KITCHEN ECONOMY
Potatoes: Select potatoes having the most perfect skin, free of “eyes” and heavy for size; may be bought by the sack, barrel or carload, or in real small quantities.
Cabbage: The firmest and heaviest heads are best; usually sold by weight.
Cauliflower: Select large, solid heads that are creamy white; wilted leaves and dark flower heads indicate staleness.
Squash: Hubbard and other varieties of fall or winter squash and pumpkins are selected by weight; those heavy for size are likely to be tender and of rich flavor.
Turnips: Medium-sized are generally sweetest, provided they are firm, heavy and free from green spots.
Carrots, Parsnips and Salsify: Are best when unwilted, solid, heavy and free from side roots.
Cucumbers: Select those of medium size that are dark green, straight, firm and not over-plump.
Spinach: Should be bright green in color, unwilted and crisp.
Celery: The dwarf type is much finer flavored than mammoth; either variety should be white, firm and crisp with unwilted leaves.
Lettuce: Head lettuce is considered superior to that known as “leaf-lettuce.” Firm, solid heads heavy for size are delicately flavored. The coarse outside leaves should be unwilted. Romaine, escarole and chicory belong to the same family and are tested the same as lettuce for freshness.
Egg Plant: Large, oval-shaped purple plants are best. They should be firm with brilliant skin.
Tomatoes: Smooth, firm, heavy tomatoes are least watery and best flavored. They are often bought when partly ripe and allowed to ripen.
Onions: Thin-skinned, solid onions are always best; mildest variety is the large Spanish onion.
Peas and Beans: Green peas and string beans should be young and freshly picked; pods of fresh peas are green and juicy, becoming yellow and withered when old. Fresh beans are crisp and snap when broken. The stringless beans now on the market save time in preparing them.
Berries: A dry surface indicates freshness in strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Apples, Peaches, Plums, Cherries and Grapes: Plumpness, brightness of skin and freedom from spots of decay are reliable indications of freshness.
Grapefruit, Oranges and Lemons: Are heavy for size.
Melons: Cantaloupes usually have a nice odor when they are fresh and good flavored. Press end of melon with finger and if it gives slightly, the melon is ripe, if hard, it is too green to cut.
Honey Dew: Test same as Cantaloupes.
Watermelon: The best variety are heavy for size.
Fruits and Vegetables are best when “cheapest” because the lowest prices are quoted when they are in season. They should be preserved when in season.
Mutton: The best mutton has abundant, white, clear and solid fat; leg bones are white; the scored skin on the forequarters red; the lean meat juicy, firmy and of a dark red color.
Lamb: Choose lamb that has hard, white fat on the back and about the kidneys, with pinkish-hued bones.
Pork: The lean of the best pork is a delicate pinkish red, juicy, firm and fine grained; the fat is white and the skin thin and pearly; when the skin is thick it indicates that the hog was old.
Ham: Medium-sized hams weighing from 8 to 12 lbs. are usually best. They should be plump and round, with short tapering shanks and small bones. The fat should be white and firm, the skin thin and unwrinkled.
Turkey: A moderate size turkey is more apt to be young than a larger one. Select 12 to 16-lb. birds that have no superfluous fat. A hen is preferable to a gobbler, being more plump and delicate in flavor. The legs of turkey should be black and smooth; the breastbone soft and pliable. If legs are rough, the breastbone hard, and the skin tough, the turkey was old. When turkeys or other fowls are fresh, the eyes are bright and full, the feet and legs smooth and limber.
Goose: The breast of goose should be plump and white, the feet yellow and flexible. If the windpipe is soft, the goose was young.
Capons: They retain the tenderness of young chickens while having the size and flavor of mature fowls. Select 7 to 8-lb. size.
Chicken: Press with the finger on the breastbone at the point nearest the tail. If the bone is soft and pliable, the chicken was young. Some butchers break this bone to deceive buyers. Poultry that is dark or slimy is stale and unfit for food. Poultry packed in ice will soak up from 3 to 14% water so insist on dry-packed birds when buying cold-storage poultry. In fresh killed poultry, the liver is firm and solid to the touch, while in thawed-out, cold-storage poultry, the liver is limp and soft to the touch.
Eggs: Fresh eggs look clear and semi-transparent in a strong light. To test, drop into a bucket or pan of water; those that are perfectly fresh will sink to the bottom and rest on the side; those that are stale will stand obliquely in the water, while those that are actually bad will take an upright position and float.
Fish: Choose those only with firm flesh, stiff fins, lively red gills, and full clear eyes.
Test for Butter: The “spoon” test is good for distinguishing fresh butter from renovated butter or oleomargarine: A small sample is melted in a spoon held over a slow fire; if it is fresh butter, it will boil quietly, with many small bubbles; oleomargarine and process butter will sputter and crackle.
Test for Extracts: Vanilla is sometimes adulterated with tonka bean extract. This can be detected by its odor, which is penetrating, almost pungent, in contrast to pure vanilla extract. Extracts made from artificial vanilla can be detected by evaporating about 1 oz. of vanilla to about ¼ its volume by placing it in a dish over boiling water. If pure, the resins become insoluble and settle to the bottom of the dish. Artificial extracts remain clear. Artificial extracts made by dissolving artificial vanilla in alcohol lack color which is supplied by adding caramel. To detect this, shake a sample of the extract. If pure the foam is colorless.
Lemon Extract: Place 1 tsp of extract in a glass tumbler and add 2 or 3 tsp water. If pure, the lemon oil will separate and rise to top after a short time, as lemon oil is insoluble in alcohol to which water is added.
Baking Powder Test: Add 1 tsp baking powder to 1 c hot water. Bubbles of gas will rise as the action of the baking powder takes place. The greater the bubbling the stronger the baking powder. Never allow baking powder to be exposed to the air.
Baking Powder made in quantity: Sift together 7 times or more, 5⅝ lb. cream of tartar, 2½ lb. soda, and 1¼ lb cornstarch.