Public School Domestic Science

Time-table for Cooking.

Table of Proportions.

• 1 qt. of liquid to 3 qts. of flour for bread.
• 1 qt. of liquid to 2 qts. of flour for muffins.
• 1 qt. of liquid to 1 qt. of flour for batters.
• 1 cup of yeast (1 yeast cake) to 1 qt. of liquid.
• 1 tsp. of soda (level), 3 of cream tartar to 1 qt. of flour.
• 1 tsp. of soda to 1 pt. of sour milk.
• 1 tsp. of soda to 1 cup of molasses.
• 4 tsps. of baking powder to 1 qt. of flour.
• 1 tsp. of salt to 1 qt. of soup stock.
• 1 ssp. of salt to 1 loaf of cake.
• 1 tbsp. of each vegetable, chopped, to 1 qt. of stock.
• 1-1/2 tbsp. of flour to 1 qt. of stock for thickening soup.
• 1 tbsp. of flour to 1 pt. of stock for sauces.
• 1 tsp. of salt to 1 pt. of stock for sauces.
• 4 tbsps. (level) cornstarch to 1 pt. of milk (to mould).
• 1 tsp. of salt to 2 qts. of flour for biscuits, etc.

Methods for Flour Mixtures.

Stirring is simply blending two or more materials by moving the spoon round and round until smooth and of the proper consistency.

Beating is bringing the spoon up through the mixture with a quick movement so as to entangle as much air as possible.

Cutting or folding is adding the beaten white of egg to a mixture without breaking the air bubbles, by lifting and turning the mixture over and over as in folding. Do not stir or beat.

RECIPES.

BATTERS, BISCUITS AND BREAD.

• 1 pint of Indian meal.
• 1 cup of flour.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 3 eggs.
• 4 (l.) tsps. baking powder.
• 1 pint of milk.

Put the meal into a bowl, and pour over it just enough boiling water to scald it; do not make it soft; let stand until cool. Then add the milk; beat the eggs until very light, add them to the batter, add the flour and salt in which the baking powder has been sifted. Mix well, beat vigorously for a minute or two, and bake on a hot griddle.

• 1 pt. of milk.
• 1/2 tsp. of salt.
• 1/2 tsp. of soda and 1 tsp. cream tartar.
• 3 (l.) tsps. baking powder.
• 1/2 pt. stale bread crumbs.
• 2 eggs.
• Flour to make a thin batter.

Soak the bread in the milk for one hour, then beat it smooth. Beat the eggs separately till very light, add first the yolks, then the flour and salt and baking powder. Beat again, add the whites, and bake quickly on a hot griddle.

• 1 pt. boiling water.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1/2 cup white flour.
• 1 ssp. soda.
• 1/2 cup corn or Graham meal.
• 1/4 yeast cake.
• 1 cup buckwheat flour.

Pour the boiling water on the corn or Graham meal, add the salt, and when lukewarm add the flour, beat until smooth, then add the yeast. Let it rise over night. In the morning add the soda just before baking (milk may be used instead of water). A tablespoonful of molasses is sometimes added in order to make the cakes a darker brown.

Beat two eggs together until light, add to them 1 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp. salt and sufficient flour to make a batter that will drop from the spoon. Beat until smooth. Have ready a deep pan of hot fat; add 3 (l.) tsps. of baking powder to the batter, mix thoroughly and drop by spoonfuls into the hot fat. When brown on one side turn and brown on the other; take out with a skimmer and serve very hot. Do not pierce with a fork as it allows the steam to escape and makes the fritter heavy.

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tbsp. sugar.
• 2 eggs, beaten separately.
• 1 cup milk.
• 1 cup water.

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Beat the eggs until light, add the milk and water, stir this into the dry mixture. Bake in hot gem pans for 30 minutes.

• 1 cup cornmeal.
• 1 cup flour.
• 1-1/4 cups milk.
• 2 tbsps. butter.
• 2 tbsps. sugar.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 2-1/2 tsps. baking powder.
• 1 egg.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the butter in a hot cup. Beat the egg till light. Add the milk to it and turn this mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and beat vigorously and quickly. Pour into buttered muffin or gem pans, and bake for one-half hour in a moderate oven.

• 1 pt. of milk.
• 1 oz. butter.
• 3 cups of flour.
• 4 tsps. baking powder.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 3 eggs.

Beat the eggs separately till light, add the yolks to the milk, then the flour, which must be more or less, according to the quality. The batter must be thin and pour from the spoon. Now add the melted butter and salt; give the whole a vigorous beating. Now add the baking powder and the well beaten whites, stir till thoroughly mixed. Bake in muffin rings in a quick oven or on the griddle.

• 1 pt. of flour.
• 1 cup milk.
• 2-1/2 tsps. baking powder.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tbsp. lard or butter.
• 1/2 tsp. sugar.

Mix thoroughly in a sieve the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, and rub through the sieve. Rub the butter or lard into this mixture. Now add the milk, stirring quickly with a strong spoon. Sprinkle the board with flour, turn out the dough upon it. Roll to the thickness of about 1/2 inch, cut with a small cutter. Bake in a quick oven. Do not crowd the biscuit in the pan. They should bake from 10 to 15 minutes. (All biscuit doughs should be mixed as soft as it is possible to handle. Sour milk may be used in this recipe by substituting soda for the baking powder.)

• 1 qt. of cornmeal.
• 1 tsp. of salt.
• 1 pt. sour milk or buttermilk.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• 2 eggs.
• 1 tsp. of soda.

Put the cornmeal in a large bowl and pour over it just enough boiling water to scald it through. Let it stand until cold, then add the eggs well beaten, the milk or buttermilk, salt, and butter (melted); beat thoroughly. Dissolve the soda in two tbsps. of boiling water, stir into the mixture, turn quickly into a greased square, shallow pan, put into a hot oven and bake 40 minutes.

• 1 pint flour.
• 1 cup sweet or sour milk.
• 1/4 cup butter.
• 2-1/2 tsps. baking powder, or 1/2 tsp. soda and 1 tsp. cream tartar.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.

Mix the salt, soda, cream tartar or baking powder with the flour, sift; rub in the butter until fine like meal. Add the liquid gradually, mixing with a knife, and use just enough to make it of a light spongy consistency. Turn the dough out on a well floured board, pat lightly into a flat cake and roll gently till half inch thick. Bake either in a spider or pie plate in the oven; split, butter, and spread with the fruit.

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. melted butter.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tsp. cream tartar.
• Flour enough to make into a soft dough.
• 1/2 cup sugar.
• 1 cup milk.
• 1/2 tsp. soda.
• 1 ssp. cinnamon.

Mix all the dry ingredients, beat the egg until light, add to this the milk, sugar and melted butter. Pour into the flour, mixing carefully into a soft dough. Have the board well floured. Roll only a large spoonful at a time. Cut into the desired shape and drop into hot fat. The fat should be hot enough for the dough to rise to the top instantly.

BREAD.

Never allow bread to rise until it "settles," or runs over the side of the bowl. The usual rule is to let it rise until it is double in bulk, both in the bowl and after it is put into the pans. If it is not convenient to bake the bread when ready, it may be kneaded again and kept in a cool place, to prevent souring. Bread should be mixed in a stone or granite bowl.

The only necessary ingredients for bread are water, flour, salt, and yeast. Sugar may be added to restore the natural sweetness of the flour which has been lost during fermentation, but it is not necessary. If milk is used, and the bread well kneaded, no other shortening is required; but with water, the addition of a little butter or dripping makes the bread more tender, therefore it is more easily penetrated by the digestive fluids. Tough, leathery bread is not easily digested, no matter how light it may be. As already stated, by the action of heat the ferment is killed, the starch-grains ruptured, the gas carried off, and the crust formed. In order that bread may be thoroughly cooked, and plenty of crust formed, each loaf should be baked in a pan about 4 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches wide, and from 8 to 12 inches long. Smaller loaves are even more desirable. It is very difficult to bake a large loaf so as to insure the escape of all the carbonic acid gas, and to cook the starch sufficiently without injuring the crust, besides entailing an unnecessary waste of fuel. The custom of baking several loaves together in one large pan is contrary to all scientific rules of bread-making. The oven should be hot enough to brown a spoonful of flour in five minutes, for bread. The dough should rise during the first fifteen minutes, then begin to brown; keep the heat steady for the next fifteen or twenty minutes, then decrease it. If the oven is too hot a hard crust will form and prevent the dough from rising, which will not only cause the bread to be heavy, but will prevent the gas from escaping. If, on the other hand, the oven is not hot enough, the bread will go on rising until it becomes sour. A loaf, the size already mentioned, should take from fifty-five to sixty minutes to bake, and should give a hollow sound, if tapped, when removed from the oven. Better take too long than not long enough, as doughy bread is most objectionable and unwholesome. If the crust is beginning to burn, cover the loaf with brown paper, and reduce the heat, but have a brown crust, not a whity-brown, which is usually hard and without flavor. Upon removing the loaves from the pans, place them on a rack, where the air may circulate freely. Never leave warm bread on a pine table, or where it will absorb odors.

• 2 quarts flour.
• 1 tbsp. sugar.
• 1 pint lukewarm water.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 1 tbsp. butter, dripping or lard.
• 1/2 cake compressed yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup water.

Sift the flour. Put the salt, sugar and butter into a large bowl, pour on the warm water, stir until they are dissolved. Add the flour gradually until it forms a thin batter, then add the yeast; beat vigorously for at least five minutes. Add more flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Turn out on the board and knead for half hour. Cover and let rise until double its bulk. Form into separate loaves, put into the pans, cover, and let rise again till double its bulk. Bake in a hot oven about an hour. (Milk or half milk may be substituted in this recipe.)

• 1 tbsp. butter.
• 1 tbsp. sugar.
• 1/2 cup yeast or 1/2 yeast cake.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 1 pt. water.
• About 2 qts. flour.

Put the butter, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup boiling water to dissolve them; then add enough lukewarm water to make a pint, 3 cups of flour, then the yeast (if the cake is used dissolve in 1/4 cup tepid water). Give it a vigorous beating, cover, and let it rise over night. In the morning add flour to make it stiff enough to knead. Knead for 1/2 hour. Cover closely, let it rise till it doubles its bulk; shape into loaves; let it rise again in the pans; bake as directed in previous recipe.

• 1 pt. milk, scalded and cooled.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 2 cups white flour.
• 2 tbsps. sugar.
• 5 or 6 cups whole wheat flour.
• 1/2 yeast cake or 1/2 cup yeast.

Mix in the same order as given in previous recipes. Whole wheat flour makes a softer dough, consequently does not require so much kneading, otherwise it should be treated the same as other bread, allowing it a little longer time for baking; if too moist, a cupful of white flour may be added.

Steep 1/2 cup of loose hops in 1 quart of boiling water, in a granite kettle, 5 minutes. Mix 1 cup of flour, 1/4 of a cup sugar and 1 tbsp. salt. Strain the hop liquor and pour it boiling into the flour mixture. Boil 1 minute, or till thick. When cooled add 1 cup of yeast. Cover and set in a warm place until foamy, which will be in 4 or 5 hours. Pour into stone jars, which should be not more than half full, and keep in a cool place. (Three boiled potatoes may be mashed smoothly and added to this yeast if desired.)

SAUCES AND MILK SOUPS.

Put the butter in the saucepan; when melted add the dry flour, and mix well. Add the hot water or stock a little at a time, and stir rapidly till it thickens; when smooth add the salt and pepper. Be careful to have all sauces free from lumps. (Hard boiled eggs may be added to this sauce for baked or boiled fish. Two tbsps. of chopped parsley may be added if parsley sauce is desired.)

• 1 pt. hot stock.
• 2 tbsps. butter.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice.
• 2 tbsps. minced onions.
• 4 tbsps. flour.
• 1/2 ssp. pepper.
• Caramel enough to color.

Mince the onion and fry it in the butter 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. When the butter is browned add the dry flour, and stir well. Add the hot stock a little at a time; stir rapidly until it thickens and is perfectly smooth. Add the salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes, and strain to remove the onion.

Melt 1 cup of sugar with 1 tbsp. of water in a frying-pan. Stir until it becomes of a dark brown color. Add 1 cup of boiling water, simmer 10 minutes, and bottle when cool. This coloring is useful for many purposes, and is more wholesome than browned butter.

• 1 pt. stewed tomatoes.
• 2 tbsps. flour.
• 1/2 tsp. soda.
• 1 tsp. salt.
• 1 pt. milk.
• 2 tbsps. butter.
• 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the milk, put the remainder on to cook in a stew-pan. Mix the flour with the cold milk, and stir into the boiling milk. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the salt, pepper and butter. Stir the soda into the hot tomatoes and stir 1/2 minute, then rub through a strainer. Add the strained tomatoes to the thickened milk, and serve at once.

• 4 potatoes, medium size.
• 2 tbsps. minced celery.
• 2 tbsps. of flour.
• 1/4 tsp. of pepper.
• 1/2 tsp. minced parsley.
• 1-1/2 pints of milk.
• 4 tbsps. minced onions.
• 1 tsp. of salt.
• 1 tbsp. of butter.

Pare the potatoes, place on the fire in enough boiling water to cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup milk, put the remainder in the double boiler with the onion and celery and place on the fire. Mix the cold milk with the flour and stir into the boiling milk. When the potatoes are cooked pour off the water, mash them until fine and light. Gradually beat into them the milk; now add salt, pepper and butter, and rub the soup through a sieve. Return to the fire and add the minced parsley; simmer for 5 minutes and serve immediately. (The parsley may be omitted and celery salt substituted for the minced celery.)

• 1 head celery.
• 1 pint milk.
• 1 tbsp. butter.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 pint water.
• 1 tbsp. chopped onion.
• 2 tbsps. flour.
• 1/2 ssp. pepper.

Wash and scrape the celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, put it into the pint of boiling salted water and cook until very soft. Mash in the water in which it was boiled. Cook the onion with the milk in a double boiler 10 minutes and add it to the celery. Rub all through a strainer and put on to boil again. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook until smooth, but not brown, then stir it into the boiling soup. Add the salt and pepper; simmer 5 minutes and strain into the tureen. Serve very hot.

EGGS.

Cook eggs for 20 minutes in water just below the boiling point. The yolk of an egg cooked 10 minutes is tough and indigestible; 20 minutes will make it dry and mealy, when it is more easily penetrated by the gastric fluid.

Have a clean, shallow pan nearly full of salted and boiling water. Remove the scum and let the water just simmer. Break each egg carefully into a saucer and slip it gently into the water. Dip the water over it with the end of the spoon, and when a film has formed over the yolk and the white is like a soft jelly, take up with a skimmer and place on a piece of neatly trimmed toast. This is the most wholesome way of cooking eggs for serving with ham or bacon.

Beat the yolks of two eggs, add two tbsps. of milk, 1 ssp. of salt and 1/4 of a ssp. of pepper. Beat the whites till stiff and dry. Cut and fold them into the yolks till just covered. Have a clean, smooth omelet pan (or spider). When hot, rub well with a teaspoonful of butter; see that the butter is all over the pan, turn in the omelet and spread evenly on the pan. Cook until slightly browned underneath, being careful not to let it burn; set in a hot oven until dry on top. When dry throughout, run a knife round the edge, tip the pan to one side, fold the omelet and turn out on a hot platter. This may be made by beating the whites and yolks together for a plain omelet. A little chopped parsley, a little fine grated onion, a tbsp. or two of chopped ham, veal or chicken may be spread on the omelet before folding.

• 1 pt. of milk.
• 1/4 cup of sugar.
• 2 eggs.
• 1/2 ssp. grated nutmeg.

Beat the eggs until light, then add the sugar; beat again, add the milk and nutmeg, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into custard cups, stand the cups in a pan of boiling water and then put the pan in the oven. Bake until the custards are set, or until a knife may be slipped into the centre without anything adhering to it. When done, take them out of the water and stand away to cool. (This custard may be poured into a baking dish and baked in a quick oven until firm in the centre.)

• 1 pt. of milk.
• 2 tbsps. sugar.
• 2 eggs.
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Put the milk on in the double boiler, beat the sugar and yolks of eggs together until light, then stir them into the boiling milk; stir until it begins to thicken, then take it from the fire; add the vanilla and stand aside to cool. When cool, pour into a glass dish. Beat the whites until stiff, add three tbsps. of powdered sugar gradually. Heap them on a dinner plate and stand in the oven a moment until slightly brown, then loosen from the plate, slip off gently on top of the custard; serve very cold.

FRUIT.

Wash carefully and soak in water an hour before cooking, put them into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with boiling water and let them simmer until tender. Add a tbsp. of sugar for each pint of prunes, and boil a few moments longer.

Put 1 pint of cranberries in a granite saucepan, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water. After they begin to boil cook 10 minutes, closely covered. (This may be pressed through a sieve while hot, removing the skins, if desired for a mould.)

Wash the rhubarb (if young and tender it will not be necessary to remove the skin), cut into pieces about 1 inch long. To every lb. of rhubarb allow 1 lb. of sugar. Put the rhubarb into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with the sugar, and stand on the back part of the fire until the sugar melts. Move forward, let simmer for a few minutes without stirring, turn it out carefully to cool.

Take large, sweet pears, wipe them but do not remove the stems. Stand them in an earthen baking dish, pour around them a cup of boiling water, add 2 tbsps. sugar, cover with another dish and bake slowly until the pears are tender, basting occasionally with the liquor. When done, stand away to cool in the dish in which they were baked. When cold put them into a glass dish, pour the liquor over them and serve.

Pare and core, without breaking, tart apples. Put them into a shallow earthen dish, fill the cavities with sugar, add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake in a quick oven till soft, basting often with the syrup. (Quinces may be baked in the same way.)

VEGETABLES.

Pick off the outside leaves, soak in cold salted water, top downwards, for 1 hour. Tie it round with a piece of twine to prevent breaking. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, remove the string, turn into a hot dish with the top up, cover with cream sauce or drawn butter sauce. (When cold, it may be picked to pieces and served in a salad.)

Scrape clean and cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces: cook in salted water until tender, drain and cover with a white sauce. The sauce should be made with the water in which the celery has been stewed.

Wash, but do not cut them, as that injures the color. Cook in boiling water until tender. When cooked put them into a pan of cold water and rub off the skins. They may be cut in slices and served hot with pepper, butter and salt, or sliced, covered with vinegar, and served cold. They may be cut into dice and served as a salad, either alone or mixed with potatoes and other vegetables.

Lima beans should be soaked in warm water over night. In the morning drain off this water and cover with fresh warm water. Two hours before needed drain, cover with boiling water and boil 30 minutes; drain again, cover with fresh boiling water, and boil until tender. Add a teaspoonful of salt while they are boiling. When cooked drain them, add a little butter, pepper and salt, or a cream sauce.

Wash the asparagus well in cold water, reject the tough parts, tie in a bunch or cut into pieces 1 inch long. Put it in a kettle, cover with boiling water, and boil until tender. Put it in a colander to drain. Serve with melted butter, pepper and salt, or with a cream or drawn butter sauce.

Scald in boiling water, then remove the skins. Put them in boiling salted water; when they have boiled 10 minutes, change the water. Boil until tender but not until broken. Drain and serve with either cream sauce or butter, pepper and salt.

Wash and scrub with a brush. If old, soak in cold water after paring. Put them in boiling water, when about half cooked add a tbsp. of salt. Cook until soft but not broken. Drain carefully. Expose the potatoes for a minute to a current of air, then cover and place on the back of the stove to keep hot, allowing the steam to escape.

Press the cooked potatoes through a coarse strainer into the dish in which they are to be served.

To 1 pint of hot boiled potatoes, add 1 tbsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 ssp. of white pepper and hot milk or cream to moisten. Mash in the kettle in which they were boiled, beat with a fork until they are light and creamy. Turn lightly into a dish.

Prepare as for mashed potatoes, adding a little chopped parsley or celery salt if the flavor is liked. Beat 2 eggs, yolks and whites separately. Stir the beaten whites in carefully, shape into smooth balls or cones, brush lightly with the beaten yolks, and bake in a moderately hot oven until brown.

Cut cold boiled potatoes into thin slices. Put them in a shallow pan, cover with milk and cook until the potatoes have absorbed nearly all the milk. To 1 pint of potatoes, add 1 tbsp. of butter, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 ssp. of pepper and a little chopped parsley or onion.

Select smooth potatoes of uniform size, wash and scrub well. Bake in a hot oven about 45 minutes or until soft. Break the skin or puncture with a fork to let the steam escape and serve at once. This is the most wholesome method of cooking potatoes, as the mineral matter is retained.

Pare, wash and cut into slices or quarters. Soak in cold salted water, drain and dry between towels. Have sufficient fat in a kettle to more than cover the potatoes. When it is very hot drop the potatoes in, a few at a time, so as not to reduce the heat of the fat too quickly. When brown, which should be in about 4 or 5 minutes for quarters and about 2 minutes if sliced, drain and sprinkle with salt.