with fat from
the broth.

Braised Goose

Prepare it as braised chicken; or, if it is tough, cook it in water in a
cooker as old braised chicken, until it is nearly tender. Remove it,
stuff it, and brown it in a hot oven, basting it with fat from the
broth.

Potted Pigeons

Clean, stuff, and truss six pigeons, place them upright in a cooker-pail
and pour over them one quart of water in which celery has been cooked.
If the water was not salted for the celery, add one teaspoonful of salt.
Cover the pail, boil the birds for five minutes, and put them into a
cooker for five or six hours, or till tender. Remove them from the
water, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, dredge them with flour, and
brown the entire surface in pork fat. Make two cups of Brown Sauce,
using butter and stock from the pigeons; heat the birds in this, place
each one on a piece of dry toast, and pour the gravy over it. Garnish it
with parsley.

XVII

VEGETABLES

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING VEGETABLES

The flavour of vegetables is best preserved if they are put on to cook
in boiling water. For cooking in a fireless cooker the water must be
salted when the vegetables are started. The expression “salted water,”
as used in this book, means water to each quart of which one teaspoonful
of salt has been added. Such vegetables as asparagus, peas, lima beans,
etc., which have a delicate flavour, must be cooked with very little
water; usually in a smaller pail or pan set into a larger cooker-pail of
water. All vegetables should be washed before cooking, and such as
potatoes, beets, turnips, etc., should be scrubbed with a small
scrubbing-brush, kept for that purpose. Few vegetables are injured by
overcooking in a fireless cooker.

Asparagus

Wash, and if desired, break into two-inch pieces, as much of the
asparagus as will snap easily. That which will not snap, if fresh, will
be too tough to eat. Cook it in enough salted water to barely cover the
asparagus, setting the pan in a large cooker-pail of boiling water. It
may be tender in one hour.

Cabbage

Cut a head of cabbage into two pieces; soak it in a large bowl of salted
water for one-half hour or more. Cut it in quarters or smaller pieces,
discarding the tough central stalk and any leaves which may not be
perfect. Put it into four quarts of salted water to which one-fourth of
a teaspoonful of baking soda has been added. Bring it to a boil and put
it into a hay-box for from one and one-half to twelve hours. Winter
cabbage will require three or four hours of cooking at the least. Drain
it into a colander and serve it with White Sauce or with butter, pepper,
and salt to taste. If cooked many hours, reheat it before serving.

Cauliflower

Soak the whole head in a large bowl of salted water for one-half hour or
more. If insects are in it this will cause them to crawl out. Bring it
to a boil in four quarts of boiling salted water and cook it in a
hay-box from one and one-quarter to four hours. If much overcooked it
will be difficult to remove the head whole. Take it out with a skimmer
and serve it on a platter, pouring over it one cupful of White Sauce. A
large head will require more sauce.

_Cauliflower à la Hollandaise_ is prepared in the same way, substituting
Hollandaise Sauce for White Sauce.

_Cauliflower au Gratin_ is prepared by removing the cooked head to a
baking dish, covering it with buttered crumbs and baking it until the
crumbs are brown, or by covering it with grated cheese before the crumbs
are added.

Carrots

Scrub and scrape carrots. (Very young carrots need not be scraped.)
Cover them with boiling salted water, bring them to a boil and put them
into a cooker for from one to three hours, according to the age and
condition of the carrots. They will not be injured by cooking twelve
hours. If old and wilted they should be soaked several hours in cold
water before being prepared for cooking. When done, cut young carrots in
rounds or strips, or serve them whole. Old carrots may be cut into
slices before cooking. Drain away most of the water and make Sauce for
Vegetables, using the remainder of the water. Or all the water may be
drained off and the carrots served with butter, salt, and pepper to
taste.

Corn

Husk fresh green corn, using a clean whisk-broom to remove the silk that
clings to the ear. Put it into a cooker-pail, cover it with salted
water, bring it to a boil and put it into the cooker for from fifty
minutes to two hours. Drain it and serve it on a hot platter, covering
it with a napkin.

Beets

Scrub new beets, that is, those freshly pulled. Cut off the stalks three
inches from the beets, put them into four quarts or more of boiling,
salted water, boil five minutes, and put them into a cooker for five
hours or more. Old beets, if wilted, should be soaked till firm, and
cooked as new beets. They will require six or more hours according to
their age and condition. When sufficiently cooked the skin of beets will
easily slip off. Remove them from the water one by one, peel and slice
them. Serve them with butter, pepper, and salt. If they cool while
slicing them, reheat them before serving.

Fresh Shelled Beans

Wash from one pint to one quart of fresh shelled beans, put them into
three quarts of boiling salted water, to which one-fourth teaspoonful of
soda has been added, boil, and put them into a hay-box for two and
one-half hours. They are not injured by several hours’ cooking. Drain
them and add salt, pepper, and butter to taste. The exact quantity of
water in which the beans are cooked is not material. They will bear a
large amount, as their flavour is strong.

String Beans

2 qts. string beans
3 qts. water
3 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda

Wash the beans, cut them into small pieces, and put them on to boil with
the water, salt, and soda. Put them into a cooker for six hours. They
will not be injured by cooking for ten or twelve hours. If fewer beans
are to be cooked, the water must not be decreased, unless the pail of
beans is full or set into a larger pail of boiling water.

Serves six or eight persons.

Lima Beans

Wash the beans and put them on to cook in boiling salted water, to each
quart of which one-eighth of a teaspoonful of soda has been added. If
the quantity is small, put them into a small pail set into a larger pail
of water. If the whole will fill a two-quart cooker-pail it will cook
without the larger pail. Put them into a cooker for one and one-half
hours or more.

Dried Lima Beans

Soak the beans over night, put them to boil in at least twice their bulk
of salted water. Add one-fourth teaspoonful of soda to each quart of
water. Boil, and put them into a cooker for three or four hours or more.
Drain, add butter, pepper, and salt, and reheat them before serving, if
necessary.

Dried Navy Beans

Soak one cupful of beans over night. In the morning drain off the water,
add three quarts of boiling salted water and one teaspoonful of soda.
Boil, and put them into the cooker for eight hours or more. When soft,
drain them and add butter, pepper, and salt to taste. Or make pork and
beans of them.

Serves five or six persons.

Chard

Put a pint of water and a teaspoonful of salt into a cooker-pail. When
boiling add, little by little, the well-washed chard. If, after boiling
two or three minutes, there is not enough water to cover the chard, add
more boiling water. If a small amount of chard is cooked the pail or pan
must be set into a cooker-pail of boiling water. Put it into a cooker
for three hours or more. Drain in a colander and add salt, pepper, and
butter to taste. Serve with slices of hard-cooked eggs as a garnish.

One dozen stalks and leaves serve four or five persons. Many persons
cook the stalks separately and serve them with a white sauce, using
only the leaves for greens.

Spinach

Cook in the same manner as chard, allowing two hours or more in the
cooker.

One peck serves six or eight persons.

Beet Greens

Cook in the same manner as chard, allowing two and one-half hours or
more in the cooker. Do not remove the little beets. When cooked, cut
through the greens frequently with a knife, to make them less awkward
for serving.

Stewed Celery

3 cups prepared celery
1 teaspoon salt
1 qt. water

Scrub the celery with a small brush, remove the strings, cut it in
one-half-inch pieces and drop it into the boiling salted water. When it
is boiling, set the pail or pan into a cooker-pail of boiling water and
put it into the cooker for from two to four hours or longer, depending
upon the toughness of the stalks. It will not be injured by long
cooking. When tender, drain it, saving one-half cupful of the water to
use in making the sauce. Serve with one cupful of Sauce for Vegetables.

Serves six or eight persons.

Macaroni

¹⁄₃ lb. macaroni (1 cup broken in pieces)
1 qt. water
1 teaspoon salt

Break the macaroni into one-inch pieces. Soak it in cold water for one
hour, then drain it; or cook it without soaking. Drop it into the
boiling water, let it boil, and put it into the hay-box for one and
one-half hours if soaked, or two hours if not soaked. Stand the pail or
pan in a cooker-pail of boiling water while in the hay-box. Macaroni
will break to pieces if cooked too long. When tender, drain it in a
colander and serve it plain, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper, or
make it into Macaroni and Cheese or Macaroni and Ham.

Serves five or six persons.

Macaroni Italienne

1 cup macaroni in one-inch pieces
1 pt. stewed and strained tomatoes
1 cup stock or water
1 medium-sized onion
4 cloves
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1 cup cheese, grated or shaved

Soak the macaroni in cold water for one hour; stick the cloves into the
onion. Drain the macaroni, put it into a pan or pail, add the other
ingredients, except the cheese, and, when boiling, set the pan or pail
into a cooker-pail of boiling water and put it into a cooker for two
hours. Remove the onion and bay leaf and add the cheese. If it cannot
be served as soon as the cheese is melted, slip the pail back into the
cooker.

Serves five or six persons.

Macaroni Milanaise

1 cup macaroni
1 small onion
2 cloves
1 pt. tomatoes, stewed and strained
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
¹⁄₂ cup grated cheese
6 sliced mushrooms
¹⁄₄ cup smoked tongue or ham, cut in strips

Break the macaroni, soak it for one hour, then drain it, and put it,
with the other ingredients, except the last three, into a pan or pail.
When boiling, set the pan into a cooker-pail of boiling water and put it
into a cooker for two hours. Remove the onion and cloves, add the last
three ingredients, and when the cheese is melted it is ready to serve.
If it cannot be served at once replace it in the cooker.

Serves six or seven persons.

Spaghetti

Spaghetti may be treated in the same way as macaroni. It is a similar
paste moulded into a different form. Vermicelli is also the same paste,
moulded into still finer threads. It is frequently used in soups, and
should be broken into short pieces and added not more than two hours
before it is served, or it will become so soft as to break to pieces and
lose its attractive appearance.

Noodles

Noodles are made from a richer paste than macaroni, having eggs in place
of water to supply the moisture. They may be used exactly as macaroni
and similar pastes. They should not be soaked before cooking.

Creamed Mushrooms

Wash the mushrooms, cut them in slices if they are large, bring them to
a boil in enough salted water to nearly cover them. It should take about
a pint for each quart of mushrooms. Set the pan or pail in a cooker-pail
of boiling water and put it into the cooker for from two to six hours.
When it is nearly time to serve them, drain the water off, reserving
three-fourths of a cupful to use in making one and one-half cupfuls of
Sauce for Vegetables, or White Sauce.

Fricasseed Mushrooms

Wash the mushrooms and dry them thoroughly on a towel. Let them stand on
the towel some time before cooking them, so that they may drain dry. Fry
them in butter till they are brown in a cooker-pail or pan, and make one
and one-half cupfuls of Brown Sauce for each quart of mushrooms, using
any liquor that may have come from them, and water for the liquid of the
sauce. Pour this sauce over the mushrooms. If a small quantity of
mushrooms is being cooked, stand the pail or pan in a large cooker-pail
of boiling water. Put them into a cooker for two hours or more.

Onions

Pare onions under water, to avoid their irritating effect on the eyes.
They are so strong in flavour that they will bear an excess of water in
cooking. Salt the water as directed in the General Directions for
Cooking Vegetables. Four quarts of water may be used for cooking one
quart of onions. Bring them to a boil in a cooker-pail, and put them
into a hay-box for from two hours, for very tender, fresh onions, to
eight hours or more. When done, drain them dry and add butter, pepper,
and salt to taste and, if desired, a little cream of milk. If the onions
are very large let them boil five minutes before putting them into the
hay-box.

Boiled Potatoes

Scrub potatoes well with a small scrubbing-brush. Pare them, and if they
are inclined to be black when cooked, let them stand an hour or more in
cold water before cooking them. Cook them in a large amount of boiling
salted water in a cooker-pail. When they have boiled one minute put
them into the cooker for from one and one-half to three hours, depending
upon their quantity, size, and age. New potatoes will not require so
long to cook as old. Large potatoes cut into pieces will cook in one
hour.

Creamy Potatoes

1 qt. sliced potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
³⁄₄ pt. milk

Wash and pare the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Four
medium-sized potatoes will make a quart when sliced. Put all the
ingredients together in a small cooker-pail or pan, set this in a large
cooker-pail of boiling water, and when it is steaming hot, put the small
utensil directly over the heat until it boils. Replace it in the pail of
boiling water and set it in the cooker for one hour.

Serves four or five persons.

Stewed Potatoes

1 qt. cold, diced potatoes
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Melt the butter in a small cooker-pail or pan, add the flour and blend
the two evenly, then add the milk, one-third at a time; when it boils,
put in the salt, pepper, and potatoes. Let the whole reach boiling
point and set it in a large cooker-pail of boiling water, unless it
fills a small pail full, in which case it can be placed directly in a
cooker nest which exactly fits it, and left for one hour or more.

Serves six or eight persons.

Peas

Shell young, green peas and bring them to a boil, using about one cupful
of salted water for each quart of shelled peas. Put the pail or pan
inside of another cooker-pail of boiling water and set all in a cooker
for from one to two hours or more. Old peas may be left all night or all
day in the cooker.

Rice, No. 1

1 cup rice
3 qts. water
3 teaspoons salt

Look over the rice and remove any husks or undesirable substances. Wash
it by allowing cold water to run through a strainer containing the rice.
Sprinkle it, gradually, into the boiling salted water in a cooker-pail.
When it is boiling put it into a hay-box for one hour. There is a
considerable difference in rice, and the time for cooking it will vary;
but one hour will usually be found sufficient. Rice is injured by
overcooking. When the rice is soft, drain it in a colander and set this
in the oven, with the door open, for five minutes. Serve at once. Rice,
when cooked, swells to four times its original bulk.

Serves six or eight persons.

Rice, No. 2

1 cup rice
2 to 2¹⁄₂ cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Look over and wash the rice as directed in the recipe for Rice, No. 1.
Bring it to a boil in the salted water, and put it into a hay-box for
one hour.

Serves six or eight persons.

Savoury Rice

1 cup rice
4¹⁄₂ cups highly seasoned stock
2 tablespoons butter

Look over and wash rice as directed in the previous recipes, bring it to
a boil in the stock, with the butter, and cook it in a hay-box for one
hour, standing the pail or pan that contains it in a larger pail of
water, unless more than one cupful of rice is being cooked and the
cooker-pail would be at least two-thirds full. Serve with a border of
salted peanuts. The rice should be moist but not sticky when cooked.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Turkish Pilaf

¹⁄₂ cup rice
2 tablespoons chopped green sweet pepper or onion
1 cup tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1¹⁄₄ cups stock or water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt

Pick over and wash the rice, as directed in the recipe for boiled rice,
No. 1. Chop the onion or pepper, discarding the seeds, and, if raw
tomatoes are used, remove the skins and cut the tomatoes in pieces
before measuring them. Put all the ingredients together in a small
cooker-pail or pan, and, when boiling, set it in a larger cooker-pail of
boiling water. Put it into a cooker for one hour. When ready to serve
it, stir it lightly with a fork till all the ingredients are evenly
mixed. Pilaf is injured by much overcooking.

Serves five or six persons.

Samp (Coarse Hominy)

¹⁄₂ cup samp
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water

Soak the samp in the cold water for eight hours or more. Add the salt
and boiling water; boil it hard for one hour, and put it into a cooker
for from six to twelve hours. It is improved by the longer cooking. The
pail or pan in which it is cooked should be stood in a large cooker-pail
of boiling water. A tablespoonful of butter may be added before serving
if it is used as a vegetable.

Serves five or six persons.

Summer Squash

Scrub young, tender summer squashes and cook them whole, in the cooker,
with enough salted boiling water to fully cover them, for from one to
three hours. If they are not young enough to have a soft rind, they must
be pared and the seeds removed. It will then be better to cook them as
winter squash. When they are tender, drain off the water and mash the
squashes in a colander. This will allow a little of the juice to drain
away and leave the squashes drier. Season them highly with salt and
pepper, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter to each pint of squash. If
not very hot when mashed, reheat before serving.

Stewed Tomatoes

1 qt. tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 onion, sliced
¹⁄₄ cup buttered crumbs
2 teaspoons sugar

Scald and peel the tomatoes, remove the cores, and cut them into pieces
before measuring them. Add the other ingredients, omitting the sugar and
crumbs, if preferred; bring all to a boil, and put them into a cooker
for from one to two hours or more. They will not be injured by
indefinite cooking.

Serves five or six persons.

Hubbard or Winter Squash

Scrub, pare and cut the squash into pieces, removing the seeds. Put it
into a strainer that will fit into the cooker-pail, placing a rack
under it to raise it above the water in the pail. Fill the pail below
the strainer with boiling water. Steam the squash directly over the fire
for ten minutes, then put it into the cooker for from five to eight
hours, depending upon the age of the squash and the amount cooked. A
pail of not less than six quarts’ capacity should be used, so that there
may be at least three quarts of water under the squash. When tender,
mash it through the strainer, or drain it in a cheese cloth, squeezing
it as dry as possible. If it is to be served as a vegetable, season it
highly with salt and pepper, and add two or three tablespoonfuls of
butter to each pint of squash. If it is to be made into pies, omit these
ingredients.

Pumpkin

Select a pumpkin with a soft rind, if possible. Prepare and cook it in
the same manner as winter squash. It may be used as a vegetable or made
into pies.

Creamed Turnips

Scrub, pare, and cut turnips into half-inch dice. Cook each pint of
prepared turnips with at least one quart of boiling salted water, in the
cooker, for from one and one-half to three hours or more. When tender,
drain them, reserving enough of the water to make one cupful of Sauce
for Vegetables for each pint of turnips.

Mashed Turnip

Scrub and pare the turnips and cut them into pieces. Cook each pint of
turnip with at least one quart of boiling salted water in the cooker for
from one and one-half hours to three hours or more. When tender, drain
and mash them in a colander and add to each pint one teaspoonful of
salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper, and two tablespoonfuls or more
of butter. Serve very hot.

Italian Chestnuts

1 qt. chestnuts
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
2 teaspoons salt

Shell and blanch the nuts by the directions given on page 189. Bring
them to a boil with salted water, put them in a cooker for from two to
four hours. Press them through a potato ricer or serve them whole,
adding a little butter if desired. One quart of nuts will make about one
pint when shelled and blanched.

Serves four or five persons.

Brussels Sprouts

1 qt. sprouts
2 or more qts. water
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Wash the sprouts, bring them to a boil in salted water; put them into
the cooker for from one to two hours, drain them and add salt, pepper,
and butter to taste.

Serves six or seven persons.

XVIII

STEAMED BREADS AND PUDDINGS

GENERAL DIRECTIONS

A deep mould is best for cooking steamed breads and raised puddings,
since there will be less risk of the water’s boiling over into the food,
and a larger amount may be used. It is important to have one that is the
right size for the recipe, for if it is filled too full, the mixture
might rise and push off the cover or be heavy from its pressure, and if
not sufficiently full, it would be unsteady in the water. The water in
the pail should come to two-thirds of the height of the mould. The mould
should be not less than half-full of dough, and, generally not more than
two-thirds full. If a small mould or a number of small moulds are to be
used in a large cooker-pail, stand them upon a rack or similar device to
raise them until there may be no difficulty in filling the cooker-pail
at least two-thirds full of water. The cover as well as the mould should
be greased on the inside with the same fat as that used in the dough or
with butter. If a bread mould is not available, an empty baking-powder
can, coffee can, or any tin can or box with straight sides which has a
tight-fitting cover may be used, providing it is found by trial to be
water-tight. If it leaks, it may be soldered at small expense, and may
then be kept for cooking purposes only. Where a tightly covered can or
box cannot be procured, an uncovered utensil could be used by tying on
securely a cover of heavy, well-greased paper.

Boston Brown Bread

1 cup rye meal
1 cup graham flour
1 cup corn-meal
1 teaspoon salt
³⁄₄ tablespoon soda
³⁄₄ cup molasses
2 cups sour milk or
1³⁄₄ cups sweet milk or buttermilk

Mix and sift the dry ingredients together. Mix the liquid ingredients
and add them, gradually, to the dry mixture. Put the dough into a
well-buttered, one-quart brown bread mould or water-tight can of the
same capacity. Stand the mould in a six-quart cooker-pail in enough warm
water to come two-thirds of the way up the mould. Bring it quickly to a
boil and boil it half an hour. Put it into a hay-box for five hours. It
will not be spoiled by six hours in the cooker, but will not have quite
such a dry crust. If sweet milk is used add one tablespoonful of cream
of tartar; or omit the soda and use, instead, two tablespoonfuls of
baking powder.

Serves six or eight persons.

Graham Pudding

¹⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup molasses
¹⁄₂ cup sweet milk
1 egg
1¹⁄₂ cups graham flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking-powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins, seeded and cut in pieces

Melt the butter, add the egg, well beaten, molasses and milk. Mix the
dry ingredients and add to them the liquid mixture. Pour it into a
well-buttered, one-quart mould or into several smaller moulds. Do not
fill them more than two-thirds full. Place the moulds on a rack in a
six-quart cooker-pail of warm water, bring quickly to a boil and boil
thirty minutes if the larger cans are used; fifteen minutes, if the
small cans are used. Put it into the cooker for five hours. If sour milk
is available, omit the baking powder and add an extra one-fourth
teaspoonful of soda.

Serves six persons.

Steamed Apple or Berry Pudding

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
³⁄₈ cup milk (sweet)
4 apples cut in eighths
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, cut the butter into them, or rub it in
with the fingers, add the milk, cutting it in, lightly, with a knife.
When the dough is barely mixed, so that no loose flour is left, toss it
on a floured board and pat or roll it lightly till one-half inch thick.
Spread the apples on it and roll it like a jelly roll. Carefully place
it in a well-buttered, one-quart bread mould or water-tight can. Cover
it tightly and stand it in at least a six-quart cooker-pail with enough
warm water to come two-thirds of the way up its sides. Bring it quickly
to a boil, boil thirty minutes and place it in a cooker for three hours.
Serve immediately with warm apple sauce and Hard Sauce. If berries are
used add one cupful to the dough, serve with berry sauce and omit the
apple-sauce.

Serves five or six persons.

Suet Pudding

¹⁄₂ cup chopped suet
¹⁄₂ cup molasses
¹⁄₂ cup sour milk
1¹⁄₂ cups flour
³⁄₄ teaspoon soda
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ginger
¹⁄₄ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cloves
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add the suet. Mix the milk and
molasses and add them to the dry mixture. Put the dough into a buttered,
one-quart bread mould or water-tight covered can, and stand it in a
six-quart cooker-pail of warm water which reaches two-thirds of the way
up the can. Boil it one-half hour and put into the cooker for five
hours.

Serves six or eight persons.

Rich Plum Pudding

¹⁄₂ lb. raisins
¹⁄₂ lb. currants
2 oz. candied orange peel
2 oz. citron
¹⁄₄ lb. chopped suet
1 lb. stale, soft breadcrumbs (2¹⁄₄ cups)
³⁄₄ cup flour
¹⁄₄ lb. brown sugar
¹⁄₂ nutmeg, grated
¹⁄₂ tablespoon powdered cinnamon
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground allspice
¹⁄₄ pint brandy
4 eggs

Wash and seed the raisins; rub the currants with a little flour, then
sift out the flour and allow water to run over the currants in the sieve
until they are clean. Spread them on a towel and remove any stems,
stones, etc., that may be among them. Let them stand, covered with a
towel to keep out dust, until they are dry. Cut the orange peel and
citron very fine, or put them through a food-chopper. Chop the suet or
put it and the raisins through a coarse food-chopper; a trifle of the
flour may be mixed with the suet before it is chopped to help to keep it
from sticking to the chopping-knife. Beat the eggs till blended. Mix all
the dry ingredients very thoroughly, add the eggs and then the brandy.
Put the pudding into a covered, greased mould, chopping down through it
a few times with the end of a knife, to be sure that it fills the mould
without hollow spaces, and to avoid packing it firmly. Stand it in at
least three quarts of warm water, in a cooker-pail. Heat it slowly but
steadily till the water boils; let it boil one hour if the pudding is in
one mould, or one-half hour if it is in two smaller moulds. Put it into
the cooker for five hours. Remove it at once from the mould. If it is
not to be used when first made, it may be kept several weeks, replaced
in the mould and reheated before serving, by putting it in warm water,
heating it to the boiling point and boiling it one-half hour or more.
Serve it with brandy sauce.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Steamed Cranberry Pudding

¹⁄₃ cup butter
²⁄₃ cup sugar
2 eggs
2¹⁄₃ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¹⁄₃ cup milk
1 cup berries

Rub the butter till it is soft and add the sugar gradually. Separate the
eggs and add the beaten yolks to the butter and sugar. Mix and sift the
baking powder and flour together and add a little flour, alternately
with a part of the milk, to the dough. When all is in, add the stiffly
beaten whites and the berries. Put the mixture into a buttered,
one-quart mould, stand it in hot water and bring it, gradually, but
steadily, to a boil. Let it boil one-half hour and put it into a cooker
for five hours. Serve it with sweetened cream or hard sauce.

Serves six or eight persons.

Ginger Pudding

¹⁄₃ cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
1 egg
2¹⁄₂ cups flour
3¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 cup milk

Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and the well-beaten egg. Mix
and sift the dry ingredients and add a little of the mixture alternately
with part of the milk. When all is in, put the dough into a buttered
mould, cover it, and boil it one-half hour in a large cooker-pail of
water, then put it into a cooker for five hours. Serve it with Vanilla
Sauce or Nutmeg Sauce.

Serves six or eight persons.

St. James Pudding

3 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ cup molasses
¹⁄₂ cup thick, sour milk
1²⁄₃ cups flour
³⁄₄ teaspoon soda
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cloves
¹⁄₄ teaspoon allspice
¹⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
¹⁄₂ lb. dates, stoned and cut in pieces

Mix the molasses, melted butter, and milk and add them to the dry
ingredients, which have been mixed and sifted. Add the dates and turn
the dough into a buttered, one-quart mould. Boil it in a large
cooker-pail of water for one-half hour and put it into a cooker for five
hours. Serve with Hard Sauce.

Serves five or six persons.

Harvard Pudding

¹⁄₃ cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
1 egg
3¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
2¹⁄₂ cups flour
1 cup milk

Mix the butter and sugar, add the egg, then the dry ingredients,
previously mixed and sifted together, alternating part of the dry
ingredients and the milk until all are in. Turn it into a buttered,
one-quart mould, boil in a large cooker pail of water for one-half hour
and put it into a cooker for five hours. Serve it with warm apple sauce
and Hard Sauce.

Serves six or eight persons.

Swiss Pudding

¹⁄₂ cup butter
⁷⁄₈ cup flour
2 cups milk
Grated rind of one lemon
5 eggs
¹⁄₃ cup powdered sugar

Cream the butter, add the flour, gradually; scald the milk with the
lemon rind, add it to the first mixture and cook it five minutes over
hot water. Beat the yolks of eggs until they are thick, add the sugar,
gradually, and combine these with the cooked mixture; cool it and cut
and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Turn it into a buttered,
one-quart mould, boil it in a large cooker-pail of water for twenty
minutes, then put it into a cooker for three hours.

Serves six or seven persons.

Rice Pudding

1 qt. milk
1 tablespoon butter
¹⁄₃ cup rice
¹⁄₈ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup sugar

Heat the milk and other ingredients in a pudding pan over a cooker-pail
of water. When the water boils, remove the pan and bring the pudding
also to a boil. When it is boiling replace the pudding in the large pail
of boiling water, cover and put it into the cooker for three or four
hours. It may then be put into the oven for fifteen minutes and browned,
although this is not necessary. This pudding may be cooked all night,
but if cooked more than four hours it is not quite so creamy. Serve
either hot or cold. One-half cupful of small, unbroken seedless raisins
may be added to this recipe.

Serves six or eight persons.

Indian Pudding

2 cups water
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
²⁄₃ cup corn-meal
3 cups milk

Boil the water, molasses, salt, ginger, and meal together for ten
minutes in a pail or pudding pan. Add the scalding milk. Bring it to a
boil and set the pan in a cooker-pail of boiling water. Put it into a
cooker for twelve hours. When done, brown in a hot oven. Serve with
plain or whipped cream.

If fresh ground or coarse Southern corn-meal is used it may first be
sifted with a coarse sieve to remove the largest particles, which will
not grow soft with this amount of cooking. Granulated corn-meal will not
require sifting.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Tapioca or Rice Custard

¹⁄₃ cup pearl tapioca
³⁄₄ cup water
3 cups milk
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla

Soak the tapioca in the water for one hour. Add the milk, sugar, butter,
and salt. Set the pan in a cooker-pail of boiling water. When the milk
is scalding remove the pan and let the pudding come to a boil. Replace
it in the boiling water and put it into the cooker for one and one-half
hours. Take it from the cooker, add the beaten eggs, replace it in the
pail of hot water and stir it over the fire till it registers 165
degrees Fahrenheit, using a dairy or chemist’s thermometer. Put it
again into the cooker for one hour. When cold, add the vanilla.

Rice may be used instead of tapioca.

Serves six or eight persons.

Tapioca Fruit Pudding

¹⁄₂ cup pearl tapioca
1 qt. water
6 apples, pared and cored
³⁄₄ cup sugar
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Soak the tapioca one hour, bring it to a boil with the other ingredients
in a two-quart pail, if that will fill the cooker “nest,” or in a
pudding pan to be set over boiling water. Put it into a cooker for one
hour. Serve cold with cream. If it is preferred to serve the pudding
warm, use only three cups of water.

Serves six or eight persons.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

1 qt. milk
1 pt. soft breadcrumbs
2 oz. or squares chocolate
²⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
2 or 3 eggs
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Scald the milk, add the crumbs, and soak them for one-half hour.
Separate the eggs, reserving two of the whites for a meringue. Beat the
three yolks and one white of egg together and mix them with half the
granulated sugar. Melt the chocolate in a pudding pan set in a
cooker-pail of boiling water, add the remaining half of the granulated
sugar, and, gradually, the bread and milk, stirring it in well while
still over the boiling water. Then add the yolks of eggs, salt, and
vanilla. Stir it constantly, and cook it over the water until the
pudding is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the pail containing the pudding
pan in a cooker for from one to two hours. When done, put it into a
baking-dish suitable for serving, and cover the top with a meringue made
by beating the whites of eggs till stiff, and adding the powdered sugar.
Brown the meringue in a very hot oven, watching it carefully that it may
not scorch. Serve warm, with cream. If preferred, two whole eggs may be
used in the pudding, and in place of the meringue use sweetened, whipped
cream.

Serves six or eight persons.

Queen of Puddings

1 qt. hot milk
1 pt. soft breadcrumbs
¹⁄₃ cup sugar
¹⁄₄ cup melted butter
3 eggs
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla, or
¹⁄₄ teaspoon spice
¹⁄₂ glass jelly

Melt the butter in the milk; soak the crumbs in the milk for one-half
hour; beat the yolks of three eggs and the white of one till mixed, add
the sugar, salt, and spice to them. Mix all together and pour it into a
pudding pan to fit in a cooker-pail of boiling water. Stir it till the
pudding is 160 degrees Fahrenheit, then cover it and put it into a
cooker for from one to two hours. Make a meringue as directed in the
recipe for chocolate bread pudding, using the whites of two eggs and two
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. Pour the pudding into a baking-dish
for serving, spread the jelly on top and the meringue over this, and
brown it in a hot oven.

Serves six or eight persons.

Steamed Cup Custard

1 qt. milk
4 eggs
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla, or
¹⁄₈ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Heat the milk, beat the eggs, add the sugar and flavouring. Strain the
mixture into hot custard cups, set them on a wire rack or inverted
strainer or perforated pan, which is arranged in a large cooker-pail of
rapidly boiling water in such a way that several quarts of water may be
below the custards but not touch the cups. Cover tightly at once and set
it into a cooker for one-half hour.

Serves six or eight persons.

Compote of Rice and Fruit

³⁄₄ cup rice
3³⁄₈ cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Heat all together in a pan which is set into a cooker-pail of boiling
water. When the water in the kettle boils, take out the pan and bring
the mixture in it to a boil. Replace it in the pail and put it into the
cooker for from one to three hours. Put it into a mould, and, when
shaped, but while still warm, turn it out on to a serving dish. Put
stewed or canned fruit on top, and pour the juice around it.

Serves six or eight persons.

[Illustration: Figure No. 13.

Wire rack arranged for steaming, with perforated tin can as a stand to
raise it above the water.]

XIX

FRUITS

Apple Sauce

1¹⁄₂ qts. sour apples
1 pt. water
1 cup sugar

Wash, pare, core, and cut the apples into pieces, add the water and
sugar and bring them to a boil. Put them into the cooker for from one to
three hours or more, depending upon the ripeness of the apples. If they
are not very tart or high-flavoured the juice of half a lemon will
improve them. Apple sauce will not be harmed by indefinite cooking in
the cooker. Beat it well when cooked, or, if preferred, it may be
strained.

Serves six or eight persons.

Stewed Apples in Syrup

1 qt. water
¹⁄₂ lemon
10 cups sugar
18 cloves
10 qts. prepared apples

Pare, core, and cut tart apples in halves, unless they are small.
Crab-apples may be used, but should not be pared nor cored. Wash and
slice the lemon. Put all the ingredients into a cooker-pail and let
them come to a boil. Put them into a cooker for three hours. If the
apples are not very ripe they may cook as long as twelve hours without
becoming too soft.

Serves twenty-five to thirty persons.

Apple Jelly

6 quarts prepared apples
7 cups water

Wash the apples carefully, cut them into small pieces and remove any
decayed parts. Put the apples and water into a cooker-pail and let them
come to a boil, then set them in a cooker for four hours or more. When
very soft, pour them into a jelly bag and hang this over a large bowl
for several hours or over night. Measure the juice, boil it for fifteen
minutes, add three quarters as much sugar as the measure of juice, boil
the mixture for five minutes more, or until a drop will jelly on a cold
plate if left for a few minutes. Skim the jelly carefully while it is
boiling. Fruit that is slightly under-ripe is best for jelly. When cold,
seal it in the following manner: For each glass cut a small piece of
white paper to fit inside it, lying on the jelly. This is to be dipped
into alcohol or brandy and laid in place. Cover the top of the glass
with another paper cut three-fourths of an inch larger than the top of
the glass, and paste it down on the sides of the glass, using white of
egg or any paste without a strong odor. Or seal jelly glasses with
melted paraffin poured over the top until the jelly is completely
covered. Do not let the paraffin get very hot or it may give a bad
flavour to the jelly.

Blackberry and Apple Jelly

5 qts. blackberries
2 cups water
Apple juice

Look over the berries carefully; put them, with the water, into a
cooker-pail and let them come to a boil. Put them in a cooker for three
hours or more, then pour them into a jelly bag and let them drip for a
least six hours. To each cupful of juice add half a cupful of apple
juice prepared as for apple jelly. Boil these juices for fifteen
minutes, then add five cups of sugar to each six cups of juice and boil
it for five minutes longer or until a drop will jelly on a cold plate if
left for a few minutes. Pour it into glasses and seal it when cold, as
directed for apple jelly.

Stewed Blackberries

Pick over two quarts of berries, put them, with one cupful of sugar,
into a cooker-pail and let them slowly come to a boil, stirring them
occasionally as they are likely to scorch if cooked over a flame or very
hot fire. When boiling, put them into a cooker for two hours or more. If
cooked a very long time the juice comes out and leaves the berries
rather small and seedy, but otherwise no amount of cooking hurts them.

Serves twelve or fifteen persons.

Currant Jelly

Wash twelve quarts of currants, add one cupful of water and put them on
to boil. Stir them occasionally so that they will not scorch. When
boiling, put them into a cooker for four hours or more. Pour them into a
jelly bag and let them drip for at least six hours. Measure the juice,
and when it has boiled fifteen minutes add an equal measure of sugar.
Boil the mixture for five minutes, or until a few drops will jelly on a
cold plate if allowed to stand a few minutes. Skim the jelly several
times during the boiling. When it is done, pour it into glasses, and
seal it, when cold, as directed for apple jelly.

Cranberry Jelly

1¹⁄₂ qts. berries
1 cup water
Sugar

Wash the berries and remove any soft and decayed ones. Bring them to a
boil with the water and put them into a cooker for one or two hours or
more. Mash them through a fine strainer or sieve, measure the pulp and
add equal parts or three-quarters of the amount in sugar. Boil five
minutes, or till a few drops will jelly on a cold plate. Pour it into
moulds which have been wet with cold water. When cold, it is ready to
serve.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Cranberry Sauce

1¹⁄₂ qts. cranberries
2¹⁄₂ cups sugar
1 cup water

Wash the berries and remove any that are soft and decayed. Put the
berries, water, and sugar into a cooker-pail and bring them to a boil,
stirring them frequently. When boiling, place the pail in a cooker for
two and one-half hours or more. Serve cold.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Dried Fruits

Wash the fruit very thoroughly. If it is first soaked for five minutes
and then washed, it will clean more thoroughly. To each cupful of fruit
add two cupfuls of water and let it soak for at least six hours. It is
better if soaked ten hours. Add the sugar and bring all to a boil. Put
it into a cooker for from two to twelve hours, depending upon the fruit.
Prunes are improved by long cooking, apples are not injured by it, but
peaches or apricots, which are more attractive if they are not broken to
pieces, will be better if removed as soon as they are perfectly soft.
The amount of sugar varies for different fruits; apricots, prunelles,
and such sour fruits requiring about one cupful of sugar for each pint
of dried fruit; prunes, peaches, and apples requiring from one-fourth to
one-half as much.

Stewed Rhubarb

1¹⁄₂ qts. prepared rhubarb
³⁄₄ cup water
2 cups sugar

Wash the stalks, pare them if old, cut them into one-inch pieces and put
them, with the sugar and water, into a two quart cooker-pail. When
boiling, set the pail in a cooker for from one to three hours or more,
depending upon the character of the rhubarb. Some people prefer to use
brown sugar with rhubarb.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Stewed Figs

1 lb. figs
1¹⁄₂ cups sugar
Juice of one lemon
Water to cover figs

Use pulled figs; those which come in boxes crack open when they are
pressed and are not so attractive when stewed. The natural form is
preserved in pulled figs, and they have, besides, the advantage of being
cheaper. Wash the figs and put them, with the other ingredients, into a
pan which fits the cooker-pail. Boil them, set the pan in the pail of
boiling water and put it into a cooker for seven hours or more. When
cold, serve the figs with whipped cream.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Sweet Pickles

8 lbs. fruit (prepared)
5 lbs. brown sugar
1 qt. vinegar
³⁄₈ cup stick cinnamon
³⁄₈ cup whole allspice
¹⁄₄ cup cloves

Prepare the fruit as directed below. Tie the spices in several
cheese-cloth bags, and bring them to the boiling point in a cooker-pail,
with the sugar and vinegar. Add the fruit, let it barely come to a boil,
stirring it carefully, so that it will not break to pieces. Set it in a
cooker for the time directed below for each particular kind of fruit.
When it is sufficiently cooked, remove it from the syrup and put it into
cans or crocks. Boil the syrup until it loses its thin, watery
consistency, and pour it over the fruit. If this occupies more than one
receptacle, put one spice bag in each. Cover or seal the cans while
still hot. Sweet pickles should not be eaten until they have stood for
several weeks.

_Peaches_:

Select firm, ripe peaches, rub them well with a woolen cloth, but do not
pare them. Cook them whole, as directed above, for from one to two hours
or more, depending upon the hardness and size of the peaches.

_Pears_:

Wash, pare and, if desired, cut the pears in half, removing the cores.
Cook them, as directed above, for from one to two hours or more,
depending upon the hardness and size of the pears.

_Crab Apples_:

Wash and dry the apples and cut out the blossom. Drop them into the
syrup as soon as the sugar is dissolved. Let them boil and cook them, as
directed above, for from two to three hours.

_Watermelon Rind or Citron_:

Pare the rind and cut it into pieces. Put it into a cooker-pail of
boiling salt and water, mixed in the proportion of one-half cup of salt
to one gallon of water. Slip the pail at once into a cooker for ten
hours or over night. When the rind is soft drain it and wash it in cold
water. Drain it in a colander and add it to the syrup, prepared as
directed above, and cook it, as other sweet pickles, for from four to
six hours. The fruit shrinks to about one-half its bulk after cooking in
the brine.

_Prunes_:

Soak the prunes for five minutes, wash them well, then soak them for six
hours in enough water to cover them. Remove the pits, crack them, and
chop the kernels. Cook the prunes and kernels in spiced syrup as
directed above for ten hours or over night. Weigh the fruit after it
has been soaked in order to estimate the amount of syrup needed.

_Plums_:

Wipe the fruit, prick it and put it into the syrup, bring it slowly to a
boil and cook it as directed above, for from one to two hours. If each
plum is pricked once with a sharp-pointed fork or nut-pick it will not
burst.

_Quinces_:

Wash the fruit and wipe it. Peel, quarter, and core it and bring it to a
boil in enough water to half cover it; cook it in a cooker for ten hours
or over night or steam it in a wire rack over boiling water for ten
minutes and place it in a cooker for three hours; put it over the fire
and bring it again to a hard boil and replace it in the cooker for
another three hours. The quinces, unless very hard, will then be ready
to cook in the syrup as directed above, for ten hours or over night. If
they are first cooked in water instead of by steaming, the water may be
used for making a syrup to use as a pudding sauce or for other purposes.

Orange Marmalade

1 large grape-fruit
2 large oranges
1 large lemon
Sugar
Water

Wash the fruit with a brush, wipe it dry and cut it, in very thin
slices, removing only the seeds. Discard the first and last slices,
which consist of nothing but skin. Measure the sliced fruit, and to
every quart of fruit add three cups of water. Bring it to a boil and put
it into a cooker for ten hours or over night. Bring it again to a boil
and cook it again for ten hours. Add the equivalent measure of both
fruit and water in sugar, bring it to a boil, and put it again into the
cooker for ten hours or more. If it is not sufficiently thick in
consistency, boil it slowly until a drop will jelly slightly if put on a
cold plate and left a few minutes. As marmalade is not usually sealed
with air-tight covers it will evaporate somewhat, and become thicker by
long standing, and will therefore not need to be boiled until very
stiff. The longer it is boiled the less delicate the flavour becomes.
This recipe should make five pints or more of marmalade.

Candied Orange or Grape-Fruit Peel

Peel of 6 oranges or 2 grape-fruit
3 cups sugar
1¹⁄₂ cups water in which peel was cooked

Carefully scrub the fruit till very clean, remove the peel in quarters
and soak it in water for a few hours. If it is to be used as candy,
scrape away a little of the white part, and cut it into very narrow
strips. If to be used for cooking purposes, it need not be scraped or
cut small. Put it into a cooker-pail and cover it with boiling water.
Let it boil and set it in a cooker for ten hours or more. Reheat it to
boiling point and cook it again for ten hours or more. This will be
enough for grape-fruit, but orange-peel may require one more such period
of cooking. When soft and nearly transparent, drain the peel, saving one
and one-half cups of the water. Add to it three cups of sugar, and, when
this is dissolved, the peel. Boil it, slowly toward the last, until most
of the water has boiled away. Remove the strips and lay them in a bed of
granulated sugar, covering them also with sugar. Let them stand until
cold, then shake off the loose sugar, which can be used for cooking
purposes, and put the candied peel into covered boxes or cans.

Canned Quinces

6 qts. quinces (prepared)
6 qts. water
4¹⁄₂ lbs. sugar

Wash, peel, quarter, and core the quinces before measuring them. Bring
them to the boiling point with the water in a cooker-pail. When they are
boiling hard put them into a cooker for ten hours or more. If they are
not then very soft to the centre of the pieces, bring them again to a
boil and cook them for from six to ten or more hours, according to their
condition. When perfectly tender add the sugar and bring all again to
the boiling point. Set them in a cooker for four hours or more. Bring
them to a boil and put them at once into clean, sterilized cans. When
overflowing full, seal the cans at once.

This recipe makes about eleven quarts.

Preserved Quinces

8 lbs. prepared quinces
8 lbs. sugar
2 qts. water

Wash, peel, quarter, and core the quinces before measuring them. Put
them into a cooker-pail, add the water, and when they are boiling hard,
put them into a cooker for ten hours or more. If not perfectly tender,
heat them again to the boiling point and set them in the cooker for as
many more hours as they require, depending upon their ripeness.
Thoroughly ripe quinces will probably not require this second period of
cooking. Add the sugar, bring them to a boil, and set them in the cooker
for four hours or more. If they are not rich enough, boil them slowly,
uncovered, until they are of the desired consistency. Long, slow boiling
is what gives quinces the red colour so much admired.

Citron and Ginger Preserves

6 lbs. fruit (prepared)
4 lemons
¹⁄₄ lb. green ginger
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
6 lbs. sugar

Pare the citron and cut it into thick slices. Remove the seeds, cut the
slices across into cubes, strips, or fancy shapes, and weigh them. Wash
the lemons, slice them and remove the seeds. Wash and peel the ginger.
Put the citron, lemon, ginger, and water into a cooker-pail. Bring them
to a boil and put them into a cooker for eight hours or more, depending
upon the hardness of the citron. When this is soft and nearly
transparent, add the sugar, boil it, and cook again for four hours or
more. Remove the fruit, put it into cans or jars, and boil down the
syrup until it will just cover the fruit. Pour it at once over the fruit
and close the cans when cooled. Cover them with a clean towel while
cooling.

Watermelon rind may be preserved in the same manner.

Grape Jam

Remove the grapes from the stems, wash them in a colander, then press
the pulp from the skins. Boil the pulp for a few minutes, until it will
easily separate from the seeds. Rub it through a sieve, add the skins,
and weigh or measure the mixture. Add an equal quantity of sugar, heat
it over a moderate fire until it is simmering, stirring it frequently.
Do not let it boil hard or the skins will be toughened. Set it in a
cooker for three hours or more. Put it into sterilized glasses or jars,
cover it with a towel until it is cold, and seal it as directed for
apple jelly on page 169.

Grape Juice

Remove ripe Concord grapes from the stems, wash them in a colander,
bring them just to the boiling point over a moderate fire, stirring them
frequently. Put them into a cooker for five hours or more. Drain them in
a jelly bag for at least eight hours. Each quart of loose grapes should
yield about one pint of juice. Add one cup of sugar to every quart of
juice; bring it just to the boiling point and pour it at once into
sterilized bottles, not filling the bottles quite full. Cork them at
once. When cold, press the corks down more firmly, cut them off level
with the top of the bottle, and dip the inverted bottles, for an
instant, into Wax for Sealing. If bubbles appear in the wax around or
over the cork, break them and dip the bottle again.

Wax for Sealing Bottles

Melt together equal parts of beeswax and rosin. As soon as it is liquid
it should be used or drawn back on the stove where it will not burn. It
will keep indefinitely.

Preserved Ginger

Buy fresh, green ginger, of good size and quality. Peel or scrape it and
cut it into lengths for serving. Cook it in a cooker for ten hours or
more in boiling salted water (one-half cupful of salt to one gallon of
water). Drain away the brine and add fresh boiling water to more than
cover it. When boiling put it again into the cooker for ten hours or
more. Change the water and cook it again, repeating this process until
the ginger is very tender. It may take several days. Make a syrup, using
two cupfuls of sugar to each cupful of water, bring the ginger to a boil
in this syrup, set it in a cooker for five or six hours; remove the
ginger, boil the syrup down to a rich consistency, and pour it over the
ginger.

MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES

White Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Few grains of white pepper

Melt the butter over moderate heat, add the flour, and blend the two
thoroughly. Heat the milk over hot water, add it, one-third at a time,
to the butter and flour, stirring constantly and allowing the mixture to
become perfectly smooth and glossy before adding more milk. Season it
and allow it to come to the boiling point. If it is not to be served
immediately, cover it and slip it into the cooker to keep hot.

Sauce for Vegetables

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¹⁄₂ cup of vegetable stock
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Few grains of white pepper

Make the sauce in the same manner as white sauce, blending the milk and
water in which the vegetables were cooked, which is called vegetable
stock.

Brown Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or clarified fat
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup brown stock
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon pepper

Brown the butter slightly, add the flour and stir constantly until the
flour is a rich brown. Add the seasoning and stock, one-third at a time,
stirring it until smooth. If butter is not used, add the flour as soon
as the fat is melted, as other fats will acquire a strong flavour if
allowed to brown before the flour is added. Mutton or lamb fat, or that
from smoked or salted meats, is not suitable for brown sauce.

Drawn Butter Sauce

¹⁄₄ cup butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup boiling water
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon white pepper

Melt the butter, add the flour and seasoning, and mix them well. Add the
water, one-third at a time, stirring until the sauce grows smooth. When
it has come to the boiling point it is done.

Caper Sauce

Drain one-half cup of capers, and add them to one cupful of drawn-butter
sauce.

Egg Sauce

To one cupful of drawn-butter sauce add two hard-cooked eggs, cut in
one-fourth-inch dice.

Sauce for Fish

To one cupful of drawn-butter sauce add one-half tablespoonful of lemon
juice and one-half tablespoonful of chopped parsley.

Hollandaise Sauce

¹⁄₂ cup butter
Yolks of two eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper
¹⁄₂ cup boiling water

Rub the butter until soft and creamy, add the egg yolks, lemon juice,
and seasoning, and rub them till blended, then pour on the boiling water
and stand the covered bowl, containing the sauce, on a rack over a
cooker pail of boiling water and put it into a cooker for three minutes;
or cook it on the stove over hot water as soft custard, stirring it
constantly.

Tomato Sauce

¹⁄₂ can tomatoes, or
2 cups raw tomatoes
1 slice onion
¹⁄₂ bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
¹⁄₂ cup water or stock

Cook all the ingredients but the butter and flour in a cooker for one
hour or more. Rub them through a strainer and add this, gradually, to
the blended butter and flour.

Hard Sauce

¹⁄₃ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
Nutmeg

Rub the butter till soft and creamy, add the sugar gradually. When
perfectly blended, pile the sauce on a small dish or plate and put it
into a refrigerating box or other cold place till time for serving, then
grate nutmeg over the top.

Fruit Sauce

1 glass of jelly, or
¹⁄₂ pint grape juice
³⁄₄ cup boiling water
Sugar to taste

Cut the jelly into small pieces, add the water, and bring the mixture to
a boil. Let it stand in a cooker for one-half hour or more, or leave it
on the stove till melted. If very sour jelly is used, some sugar may be
required to make it sweet enough. With grape juice about one-half cupful
of sugar may be used. The sugar and water should be brought to a boil,
the grape juice added, and the sauce immediately set aside to cool.

Brandy Sauce

¹⁄₄ cup butter
1 cup sugar
Yolks of two eggs
2 tablespoons brandy
¹⁄₂ cup milk or cream
Whites of 2 eggs

Warm the butter to soften, but not melt it; add the sugar gradually, and
rub the two together; add the beaten yolks and, when mixed, the brandy
and the milk or cream. Heat the sauce over warm water in a cooker-pail
until it registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring it constantly. Cover
it, and set the pail into a cooker for twenty minutes. When it is
nearly ready, beat the whites of eggs stiff and pour the hot sauce over
them, beating it until it is smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves six or eight persons.

Vanilla Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup boiling water
¹⁄₄ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Rub together the butter and flour in a saucepan, add the water and cook
until it thickens. Add the sugar, and, when dissolved, the vanilla.
Serve hot.

Nutmeg Sauce

Make it in the same way as vanilla sauce, substituting brown sugar for
white, and using one-eighth teaspoonful of grated nutmeg in place of the
vanilla.

Buttered Crumbs

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup soft, stale breadcrumbs
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper

Use bread that is at least one day old, and not sufficiently stale to be
hard. Grate the bread, or crumble it in the fingers; or cut it into
one-inch slices, and these into quarters, and rub two quarters together.
If any large pieces break off, crumble them fine with the fingers. If
bread is being crumbled for scalloped dishes, it should be carefully
done; if for stuffing, bread puddings, and such uses where it becomes
moistened and softened it may be cut into very thin slices, then across
into strips and small dice one-eighth inch in size. Mix the seasoning
with the crumbs, then add them to the melted butter. When first mixed a
few crumbs absorb all of the butter, but if lightly stirred with a fork
for several minutes they will become evenly buttered. If richer crumbs
are needed, the quantity of butter may be doubled.

Salted Nuts

1 pt. water
¹⁄₂ cup salt
1 cup blanched nuts
1 teaspoon butter

Blanch the nuts according to directions given below. Boil them in the
salt and water for eight minutes, drain them and put them into a
roasting-pan or pie plate with the butter. When warm, stir them well
that the butter may coat each nut. Bake them in a moderate oven until
they are a very light brown, stirring them frequently. When they are
done, spread them out to cool and allow them to stand until crisp before
putting them into a covered receptacle. If peanuts are used, take raw
nuts.

To Blanch Nuts

Pour boiling water on to shelled nuts, let them stand two or three
minutes, drain them and pour cold water over them. Press them from
their skins.

To Shell Italian Chestnuts

Cut a slit in each nut with a sharp knife; put them into a frying or
roasting pan with one teaspoonful of butter for each pint of nuts. Shake
them over moderate heat until the butter is melted, and put them into a
moderate oven for five minutes; or continue to shake them over the fire
for that length of time. This loosens the shell so that it may be
removed with a knife.

To Sterilize Jars or Cans

Wash cans, jars or bottles and their covers and put them into a large
pan of cold or tepid water, which is deep enough to fill and cover them.

Bring the water to a boil over moderate heat, unless a rack in the pan
prevents contact of the glassware with the bottom of the pan, in which
case a hot fire may be used. Let them boil for five minutes or more, and
remove them, one by one, as they are to be filled. A clean stick or long
wooden spoon-handle thrust into them may be used to take them out.
Rubbers for cans should not be sterilized, as the heat will injure them.
Corks may be dipped into boiling water or allowed to remain in it for a
minute; but unless very stiff and shrunken, they will swell too much to
fit the bottles if left long in the water.

Boiled Dressing

1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon mustard
Cayenne
2¹⁄₂ teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₈ cup vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients, add the beaten egg and milk; heat them over a
cooker-pail of warm water until 160 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring it
constantly. Put it into a cooker for twenty minutes. Add the vinegar
when it is cold, unless it is to be used for cole-slaw, in which case
the hot vinegar is added at once and the dressing poured over the cut
cabbage.

Soft-Cooked Eggs, No. 1

Into a cooker-pail put as many eggs as are to be cooked. Pour over them
one pint of boiling water for one egg and one cup extra for each
additional egg. Without heating it further, put the pail into the cooker
for ten minutes. Remove them promptly at the end of that time and place
them in a folded napkin to keep warm.

Soft-Cooked Eggs, No. 2

Put the eggs and cold water to more than cover them into a cooker-pail.
Heat them over the fire until 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then put them
into a cooker for ten minutes. Remove them immediately and serve them in
a folded napkin.

Hard-Cooked Eggs

Put the eggs and enough cold water to more than cover them into a
cooker-pail. Heat them till simmering, then put them into a cooker for
twenty or thirty minutes, depending upon their size.

Chocolate

2 squares chocolate
¹⁄₄ cup sugar
1 cup hot water
3 cups hot milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon vanilla

Melt the chocolate in a pan to fit over a cooker-pail of boiling water;
add the salt and sugar and, when mixed, the water. Remove the pan from
the pail and let the chocolate cook directly on the stove until it has
thickened, add the milk, gradually, and when scalding hot, but not
boiling, put the pan back into the cooker-pail of boiling water. Set all
in a cooker and leave it until it is to be served. Just before serving
beat it well with an egg-beater and add the vanilla. It will keep hot
without injury for a number of hours and makes a good drink for a late
evening supper. It can be prepared before going out and on returning
from concert, theatre, or other entertainment, will be found ready to
serve. A tablespoonful or two of cream improves it.

Serves four or five persons.

Cocoa

1¹⁄₂ tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 cups hot milk
Few grains salt

Mix the cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix it to a paste with boiling water, add
to the remaining water, and let it boil one minute. Add the scalding
milk and beat it well with an egg-beater and serve it; or put it into a
cooker to keep warm until it is to be used. It will keep for several
hours and should be beaten upon removal. Reception cocoa is generally
made with double the quantity of cocoa and is served with a spoonful of
whipped cream laid on top.

Serves four or five persons. For reception serves eight persons.

Cocoa Shells

1¹⁄₂ cups shells
3 cups water
3 cups milk
Sugar to taste

Bring the shells and water to a boil, put them into a cooker for eight
hours or more. Add the hot milk, strain the liquid off, pressing the
shells with a spoon to squeeze it out. Add the sugar and heat all until
boiling. By adding one-third of a cup of cocoa nibs a more satisfactory
drink is obtained. This recipe makes one quart.

Serves four or five persons.

Coffee

¹⁄₂ cup coffee
¹⁄₂ egg
Cold water
1 qt. boiling water

Mix the coffee, egg and washed shell with enough water to moisten it, in
a cooker-pail or pan. Add the boiling water and let it just come to a
boil. Put the pail or pan into a large pail of boiling water and set it
in a cooker for one hour or more. If a larger quantity of coffee is made
and it will nearly fill the cooker-pail, the outside pail of water may
be omitted.

Cereal Coffee

³⁄₄ cup cereal coffee
1¹⁄₂ qts. water

Put the coffee into a cheese-cloth bag and drop it into cold water.
Bring it to a boil and put it into a cooker for five hours or more. It
is best cooked over night and is a different thing from ordinary cereal
coffee prepared by boiling. All brands of cereal coffee may be treated
in this way. Serve, if possible, with cream.

Croustades

Cut stale bread into slices one and one-half or two inches thick. Cut
off the crusts, making rectangular blocks of the bread, or cutting it
with a large biscuit cutter, into rounds. With a fork, carefully scoop
out the centres, leaving cases with walls about one-fourth of an inch
thick. Brush them lightly with melted butter and brown them in a
moderate oven. Creamed oysters, lobster, fish or meat and some
vegetables are served in croustades.

Farina Balls

¹⁄₂ cup farina
2 cups milk
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
Dash of cayenne
5 drops of lemon juice
Yolk of one egg

Cook the milk and farina in a cooker for two hours or more, over boiling
water, until all the liquid has been absorbed, then add the other
ingredients while still over the water, and when well mixed remove it
and spread it on a dish to cool. When cold, roll it into balls one inch
in diameter, roll them in sifted crumbs, then in egg to which one
tablespoon of water has been added and slightly beaten, and again in
crumbs, and fry them in hot, deep fat until a golden brown. Drain them
on soft brown paper laid on a plate in the open door of an oven. Any
cold cereals may be used in this way.

XXI

RECIPES FOR THE SICK

Flaxseed Lemonade

2 tablespoons whole flaxseed
1 qt. boiling water
¹⁄₄ cup lemon juice
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
A little grated lemon rind

Pick over and wash the flaxseed in a strainer, put it into a cooker-pail
and add the boiling water. When it boils put it into a cooker for from
two to two and one-half hours. Strain it and add the sugar and lemon.

Farina Gruel

1 tablespoon farina
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup milk
1 egg
³⁄₄ teaspoons salt

Mix the farina and cold water, add them to the boiling, salted water and
when boiling set it in the cooker, over boiling water, for one and
one-half hours. Then scald the milk in a double boiler and add it and
the beaten egg to the cooked farina. The egg may be omitted, in which
case only one cup of water should be used.

Imperial Granum

1 tablespoon Imperial Granum
1 tablespoon cold water
¹⁄₂ cup boiling water
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup milk

Mix the Imperial Granum with the cold water, add it to the boiling
water. Add the salt and milk and cook it in a small cooker-pail or pan
over the fire until it boils, stirring occasionally. Then put it into a
pail of water and set it in a cooker for one hour or more. If preferred,
more milk may be added.

Cracker Gruel

1 tablespoon plain cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Scald the milk in a small double cooker-pail, with boiling water in the
under pail. Add the cracker, and put it into a cooker for one hour or
more. Add the salt just before serving. It is often convenient to keep
such gruels hot for use in the night, being improved rather than harmed
by the long cooking. Care must then be taken that they are hot, not
merely warm. Milk is considered scalding hot when a thick skin forms on
the top and bubbles appear next the pan, or when it registers 180
degrees Fahrenheit.

Oatmeal Gruel

¹⁄₂ cup rolled oats
3 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Milk to taste

Put the oatmeal, salt and water into a cooker-pan, boil it five minutes
and set it in a cooker for eight or ten hours over a cooker-pail of
boiling water. Rub it through a strainer, dilute it with hot milk and
pour it again through a strainer.

Barley Flour Gruel

1 cup water
3 tablespoons barley flour
3 tablespoons cold water
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Mix the barley and cold water to a paste, add the boiling water and
salt, bring it to a boil and cook it over boiling water for one hour or
more in a cooker. Strain it, dilute it with the milk and heat it over
hot water.

Indian Gruel

2 tablespoons meal
1 tablespoon flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold water
3 cups boiling water
Milk or cream

Mix the flour and meal, add the cold water and add this mixture to the
boiling, salted water. Boil it and let it cook over boiling water in a
cooker for ten hours; strain it, add the milk or cream, heat it over hot
water and serve it. Or less water may be used for the long cooking and
more milk or cream be added before serving.

Arrowroot Gruel

1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons Bermuda arrowroot
1 tablespoon cold water
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Mix the arrowroot and cold water, add them to the boiling, salted water,
let the mixture boil and cook it over boiling water in a cooker for one
hour or more.

Pasteurized Milk

There is a certain degree of heat which, if maintained for a sufficient
period of time, will destroy disease germs and certain other harmful
germs which tend to spoil milk, while at the same time it is not high
enough to cause the delicate flavour of raw milk to disappear. Bringing
milk to this exact condition is called “pasteurizing” it. Into feeding
bottles put the amount of milk that is to be used at one time. Plug them
with sterilized (baked) cotton. Stand them on a rack in a cooker-pail,
surrounded, to the depth of the milk, with warm water. Gradually raise
the temperature till the milk in the bottles registers 150 degrees
Fahrenheit. Cover the pail, and set it in a cooker for from twenty
minutes to half an hour or more. Remove the bottles, cool quickly and
keep the milk in a cold place, but not freezing, till needed. Do not
remove the milk from the bottles if it is used for feeding infants. If
used for adults do not remove it until it is to be used. Pasteurized
milk will keep for a long time without souring, but is dangerous unless
continuously kept very cold. Milk to be kept hot in a cooker for use in
the night, should be put in while scalding hot, not merely pasteurized,
since “any device for keeping milk [merely] warm should never be
used.”[3]

[3] “Bacteria in Milk,” by L. A. Rogers. Yearbook of the Department of
Agriculture, 1907, p. 194.

Rice and Milk

¹⁄₄ cup rice
1¹⁄₄ cups milk
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Bring the ingredients to a boil in a cooker-pan, set it over boiling
water and put it into a cooker for one hour or more.

Peptonized Beef Broth

¹⁄₄ lb. lean beef
1 cup water
¹⁄₄ tube Fairchild’s peptogenic powder

Remove all fat from the meat, chop it fine and heat it with the water
until it boils, stirring it constantly. Drain off the liquid and grind
the meat to a paste with a mortar and pestle. Put it, with the liquid
and Fairchild’s powder, or its equivalent, into a sterilized glass can,
close it and shake all together vigorously till it is well mixed. Stand
the jar with the cover laid on it, but not fastened securely, on a low
rack in a cooker-pail of warm water. Place it over moderate heat until
the water is 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover it and put it into a cooker
for three hours. Warm the cooker-nest, previously, with a pail of
boiling water set into it for half an hour. Take out the broth, put it
into a saucepan and quickly bring it to a boil. If it is for a very sick
patient it should be strained. Keep it cold unless it is used
immediately. Add one-fourth teaspoonful of salt before serving it.

Peptonized Milk

¹⁄₂ pt. fresh milk
¹⁄₄ cup water
¹⁄₂ tube Fairchild’s peptogenic powder

Put the powder with the water, which has been boiled and cooled, into a
sterilized pint glass can, and shake them until the powder is dissolved.
Add the milk and shake it slightly again. Put the can into a cooker-pail
of warm water and heat it over a moderate fire until the water is 115
degrees Fahrenheit. Set it into a previously warmed cooker for from ten
to thirty minutes. If it remains too long it will develop an unpleasant
flavour. When done, remove it to a saucepan and bring it quickly to a
boil. Keep it in a cold place if it is not used immediately.

Apple Water

1 large sour apple
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup boiling water

Wash the apple thoroughly; cut it into pieces, removing the core but not
the skin. Bring it to a boil in the water; cook it over boiling water in
a cooker for two hours or more. Strain it through a wire strainer and
add the sugar. Serve it cold.

Barley Water

3 tablespoons barley
2 cups cold water
Salt
Lemon juice
Sugar

Pick over the barley and soak it over night or for several hours. Bring
it to a boil and put it into a cooker for eight hours. Strain it, add
salt, sugar and lemon juice to taste. Serve it hot.

XXII

RECIPES FOR COOKING IN LARGE QUANTITIES

Fireless cookers are specially adapted to use on a large scale, as it is
in cases where cooking is done on a business basis that economy in fuel,
range space, and labour form such an important factor, and because there
some intelligent person will generally oversee the work of the ignorant
and careless. In their present form they are not, perhaps, adapted to
very large institutions, where many hundreds of persons are fed, since
there is a limit to the size of utensils which can be lifted in and out
of the insulating box. But for small institutions, hotels,
boarding-houses, restaurants, and lunch rooms the fireless cooker will,
inevitably, become indispensable as soon as it is understood.

The United States Army has used the fireless cooker and, owing partly to
its demand, some of the manufacturers of commercial cookers make them in
sizes appropriate for use on a large scale. For those who wish to try
them without an initial outlay of much money the home-made cooker will
be found in every way satisfactory. As an encouragement to those who
wish to use them for such purposes, it may be said that there is less
chance of failure in cooking large quantities of food than with small.

In the main, the directions for making and using cookers are the same no
matter what the size, but a few points may be suggested as more
necessary for large than small cookers.

In many kitchens there will be no space near the range for a cooker or a
number of cookers, and it will be a matter of necessity to have one
which can easily be moved. Instead of ordinary castors, use, for these,
such small iron wheels as are put on hand trucks. They will be found to
run more easily and to injure a floor much less. Select a box which will
fit under a table, when loaded, and then it will not seem to make the
kitchen any fuller than before. Fit it with two strong handles,
preferably on the front of the box, so that it may be guided when pulled
out from under the table.

The portable insulating pail may be found useful for transporting hot
food from a central kitchen to outlying dining-rooms, as is so often
done in large institutions, aluminum utensils and the lightest packing
material that is practicable being advisable for these.

The temperature maintained by a large mass of food in a well-made box,
will result in more rapid cooking than with small quantities, and this
must be taken into account with foods, such as potatoes, which are
easily overcooked.

There is always a difficulty in stating the number of persons that may
be served by any recipe, since the amount served to each varies to such
an extent with circumstances. The number indicated in this book is a
mean between the small _table d’hôte_ and the large _à la carte_
portions, and is based upon the amount served at an ordinary family
table. Three-quarters of a cupful is allowed for each portion of soup.

Rolled Oats

7¹⁄₂ qts. water
4 tablespoons salt
3 qts. rolled oats

Boil the water, add the salt and sprinkle in the oats gradually. When
boiling put it into a cooker for two hours or more. It is improved by
twelve hours’ cooking.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Cornmeal Mush

8 qts. water
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
7 cups cornmeal

Mix the meal with one quart of the water, bring the remainder to a boil,
add the salt and stir in the meal paste. Let it boil four minutes and
put it into the cooker for five hours or more.

Serves thirty-five or forty persons.

Hominy Grits

7¹⁄₂ qts. water
3 tablespoons salt
1¹⁄₂ qts. hominy grits

Add the hominy to the boiling, salted water; let it boil for ten minutes
and put it into the cooker for eight hours or more.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Samp

1 qt. samp
2 qts. cold water
3 tablespoons salt
6 qts. boiling water

Soak the samp in the cold water for eight hours or more. Add it to the
boiling water and salt, let it boil uncovered for one hour and put it
into a cooker for six hours or more. A little butter added before
serving improves it, if it is used as a vegetable.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Cracked Wheat

5 cups wheat
2¹⁄₂ qts. cold water
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
5 qts. boiling water

Soak the cracked wheat in the cold water for nine hours or more. Add it
to the boiling water and salt, let it boil for ten minutes and put it
into a cooker for at least nine hours; reheat it to the boiling point
and cook it again for nine hours or more.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Steel-cut Oatmeal

5 cups oats
2¹⁄₂ qts. cold water
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
5 qts. boiling water

Cook it in the same manner as cracked wheat.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food

7¹⁄₂ qts. water
4 tablespoons salt
3 qts. Pettijohn’s Breakfast food

Cook it as directed on page 56.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Cream of Wheat

8¹⁄₂ qts. water
3 tablespoons salt
5 cups cream of wheat

Cook it as directed on page 56.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Wheatlet

Cook it in the same way as cream of wheat.

Farina

Cook it in the same way as cream of wheat.

Rice

3 to 5 qts. water
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1¹⁄₂ qts. rice

Wash the rice, add it to the boiling salted water; let it boil and put
it into a cooker for one hour.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Brown Stock

10 lbs. meat and bone
10 qts. water
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons peppercorns
1 teaspoon cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon sweet marjoram
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups carrot
2 cups turnip
2 cups celery
1 cup onion
¹⁄₄ cup salt

Make it as directed on page 60.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

White Stock

10 lbs. knuckle of veal
10 qts. water
¹⁄₄ cup salt
2 teaspoons peppercorns
¹⁄₂ cup onion
2 cups celery, or
1 tablespoon celery seed

Make it as directed on page 62.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Mutton Broth

15 lbs. neck of mutton
10 qts. cold water
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup rice, or
1 cup barley

Make it as directed on page 63.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Mock Turtle Soup

5 lambs’ livers
5 calves’ hearts
5 knuckles of veal
10 qts. water
2 cups onions
2 cups turnip
2 cups celery
1 teaspoon cloves
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons peppercorns
¹⁄₄ cup salt
5 bay leaves
1¹⁄₂ doz. yolks of hard-cooked eggs
2¹⁄₂ lemons
Madeira wine

Make it as directed on page 66.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Creole Soup

6 qts. brown stock
3 qts. tomatoes
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper
³⁄₄ cup chopped onion
1¹⁄₂ cups butter
2 cups flour
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne
³⁄₄ cup grated horseradish
2 tablespoons vinegar
1¹⁄₂ cups macaroni rings

Make it as directed on page 69.

Serves forty or forty-five persons.

Cream of Celery Soup

3 qts. white stock
4¹⁄₂ qts. celery, cut small
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
1¹⁄₂ cups sliced onion
³⁄₄ cup butter
1 cup flour
3 qts. hot milk
1¹⁄₂ qts. hot cream
2 tablespoons salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper

Make it as directed on page 68.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Asparagus Soup

5 qts. white stock, or
5 qts. water in which asparagus has cooked
7 cans asparagus, or
7 pts. of cooked asparagus
1³⁄₄ cups butter
1³⁄₄ cups flour
3¹⁄₄ qts. hot milk
1 tablespoon salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon white pepper
1 large onion

Make it as directed on page 68.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Macaroni Soup

10 qts. brown stock
2¹⁄₂ cups macaroni rings

Make it as directed on page 70.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Vegetable Soup with Stock

10 qts. brown stock
2¹⁄₂ cups turnip
2¹⁄₂ cups carrot
2¹⁄₂ cups celery
2¹⁄₂ cups cabbage
1¹⁄₄ cups onion
1 tablespoon salt
²⁄₃ cup rice or barley

Make it as directed on page 67.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Ox Tail Soup

6 ox tails
9 qts. brown stock
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne
¹⁄₂ cup butter
1¹⁄₂ cups Madeira wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Flour

Make it as directed on page 70.

Serves forty or forty-five persons.

Julienne Soup

10 qts. brown stock
2¹⁄₂ cups carrot
2¹⁄₂ cups turnip
1¹⁄₄ cups peas
1¹⁄₄ cups string beans
1 teaspoon salt

Make it as directed on page 70.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Tomato Soup with Stock

5 qts. brown stock
5 cans or 5 qts. tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1¹⁄₄ cups butter
1²⁄₃ cups flour
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt

Make it as directed on page 69.

Serves forty-five to fifty persons.

Vegetable Soup without Stock

2 cups carrots
2 cups turnips
3 cups celery
3 cups onion
2 qts. potatoes
3 qts. tomatoes
1 cup butter
¹⁄₄ cup chopped parsley
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons pepper
6 qts. water

Make it as directed on page 71.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Bean Soup

5 pts. beans
10 qts. water or stock
1 cup chopped onion
2¹⁄₂ lbs. lean, raw beef, if stock is not used
1 cup chopped celery
²⁄₃ cup Chili sauce
²⁄₃ cup butter
²⁄₃ cup flour
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1¹⁄₄ teaspoons pepper

Make it as directed on page 72.

Serves fifty or fifty-five persons.

Black Bean Soup

2¹⁄₂ qts. black beans
10 qts. water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery, or
1¹⁄₄ teaspoons celery salt
¹⁄₄ cup salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1¹⁄₄ teaspoons mustard
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup flour
10 hard-cooked eggs
5 lemons

Make it as directed on page 72.

Serves fifty or fifty-five persons.

Tomato Soup

7 cans or quarts of tomatoes
3¹⁄₂ qts. water
1 tablespoon peppercorns
4 large bay leaves
2 teaspoons cloves
2 large onions
¹⁄₃ cup salt
1 teaspoon soda
¹⁄₃ cup sugar
⁷⁄₈ cup butter
1¹⁄₃ cups flour

Make it as directed on page 73.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Potato Soup

24 medium-sized potatoes
4 qts. milk
4 qts. water
³⁄₄ cup chopped onion
2 cups butter
1 cup flour
¹⁄₄ cup salt
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne
¹⁄₄ cup chopped parsley

Make it at directed on page 75.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Purée of Lima Beans

5 cups dried lima beans
7¹⁄₂ qts. water
¹⁄₂ cup chopped onion
³⁄₄ cup chopped turnip
5 cups cream or milk
1¹⁄₄ cups butter
²⁄₃ cup flour
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1¹⁄₄ teaspoons pepper

Make it as directed on page 73.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Baked Bean Soup

3 qts. cold, baked beans
6 qts. water
¹⁄₂ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1¹⁄₂ qts. tomatoes
¹⁄₂ cup butter
¹⁄₂ cup flour
¹⁄₄ cup Chili sauce
4 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper

Make it as directed on page 74.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Green Pea Soup

8 cans marrowfat peas, or
4 qts. shelled peas
5 tablespoons sugar
4 qts. water
4 qts. milk
¹⁄₂ cup chopped onion
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons salt
1¹⁄₃ teaspoons pepper

Make it as directed on page 74.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Split-Pea Soup

2 qts. split peas
8 lbs. soup bones, beef
8 qts. water
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Make it as directed on page 77.

Serves fifty persons.

Fish Chowder

12 lbs. cod or other firm, white fish
3 qts. potatoes, in ³⁄₄-inch dice
³⁄₄ cup sliced onion
¹⁄₂ cup butter
3 qts. scalded milk
¹⁄₄ lb. fat salt pork
3 tablespoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon white pepper
2 cups oyster crackers

Make it as directed on page 75.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Connecticut Chowder

Make this as directed for fish chowder, substituting two quarts of
stewed fresh or canned tomatoes for the milk, which may be added to the
chowder before putting it into the cooker.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Creamed Salt Codfish

6 lbs. codfish
12 qts. water
1¹⁄₂ cups butter
2 doz. eggs
3 cups milk
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper

Cook it as directed for Creamed Salt Codfish, No. 2 on page 84.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Codfish Balls

2 qts. raw, salt codfish, in small pieces
4 qts. potatoes, in 1-inch pieces
About 12 qts. cold water
8 eggs
¹⁄₄ cup butter
1 teaspoon pepper

Cook it as directed on page 85.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Pot Roast

12 lbs. beef from round or rump
1¹⁄₂ oz. beef drippings (3 tablespoons)
Flour
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
1 cup carrot
1 cup turnip
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
4 bay leaves
3 qts. water

Have the butcher bone and roll the meat, if it is from the rump. Wipe it
with a damp cloth, dredge it with flour and brown it on all sides in the
drippings. Wash, pare, and cut the vegetables into pieces. Put all the
ingredients with the hot, browned meat, into a cooker-pail, add the
water, boiling hot, let it boil for thirty minutes and put it into a
cooker for nine hours or more. Before serving bring the meat to a boil,
remove it, put it in a warm place, and make three quarts of brown sauce.
Strain the liquor in the pail and use it for the sauce. If there is fat
on the top of the liquor remove it and use it in making the sauce.

Serves fifty persons.

Brown Sauce

¹⁄₂ cup butter or fat
³⁄₄ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 qt. stock or water

Make it as directed on page 184.

Serves sixteen or twenty persons.

Beef à la Mode

12 lbs. round of beef
¹⁄₄ lb. fat salt pork
Flour
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sliced onion
¹⁄₂ teaspoon allspice
¹⁄₂ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¹⁄₂ teaspoon whole cloves
¹⁄₃ cup rendered beef fat
About 3 qts. water

Cook it as directed on page 95, except that there need not be an outer
pail of boiling water.

Serves fifty persons.

Irish Stew

5 lbs. clear meat
2¹⁄₂ qts. potatoes, in dice
2¹⁄₂ cups turnips, in dice
2¹⁄₂ cups carrots, sliced
1¹⁄₂ cups onions, sliced
2¹⁄₂ cups celery, in pieces
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2¹⁄₂ cups flour
¹⁄₄ cup clear fat
4¹⁄₂ qts. water

Cook it as directed on page 100.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Beef Stew à la Mode

10 lbs. beef brisket
Flour
1 cup rendered fat
1¹⁄₂ cups sliced onion
¹⁄₃ cup salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 lemon, sliced
Water to cover

Buy twenty-five or thirty pounds of brisket to get ten pounds of clear,
lean meat. Cook it as directed on page 97.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Boiled Dinner

8 lbs. lean, salt pork
¹⁄₄ pk. turnips
¹⁄₃ pk. beets
1 qt. carrots
5 heads cabbage
1¹⁄₄ pks. potatoes
2 teaspoons pepper
Water to cover

Cook it as directed on page 96.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Cannelon of Beef

6 lbs. lean meat, chopped
Grated rind 1¹⁄₂ lemons
¹⁄₃ cup chopped parsley
1 doz. eggs
2 tablespoons grated onion
²⁄₃ cup clear fat or butter
³⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1¹⁄₂ qts. soft breadcrumbs

Cook it as directed on page 101.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Okra Stew

6 lbs. clear, lean mutton
²⁄₃ cup clear beef fat
1¹⁄₂ cups flour
2 cups sliced onion
3 qts. tomatoes
3 qts. okra, in pieces
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 qts. water

Cook it as directed on page 111.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Creamy Potatoes

1 pk. potatoes
4 qts. milk
¹⁄₃ cup salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1¹⁄₃ cups butter

One peck of potatoes will make about ten quarts when prepared for creamy
potatoes. Melt the butter in the cooker-pail, add the milk, and, while
it is heating, slice the potatoes which have been pared and soaked, for
two hours or more, in cold water. As each quart of potatoes is sliced
put it into the hot milk. The potatoes will thus be heated to boiling
point, quart by quart. Add the seasoning. When boiling, after the last
quart of potatoes has been added, put all into the cooker for one hour
or more.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Veal Loaf

5 lbs. minced veal
10 eggs
1¹⁄₄ cups melted butter
5 cups soft breadcrumbs
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
⁵⁄₈ cup chopped parsley
⁵⁄₈ cup chopped onion
¹⁄₄ lb. fat salt pork
2¹⁄₂ teaspoons ground sage

Cook it as directed on page 117.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Macaroni Italienne

2 qts. macaroni, in one-inch pieces
4 qts. stewed and strained tomatoes
2 qts. stock or water
8 medium-sized onions
32 cloves
4 large bay leaves
3 tablespoons salt
¹⁄₃ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
2 qts. grated or shaved cheese

Cook it as directed on page 143.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Turkish Pilaf

1 qt. rice
8 green sweet peppers (2 cups)
3 qts. tomatoes
2¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
¹⁄₂ cup butter

Cook it as directed on page 149, without the lower pail of water.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Pork and Beans

2 qts. dried beans
1 tablespoon soda
9 qts. water
3 tablespoons salt
2 lbs. salt pork
1 cup molasses
1 tablespoon mustard
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
Water to half cover

Soak the beans, drain them, cook them for seven hours or more, as
directed on page 141, with the nine quarts of water, soda, and salt.
Drain them, add the other ingredients, and bake them till browned.

Serves forty-five or fifty persons.

Boston Brown Bread

2 qts. rye meal
2 qts. granulated cornmeal
2 qts. graham flour
¹⁄₃ cup soda
¹⁄₄ cup salt
1¹⁄₂ qts. molasses
4 qts. thick, sour milk, or 3¹⁄₂ qts. buttermilk

Mix and cook it as directed on page 155. Put it into seven or eight
moulds.

Serves fifty persons.

Suet Pudding

3 cups chopped suet
3 cups molasses
3 cups thick, sour milk
2¹⁄₄ qts. flour
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons soda
1¹⁄₂ tablespoons salt
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons ginger
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons nutmeg
³⁄₄ teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix and cook it as directed on page 157. Put the pudding into six
moulds. Serve it with a liquid sauce.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Rice Pudding

6 qts. milk
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1¹⁄₂ cups rice
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₃ cup butter

Cook it as directed on page 162, except that the outer pail of water may
be omitted. If served cold and not browned, omit the butter.

Serves thirty or thirty-five persons.

Indian Pudding

3 qts. water
4¹⁄₂ qts. milk (scalding hot)
1 qt. cornmeal
2 tablespoons salt
¹⁄₄ cup ginger
1¹⁄₂ qts. molasses

Mix the dry ingredients with one pint of the water, add them to the
boiling water and molasses, add the milk. Let all come to a boil and put
it into a cooker for ten hours or more. Put it into baking dishes and
brown it, or serve it without browning, either plain or with cream.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

6 qts. milk
3 qts. soft breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups sugar
18 eggs
³⁄₄ lb. chocolate
2 tablespoons vanilla

Cook it as directed on page 164, in three pudding pans, set over
cooker-pails of water.

Serves forty or fifty persons.

Stewed Apples

15 qts. prepared apples
³⁄₄ teaspoon whole cloves
7 lbs. sugar
2 lemons
1¹⁄₂ qts. water

Cook them as directed on page 168.

Serves thirty-five to forty-five persons.

Apple Sauce

1 pk. sour apples
1¹⁄₂ qts. water
3 lbs. sugar

Cook it as directed on page 168.

Serves forty-five to fifty persons.

XXIII

THE INSULATED OVEN

Many women in these days will find it difficult to believe that it is
possible to bake without the constant presence of fire, but our
great-grandmothers were well aware that foods continued to cook in the
brick ovens long after the fire in them had burned out or was raked out.
The insulated oven represents an adaptation of old-fashioned ideas to
new and modern conditions. Although we cannot go back to the days of
brick ovens, superior as they were, in certain respects, to the
portable range with its quickly fluctuating heat and great waste from
radiation, yet the insulated oven will not be found impossible or very
difficult to set up, and the adventurous woman will, perhaps, not be
content until she has tried this development of the fireless cooker.

[Illustration: Insulated oven with stones and pan in place.]

The advantages of an insulated oven lie in the even brown and thorough
baking which it gives; the development and retention of flavours, which
is greater than with ordinary baking; the economy in fuel where food
requires long cooking; the absence of heat in the kitchen; and the
possibility of baking where only a camp-fire is obtainable.

The principle is the same whether a portable oven is insulated or a
cooker-pail is utilized. There must be hot stone slabs, iron plates,
fire-brick, or some such heat-radiators, which can be made very hot and
which will retain their heat well. Stones or fire-brick are preferable
to iron in this respect. There must be insulation for the oven or
utensil, and cooking will then proceed, although somewhat differently
from the familiar method of baking with a fire.

TO INSULATE AN OVEN

Choose as small a portable oven as will hold the food to be cooked,
since the larger the oven the larger or more numerous the stones must
be to heat it. Very large stones are heavy and awkward to manage, and
with their number the cost of using the oven increases. A portable oven
is on the market which is about thirteen inches in each dimension. This
is a good size for a family of four or five. Cut six pieces of heavy
sheet asbestos, fitting one to each surface of the oven, except the
door, and two to the bottom. One of the two pieces for the bottom is to
go inside the oven. Place the asbestos so that it entirely covers the
oven. These pieces may be tied on temporarily to hold them in place
during packing. Select a box which is at least two or three inches
larger in every dimension than the corresponding dimension of the oven.
It should be fitted with cover and hasp just as any cooker. Lay it,
while packing, with the cover opening upward. Pack in the bottom a
sufficient layer of insulating material, such as is used for other
cookers, to raise the oven to within a couple of inches of the top.
Place the oven, lying upon its back, on this layer with the door
uppermost, and opening in the same direction as the cover of the box.
Pack on all sides around it till level with the door.

If desired, a facing may be made to cover the packing material, from a
piece of cloth cut a few inches larger, in each direction, than the top
of the box. Draw on it a square the size of the oven. In the centre of
this cut a small hole to insert the blade of scissors. From this hole
cut diagonally to the corners of the square. When the cloth is put in
place over the packing the triangular flaps thus made may be tucked
between the asbestos and the packing, while the edges of the cloth may
be tucked between the packing and the sides of the box. Fit a cushion
that will fill the space left at the top and nail it to the cover of the
box. Face this with a piece of the sheet asbestos nailed into place. It
will be well to reinforce the nail-heads with little rounds of tin, in
order to prevent them from pushing through the soft asbestos. The box is
then ready for use and should be stood up on end so that the cover will
open like a door, and the oven will be right side up. The extra piece of
asbestos may be laid in the bottom, the stones heated, and the food put
in to cook.

_Method of using the oven._ Heat the slabs very gradually the first time
that they are used. It will be best to put an asbestos mat or piece of
the sheet asbestos between a hot gas flame and the stones for a few
minutes, not turning the gas on full force for the first five minutes.
After the first using it will be safe to heat the stones directly over
the flame, providing it is not burning with full force for the first few
minutes. The degree of heat in the stones will regulate the heat of the
oven. For most baking, the centre of the top side of the stones should
be about as hot as a flatiron for ironing. This will mean that the side
toward the flame is very much hotter, perhaps red hot. Another and
better test is the browning of a piece of white tissue paper laid on the
centre of the stones when they are put on to heat. When this grows a
shade darker than manila paper, or a golden brown, the stones are right
for loaf cakes, pastry, apples, potatoes, beans, scalloped dishes, most
puddings, and bread. For a hot oven the paper should be a rich brown.
This is suitable for biscuits, small cakes, roasting meat, etc.

Although gas is the fuel here mentioned any other fuel will serve to
heat the stones, provided a hot enough flame can be procured. The stones
may, when warmed, be set directly on a hot coal or wood fire to complete
the heating, and, for out-of-doors use, a crude fireplace might be built
up of rough stones to support the soapstones or they may be buried
directly in the hot coals. In such a case it will probably be necessary
to have some device, perhaps ice-tongs, for removing the stones, as the
metal handles might in time become burned off, bent, or weakened so as
to be unsafe.

Small soapstone griddles or foot-warmers make excellent slabs for the
home-made insulated oven. Griddles are on the market that are as small
as twelve inches in diameter, and foot-warmers come in many sizes. Those
measuring eight by ten inches will be about as large as most women can
easily handle, since they are thicker than the griddles, and are very
heavy for their size. It will not be difficult to get an extra handle
fitted to these, which will make them less awkward to manage. For baking
many loaves of bread and cake, and for foods to cook over night, or for
many hours, more than two stones may be necessary to maintain enough
heat.

The oven should not be opened during the baking, but if the food is not
found to be cooked when it is opened, it may be quickly closed again,
and left till the food is done. A succession of articles may be baked in
an already heated oven by quickly removing the finished article and one
or two stones to be reheated and tested, and slipped again into place.
In this case the door of the oven should be instantly closed after
removing anything from it. This method of baking a number of things in
quick succession is very economical as a few minutes will reheat the
already warm stones.

Lay one hot stone on the asbestos at the bottom of the oven with the
hotter side down; put a wire oven shelf on this, and the food on the
wire shelf. If the food will not rise higher than the top of the pan, a
hot stone may be laid directly across the pan, but if this is not
possible place the second wire shelf as close over the food as the
cleats at the side of the oven will permit, and the stone on this shelf,
also with the hot side down. In case more than one pan is to go in at
once, and two stones will not supply enough heat, hot flatirons or stove
lids may be used to supplement them. It is often convenient, when the
oven is heated for baking one article, to put other things in to cook at
the same time, even though they may not require browning. For instance:
A chicken or roast may be cooking between two stones, while on top of
the upper stone the giblets may be stewing in water, or some vegetables
be boiling. It will be best in such cases to heat these foods till
boiling before putting them in the oven, or they will cool it too much.
Such foods, as do not require browning, will not need another stone on
top. It may not be wise to put so much watery food in the oven when
baking anything so critical as bread or loaves of cake, as it cools the
oven to some extent.

No matter how carefully the directions are given and followed some
experimentation will probably be required before a novice, or even an
experienced cook, will feel at ease with this new method of cookery,
since the conditions may be so variable. But there is no reason why a
careful observation of results and their causes should not soon lead one
to become mistress of her own insulated oven, and it is likely that she
will then become sufficiently attached to it to justify her
perseverance.

In case a cooker-pail is to be utilized for baking it will be well to
surround it, on top, bottom, and sides, with the heavy sheet asbestos
described for insulating the oven. A wire rack will be needed for
separating the food from too direct contact with the hot stones, and
some device, such, perhaps, as an inverted wire frying-basket for
supporting the upper stone.

LIST OF ARTICLES REQUIRED FOR MAKING AND USING AN INSULATED OVEN

Box.
Hinges.
Hasp.
Packing material, hay, excelsior, etc.
Portable oven.
Two or more stone slabs, or iron plates.
Cooking utensils, baking pans, etc.
Cloth for facing and cushion.
Nails and screws.
One dozen small rounds of tin about one inch in diameter.
One and one-quarter yards sheet asbestos (price about 20 cents a
yard).

Roast Beef

Weigh the meat, trim off all parts which will not be good to serve, and
save them for soups or stews. Wipe the meat clean with a damp cloth.
Dredge it well with salt, pepper, and flour, put it into a dripping pan,
and cook it in an insulated oven heated as directed for roasts of meat
on page 225. Heat the pan and meat a little before putting them into the
oven. The time for roasting beef depends upon the size and shape of the
roasts. Thick pieces weighing under ten pounds will roast rare in twelve
minutes to a pound, medium rare in from fifteen to eighteen minutes, and
well done in twenty-five or thirty minutes a pound. Thin pieces will
take a few minutes less to each pound.

Roast Mutton or Lamb

Prepare the meat for roasting as directed for roast beef. Cook it in an
insulated oven heated as directed for roasts on page 225, allowing
twenty-five minutes to each pound for lamb, and from fifteen to eighteen
minutes for mutton.

Roast Veal

Prepare the meat for roasting as directed for roast beef. Cook it in an
insulated oven, heated as for roast beef, allowing from twenty-five to
thirty minutes for each pound.

Spareribs

Wipe the meat clean with a damp cloth; sprinkle it with pepper and salt,
put it in a pan, and roast it in an insulated oven, heated as directed
for roasts on page 225, allowing twenty minutes or more to each pound.
Heat the pan and meat a little before putting it in the oven.

Brown Gravy for Roasts

Drain away all fat from the pan, leaving the brown sediment. Add to this
enough water to make the desired amount of gravy. Using this in the
place of stock or water make Brown Sauce, using a measured quantity of
the fat from the roast. Various seasonings may be added to this sauce to
make a variety. Wine, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, currant jelly,
etc., are used in this way.

Roast Chicken

Draw, stuff, and truss a chicken as directed on page 130. Put it on its
back in a baking-pan, lay strips of fat salt pork on the breast, or rub
breast, legs, and wings with butter or clarified veal fat. Dredge it
well with salt and pepper. Heat the pan and chicken over the fire for a
few minutes, and put it into an insulated oven heated as directed for
roasts on page 225. Allow twenty-five minutes a pound for roasting
chicken. Remove the string and skewers and serve it with Brown Gravy for
Roasts to which the chopped giblets have been added. The giblets may be
cooked, with salted water to cover them, in the insulated oven at the
same time that the chicken is roasting; but in this case the stones
should be hotter than otherwise.

Roast Goose

Singe and remove the pin-feathers from a goose. Wash it in hot, soapy
water. Draw it and rinse it in cold water. Fill it two-thirds full with
Stuffing for Poultry, or Potato Stuffing. Truss it, and rub the surface
with butter, or lay fat salt pork on the breast. Dredge it with salt and
pepper, heat it to warm the pan, and roast it in an insulated oven
heated as directed for roasts on page 225, allowing fifteen or twenty
minutes a pound.

Roast Leg of Venison

Prepare and cook it as roast mutton, allowing from twelve to fifteen
minutes a pound for it to roast. Venison should be served rare, with
Brown Gravy for Roasts, to one pint of which one-half tumbler of currant
jelly and two tablespoonfuls of sherry wine have been added.

Potato Stuffing

2 cups hot potato, mashed
1 cup soft, stale breadcrumbs
¹⁄₄ cup chopped salt pork
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¹⁄₄ cup melted butter
¹⁄₃ cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered sage
1 egg

Mix the ingredients in the order given.

Roast Wild Duck

Draw, clean, and truss a wild duck in the same manner as a goose. If it
is to be stuffed, use Stuffing for Poultry, omitting the herbs; or
merely fill the cavity with pared and quartered apples, or pared, whole
onions. These should be removed before serving, but Stuffing for Poultry
should be served with the duck. Roast it for from twenty to thirty
minutes in an insulated oven, the stones heated a little hotter than for
other roast meats. Serve it with mashed potato and currant jelly.

Grouse

Draw and clean a grouse, remove the feathers and the tough skin of the
breast. Lard the breast and legs. Truss it, and lay fat salt pork on the
breast. Dredge it with salt and flour, put it into the roasting-pan
with scraps of fat salt pork. Roast it for twenty or twenty-five minutes
in an insulated oven heated as for wild duck. Remove the strings or
skewers, sprinkle it with browned breadcrumbs, and garnish it with
parsley.

Roast Quail

Prepare the quail in the same way as grouse. Roast it for fifteen or
twenty minutes in an insulated oven heated as for duck.

Roast Plover

Prepare and cook it the same as quail.

Potted Fish

3 shad or 6 small mackerel
¹⁄₃ cup salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¹⁄₆ cup whole cloves
¹⁄₆ cup peppercorns
¹⁄₆ cup whole allspice
1 onion, sliced
Vinegar to cover

Clean the fish, remove the head, tail, fins, skin, and large bones. The
small bones will be dissolved in the vinegar. Cut the fish into pieces
for serving. Mix the salt, pepper, and spices. Pack the fish in layers
in a small stone crock or deep agate-ware utensil, sprinkling the salt
and adding pieces of onion between the layers. Pour over it vinegar to
completely cover it. In the absence of a tight-fitting cover, use heavy,
buttered paper tied on. Bake it for five or six hours in an insulated
oven, the stones heated until the paper test shows a delicate brown.
Potted fish will keep well if put into a cold place and kept covered
with vinegar. It makes a good relish for lunch or tea.

Pork and Beans

1 cup beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon butter, or
¹⁄₈ lb. salt pork
Water to cover

Cook the beans for four or more hours, as directed in the recipe for
dried navy beans. Put them into a baking-dish, add the other
ingredients, gashing the pork frequently and laying it on top. Put it
into an insulated oven with stones that will turn white tissue paper a
golden brown. Bake them for eight hours or more.

Baked Potatoes

Select potatoes of equal size, so that they will all bake in the same
length of time; wash them and bake them in an insulated oven with the
stones heated till the paper is a golden brown as explained in the test
on page 225. Good-sized potatoes (eight ounces) should bake about
forty-five minutes. Lay them on a rack to prevent them from touching the
hot stone. They will bake better than in an ordinary oven.

Macaroni and Ham

1 cup macaroni, in one-inch pieces
1 small onion, grated
1¹⁄₂ cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
¹⁄₆ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1¹⁄₂ cups minced, cooked ham
2 cups buttered crumbs

Cook the macaroni as directed in the recipe for macaroni. Make white
sauce of the milk, butter, flour, and seasoning, add the onion, ham, and
macaroni. Put it into a buttered baking-dish, cover the top with the
crumbs, and bake it until the crumbs are brown, heating the stones until
the paper test shows a golden brown.

Serves six or eight persons.

Scalloped Oysters

1 pt. or 30 oysters
3 cups buttered crumbs
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ cup oyster juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery leaves
Few grains pepper

Wash the oysters, strain the juice through cheese-cloth. Put one-fourth
of the crumbs in the bottom of a baking dish, add half the oysters, half
the salt and pepper and celery leaves; repeat these layers, pour over it
the oyster juice, and put the remaining crumbs on top. Bake it in an
insulated oven till brown, as directed for scalloped dishes, page 225.
If double this recipe is used allow three-quarters of an hour for the
baking, and do not heat the stones quite so hot.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup macaroni in one-inch pieces
1 cup grated or shaved cheese
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
2 cups buttered crumbs

Cook the macaroni in salted water as directed in the recipe for
macaroni. When tender, drain it and add the salt, pepper, and cheese.
Turn it into a buttered baking-dish and cover the top with the crumbs.
Bake it until the crumbs are brown, heating the stones until the paper
test shows a golden brown.

Serves six or seven persons.

Scalloped Chicken and Mushrooms

2 cups buttered crumbs
1¹⁄₂ cups cold, cooked chicken or fowl
1 cup White Sauce
¹⁄₆ teaspoon celery salt
¹⁄₂ cup mushrooms

Cut the chicken in small pieces, slice or cut the mushrooms small. Put
one-fourth of the crumbs into a buttered baking-dish. Mix the other
ingredients and pour them into the dish. Spread the remaining crumbs on
top and bake it in an insulated oven till brown, as directed for
scalloped dishes, page 225.

Scalloped Tomatoes

1 can of whole tomatoes, or
8 good-sized raw tomatoes
3 cups soft breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 small onion

If canned tomatoes are used, drain away the liquid from them, using only
the solid tomatoes. If raw tomatoes are used, scald them in boiling
water and remove the skins and hard core. Melt the butter, add the
crumbs, and stir them lightly until they are evenly buttered. Put one
cupful in the bottom of a baking dish, lay the tomatoes over them,
sprinkle the salt, pepper and grated onion over these and cover the top
with the remaining crumbs. Bake them for one hour in an insulated oven,
heating the stones until the paper test, given on page 225, shows a
light brown colour.

Serves six or eight persons.

Scalloped Apples (Brown Betty)

3 cups chopped sour apples
2 cups soft breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ cup brown sugar
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cinnamon
¹⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
¹⁄₂ lemon, juice and rind
¹⁄₄ cup water

Melt the butter, add the crumbs, and stir them till they are evenly
buttered. Mix the spice and grated rind with the sugar. Divide the
buttered crumbs in quarters. Into a buttered baking dish put one-fourth
of the crumbs. On this layer spread one-half the apples, then one-half
the sugar. Sprinkle half of the lemon juice and water over this. Repeat
these layers with one-fourth the crumbs and the remaining apple, sugar,
etc. Cover the top with the crumbs that are left. Bake it for one hour
and a half in an insulated oven. The stones should be heated till the
test given on page 225 will show the papers a delicate brown colour.
Look at the apples at the end of one hour, closing the oven after a
quick glance, and alter the heat of the oven, if necessary. Serve it
with Hard Sauce.

Serves five or six persons.

Rice Pudding

1 qt. milk
¹⁄₄ cup rice
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon nutmeg

Put all the ingredients together in a baking-dish. Bake it for three
hours in an insulated oven. The stones should be heated until the paper
test, given on page 225, will show a light brown shade. The pudding, if
correctly baked, will be creamy, with a golden brown, soft crust on top.

Serves five or six persons.

Pastry for Two Crusts

1¹⁄₄ cups pastry flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking-powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₃ or ¹⁄₂ cup butter or lard
Water

Mix and sift the dry ingredients together; cut the butter or lard in
with a fork. Add enough water to make a paste barely moist enough to
hold together, using a knife and cutting through the dough to mix it.
Roll half of it with as little pressure of the rolling-pin as possible,
until it is about one-eighth of an inch thick. If a two-crust pie is to
be made, lay this crust on the inside of an unbuttered pie plate, trim
the edge, and put the trimmings with the remaining paste and roll it out
for the upper crust. If a single under crust is to be used, as for lemon
pie, lay the paste on the outside of a pie plate, trim the edge and
prick through the crust in several places. Bake it for about fifteen
minutes in a moderate insulated oven, with the pie plate upside down in
the oven. Remove the baked crust and fill it.

Apple Pie

Sour apples
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
1 lemon, juice and rind
¹⁄₂ tablespoon butter
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cinnamon

Make pie crust by the preceding recipe, put half of it in the bottom of
the plate. Pare enough apples to fill the pie heaping full, when cored
and cut into eighths. Fill the pie with the apples, spread the sugar and
cinnamon and grated rind over them. Roll out the upper crust, cut
several gashes in it to allow steam to escape; lay it over the pie, trim
the edges and press them together with a fork. Bind the edge of the pie
by laying around it a wet strip of cloth about one inch wide. Bake it
for one-half hour in an insulated oven with the stones heated until the
paper test shows a golden brown colour.

Apple and berry pies are better made without an under crust in an extra
deep pie plate.

Berry Pie

Pick over the berries. Line a deep plate with crust, or omit the lower
crust; fill the pie heaping full of berries, cover them with one-half
cupful or more of sugar mixed with one-fourth cupful of flour. Add the
upper crust, bind it, and bake it as apple pie. The amount of sugar will
depend upon the acidity of the fruit.

Cherry or Plum Pie

Wash the fruit, remove the stones, and make the pie in the same manner
as berry pie.

Pumpkin Pie

1¹⁄₂ cups cooked pumpkin
1 cup boiling milk
1 egg
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₃ teaspoon cinnamon

Cook the pumpkin as directed on page 152. Put it into a cloth and press
it with the back of a strong spoon to squeeze out the water. Mix all the
ingredients, put it into a pan set over a cooker-pail of boiling water;
stir it until it is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then put the whole into a
cooker for one hour. Fill the baked crust with the mixture. Cover the
top thickly with whipped cream.

Lemon Pie

¹⁄₂ cup flour
1 cup sugar, granulated
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Rind of one lemon
4 teaspoons butter
¹⁄₄ cup powdered sugar
2 eggs

Mix the sugar and flour together, add the boiling water slowly, stirring
it all the time. Boil it gently for twenty minutes, stirring it
frequently. Mix the lemon with the yolks, pour the hot mixture slowly on
the yolks, return it to the fire and cook it below boiling point until
the eggs have thickened; then add the butter. Cool the filling a little
before putting it into a baked crust. Beat the whites of eggs until very
stiff, add the sugar, and when barely mixed with the whites, spread it
over the pie for a meringue; bake it till a delicate brown in a very hot
oven, or put it for a few minutes into an insulated oven with one very
hot stone close over the pie. Serve it warm, but not hot.

Serves five or six persons.

Baked Apples

Wash and core sour apples of uniform size. Put them into a pudding dish,
fill the cores with sugar, and if more is desired put it into the
bottom of the dish, not over the apples. Pour in enough boiling water to
fill the dish one-fourth full. Bake them in an insulated oven for
one-half to three-quarters of an hour, depending upon the size and
ripeness of the apples. The stones should be heated until the paper test
shows a golden brown colour.

Baked Spiced Apples

6 apples
30 cloves
2 cups water
²⁄₃ cup sugar
6 slices lemon

Pare the apples, remove the cores and stick five whole cloves into each
apple. Make a syrup of the water and sugar. Put the apples into a
pudding dish, pour the syrup over them, and place a slice of lemon over
the top of each. Bake them in a slow insulated oven for one hour with
the stones heated until the paper test shows a light brown.

Baked Pears

Prepare and cook the pears as directed for baked sweet apples. If
desired, a bit of butter the size of a bean may be put on each pear
before baking.

Baked Quinces

Prepare and cook the quinces as directed in the recipe for baked sweet
apples. Twice as much sugar and water will be required for quinces, and,
perhaps, more time for baking. This will depend upon the size and
ripeness of the fruit. It is usually cut in halves before baking.

Baked Sweet Apples

8 sweet apples
¹⁄₃ cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

Prepare the apples as for baked apples. Cook them in a slow insulated
oven, for about three hours. The stones should be heated until the paper
barely changes colour, as explained in the test given on page 225.

Bread

1 pt. water or milk
1 tablespoon butter or lard
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¹⁄₄ cake compressed or ¹⁄₂ cake dry yeast and
¹⁄₂ cup warm water, or
¹⁄₂ cup liquid yeast
Flour to make a dough

Soak the yeast for a few minutes in the half cupful of warm water. Scald
the milk or boil the water, add the fat, let it cool till lukewarm, then
add the remaining ingredients, except the flour. If compressed yeast is
used, add as much flour as is needed to make a dough that may be
kneaded. If dry yeast or liquid yeast is used, add only one and one-half
pints of flour; beat the mixture well, and let it rise till full of
bubbles, usually over night; then add the remaining flour. The rest of
the process is the same, no matter what yeast is used. Knead the dough
until it is smooth and elastic, return it to the bowl, set it in a warm
place to rise until it has doubled in size. Knead it again until all
large bubbles are pressed out, mould it into two loaves, put it into
greased pans and let it again rise until it has doubled in size. Heat
the insulated oven stones until the paper test, given on page 225, shows
a golden brown. Put the bread in and bake it from fifty minutes to one
hour. If two stones will not make a hot oven for a large amount of bread
to be baked, use hot flatirons or stove lids to supplement them.

Rolls

Add one tablespoon of butter to the recipe for bread, or knead the
butter into the dough just before moulding it. Shape it into rolls, put
them into a buttered pan, and when risen to a little more than double
their size, bake them for twenty minutes in an insulated oven with
stones that will turn the paper a rich brown, as explained in the test
on page 225.

Baking Powder Biscuits

4 teaspoons baking-powder, or
1 teaspoon soda and two teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pt. flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or lard
³⁄₄ to 1 cup milk or water

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, work in the fat with the fingers, or
mash it in with a fork. Add the liquid, one-third at a time, mixing the
dough in three separate portions in the bowl. Cut through these three
masses until they are barely mixed, then roll the dough to about
one-half inch thickness; cut it into biscuits, lay them on a greased
pan, brush the tops with milk or melted butter, and bake them for
fifteen or twenty minutes in an insulated oven with stones heated so as
to turn the paper a rich, dark brown, as explained in the test on page
225.

Cup Cake

¹⁄₂ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1¹⁄₂ cups flour
2 eggs
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₂ teaspoon nutmeg, or
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking-powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Cream the butter, add the sugar, then the beaten yolks of eggs. Mix and
sift the dry ingredients, add them, one-third at a time, to the butter
mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat the whites till stiff, add them
and the vanilla, beat the dough till barely mixed, and pour it into a
greased pan. The dough should not much more than half fill the pan. Bake
it for forty minutes in an insulated oven, tested as explained on page
225, for loaves of cake.

This recipe may be varied by adding one-half cupful of raisins,
currants, chopped citron or nuts. Or two ounces of chocolate may be
melted and added to the dough.

If baked in layers or in gem pans the stones must be heated somewhat
hotter than for a loaf cake. Allow fifteen or twenty minutes in the
oven.

Sour Cream Cake

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
³⁄₄ cup thick sour cream
¹⁄₂ teaspoon soda
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
1¹⁄₂ cups flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins

Beat the yolks of the eggs, add the sugar, then the cream. Mix and sift
the dry ingredients, add them to the liquid mixture, then add the
raisins, which have been floured with a little of the measured flour,
and, lastly, the stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Put it into a greased
pan and bake it for forty minutes in an insulated oven, heated for loaf
cake, as explained in the test on page 225.

Apple Sauce Cake

(Made without butter, milk or eggs)

¹⁄₂ cup white veal or beef drippings
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour apple sauce
1¹⁄₂ teaspoons cinnamon
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon soda
2 cups flour

Mix the ingredients in the order given, beat the dough well, put it into
a greased pan, and bake it for forty minutes in an insulated oven,
heated for loaf cakes, as explained on page 225.

This cake seems, when baked, very much like any spice cake.

Sponge Cake

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
Juice and rind of ¹⁄₂ lemon
1 cup flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

Beat the yolks of the eggs, add the sugar and lemon; beat the whites of
eggs till stiff, add them to the mixture, and when barely mixed add the
flour and salt, folding them in lightly. Put it into a bright, ungreased
tin, and bake it fifty minutes or an hour in an oven heated not quite so
hot as for butter cakes. The paper should turn light brown when tested
as explained on page 225.

Let the cake stand five minutes before removing it from the pan.

Plum Cake

¹⁄₂ cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
¹⁄₄ cup chopped nuts
¹⁄₄ cup candied orange peel
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
⁵⁄₈ cup pickled fruit syrup or molasses
2 cups flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon soda
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons mixed spices

Mix and sift the flour, soda, cream of tartar, and spices. Put all the
ingredients together in the order given, flouring the fruit with a
little of the measured flour. Put it into a greased pan and bake it for
one and one-quarter hours in an insulated oven, with stones heated as
explained on page 225, till the paper is a light brown.

Rich Fruit Cake

¹⁄₂ lb. butter (1 cup)
¹⁄₂ lb. sugar (1 cup)
6 eggs
¹⁄₄ cup brandy
¹⁄₄ cup lemon juice
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
2 cups blanched, chopped almonds
¹⁄₂ lb. citron
¹⁄₄ lb. candied orange peel
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¹⁄₂ teaspoon allspice
1 lb. raisins
1 lb. currants
¹⁄₂ lb. flour (1³⁄₄ cups)

Line the pan with three thicknesses of paper, buttering the top layer.
Mix the flour and spices. Flour all the fruit except the citron. Mix the
ingredients in the order in which they are given. The pan may be filled
nearly full, as this cake rises but little. Bake it for three hours or
more in a very moderate insulated oven. Test the stones as explained on
page 225, until the paper will barely change colour. If, at the end of
two hours, the cake is not browned at all, take out one or both of the
stones very quickly and heat them again till they will slightly brown
the tissue paper. The oven must be promptly closed when the stones are
removed, or the cake will be injured. Test it with a steel knitting
needle or straw. The needle will come out only a little greasy when the
cake is done.

Let the cake stand at least five minutes after removing it from the oven
before taking out of the pans, or it is likely to break. Fruit cake
should be kept for at least a week in a tightly covered tin box or a
crock, before it is ready for use. It will keep for months, and improves
with time.

XXIV

MENUS

The planning of a menu is an art in itself. Only a knowledge of the food
value of different dishes, combined with a good sense of taste and
fitness, and some idea of the comparative wholesomeness of different
methods of cooking, can produce a meal that is scientifically correct as
well as pleasing to the palate. And now the conditions under which menus
must be planned will be further modified in order to obtain the freedom
from the kitchen that fireless cookery makes possible. It is thought
that a classified time-table of the various dishes given in the book,
giving the length of time which they require or may be allowed to cook,
will be of assistance in grouping dishes that can be started at one
time, put on to cook, perhaps, in one cooker, and left for the same
period of time.

[Illustration]

The illustration at the head of this chapter, shows a cooker-pail so
arranged as to cook more than one article at once. With this arrangement
a cooker with several compartments would accommodate a number of
different foods at one time.

The fireless cooker makes it possible to plan a breakfast which would be
ready to serve at once, or would take only a few minutes to prepare. If
started in the evening, cereals may cook all night, and be entirely
ready in the morning; some meat dishes may cook all night. Coffee,
although better when made fresh, may be put into the cooker over night,
cereal coffees being at their best after all-night cooking. With these
for a basis, the menu may be varied by dishes which would cook quickly,
such as eggs; or which might cook through the night and be completed in
a few minutes in the morning, such as creamed codfish; or which might be
cooked the day before, if served cold, such as stewed fruits; or by
fresh fruits. But little of the precious early morning time would thus
be required.

BREAKFASTS

No. 1

All dishes cooked over night, or served cold. Ready to serve at once.

Apple Sauce
Oatmeal
Beef or mutton stew
Postum

No. 2

Ready to serve in fifteen minutes.

Stewed rhubarb (served cold)
Cream of Wheat (cooked all night)
Soft-cooked eggs (cooked in the morning in the already warm water over
which the cereal was cooked)
Coffee (cooked in the morning or over night)

No. 3

Ready to serve in ten minutes.

Stewed prunes (served cold)
Cornmeal mush (cooked all night)
Stewed kidney (cooked all night, finished in the morning)
Cocoa (cooked in the morning or all night)

For a midday dinner the cooker may often be filled in the morning, after
breakfast, with foods requiring about three or four hours to cook, such
as vegetable soup, beef stew, spinach, etc. Where a late dinner is
served, it may be filled in the morning and allowed to stand all day,
provided foods are chosen that need or will not be harmed by the long
cooking; or it may be partly filled after breakfast and other dishes be
added after lunch. Even where the entire meal is not cooked in a
fireless cooker, it may be convenient to have one or two dishes so
prepared, and the remainder served cold or cooked on the stove.

DINNERS

No. 1

To be left in the cooker three or four hours.

Creole soup
Veal cutlets
Mashed potatoes
Carrots
Stewed celery
Rice pudding

No. 2

Put into the cooker in the morning and cooked all day.

Cream of celery soup
Pot roast
Beets
Dried lima beans
Tapioca fruit pudding (previously cooked and served cold)

No. 3

Put into the cooker in the morning and cooked all day.

Mutton broth
Stuffed heart
Cabbage
String beans
Compote of rice and fruit (previously cooked and served cold)

No. 4

Part cooked all day, and part cooked through the afternoon.

Consommé
Fricasseed chicken
Samp
Winter squash
Creamed turnips
Stewed figs with cream

SUPPERS OR LUNCHES

No. 1

Hot dishes in the cooker two hours.

Breaded veal cutlets
Creamy potatoes
Stewed apricots
Cookies
Cocoa

No. 2

Hot dishes requiring only one hour to cook.

Turkish pilaf
Salmon loaf
Lettuce salad
Canned quinces
Cake
Tea

MIDNIGHT SUPPERS

Served after theatre or entertainment, the hot dish to be put into the
cooker before going out. Ready to serve at once.

No. 1

Stewed oysters
Saltines
Celery
Bonbons

No. 2

Cocoa
Salad
Bread and butter sandwiches
Olives

APPENDIX

Reading references and experiments illustrating the principles upon
which fireless cookery is based.

_1. A test of the insulating powers of different materials._

_Apparatus:_

One or more boxes and fittings, described on pages 9 to 11.

One or more pails of the same size, shape and material, preferably of
from two to four quarts’ capacity, with close fitting covers.

Cooking thermometer
Wool
Mineral wool
Cotton batting or waste
Excelsior
Hay
Sawdust
Newspapers
Ground cork
Southern moss
Pencil
Notebook

Pack the box successively with as many of the different packing
materials given above as are to be tested, following the directions
given on page 15; or have several exactly similar boxes packed at the
same time. For all tests fill the cooker-pail with water, bring it to
the boiling point, let it boil one minute, to permit all parts of the
utensil and its contents to reach the same temperature; then put it at
once into the cooker-box and leave it for an equal length of time, not
less than one hour. Record the temperature of the contents of the pail
at the expiration of this period. In order to get a full record and a
fair comparison it would be well to repeat this experiment with varying
periods of time, taking the temperature, for instance, at the end of
one, three, six, nine, and twelve hours. In taking temperatures do not
wholly remove the cushion and cover of the pail, but slip them to one
side, enough to insert the thermometer. This is, of course, a crude
method of taking temperatures, but answers for purposes of comparison.
If it is desired to make more accurate records this can be done by
boring the cover of the box, the cushion and the pail cover, and
inserting a thermometer through corks which are used to close the bored
holes. The temperature can then be read while the apparatus is closed.
However, the first method, if carefully done, will give probably within
one degree of the correct temperature. Record the results in tabular
form.

Which material do you find gives the best insulation?

Winkelmann,[4] Duff,[5] and other writers on physics give tables of the
conductivity of felt, asbestos paper, paper, cotton, flannel, and other
materials; but as different figures are shown, from different sources,
for the same material, it is likely that the insulating power of any
material used for packing a cooker will depend as much or more upon the
way it is packed as upon the material used.

[4] “Handbuch der Physik.”

[5] “Textbook of Physics.”

_Experiment: Conductivity of different materials._

Take a piece of copper wire about six inches long in one hand, and a
piece of steel wire of the same length and thickness in the other. Put
one end of each piece in a flame, holding the wire by the extreme end.
Notice which first becomes too hot to hold at the end farthest from the
flame. This illustrates the different conductivity of the two materials,
steel and copper. There is not a great deal of difference in the
conductivity of different materials, but metals are relatively good
conductors, and air is a very poor conductor.

2. _Heat is carried from the pail partly by convection_, except where
solid insulating material, such as wood or indurated fibre, is used;
and that manner of packing which best entangles the air and prevents
air currents will, therefore, most increase the effectiveness of the
insulation.

_Experiment: Convection._

Into a glass flask of cold water drop a few crystals of potassium
permanganate, being careful not to agitate the flask. Apply a flame to
the bottom of the flask. As the water becomes heated its density is
reduced and it rises, forming convection currents which are coloured by
the permanganate and may be distinctly seen.

Convection currents may be formed in any liquid or gas; for instance,
air. By means of them heat will be carried from one part of the liquid
or gas to another. Thus air heated by contact with a kettle of food
will, if allowed to flow freely, carry the heat away from the food.

3. _Heat is also lost by radiation._ This takes place less rapidly from
a bright, highly polished surface, and for this reason “Thermos” and
similar bottles are encased in polished nickle. A cooker-pail with
polished outside surface retains heat better than one with a dull
finish. In those cookers made with a metal outside retainer, the
surface should not be painted or roughened or dulled by any means.

_Experiment: Radiation._

Take two empty tin cans of the same size and shape. Wash off the paper
labels. Keep one of them bright and shining, but move the other through
a candle flame until the entire outer surface is smoked. Into each pour
exactly the same quantity of water at the same temperature. Note
carefully the temperature and the time. At the end of any given period,
say one hour, again take the temperature of each. Which has lost the
most heat, that in the bright can or that in the dull can?

_4. The effect of different degrees or thicknesses of insulation._

_Materials:_

The same as those used in the experiment, section 1, with the addition
of boxes of various sizes, some smaller, some larger, than the one used
in the first experiment.

Pack the boxes with one or more of the various insulating materials used
in the first experiment, so as to allow varying thicknesses of
insulation around the cooker-pail. This should be the same or an exactly
similar pail in each case. Fill the pail for all tests with an equal
quantity of water, boil it for one minute, and leave it in the boxes for
an equal length of time. Record the temperature maintained in each test.
Keep the record in tabular form.

What thickness of insulation do you find gives the best result with the
materials used in your experiment? Is it necessary to assume that the
same thickness will be required with all insulating materials?

_5. The effect of the density of foods upon the temperature maintained._

_Materials:_

One cooker or hay-box
Starch
Water
Salt
Cooking thermometer
Scales
Litre or quart measure
Notebook and pencil

Bring one or more litres or quarts of water to a boil, boil it for one
minute, and put it into the cooker for one hour or more. Repeat the
test, using, successively, five grams of salt to each litre, or one
teaspoonful to each quart, and 5, 10, and 20 per cent. mixtures of
starch with water. Record the temperatures in tabular form, and compare
the results. What would you gather to be the effect of density upon the
temperatures maintained?

_6. The effect on temperature of filling the cooker-pails one-fourth,
one-half, three-quarters, and entirely full._

_Materials:_

Cooker or hay-box pail of eight quarts’ capacity
Pail of two quarts’ capacity
“Space adjuster”
Water
Thermometer
Notebook and pencil

Fill the large cooker-pail one-fourth full of water. Bring it to a boil
and put it into the cooker for a definite period of time, not less than
one hour. Record the resulting temperature. If desired to make the test
more comprehensive, leave the water in the cooker for six, nine, or
twelve hours, being careful to allow the cooker to become cold between
each test. Perform the same experiment with the same pail one-half full,
again when it is three-fourths full, and again when entirely full.
Record the results in tabular form and compare them. Repeat these tests
with a pail of two quarts’ capacity. What is the influence on
temperature of having pails partially, or completely, filled?

The explanation is that evaporation takes place in partially filled
pails.

_7. Chemistry of the action of food materials (salt, soda, acids, water,
etc.) upon cooking utensils made of tin, or aluminum, when used in a
cooker or hay-box._

The amount of tin dissolved by foods is indicated by the corrosion of
the utensil, which can often be seen by the naked eye to be altered in
appearance. The exact quantity of tin salts or other tin compounds which
may be formed can only be determined by careful chemical analysis. It
has been found that many canned goods supposed to be inert, such as
squash and pumpkin, have a marked effect upon tin. Crude tests with a
number of different foods can be made with tin, iron, aluminum, and
copper utensils, as in many cases there is evidence to the eye of action
upon the metals. It must be borne in mind, however, that such tests are
crude and not decisive of the fact of there being no action in case no
action is plainly visible. Only chemical analysis can prove this.

The action of foods upon tin cans bears a close relation to their action
upon the utensils when used in fireless cookery, since there is time
with the long cooking involved for similar reactions to take place in
the cooker.[6]

[6] See “Food Inspection and Analysis,” by Leach, published by John
Wiley Sons, New York, 1904, page 694.

Tin utensils rust badly after short use in a cooker, and thus affect the
flavour of food cooked in them. This is due to the action of acids and
water on the iron which forms the basis of sheet tin. When the thin
plating of tin is worn off, the iron is left exposed to the action of
water, etc.

Soda dissolves aluminum, and leaves a black surface on aluminum
utensils. This black substance is iron, which is present with the
aluminum in the utensils. To remove the black appearance, clean the
utensil with acid. Do not try to remove it by scouring, as this will not
do the work well, and is laborious and injurious to the pail.

=Detection of poisonous metals that may be dissolved from the cooker
utensils.=

_Experiment A. Tin._ In a tin cooker-pail boil such foods as apple
sauce, tomatoes, squash, or others that act on tin, and put them into a
cooker for twelve hours. Transfer them to an agate ware or porcelain
utensil, evaporate them over steam until they may be burned in a
porcelain dish until charred and brittle. Pulverize this charred mass,
and extract it with hydrochloric acid. Filter and wash it. Saturate the
filtrate with hydrogen sulphide gas; add a saturated solution of
potassium acetate to neutralize the hydrochloric acid present and assist
in the coagulation of sulphide of tin. Warm it slightly, filter and wash
out the stannic sulphide, dry it and weight it as stannic oxide, from
which the tin dissolved may be calculated.

_Experiment B. Aluminum._ To simplify the experiment a weak solution of
malic acid may be used (seven grams per litre being about the average
amount found in apples). Bring this to a boil in an aluminum cooker-pail
and put it into a cooker for twelve hours. Transfer it to a porcelain
vessel and add ammonia to precipitate the alumina. Filter and wash this,
dry and weigh the aluminum oxide. It is probable that a smaller quantity
of aluminum would be dissolved by foods of a mushy consistency than
would be found in this clear solution.

_8. The efficiency of home-made refrigerating boxes compared with other
means of keeping foods cold._

_Materials:_

One box fitted as for fireless cooking, with two or three covered
crocks of at least one-half gallon capacity, packed as directed on
page 37, with either sawdust, hay, straw, excelsior or paper. Sawdust
is specially recommended.

Thermometer
Ice
Notebook and pencil

Fill the central crock with a weighed quantity of ice. Fill one or both
of the other crocks with water at room temperature. Cover the crocks
and close the box. Record the temperature of the water at the end of
six, twelve, twenty-four, and forty-eight hours.

Make repeated observations of the temperatures found in ordinary
household refrigerators, cellars, cold storage rooms, and any other
places used for keeping foods cold. Compare these with the temperatures
obtained with a home-made refrigerating box. Is there any economy in
using these boxes?

=Bacteriology of Insulating Boxes=

_9. Temperatures which kill disease and putrefactive germs, or check
their growth._

It is taken for granted that the student of this subject will be more or
less familiar with the nature of bacteria and the elements of
bacteriology. It will be recalled that bacteria are a vegetable form of
life; that, like all plants, they have, under certain conditions, the
power of growth which is shown, largely, by their reproduction; and that
under other conditions they are killed. When their growth is merely
checked, they are in a dormant state, or perhaps form spores, in either
of which cases they are ready to develop as soon as their environment
permits. Temperature has much to do with the state of bacteria. If the
temperature and other conditions are such that they are in an active or
growing state, they will multiply with enormous rapidity. When in food
stuffs they effect certain changes by reason of the products which they
form as a result of their life processes, or of the alteration in the
food materials, owing to their abstraction of some chemical elements or
compounds used for their nutrition. When bacteria form unpleasant
smelling or tasting substances we speak of them as “putrefactive
bacteria.” Those which, if introduced into the bodies of humans or
animals, will cause diseases, are called “disease bacteria.” Foods are
liable to contain both kinds; and, therefore, it is, obviously, wise to
do all that is possible to kill them or prevent their growth.

Most forms occurring in foods grow best at from 80 degrees to 98 degrees
Fahrenheit. Few bacteria grow at above 100 degrees, and, if kept at 125
degrees, the weaker ones soon die. After subjection to a temperature of
150 degrees to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, for ten minutes, if water is
present, almost all kinds are killed unless they are in the spore state.
Prolonged boiling will often be resisted by spores. Dry heat is not as
effective in killing bacteria as moist, and a higher temperature must,
therefore, be reached to effect this end. Below 70 degrees Fahrenheit
the growth of bacteria is more and more retarded, but not entirely
checked until freezing point is reached. The popular idea that freezing
may be relied upon to destroy bacteria is not true.

The bearing of these facts upon the subject of bacteria in foods cooked
in insulating boxes is evident. Whether foods are cooked or kept cold,
care must be taken that such a temperature is reached that bacteria may
not grow.

In application of these principles we see that foods must be heated
sufficiently to kill bacteria before it will be safe to subject them to
the comparatively low temperature of the cooker for the long period
necessary. This is one reason why foods in large pieces, such as roasts
of meat, whole vegetables, and moulds containing a mass of food, must be
boiled for a considerable time before being put into the cooker. Heat
will not penetrate at once to the centre of such foods, and they would
be likely to ferment or putrefy unless boiled long enough to heat the
centre beyond the point where bacteria thrive. The fact that meats,
cereals, and other foods have been known to sour or ferment, even after
such boiling, if left in the cooker for a very long time, may be
explained by the fact that, though all growing bacteria were killed,
spores, which resisted the boiling, might have been present in the food,
and when it cooled to a point conducive to the germination of these
spores, and remained at this temperature for long, they might have
developed, become active, and produced the objectionable changes
characteristic of their kind.

In the case of foods to be kept in refrigerating boxes, a temperature
considerably below 70 degrees Fahrenheit must be maintained. 50 degrees
Fahrenheit, or lower, will be found an excellent preventive of germ
growth.

Mr. L. A. Rogers has written a clear and concise description of the
nature, growth, and conditions necessary to combat bacteria such as are
found in food, in his paper entitled “Bacteria in Milk,” published in
the Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1907, pages 180 to 196.

Other books which give information on this subject are “Bacteria,
Yeasts, and Molds in the Home,” by Conn, and “Household Bacteriology,”
by S. Maria Elliott.

Yeasts and moulds also may take part in the changes which spoil foods;
but the temperature conditions which control bacteria would be
practically the same for them.

_10. Cooking temperatures of different starches._

_Experiment: Cooking starch._

Pare and grate one or more potatoes. Wash the gratings by placing them
in a cheesecloth bag and immersing them in cold water. Squeeze and
press the contents of the bag until no more starch seems to pass through
the cloth. Let it settle, pour off the water; add clear water and let
the starch settle again. Pour off the second water. Take one
tablespoonful of the starch, mix it with one cupful of cold water. Heat
it slowly over a moderate fire, stirring it constantly, and recording
the temperature at which the mixture becomes noticeably clearer and
thickens.

Repeat this experiment with corn-starch; wheat starch, washed from wheat
flour, as is done with the grated potato; with starch washed from rye
flour; and, if desired, with rice, bean, pea, oat and tapioca starches,
also.

“Food and the Principles of Dietetics,” by Hutchison, gives, on page
378, a list of different starches and the temperatures at which they
gelatinize.

In a bulletin entitled “Digestibility of Starch of Different Sorts as
Affected by Cooking,” by Edna D. Day, Ph.D. (U. S. Dept, of Agriculture,
Office of Experiment Stations, Bulletin No. 202, page 40), we read that
starch takes up water at 60 degrees to 80 degrees Centigrade (140
degrees to 176 degrees Fahrenheit) and forms a sticky, colloidal
substance known as starch paste, in which form it is very easily
digested. Long boiling, at least to the extent of three hours, does not
make it more quickly digestible.

There is something to be considered besides the mere starch in cooking
starchy foods, and the fact that potato starch will form paste at 149
degrees while rice starch requires 176 degrees does not mean that less
cooking will be needed for potatoes than for rice. The woody fibre or
other constituents of foods, as well as their density and difference in
size, must be taken into account.

_11. Cooking temperatures of proteids._

=Egg Albumen=

In the bulletin entitled “Eggs and Their Uses as Food,” by C. F.
Langworthy, Ph.D., published as Farmers’ Bulletin, No. 128, by the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, the statement is made that “egg white begins
to coagulate at 134 degrees Fahrenheit. White fibres appear which become
more numerous until at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit the whole mass is
coagulated, the white almost opaque, yet it is tender and jelly-like. If
the temperature is raised to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and continued, the
coagulated albumen becomes much harder and eventually more or less tough
and horn-like; it also undergoes shrinkage. It has been found by
experiment that the yolk of egg coagulates firmly at a lower temperature
than the white.”

It also says that these changes in the albumen suggest the idea that it
is not advisable to cook eggs in boiling water in order to secure the
most desirable result.

_Experiment A:_ To show the changes that take place in egg white at
various temperatures.

_Materials:_

Test-tube and holder
Beaker or saucepan of water
Thermometer
Egg white

Put the white of egg into the test-tube. Insert the thermometer. Hold
the test-tube in the pan of cold water to the depth of the egg white.
Gradually heat the water and observe the temperature at which the first
change in the egg albumen takes place. Notice also the temperature of
the water at this point. Continue the experiment until the water in the
outer vessel has boiled ten or twenty minutes, noting the temperatures
at which the various changes occur.

_Experiment B:_ To show the temperatures obtained in the proper cooking
of eggs.

_Materials:_

Fireless cooker
Eggs
Water
Thermometer

Cook eggs as directed for soft-cooked eggs on page 190, observing the
temperature of the water after the eggs are added to it, and when they
are removed from the cooker; also the condition, flavour, etc., of the
eggs.

=Cereal Proteids=

Professor Harcourt, in his bulletin, “Breakfast Foods,” published by the
Ontario Department of Agriculture, pp. 20 and 29, says that long cooking
of cereals renders the protein more digestible. The cooking which he
describes was carried on in a double boiler, and, therefore, below
boiling temperature, and in this respect is similar to fireless cookery.
He says that while short cooking, which was done at boiling temperature,
seemed to make cereal proteids less digestible, the long cooking at
below boiling temperature, which followed, somewhat changed them and
made them more digestible.

While little study appears to have been made of the digestibility of
cereal proteids when cooked for a long time at a low temperature, it is
probably fair, in the absence of further definite information, to assume
that, like animal proteids, it is better to cook them at a low
temperature such as that of the fireless cooker, than at the temperature
of boiling water or higher.

=Meat Proteids=

In the bulletin entitled “A Precise Method of Roasting Meat,” by
Elizabeth A. Sprague and H. S. Grindley, published by the University of
Illinois, a study is made of the temperatures at which the changes take
place from raw meat to “rare”; from “rare” to “medium rare,” and from
this to “well done” meat. The authors found that if the centre of the
meat is between 130 degrees and 148 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees and
65 degrees Centigrade), it is rare; if it is between 148 degrees and 158
degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees and 70 degrees Centigrade), it is medium
rare; and if it is between 158 degrees and 176 degrees Fahrenheit (70
degrees and 80 degrees Centigrade), it is well done. They found no
advantage in cooking meat in a very hot oven (385 degrees Fahrenheit, or
195 degrees Centigrade), but rather a difficulty to keep it from
burning; that in an oven which was about 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175
degrees Centigrade), the meat cooked better; and that in an Aladdin oven
which kept the meat at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees
Centigrade), it cooked best of all; that is, it was of more uniform
character all through, more juicy, and more high flavoured. This seems
to point to an advantage in fireless cookery for meats, and practical
experience bears it out.

The initial heat of the insulated oven serves to sear and brown the
meat, and when this heat is reduced by the cooling of the stones, the
low temperature found to be best for completing the roasting is
obtained. With regard to meats cooked in water in the cooker, experience
has shown that they become well done and are more tender than when
boiled, showing that the temperatures necessary to reach that degree of
cooking are obtained even in the centre of a large piece of meat,
without toughening or hardening the outside of the meat, as is done when
more intense heat is applied.

The hardening effect of long cooking at a high temperature on meat
proteids can be demonstrated by broiling a tender piece of steak until
it is rare, cutting off a small piece, continuing the broiling for a few
minutes, cutting off another piece and comparing these pieces with the
remainder, which should be broiled until very well done.

ADDITIONAL RECIPES

CLASSIFIED INDEX OF RECIPES

AND TIME TABLE FOR THE FIRELESS COOKER

CEREALS

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
5 Rolled Oats 2-12 54, 204
5 Corn-Meal Mush 5-10 or more 54, 204
10 Hominy Grits 10 or more 55, 205
60 Samp 6-12 150, 205
10 Cracked Wheat 20 55, 205
10 Steel-cut Oats 20 56, 206
5 Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food 2-12 56, 206
Boil Cream of Wheat 1-12 56, 206
Boil Wheatlet 1-12 56, 206
Boil Farina 1-12 56, 206
Boil Rice 1-2 149, 206

SOUPS

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
10 White Stock 9-12 62, 207
2 To Clear Stock ¹⁄₂ or more 59
10 Brown Stock, No. 1 9-12 60, 207
10 Brown Stock, No. 2 9-12 61
10 Bouillon 9-12 62
Warm Beef Broth ¹⁄₂ 63
Boil Mutton Broth 9-12 63, 207
10 Consommé 9-12 64
20 and 5 Mock-Turtle Soup No. 1 9-12 65
10 Mock-Turtle Soup No. 2 9 or more 66, 208
1 Vegetable Soup with Stock 3 or more 67, 209
Boil Cream of Celery Soup 3 or more 68, 208
Boil Asparagus Soup 2¹⁄₂ or more 68, 209
Boil Tomato Soup with Stock 1 or more 69, 210
Boil Creole Soup 1 or more 69, 208
Boil Ox Tail Soup 2 or more 70, 209
Boil Julienne Soup 2 or more 70, 210
Boil Macaroni Soup 2 70, 209
2 Vegetable Soup 3 or more 71, 210
Boil Bean Soup 9-12 72, 210
Boil Black Bean Soup 8-12 72, 211
Boil Tomato Soup 1 or more 73, 211
Boil Purée of Lima Beans 4 or more 73
Boil Baked Bean Soup 3 or more 74, 212
Boil Pea Soup 2 or more 74, 212
10 Split-Pea Soup 5 77, 212
Boil Potato Soup 1¹⁄₂ or more 75, 211
Boil Fish Chowder 1 and ¹⁄₂ 75, 213
Boil Clam Chowder 1-2 76
Boil Connecticut Chowder 1 and ¹⁄₂ 76, 213
Boil Oyster Stew ¹⁄₂ or more 77
Boil Clam Stew ¹⁄₂ or more 77

FISH

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
Boil Boiled Fish 1 83
Boil Creamed Salt Codfish No. 1 1¹⁄₂ or more 84
Boil Creamed Salt Codfish No. 2 1¹⁄₂ or more 84, 213
Boil Codfish Balls 1¹⁄₂ 85, 213
Boil Salt Fish Soufflé 1¹⁄₂ 86
15 Salmon Loaf 1-2 86
10 Casserole of Fish ³⁄₄-2 87
Boil Cape Cod Turkey 1¹⁄₂-3 87
Boil Creamed Oysters ¹⁄₂ or more 88
5 Lobster 3 83
5 Crabs 1-3 83

VEGETABLES

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
Boil Asparagus ¹⁄₂ 136
Boil Cabbage, Summer 1¹⁄₂-12 137
Boil Cabbage, Winter 3 or 4-12 137
Boil Cauliflower 1¹⁄₄-3 137
Boil Carrots 1-3 or more 138
Boil Corn ³⁄₄-2 139
5 Beets, new 5-6 or more 139
5 Beets, old 6 or more 139
Boil Fresh Shelled Beans 2¹⁄₂ or more 139
Boil String Beans 6-12 140
Boil Lima Beans 1¹⁄₂ or more 140
Boil Dried Lima Beans 3 or more 140
Boil Dried Navy Beans 8 or more 141
Boil Chard 3 or more 141
Boil Spinach 2 or more 142
Boil Beet Greens 2¹⁄₂ or more 142
Boil Stewed Celery 2-4 142
Boil Macaroni, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 143
Boil Macaroni and Cheese, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 236
Boil Macaroni and Ham, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 235
Boil Macaroni Italienne, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 143
Boil Macaroni Milanaise, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 144
Boil Spaghetti, soaked 1¹⁄₂, or 2 if not soaked 144
Boil Noodles 2 78, 145
Boil Creamed Mushrooms 2-6 145
Boil Fricasseed Mushrooms 2-6 145
Boil Onions 2-8 146
1 Potatoes 1¹⁄₂-3 146
Boil Creamy Potatoes 1-3¹⁄₂ 147, 216
Boil Stewed Potatoes 1-3 147
Boil Peas 1-2 or more 148
Boil Old Peas 2-12 148
Boil Rice, No. 1 1 148
Boil Rice, No. 2 1 149, 206
Boil Savoury Rice 1 149
Boil Pilaf 1 149, 218
60 Samp 6 or more 150, 205
Boil Summer Squash 1-3 150
Boil Tomatoes 1 or more 151
10 Hubbard or Winter Squash 5-8 151
10 Pumpkin 5-8 152
10 Creamed Turnips 1¹⁄₂-3 or more 152
10 Mashed Turnips 1¹⁄₂-3 or more 153
Boil Chestnuts 2-4 153
Boil Brussels Sprouts 1-2 153

BEEF

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
30 Roast Beef 2 or more 229
30 Pot Roast 9 or more 94, 214
30 Beef à la Mode 9-12 95, 215
30-40 Corned Beef 10-12 96
10 Boiled Dinner 6 or more 96, 216
10 Beef Stew à la Mode 5 or more 97, 215
2 Stuffed Rolled Steak 5 or 6 98
5 Beef Stew with Dumplings 1¹⁄₄ 99
Boil Irish Stew 5 or more 100, 215
30 Cannelon of Beef 4 101, 216
5 Meat Pie 2 or more 101
5 Braised Beef Liver 10 or more 102
5 Beef Kidney 10 or more 103
5 Stuffed Heart 10 or more 104
20-30 Corned Tongue 10-12 105
20-30 Fresh Tongue 10 or more 105
30 Braised Beef 4 or more 93

MUTTON AND LAMB

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
20-30 Boiled Leg or Shoulder 6 or more 108
20-30 Braised Mutton 6 or more 108
5 Stew 4 or more 109
5 Chestnut Stew 4 or more 109
5 Syrian Stew 4 or more 110
5 Syrian Stuffed Cabbage 5-6 111
15 Casserole of Rice and Meat 1 to 3 112
5 Okra Stew 4 or more 111, 216
Boil Ragout of Boiled Mutton 1 or more 113

VEAL

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
Boil Breaded Cutlets 2-4 116
Boil Plain Cutlets 2-4 116
20 Veal Loaf 4 117, 217
2 Sweetbreads 2 118
10 Calf’s Heart 10 or more 118
10 Calf’s Liver 4 or more 118
Boil Veal Kidney 2 or more 119
20 Calf’s Head à la Terrapin 9 or more 119

PORK

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
20-30 Boiled Ham or Shoulder 7 or more 122
15 Fresh Pork with Sauerkraut 8-10 or more 123
15 Headcheese 10 and 1 or more 123
15 and 5 Scrapple 10 and 4 or more 124
15 Souse 10 and 1 or more 124
5 Pickled Pigs’ Feet 10 or more 125

POULTRY

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
10 Stewed Chicken 10 or more 131
10 Fricasseed Chicken 10 or more 131
10 Chicken Pie 10 or more 132
10 Curried Chicken 10 or more 132
10 Creamed Chicken 5-10 or more 132
30 in oven Braised Chicken 2¹⁄₂ or more 133
10 Jellied Chicken 10 and 6 or more 133
30 in oven Braised Duck 2¹⁄₂ or more 134
30 in oven Braised Goose 2¹⁄₂ or more 134
5 Potted Pigeons 5-6 134

STEAMED BREADS AND PUDDINGS

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
30 Boston Brown Bread 5-6 155, 218
15-30 Graham Pudding 5 156
30 Apple or Berry Pudding 3 156
30 Suet Pudding 5-6 157, 219
30-60 Rich Plum Pudding 5 158
30 Cranberry Pudding 5 159
30 Ginger Pudding 5 160
30 St. James Pudding 5 160
30 Harvard Pudding 5 161
20 Swiss Pudding 3 161
Boil Rice Pudding 3-4 or more 162, 219
10 Indian Pudding 12 162, 219
Boil Tapioca Custard 1¹⁄₂ and 1 163
Boil Rice Custard 1¹⁄₂ and 1 163
Boil Tapioca Fruit Pudding 1-2 164
Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding 1-2 164, 220
Warm Queen of Puddings 1-2 165
Steamed Cup Custard ¹⁄₂ 166
Boil Compote of Rice and Fruit 1-3 166

FRUITS

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
Boil Apple Sauce 1-3 or more 168, 220
Boil Stewed Apple in Syrup 3-12 168, 220
Boil Apple Jelly 4 or more 169
Boil Blackberry and Apple Jelly 3 or more 170
Boil Stewed Blackberries 2-3 170
Boil Currant Jelly 4 or more 171
Boil Cranberry Jelly 1 or 2 or more 171
Boil Cranberry Sauce 2¹⁄₂ or more 172
Boil Dried Fruits (soaked) 2-12 172
Boil Rhubarb 1-3 or more 173
Boil Stewed Figs 7 or more 173
Boil Sweet Pickled Peaches 1-2 or more 174
Boil Sweet Pickled Pears 1-2 or more 174
Boil Sweet Pickled Crab Apples 2-3 175
Boil Sweet Pickled Melon Rind 4-6 175
Boil Sweet Pickled Plums 1-2 176
10 Sweet Pickled Quinces 12 or more 176
Boil Orange Marmalade 30 or more 176
About 30 Candied Orange Peel 20 or more 177
Boil Canned Quinces 20 or more 178
Boil Preserved Quinces 20 or more 179
Boil Citron and Ginger Preserve 12 or more 179
5 or more Grape Jam 3 or more 180
Boil Grape Juice 5 or more 181
Boil Preserved Ginger Several days 181

MISCELLANEOUS

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
8 Hollandaise Sauce ¹⁄₂ 185
Boil Tomato Sauce 1 or more 185
Boil Fruit Sauce ¹⁄₂ or more 186
Warm Brandy Sauce 20 minutes 186
Warm Soft-Cooked Eggs 10 minutes 190
Boil Hard-Cooked Eggs 20 minutes 191
Boil Chocolate 5 min. to 5 hrs. 191
Boil Cocoa 5 min. to 5 hrs. 192
Boil Shells 8 or more 192
Boil Coffee 1-3 193
Boil Cereal Coffee 5-10 or more 193
Boil Farina Balls 2 or more 194

RECIPES FOR THE SICK

Boil on Stove In Cooker
_Minutes_ _Hours_ PAGE
Boil Flaxseed Lemonade 2-2¹⁄₂ 195
Boil Farina Gruel 1-1¹⁄₂ or more 195
Boil Imperial Granum 1 or more 196
Scald Cracker Gruel 1 or more 196
5 Oatmeal Gruel 8-10 196
Boil Barley Flour Gruel 1 or more 197
Boil Indian Gruel 10 or more 197
Boil Arrowroot Gruel 1 or more 197
Warm Pasteurized Milk 20-30 minutes 198
Boil Rice and Milk 1-3 199
Boil Peptonized Beef Broth 3 199
Boil Peptonized Milk 10-30 minutes 200

RECIPES FOR THE INSULATED OVEN

In the Oven
_Minutes_ PAGE
12 to 30 min. per pound Roast Beef 229
12 to 25 min. per pound Roast Mutton or Lamb 229
25 to 30 min. per pound Roast Veal 230
20 min. per pound Spareribs 230
Brown Gravy for Roasts 230
15 min. per pound Roast Chicken 230
15 to 20 min. per pound Roast Goose 231
Potato Stuffing 232
12 to 18 min. per pound Roast Leg of Venison 231
20 to 30 minutes Roast Wild Duck 232
20 to 25 min Grouse 232
15 to 20 minutes Roast Quail 233
15 to 20 minutes Roast Plover 233
5 or 6 hours Potted Fish 233
8 hours or more Pork and Beans 234
45 minutes Baked Potatoes 234
30 minutes Macaroni and Ham 235
30 minutes Macaroni and Cheese 236
30 minutes Scalloped Chicken and Mushrooms 236
30 to 45 minutes Scalloped Oysters 235
1 hour Scalloped Tomatoes 236
1¹⁄₂ hours Scalloped Apple 237
3 hours Rice Pudding 238
15 minutes Pastry 238
30 minutes Apple Pie 239
30 minutes Berry Pie 240
30 minutes Cherry or Plum Pie 240
1 hour Pumpkin Pie 240
Lemon Pie 241
30 to 45 minutes Baked Apples 241
1 hour Baked Spiced Apples 242
3 hours Baked Sweet Apples 243
3 hours Baked Pears 242
3 hours or more Baked Quinces 242
50 to 60 minutes Bread 243
20 minutes Rolls 244
15 to 20 minutes Baking-Powder Biscuits 244
40 minutes Cup Cake, loaf 245
15 to 20 minutes Cup Cake, layers 245
40 minutes Sour-Cream Cake 246
40 minutes Apple-Sauce Cake 246
50 to 60 minutes Sponge Cake 247
1¹⁄₄ hours Plum Cake 247
3 hours or more Rich Fruit Cake 248

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

Advantages of Fireless Cooker, 6 to 9.
Albumen, Temperature of Cooking, 272.
Aluminum, Detection of, 266.
Utensils, 14.
Appendix, 257 to 276.
Apple Jelly, 169.
or Berry Pudding Steamed, 156.
Pie, 239.
Sauce, 168, 220.
Cake, 246.
Water, 200.
Apples, Baked, 241.
Scalloped, 237.
Stewed, 168, 220.
Articles Required for Making Insulated Oven, 228.
Arrowroot Gruel, 197.
Asparagus, 136.
Soup, 68, 209.

Bacteriology of Insulating Boxes, 267.
Baked Apples, 241.
Spiced, 242.
Sweet, 243.
Bean Soup, 74.
Pears, 242.
Potatoes, 234.
Quinces, 242.
Baking Powder Biscuits, 244.
Balls, Codfish, 85, 213.
Egg. 79.
Farina, 194.
Forcemeat, 79.
Barley Flour Gruel, 197.
Water, 201.
Barrel Used for a Cooker, 10.
Beans, Dried Lima, 140.
Navy, 141.
Fresh Shelled, 139.
Lima, 140.
Purée of Lima, 73.
String, 140.
Bean Soup, 72, 210.
Soup, Black, 72, 211.
Soup, Baked, 74.
Beef, 89.
A la Mode, 95, 215.
Broth, 63.
Broth, Peptonized, 199.
Braised, 93.
Care of, 92.
Cannelon of, 101, 216.
Cooking, 92.
Corned, 96.
Cuts of, 91.
Diagram of Cuts, 90.
Kidney, 103.
Liver, Braised, 102.
Other Parts Used for Food, 91.
Roast, 229.
Stew à la Mode, 97, 215.
Stew with Dumplings, 99.
To Select, 89.
Uses of Different Cuts, 89.
Beet Greens, 142.
Beets, 139.
Berry Pie, 240.
Pudding, Steamed Apple or, 156.
Bind Soup, To, 59.
Biscuits, Baking Powder, 244.
Bisques, 58.
Blackberries, Stewed, 170.
Blackberry and Apple Jelly, 170.
Black Bean Soup, 74.
Blanch Nuts, To, 188.
Boiled Dinner, 96, 216.
Dressing, 190.
Fish, 83.
Bouillon, 57, 62.
Boston Brown Bread, 155, 218.
Box for Making Cookers, 9.
Braised Beef, 93.
Beef’s Liver, 102.
Chicken, 133.
Duck, 134.
Goose, 134.
Brandy Sauce, 186.
Bread, 243.
Boston Brown, 155, 218.
Breads and Puddings, Steamed, 154.
Breakfast Cereals, 52.
Breakfast Food, Pettijohn’s, 56, 206.
Broth, Beef, 63.
Peptonized, 199.
Mutton, 63, 207.
Broths, 57.
Brown Betty, 237.
Bread, Boston, 155, 218.
Gravy for Roasts, 230.
Sauce, 184, 214.
Stock, 57, 60, 207.
Brussels Sprouts, 153.
Buttered Crumbs, 187.

Cabbage, 137.
Stuffed, Syrian, 111.
Cake, Apple Sauce, 246.
Cup, 245.
Plum, 247.
Rich Fruit, 248.
Sour Cream, 246.
Sponge, 247.
Calf’s Head à la Terrapin, 119.
Heart, 118.
Liver, 118.
Candied Orange or Grape Fruit Peel, 177.
Canned Quinces, 178.
Cannelon of Beef, 101, 216.
Cans, to Sterilize, 189.
Cape Cod Turkey, 87.
Caper Sauce, 184.
Caramel, 51.
Carrots, 138.
Care of Poultry, 128.
Casserole of Fish, 87.
of Rice and Meat, 112.
Cauliflower, 137.
à la Hollandaise, 138.
au Gratin, 138.
Celery, Stewed, 142.
Soup, Cream of, 68, 208.
Cereal Coffee, 193.
Cereals, Breakfast, 52.
Chard, 141.
Cheese, Macaroni and, 236.
Cherry Pie, 240.
Chemistry of Utensils, 263.
Chestnuts, Italian, 153.
To Shell, 109.
Chestnut Stew, 109.
Chicken, Braised, 133.
Creamed, 132.
Curried, 132.
Fricasseed, 131.
Jellied, 133.
Pie, 132.
Roast, 230.
Stewed, 131.
To Cut Up, 129.
To Draw, 128.
To Truss, 130.
Chocolate, 191.
Bread Pudding, 164, 220.
Cup Cake, 245.
Chowder, Clam, 76.
Connecticut, 76, 213.
Fish, 75, 213.
Citron and Ginger Preserve, 179.
Sweet Pickle, 175.
Clam Chowder, 76.
or Oyster Stew, 77.
Cloth Lining for Cooker, 18.
Cocoa, 192.
Shells, 192.
Codfish Balls, 85, 213.
Creamed, Salt, No. 1, 84.
Creamed, Salt, No. 2, 84, 213.
Cold Foods, To Keep, 35.
Coffee, 193.
Cereal, 193.
Compote of Rice and Fruit, 166.
Connecticut Chowder, 76, 213.
Conductivity, 259.
Consommé, 57, 64.
Convection, 259.
Cooking Temperatures, 6.
of Starches, 6, 270.
of Proteids, 272.
Cereal, 274.
Egg, 272.
Meat, 274.
Cooking for Two, 40.
Corn, 139.
Corned Beef, 96.
Tongue, 105.
Corn Meal Mush, 54, 204.
Covers Fastened on Utensils, 33.
Crab Apple Sweet Pickle, 175.
Crabs, 298.
Cracker Gruel, 196.
Crackers, Crisp, 80.
Cracked Wheat, 55, 205.
Cranberry Jelly, 171.
Pudding, Steamed, 159.
Sauce, 172.
Creamed Chicken, 132.
Mushrooms, 145.
Salt Codfish, No. 1, 84.
Salt Codfish, No. 2, 84, 213.
Turnips, 152.
Cream of Celery Soup, 68, 208.
Wheat, 56, 206.
Creams, Frozen, to Keep, 35.
Cream Soups, 57.
Creamy Potatoes, 147, 216.
Creole Soups, 69, 208.
Crisp Crackers, 80.
Crocks for Refrigerating Box, 37.
Croustades, 193.
Croûtons, 80.
Crust for Meat Pie, 102.
Crumbs, Buttered, 188.
Cup Cake, 245.
Cup Custard, Steamed, 166.
Currant Jelly, 171.
Cushions for Fireless Cookers, 11.
Custard, Steamed Cup, 166.
Tapioca or Rice, 163.
Cutlets, Breaded Veal, 116.
Plain, Veal, 116.
Cylinder, 17.

Density of Foods, Experiment, 262.
Diagram of Cuts of Beef, 90.
Lamb or Mutton, 107.
Pork, 121.
To Cut up a Chicken, 129.
To Truss a Chicken, 131.
Digestibility of Fireless Cooking, 9.
Dinner, Boiled, 96, 216.
Directions for Making Fireless Cookers, 9.
Drawn Butter Sauce, 184.
Dressing, Boiled, 190.
Dried Fruits, 172.
Beans, Lima, 140.
Beans, Navy, 141.
Duck, Braised, 134.
Roast, Wild, 232.
Dumplings for Stew, 99.

Egg Balls, 79.
Sauce, 184.
Eggs, Hard-Cooked, 191.
Soft-Cooked, No. 1, 190.
Soft-Cooked, No. 2, 190.
Excelsior, 5.
Experiment on Bacteriology of Fireless Cookers, 267-270.
Chemistry of Utensils, 263.
Conductivity, 259.
Convection, 259.
Cooking Temperatures, 270.
Proteids, 272.
Cereal, 274.
Egg, 272.
Meat, 274.
Starches, 270.
Density of Foods, 262.
Detection of Poisonous Metals, Tin, 265.
Aluminum, 266.
Effect of Evaporation on Temperature, 263.
Efficiency of Refrigerating Boxes, 266.
Insulation, 257, 261.
Radiation, 260.

Farina, 56, 206.
Balls, 194.
Gruel, 195.
Fastening Covers on Utensils, 33.
Figs, Stewed, 173.
Fireless Cooker, the, 3.
Advantages of, 6.
Army Use of, 202.
Barrel Used for, 10.
Box Used for, 9.
Directions for Making, 9.
For Large Quantities, 203.
Ice Box Used for, 10.
Possibilities of, 3, 4.
Practical Suggestions for Using, 25.
Principle of, 5.
Trunk Used for, 10.
Fish, 81.
Balls, Codfish, 85, 213.
Boiled, 83.
Care of, 81.
Casserole of, 87.
Chowder, 75, 213.
Cooking of, 82.
Salt Cod, Creamed, No. 1, 84.
Creamed, No. 2, 84, 213.
Sauce for, 185.
Seasons, etc.
Fresh Water, 82.
Salt Water, 83.
Soufflé, Salt, 86.
To Clean, 81.
To Skin, 82.
To Tell Fresh, 81.
Flavouring Materials, 49-51.
Flaxseed Lemonade, 195.
Forcemeat Balls, 79.
Fresh Shelled Beans, 139.
Fresh Tongue, 105.
Fricasseed Chicken, 131.
Mushrooms, 145.
Fruit Cake, Rich, 248.
Sauce, 186.
Fruits, 168.
Dried, 172.

Garnishes, Soup, 78.
Ginger, Preserved, 181.
Pudding, 160.
Goose, Braised, 134.
Roast, 231.
Graham Pudding, 156.
Grape Fruit Peel, Candied, 177.
Jam, 180.
Juice, 181.
Gravy for Roasts, Brown, 230.
Green Pea Soup, 74, 212.
Greens, Beet, 142.
Grits, Hominy, 55, 205.
Grouse, 232.
Gruel, Arrowroot, 197.
Barley Flour, 197.
Cracker, 196.
Farina, 195.
Indian Meal, 197.
Oatmeal, 196.

Ham or Shoulder, Boiled, 122.
Hard-Cooked Eggs, 191.
Hard Sauce, 185.
Harvard Pudding, 161.
Hasp, 11.
Hay, 6.
Hay-Box, 3.
Head-Cheese, 123.
Heart, Beef’s Stuffed, 104.
Calf’s, 118.
Hinges, 11.
Hollandaise Sauce, 185.
Hominy Grits, 55, 205.
Hubbard Squash, 151.

Ice Cream, to Keep, 35.
Imperial Granum, 196.
Indian Gruel, 197.
Pudding, 162, 219.
Insulate an Oven, To, 222.
Insulated Oven, The, 221.
Insulation, Experiments,
Effect of Different Thicknesses, 261.
Test of Materials for, 257.
Irish Stew, 100, 215.

Jam, Grape, 180.
Jars, to Sterilize, 189.
Jellied Chicken, 133.
Jelly, Apple, 169.
Blackberry and Apple, 170.
Cranberry, 171.
Currant, 171.
Juice, Grape, 181.
Julienne Soup, 70, 210.

Kidney, Beef, 103.
Veal, 119.

Lamb and Mutton, 106.
Cuts of, 106.
Diagram of Cuts, 107.
Roast, 229.
Table of Cuts and Uses, 107.
Other Parts Used for Food, 107.
Leg of Mutton, Boiled, 108.
Braised, 108.
Lemonade, Flaxseed, 195.
Lemon Pie, 241.
Lima Beans, 140.
Dried, 140.
Purée of, 73, 212.
Liver, Braised Beef’s, 102.
Calf’s, 118.
Loaf, Salmon, 86.
Veal, 117, 217.
Lobster, 298.

Macaroni, 143.
and Cheese, 236.
and Ham, 235.
Italienne, 143, 217.
Milanaise, 144.
Soup, 70, 209.
Marmalade, Orange, 176.
Mashed Turnip, 153.
Materials for Packing Cookers, 11, 257.
for Utensils, 14.
Needed for Home-made Cookers, 25.
Measures, Table of Weights and, 45.
Measuring, 43.
Meat Pie, 101.
Crust for, 102.
Menus, 250-255.
Method of Packing a Hay-Box, 15.
Using the Oven, 224.
Milk, Pasteurized, 198.
Peptonized, 200.
Rice and, 199.
Mineral Wool, 5, 11, 21.
Mock Turtle Soup, No. 1, 65.
No. 2, 66, 208.
Mush, Corn Meal, 54, 204.
Mushrooms, Creamed, 145.
Fricasseed, 145.
Scalloped Chicken and, 236.
Mutton, Cuts, 106.
Diagram of Cuts, 107.
Lamb and, 106.
Leg of, Boiled, 108.
Braised, 108.
Ragout of Cold, 113.
Roast, 229.
Stew, 109.
Table of Uses of Cuts, 107.
Other parts Used, 107.

Navy Beans, Dried, 141.
Noodles, 78, 145.
Nutmeg Sauce, 187.
Nuts, Salted, 188.
To Blanch, 188.

Oatmeal Gruel, 196.
Steel Cut, 56, 206.
Oats, Rolled, 54, 204.
Okra Stew, 111, 216.
Onions, 146.
Orange Marmalade, 176.
Orange or Grape Fruit Peel, Candied, 177.
Oven, Articles Required for Making, 228.
Method of Using, 224.
The Insulated, 221.
To Insulate, 222.
Ox-Tail Soup, 70, 209.
Oysters, Creamed, 88.
Scalloped, 235.
Stew, 77.

Packing Materials, 5, 11.
Pail, Portable Insulating, 32.
Pails, 13.
Paper Insulation, 5, 11.
Lining for Cooker, 19.
Test for Oven, 225.
Pasteurized Milk, 198.
Pastry for Two Crusts, 238.
Peaches, Sweet Pickled, 174.
Pears, Baked, 242.
Sweet Pickled, 174.
Peas, 148.
Pea Soup, Green, 74, 212.
Split, 77, 212.
Peptonized, Beef Broth, 199.
Milk, 200.
Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food, 56, 206.
Pickled Pig’s Feet, 125.
Pickles, Sweet, 174.
Pie, Apple, 239.
Berry, 240.
Pie, Cherry or Plum, 240.
Chicken, 132.
Lemon, 241.
Meat, 101.
Pumpkin, 240.
Pigeons, Potted, 134.
Pilaf, Turkish, 149, 218.
Plover, Roast, 233.
Plum Cake, 247.
Pie, 240.
Pudding, Rich, 158.
Plums, Sweet Pickled, 176.
Poisonous Metals, Experiment, 265.
Pork, 120.
and Beans, 149, 218, 234.
Diagram of Cuts, 121.
Fresh, with Sauerkraut, 123.
To Select, 122.
Uses of Cuts, 121.
Portable Insulating Pail, 32.
Potatoes, Baked, 234.
Boiled, 146.
Creamy, 147, 216.
Soup, 75, 211.
Stewed, 147.
Stuffing, 232.
Pot Roast, 94, 214.
Potted Fish, 233.
Pigeons, 134.
Poultry, 126.
Care of, 128.
Stuffing for, 131.
To Cut up, 129.
To Draw, 129.
To Truss, 130.
Practical Suggestions for Using the Cooker, 25.
Preserved Citron and Ginger, 179.
Quinces, 179.
Proportions, Table of, 47.
Prunes, Sweet Pickled, 175.
Pudding, Chocolate Bread, 164.
Cranberry, Steamed, 159.
Ginger, 160.
Graham, 156.
Harvard, 161.
Indian, 162, 219.
Pan, 13.
Puddings, Queen of, 165.
Rice, 162, 219, 238.
Rich Plum, 158.
Steamed Apple or Berry, 156.
St. James, 160.
Suet, 157, 219.
Swiss, 161.
Tapioca Fruit, 164.
Puddings, Steamed Breads and, 154.
Pumpkin, 152.
Pie, 240.
Purées, 58.

Quail, Roast, 233.
Quantity of Food Cooked, 26.
Queen of Puddings, 165.
Quinces, Baked, 242.
Canned, 178.
Preserved, 179.
Sweet Pickled, 176.

Radiation, Experiment, 260.
Ragout of Cold Mutton, 113.
Ready-made Cookers, 23.
To Select, 24.
Recipes for Large Quantities, 202.
For the Sick, 195.
Refrigerating Box, 36.
Efficiency, Experiment, 261.
Made with Bread Box, 39.
Crocks, 37.
Pail, 39.
Rice, No. 1, 148.
No. 2, 149, 206.
and Milk, 199.
Custard, Tapioca or, 163.
Pudding, 162, 219, 238.
Savoury, 149.
Rich Plum Pudding, 158.
Rhubarb, Stewed, 173.
Roast Beef, 229.
Chicken, 230.
Duck, Wild, 232.
Goose, 231.
Grouse, 232.
Mutton or Lamb, 229.
Plover, 233.
Quail, 233.
Veal, 230.
Venison, Leg of, 231.
Wild Duck, 232.
Rolled Oats, 54, 204.
Steak, Stuffed, 98.
Rolls, 244.

Salmon Loaf, 86.
Salt Fish Soufflé, 86.
Salted Nuts, 188.
Samp, 150, 205.
Sauce, Brown, 184, 214.
Brandy, 186.
Caper, 184.
Drawn Butter, 184.
Egg, 184.
for Fish, 185.
for Vegetables, 183.
Fruit, 186.
Hard, 185.
Hollandaise, 185.
Nutmeg, 187.
Tomato, 185.
Vanilla, 187.
White, 183.
Savoury Rice, 149.
Sawdust, 5, 22, 37.
Sauerkraut, 123.
Scalloped Apple, 237.
Chicken and Mushrooms, 236.
Oysters, 235.
Tomatoes, 236.
Scrapple, 124.
Sealing Wax for Bottles, 181.
Seasoning Materials, 49-51.
Sick, Recipes for the, 195.
Shell, Italian Chestnuts, to, 189.
Shelled Beans, Fresh, 139.
Shells Cocoa, 192.
Shoulder of Pork, Boiled, 122.
Slate for Recording Time, 30.
Soft-Cooked Eggs, No. 1, 190.
No. 2, 190.
Soufflé, Salt Fish, 86.
Soup, Asparagus, 68, 209.
Baked Bean, 74, 212.
Bean, 72, 210.
Black Bean, 72, 211.
Cream of Celery, 68, 208.
Creole, 69, 208.
Garnishes, 78-80.
Green Pea, 74, 212.
Julienne, 70, 210.
Macaroni, 70, 209.
Making, 58.
Mock Turtle, No. 1, 65.
No. 2, 66, 208.
Ox-Tail, 70, 209.
Potato, 75, 211.
Split Pea, 77, 212.
Sticks, 80.
Stock, Brown, 57.
Brown, No. 1, 60, 207.
No. 2, 61.
To Clear, 59.
To Make, 58.
To Remove Fat from, 59.
White, 57.
No. 1, 61.
No. 2, 62, 207.
Tomato, with Stock, 69, 210.
without Stock, 73, 211.
Vegetable, with Stock, 67, 209.
without Stock, 71, 210.
Cream, 57.
To Bind, 58.
Sour Cream Cake, 246.
Souse, 124.
Space Adjuster, 22.
Spaghetti, 144.
Spare Ribs, 230.
Spiced Apples, Baked, 242.
Spinach, 142.
Split-Pea Soup, 77, 212.
Sponge Cake, 247.
Squash, Hubbard, or Winter, 151.
Summer, 150.
Starch, Cooking Temperature, 6, 270.
Steak, Stuffed, Rolled, 98.
Steamed Breads and Puddings, 41, 154.
General Directions, 154.
Steamed Apple or Berry Pudding, 156.
Cranberry Pudding, 159.
Cup Custard, 166.
Steel Cut Oatmeal, 50, 206.
Sterilize Jars or Cans, To, 189.
Stew, Beef, à la Mode, 97, 215.
Beef, with Dumplings, 99.
Chestnut, 109.
Irish, 100, 215.
Mutton, 109.
Okra, 111, 216.
Oyster or Clam, 77.
Syrian (Yakhni), 110.
Stewed Apples in Syrup, 168, 220.
Blackberries, 170.
Celery, 142.
Chicken, 131.
Cranberries, 172.
Figs, 173.
Potatoes, 147.
Rhubarb, 173.
Tomatoes, 151.
St. James Pudding, 160.
String Beans, 140.
Stuffed Cabbage, Syrian, 111.
Heart, 104.
Rolled Steak, 98.
Stuffing for Poultry, 131.
Potato, 232.
Suet Pudding, 157, 219.
Suggestions for Using a Fireless Cooker, 25.
Summer Squash, 150.
Sweet Apples, Baked, 243.
Sweetbreads, 118.
Creamed, 118.
Sweet Pickles, 174.
Crabapples, 175.
Peaches, 174.
Pears, 174.
Plums, 176.
Prunes, 175.
Quinces, 176.
Watermelon Rind, or Citron, 175.
Swiss Pudding, 161.
Syrian Stew (Yakhni), 110.
Syrian Stuffed Cabbage, 111.

Table of Cuts of Beef, 91.
Mutton and Lamb, 107.
Veal, 115.
Flavourings for Sweet Dishes, 50.
Materials for Home-made Cooker, 25.
Seasonings, 50.
Seasons of Fresh Water Fish, 82.
Salt Water Fish, 83.
Proportions, 47.
Weights and Measures, 45.
Tapioca or Rice Custard, 163.
Temperatures of Cooking Starches, 6, 270.
Proteids, 6, 272.
Cereal, 274.
Eggs, 272.
Terrapin, Calf’s Head à la, 119.
Time for Cooking in Cooker, 29, 41.
On Stove, 28.
Tin, Detection of, 265.
Thermos Bottle, 5, 260.
To Insulate an Oven, 222.
Tomatoes, Scalloped, 236.
Stewed, 151.
Tomato Sauce, 185.
Soup, with Stock, 69, 210.
Without Stock, 73, 211.
Tongue, Corned, 105.
Fresh, 105.
To Tie Cover on Utensil, 33.
To Truss a Chicken, 130.
Turkish Pilaf, 149, 218.
Turnips, Creamed, 152.
Mashed, 153.
Turtle Soup, Mock, No. 1, 65.
No. 2, 66, 208.

Using Insulated Oven, Method of, 224.
Utensils, Material for, 14.
Shape, 13.
Size, 14, 40.

Vacuum Insulation, 5.
Vanilla Sauce, 187.
Veal, 114.
Age, 114.
Cooking of, 115.
Cutlets, Breaded, 116.
Plain, 116.
Diagram of Cuts, 115.
Kidney, 119.
Loaf, 117, 217.
Roast, 230.
Season for, 114.
Table of Cuts, 115.
Other Parts used, 115.
Vegetables, 136.
Directions for Cooking, 136.
Sauce for, 183.
Vegetable Soup with Stock, 67, 209.
without Stock, 71, 210.
Venison, Roast Leg of, 231.

Water, Apple, 200.
Barley, 201.
Watermelon Rind Sweet Pickle, 175.
Wax for Sealing Bottles, 181.
Wheat, Cracked, 55, 205.
Cream of, 56, 206.
Wheatlet, 56, 206.
White Sauce, 183.
Stock, No. 1, 61.
No. 2, 62, 207.
Wild Duck, Roast, 232.
Winter Squash, 151.
Wool, 5, 11, 21.
Mineral, 5, 11, 21.

[Illustration]

THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS
GARDEN CITY, N. Y.

Transcriber’s Notes

The language of the original publication has been retained, including
inconsistent spelling and hyphenation, except as listed below.

Depending on the hard- and software used and their settings, not all
elements may display as intended.

Hyperlinks to recipes have not been provided where there was no clear,
unambiguous reference to a single recipe or group of recipes.

Page 101, butter or rendered fat beef: possibly an error for butter or
rendered beef fat.

Pages 277 through 296 were deliberately left blank in the source
document for the user’s own additional recipes.

Changes made:

Footnotes and illustrations have been moved out of text paragraphs.

Some obvious minor misprints and typographical errors have been
corrected silently.

Page 66: No. 2 added to second Mock Turtle Soup recipe

Page 259: Winkelman changed to Winkelmann

Page 270: commas inserted in Bacteria, Yeasts, and Molds in the Home
cf. original book title

Page 299: page number 148 inserted (entry Old Peas)

Page 304: column header Boil on Stove inserted cf. other recipes.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Fireless Cook Book - A Manual of the Construction and Use of Appliances for - Cooking by Retained Heat: with 250 Recipes" ***

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