Canning is so simple an operation that it is unfortunate that most people consider it difficult. The directions generally given are so troublesome that one can not wonder it is not attempted oftener; but it need be hardly more care than the making of apple sauce, which, by the way, can always be made while apples are plenty, and canned for spring use. In an experience of years, not more than one can in a hundred has ever been lost, and fruit put up at home is far nicer than any from factories.
In canning, see first that the jars are clean, the rubbers whole and in perfect order, and the tops clean and ready to screw on. Fill the jars with hot (not boiling) water half an hour before using, and have them ready on a table sufficiently large to hold the preserving-kettle, a dish-pan quarter full of hot water, and the cans. Have ready, also, a deep plate, large enough to hold two cans; a silver spoon; an earthen cup with handle; and, if possible, a can-filler,—that is, a small tin in strainer-shape, but without the bottom, and fitting about the top. The utmost speed is needed in filling and screwing down tops, and for this reason every thing must be ready beforehand.
In filling the can let the fruit come to the top; then run the spoon-handle down on all sides to let out the air; pour in juice till it runs over freely, and screw the top down at once, using a towel to protect the hand. Set at once in a dish-pan of water, as this prevents the table being stained by juice, and also its hardening on the hot can. Proceed in this way till all are full; wipe them dry; and, when cold, give the tops an additional screw, as the glass contracts in cooling, and loosens them. Label them, and keep in a dark, cool closet. When the fruit is used, wash the jar, and dry carefully at the back of the stove. Wash the rubber also, and dry on a towel, putting it in the jar when dry, and screwing on the top. They are then ready for next year's use. Mason's cans are decidedly the best for general use.
GENERAL RULES FOR CANNING.
For all small fruits allow one-third of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Make it into a sirup with a teacup of water to each pound, and skim carefully. Throw in the fruit, and boil ten minutes, canning as directed. Raspberries and blackberries are best; huckleberries are excellent for pies, and easily canned. Pie-plant can be stewed till tender. It requires half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit.
For peaches, gages, &c, allow the same amount of sugar as for raspberries. Pare peaches, and can whole or in halves as preferred. Prick plums and gages with a large darning-needle to prevent their bursting. In canning pears, pare and drop at once, into cold water, as this prevents their turning dark.
Always use a porcelain-lined kettle, and stir either with a silver or a wooden spoon,—never an iron one. Currants are nice mixed with an equal weight of raspberries, and all fruit is more wholesome canned than in preserves.
TO CAN TOMATOES.
Unless very plenty, it is cheaper to buy these in the tins. Pour on boiling water to help in removing the skins; fill the preserving kettle, but add no water. Boil them five minutes, and then can. Do not season till ready to use them for the table. Okra and tomatoes may be scalded together in equal parts, and canned for soups.
PRESERVES.
Preserves are scarcely needed if canning is nicely done. They require much more trouble, and are too rich for ordinary use, a pound of sugar to one of fruit being required. If made at all, the fruit must be very fresh, and the sirup perfectly clear. For sirup allow one teacup of cold water to every pound of sugar, and, as it heats, add to every three or four pounds the white of an egg. Skim very carefully, boiling till no more rises, and it is ready for use. Peaches, pears, green gages, cherries, and crab-apples are all preserved alike. Peel, stone, and halve peaches, and boil only a few pieces at a time till clear. Peel, core, and halve pears. Prick plums and gages several times. Core crab-apples, and cut half the stem from cherries. Cook till tender. Put up when cold in small jars, and paste paper over them.
JAMS.
Make sirup as directed above. Use raspberries, strawberries, or any small fruit, and boil for half an hour. Put up in small jars or tumblers; lay papers dipped in brandy on the fruit, and paste on covers, or use patent jelly-glasses.
MARMALADE.
Quinces make the best; but crab-apples or any sour apple are also good. Poor quinces, unfit for other use, can be washed and cut in small pieces, coring, but not paring them. Allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar and a teacupful of water to a pound of fruit, and boil slowly two hours, stirring and mashing it fine. Strain through a colander, and put up in glasses or bowls. Peach marmalade is made in the same way.
CURRANT JELLY.
The fruit must be picked when just ripened, as when too old it will not form jelly. Look over, and then put stems and all in a porcelain-lined kettle. Crush a little of the fruit to form juice, but add no water. As it heats, jam with a potato-masher; and when hot through, strain through a jelly-bag. Let all run off that will, before squeezing the bag. It will be a little clearer than the squeezed juice. To every pint of this juice add one pound of best white sugar, taking care that it has not a blue tinge. Jelly from bluish-white sugars does not harden well. Boil the juice twenty-five minutes; add the sugar, and boil for five more. Put up in glasses.
ORANGE MARMALADE.
This recipe, taken from the "New York Evening Post," has been thoroughly tested by the author, and found delicious.
"A recipe for orange marmalade that I think will be entirely new to most housewives, and that I know is delicious, comes from an English housekeeper. It is a sweet that is choice and very healthful. If made now, when oranges and lemons are plentiful, it may be had at a cost of from five to six cents for a large glass. The recipe calls for one dozen oranges (sweet or part bitter), one half-dozen lemons, and ten pounds of granulated sugar. Wash the fruit in tepid water thoroughly, and scrub the skins with a soft brush to get rid of the possible microbes that it is said may lurk on the skins of fruit. Dry the fruit; take a very sharp knife, and on a hard-wood board slice it very thin. Throw away the thick pieces that come off from the ends. Save all the seeds, and put them in one bowl; the sliced fruit in another. Pour half a gallon of water over the contents of each bowl, and soak for thirty-six hours. Then put the fruit in your preserving-kettle, with the water that has been standing on it, and strain in (through a colander) the water put on the lemon-seeds. Cook gently two hours; then add the sugar, and cook another hour, or until the mixture jellies. Test by trying a little in a saucer. Put away in glasses or cans, as other jelly."
FRUIT JELLIES.
Crab-apple, quince, grapes, &c., are all made in the same way. Allow a teacup of water to a pound of fruit; boil till very tender; then strain through a cloth, and treat as currant jelly. Cherries will not jelly without gelatine, and grapes are sometimes troublesome. Where gelatine is needed, allow a package to two quarts of juice.
CANDIED FRUITS.
Make a sirup as for preserves, and boil any fruit, prepared as directed, until tender. Let them stand two days in the sirup. Take out; drain carefully; lay them on plates; sift sugar over them, and dry either in the sun or in a moderately warm oven.
Sour pickles are first prepared by soaking in a brine made of one pint of coarse salt to six quarts of water. Boil this, and pour it scalding hot over the pickle, cucumbers, green tomatoes, &c. Cucumbers may lie in this a week, or a month even, but must be soaked in cold water two days before using them. Other pickles lie only a month.
Sweet pickles are made from any fruit used in preserving, allowing three, or sometimes four, pounds of sugar to a quart of best cider vinegar, and boiling both together.
CUCUMBER PICKLES.
Half a bushel of cucumbers, small, and as nearly as possible the same size. Make a brine as directed, and pour over them. Next morning prepare a pickle as follows: Two gallons of cider vinegar; one quart of brown sugar. Boil, and skim carefully, and add to it half a pint of white mustard seed; one ounce of stick-cinnamon broken fine; one ounce of alum; half an ounce each of whole cloves and black pepper-corns. Boil five minutes, and pour over the cucumbers. They can be used in a week. In a month scald the vinegar once more, and pour over them.
TOMATO CHUTNEY.
One peck of green tomatoes; six large green peppers; six onions; one cup of salt. Chop onions and peppers fine, slice the tomatoes about quarter of an inch thick, and sprinkle the salt over all. In the morning drain off all the salt and water, and put the tomatoes in a porcelain-lined kettle. Mix together thoroughly two pounds of brown sugar; quarter of a pound of mustard-seed; one ounce each of powdered cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper; half an ounce of allspice; quarter of an ounce each of cayenne pepper and ground mustard. Stir all into the tomatoes; cover with cider vinegar,—about two quarts,—and boil slowly for two hours. Very nice, but very hot. If wanted less so, omit the cayenne and ground mustard.
RIPE CUCUMBER OR MELON-RIND PICKLES.
Pare, seed, and cut lengthwise into four pieces, or in thick slices. Boil an ounce of alum in one gallon of water, and pour over them, letting them stand at least half a day on the back of the stove. Take them out, and let them lie in cold water until cold. Have ready a quart of vinegar, three pounds of brown sugar, and an ounce of stick-cinnamon and half an ounce cloves. Boil the vinegar and sugar, and skim; add the spices and the melon rind or cucumber, and boil for half an hour.
SWEET-PICKLED PEACHES, PEARS, OR PLUMS.
Seven pounds of fruit; four pounds of brown sugar; one quart of vinegar; one ounce of cloves; two ounces of stick-cinnamon. Pare the peaches or not, as liked. If unpared, wash and wipe each one to rub off the wool. Boil vinegar and sugar, and skim well; add spices, sticking one or two cloves in each peach. Boil ten minutes, and take out into jars. Boil the sirup until reduced one-half, and pour over them. Pears are peeled and cored; apples peeled, cored, and quartered. They can all be put in stone jars; but Mason's cans are better.
TOMATO CATCHUP.
Boil one bushel of ripe tomatoes, skins and all, and, when soft, strain through a colander. Be sure that it is a colander, and not a sieve, for reasons to be given. Add to this pulp two quarts of best vinegar; one cup of salt; two pounds of brown sugar; half an ounce of cayenne pepper; three ounces each of powdered allspice and mace; two ounces of powdered cinnamon; three ounces of celery-seed. Mix spices and sugar well together, and stir into the tomato; add the vinegar, and stir thoroughly. Now strain the whole through a sieve. A good deal of rather thick pulp will not go through. Pour all that runs through into a large kettle, and let it boil slowly till reduced one-half. Put the thick pulp into a smaller kettle, and boil twenty minutes. Use as a pickle with cold meats or with boiled fish. A teacupful will flavor a soup. In the old family rule from which this is taken, a pint of brandy is added ten minutes before the catchup is done; but it is not necessary, though an improvement. Bottle, and keep in a cool, dark place. It keeps for years.
CREAM CANDY.
One pound of granulated sugar; one teacupful of water; half a teacupful of vinegar. Boil—trying very often after the first ten minutes—till it will harden in cold water. Cool, and pull white.
CHOCOLATE CARAMELS.
One cup of sugar; one cup of milk; half a cup of molasses; two ounces of grated chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a very little water; add the sugar, milk, and molasses, and boil twenty minutes, or until very thick. Pour in buttered pans, and cut in small squares when cool.
MOLASSES CANDY.
Two cups of molasses, one of brown sugar, a teaspoonful of butter, and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. Pour in a buttered dish, and pull when cool.
NUT CANDY.
Make molasses candy as above. Just before taking it from the fire, add a heaping pint of shelled peanuts or walnuts. Cut in strips before it is quite cold.
COCOANUT DROPS.
One cocoanut grated; half its weight in powdered sugar; whites of two eggs; one teaspoonful of corn-starch. Mix corn-starch and sugar; add cocoanut, and then whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Make in little cones, and bake on buttered paper in a slow oven.
CHOCOLATE CREAMS.
One pound of granulated sugar; half a pound of chocolate; one teaspoonful of acetic acid; one tablespoonful of water; one teaspoonful of vanilla. Melt the sugar slowly, wetting a little with the water. Add the acid and vanilla, and boil till sugary, trying very often by stirring a little in a saucer. When sugary, take from the fire, and stir until almost hard; then roll in little balls, and put on a buttered plate. Melt the chocolate in two tablespoonfuls of water with a cup of sugar, and boil five minutes. When just warm, dip in the little balls till well coated, and lay on plates to dry. Very nice.
GENERAL HINTS.
As recovery from any illness depends in large part upon proper food, and as the appetite of the sick is always capricious and often requires tempting, the greatest pains should be taken in the preparation of their meals. If only dry toast and tea, let each be perfect, remembering instructions for making each, and serving on the freshest of napkins and in dainty china. A tête-à-tête service is very nice for use in a sick-room; and in any case a very small teapot can be had, that the tea may always be made fresh. Prepare only a small amount of any thing, and never discuss it beforehand. A surprise will often rouse a flagging appetite. Be ready, too, to have your best attempts rejected. The article disliked one day may be just what is wanted the next. Never let food stand in a sick-room,—for it becomes hateful to a sensitive patient,—and have every thing as daintily clean as possible. Remember, too, that gelatine is not nourishing, and do not be satisfied to feed a patient on jellies. Bread from any brown flour will be more nourishing than wheat. Corn meal is especially valuable for thin, chilly invalids, as it contains so much heat. In severe sickness a glass tube is very useful for feeding gruels and drinks, and little white china boats with spouts are also good. A wooden tray with legs six or seven inches high, to stand on the bed, is very convenient for serving meals. Let ventilation, sunshine, and absolute cleanliness rule in the sick-room. Never raise a dust, but wipe the carpet with a damp cloth, and pick up bits as needed. Never let lamp or sun light shine directly in the eyes, and, when the patient shows desire to sleep, darken the room a little. Never whisper, nor wear rustling dresses, nor become irritated at exactions, but keep a cheerful countenance, which helps often far more than drugs. Experience must teach the rest.
BEEF TEA, OR ESSENCE OF BEEF.
Cut a pound of perfectly lean beef into small bits. Do not allow any particle of fat to remain. Put in a wide-mouthed bottle, cork tightly, and set in a kettle of cold water. Boil for three hours; pour off the juice, which is now completely extracted from the meat. There will be probably a small cupful. Season with a saltspoonful of salt. This is given in extreme sickness, feeding a teaspoonful at a time.
BEEF TEA FOR CONVALESCENTS.
One pound of lean beef prepared as above. Add a pint of cold water,—rain-water is best,—and soak for an hour. Cover closely, and boil for ten minutes; or put in the oven, and let it remain an hour. Pour off the juice, season with half a teaspoonful of salt, and use. A little celery salt makes a change.
CHICKEN BROTH.
The bones and a pound of meat from a chicken put in three pints of cold water. Skim thoroughly when it comes to a boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and simmer for three hours. Strain and serve. A tablespoonful of soaked rice or tapioca may be added after the broth is strained. Return it in this case to the fire, and boil half an hour longer.
CHICKEN JELLY.
Boil chicken as for broth, but reduce the liquid to half a pint. Strain into a cup or little mold, and turn out when cold.
CHICKEN PANADA.
Take the breast of the chicken boiled as above; cut in bits, and pound smooth in a mortar. Take a teacupful of bread-crumbs; soak them soft in warm milk, or, if liked better, in a little broth. Mix them with the chicken; add a saltspoonful of salt, and, if allowed, a pinch of mace; and serve in a cup with a spoon.
BEEF, TAPIOCA, AND EGG BROTH.
One pound of lean beef, prepared as for beef tea, and soaked one hour in a quart of cold water. Boil slowly for two hours. Strain it. Add a half teaspoonful of salt, and half a cupful of tapioca which has been washed and soaked an hour in warm water. Boil slowly half an hour. Serve in a shallow bowl, in which a poached egg is put at the last, or stir a beaten egg into one cup of the boiling soup, and serve at once with wafers or crackers.
MUTTON BROTH.
Made as chicken broth. Any strong stock, from which the fat has been taken, answers for broths.
OATMEAL GRUEL.
Have ready, in a double boiler, one quart of boiling water with a teaspoonful of salt, and sprinkle in two tablespoonfuls of fine oatmeal. Boil an hour; then strain, and serve with cream or milk and sugar if ordered. Farina gruel is made in the same way.
INDIAN OR CORN MEAL GRUEL.
One quart of boiling water; one teaspoonful of salt. Mix three tablespoonfuls of corn meal with a little cold water, and stir in slowly. Boil one hour; strain and serve, a cupful at once.
MILK PORRIDGE.
One quart of boiling milk; two tablespoonfuls of flour mixed with a little cold milk and half a teaspoonful of salt. Stir into the milk, and boil half an hour.
Strain and serve. If allowed, a handful of raisins and a little grated nutmeg may be boiled with it.
WINE WHEY.
Boil one cup of new milk, and add half a wine-glass of good sherry or Madeira wine. Boil a minute; strain, and use with or without sugar as liked.
EGG-NOG.
One egg; one tablespoonful of sugar; half a cup of milk; one tablespoonful of wine.
Beat the sugar and yolk to a cream; add the wine, and then the milk. Beat the white to a stiff froth, and stir in very lightly.
Omit the milk where more condensed nourishment is desired.
ARROW-ROOT OR RICE JELLY.
Two heaping teaspoonfuls of either arrow-root or rice flour; a pinch of salt; a heaping tablespoonful of sugar; one cup of boiling water.
Mix the flour with a little cold water, and add to the boiling water. Boil until transparent, and pour into cups or small molds. For a patient with summer complaint, flavor by boiling a stick of cinnamon in it. For a fever patient add the juice of quarter of a lemon.
DR. GAUNT'S RICE JELLY.
Take four tablespoonfuls of rice, and boil it hard in three pints of water for twenty minutes. Let simmer for two hours. Then force through fine hair strainer, and allow it to cool. Place in an ice chest over night.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE.
Dissolve two tablespoonfuls of the rice jelly in each one-half pint of milk.
RICE WATER FOR DRINK.
One quart of boiling water; a pinch of salt; one tablespoonful of rice or rice flour. Boil half an hour, and strain.
TOAST WATER.
Toast two slices of bread very brown, but do not scorch. Put in a pitcher, and while hot pour on one quart of cold water. Let it stand half an hour, and it is ready for use.
CRUST COFFEE.
Two thick slices of graham or Boston brown bread toasted as brown as possible. Pour on one pint of boiling water, and steep ten minutes. Serve with milk and sugar, like coffee.
BEEF JUICE.
Broil a thick piece of beef steak three minutes. Squeeze all the juice with a lemon-squeezer into a cup; salt very lightly, and give like beef tea.
JELLY AND ICE.
Break ice in bits no bigger than a pea. A large pin will break off bits from a lump very easily. To a tablespoonful add one of wine jelly broken up. It is very refreshing in fever.
PANADA.
Lay in a bowl two Boston or graham crackers split; sprinkle on a pinch of salt, and cover with boiling water. Set the bowl in a saucepan of boiling water, and let it stand half an hour, till the crackers look clear. Slide into a hot saucer without breaking, and eat with cream and sugar. As they are only good hot, do just enough for the patient's appetite at one time.
MILK TOAST.
Toast one or two thin slices of bread; dip quickly in a little salted boiling water, and spread on a little butter. Boil a teacupful of milk; thicken with a teaspoonful of flour mixed in a little cold water with a pinch of salt; lay the toast in a small, hot, deep plate, and pour over the milk. Cream toast is made in the same way.
BEEF SANDWICH.
Two or three tablespoonfuls of raw, very tender beef, scraped fine, and spread between two slices of slightly buttered bread. Sprinkle on pepper and salt.
PREPARED FLOUR.
Tie a pint of flour tightly in a cloth, and boil for four hours. Scrape off the outer crust, and the inside will be found to be a dry ball. Grate this as required, allowing one tablespoonful wet in cold milk to a pint of boiling milk, and boiling till smooth. Add a saltspoonful of salt. This is excellent for summer complaint, whether in adults or children. The beaten white of an egg can also be stirred in if ordered. If this porridge is used from the beginning of the complaint, little or no medicine will be required.
PARCHED RICE.
Roast to a deep brown as you would coffee, and then cook as in rule for boiled rice, p. 199, and eat with cream and sugar.
RICE COFFEE.
Parch as above, and grind. Allow half a cup to a quart of boiling water, and let it steep fifteen minutes. Strain, and drink plain, or with milk and sugar.
HERB TEAS.
For the dried herbs allow one teaspoonful to a cup of boiling water. Pour the water on them; cover, and steep ten minutes or so. Camomile tea is good for sleeplessness; calamus and catnip for babies' colic; and cinnamon for hemorrhages and summer complaint. Slippery-elm and flax-seed are also good for the latter.
BEEF STEAK OR CHOPS, ETC.
With beef steak, cut a small thick piece of a nice shape; broil carefully, and serve on a very hot plate, salting a little, but using no butter unless allowed by the physician.
Chops should be trimmed very neatly, and cooked in the same way. A nice way of serving a chop is to broil, and cut in small bits. Have ready a baked potato. Cut a slice from the top; take out the inside, and season as for eating; add the chop, and return all to the skin, covering it, and serving as hot as possible.
When appetite has returned, poached eggs on toast, a little salt cod with cream, or many of the dishes given under the head of Breakfast Dishes, are relished. Prepare small quantities, preserving the right proportions of seasoning.
TAPIOCA JELLY.
Two ounces of tapioca,—about two tablespoonfuls,—soaked over-night in one cup of cold water. In the morning add a second cup of cold water, and boil till very clear. Add quarter of a cup of sugar; two teaspoonfuls of brandy or four of wine; or the thin rind and juice of a lemon may be used instead. Very good hot, but better poured into small molds wet with cold water, and turned out when firm.
TAPIOCA GRUEL.
Half a cup of tapioca soaked over-night in a cup of cold water. In the morning add a quart of milk and half a teaspoonful of salt, and boil three hours. It can be eaten plain, or with sugar and wine. Most of the blancmanges and creams given can be prepared in smaller quantities, if allowed. Baked custards can be made with the whites of the eggs, if a very delicate one is desired.
APPLE WATER.
Two roasted sour apples, or one pint of washed dried apples. Pour on one quart of boiling water; cover, and let it stand half an hour, when it is ready for use.
SOFT SOAP.
All mutton and ham fat should be melted and strained into a large stone pot. The practice of throwing lumps of fat into a pot, and waiting till there are several pounds before trying them out, is a disgusting one, as often such a receptacle is alive with maggots. Try out the fat, and strain as carefully as you would lard or beef drippings, and it is then always ready for use. If concentrated lye or potash, which comes in little tins, is used, directions will be found on the tins. Otherwise allow a pound of stone potash to every pound of grease. Twelve pounds of each will make a barrel of soft soap.
Crack the potash in small pieces. Put in a large kettle with two gallons of water, and boil till dissolved. Then add the grease, and, when melted, pour all into a tight barrel. Fill it up with boiling water, and for a week, stir daily for five or ten minutes. It will gradually become like jelly.
TO PURIFY SINKS AND DRAINS.
To one pound of common copperas add one gallon of boiling water, and use when dissolved. The copperas is poison, and must never be left unmarked.
FURNITURE POLISH.
Mix two tablespoonfuls of sweet or linseed oil with a tablespoonful of turpentine, and rub on with a piece of flannel, polishing with a dry piece.
TO KEEP EGGS.
Be sure that the eggs are fresh. Place them points down in a stone jar or tight firkin, and pour over them the following brine, which is enough for a hundred and fifty:—
One pint of slacked lime, one pint of salt, two ounces of cream of tartar, and four gallons of water. Boil all together for ten minutes; skim, and, when cold, pour it over the eggs. They can also be kept in salt tightly packed, but not as well.
TO MAKE HARD WATER SOFT.
Dissolve in one gallon of boiling water a pound and a quarter of washing soda, and a quarter of a pound of borax. In washing clothes allow quarter of a cup of this to every gallon of water.
TO TAKE OUT FRUIT-STAINS.
Stretch the stained part tightly over a bowl, and pour on boiling water till it is free from spot.
TO TAKE OUT INK-SPOTS.
Ink spilled upon carpets or on woolen table-covers can be taken out, if washed at once in cold water. Change the water often, and continue till the stain is gone.
MIXED SPICES.
Three heaping tablespoonfuls of ground cinnamon, one heaping one each of clove and mace, and one even one of allspice. Mix thoroughly, and use for dark cakes and for puddings.
SPICE SALT.
Four ounces of salt; one of black pepper; one each of thyme, sweet marjoram, and summer savory; half an ounce each of clove, allspice, and mace; quarter of an ounce of cayenne pepper; one ounce of celery salt. Mix all together; sift three times, and keep closely covered. Half an ounce will flavor a stuffing for roast meat; and a tablespoonful is nice in many soups and stews.
TO WASH GREASY TIN AND IRON.
Pour a few drops of ammonia into every greasy roasting-pan, first half-filling with warm water. A bottle of ammonia should always stand near the sink for such uses. Never allow dirty pots or pans to stand and dry; for it doubles the labor of washing. Pour in water, and use ammonia, and the work is half done.
TO CLEAN BRASS AND COPPER.
Scrape a little rotten-stone fine, and make into a paste with sweet oil. Rub on with a piece of flannel; let it dry, and polish with a chamois-skin. Copper is cleaned either with vinegar and salt mixed in equal parts, or with oxalic acid. The latter is a deadly poison, and must be treated accordingly.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
As many families have no scales for weighing, a table of measures is given which can be used instead. Weighing is always best, but not always convenient. The cup used is the ordinary coffee or kitchen cup, holding half a pint. A set of tin measures, from a gill up to a quart, is very useful in all cooking operations.
One quart of sifted flour is one pound.
One pint of granulated sugar is one pound.
Two cups of butter packed are one pound.
Ten eggs are one pound.
Five cupfuls of sifted flour are one pound.
A wine-glassful is half a gill.
Eight even tablespoonfuls are a gill.
Four even saltspoonfuls make a teaspoonful.
A saltspoonful is a good measure of salt for all custards, puddings, blancmanges, &c.
One teaspoonful of soda to a quart of flour.
Two teaspoonfuls of soda to one of cream of tartar.
The teaspoonful given in all these receipts is just rounded full, not heaped.
Two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder to one quart of flour.
One cup of sweet or sour milk as wetting for one quart of flour.
TIME TABLE FOR ROASTED MEATS.
Beef, from six to eight pounds, one hour and a half, or twelve minutes to the pound.
Mutton, ten minutes to the pound for rare; fifteen for well-done.
Lamb, a very little less according to age and size of roast.
Veal, twenty minutes to a pound.
Pork, half an hour to a pound.
Turkey of eight or ten pounds weight, not less than three hours.
Goose of seven or eight pounds, two hours.
Chickens, from an hour to an hour and a half.
Game duck, from thirty to forty minutes.
Partridges, grouse, &c., half an hour.
Pigeons, half an hour.
Small birds, twenty minutes.
TIME TABLE FOR BOILED MEATS.
Beef à la mode, eight pounds, four hours.
Corned beef, eight pounds, four hours.
Corned or smoked tongue, eight pounds, four hours.
Ham, eight or ten pounds, five hours.
Mutton, twenty minutes to a pound.
Veal, half an hour to a pound.
Turkey, ten pounds, three hours.
Chickens, one hour and a half.
Old fowls, two or three hours.
TIME TABLE FOR FISH.
Halibut and salmon, fifteen minutes to a pound.
Blue-fish, bass, &c., ten minutes to a pound.
Fresh cod, six minutes to a pound.
Baked halibut, twelve minutes to a pound.
Baked blue-fish, &c., ten minutes to a pound.
Trout, pickerel, &c., eight minutes to a pound.
TIME TABLE FOR VEGETABLES.
Half an hour,—Pease, potatoes, asparagus, rice, corn, summer squash, canned tomatoes, macaroni.
Three-quarters of an hour,—Young beets, young turnips, young carrots and parsnips, baked potatoes (sweet and Irish), boiled sweet potatoes, onions, canned corn, tomatoes.
One hour,—New cabbage, shelled and string beans, spinach and greens, cauliflower, oyster-plant, and winter squash.
Two hours,—Winter carrots, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, and onions.
Three to eight hours,—Old beets.
TIME TABLE FOR BREAD, CAKES, ETC.
Bread,—large loaves, an hour; small loaves, from half to three-quarters of an hour.
Biscuits and rolls, in from fifteen to twenty minutes.
Brown bread, steamed, three hours.
Loaves of sponge cake, forty-five minutes; if thin, about thirty.
Loaves of richer cake, from forty-five minutes to an hour.
Fruit cake, about two hours, if in two or three pound loaves.
Small thin cakes and cookies, from ten to fifteen minutes. Watch carefully.
Baked puddings, rice, &c., one hour.
Boiled puddings, three hours.
Custards to be watched and tested after the first fifteen minutes.
Batter puddings baked, forty-five minutes.
Pie-crust, about half an hour.
DEVILED HAM.
For this purpose, use either the knuckle or any odds and ends remaining. Cut off all dark or hard bits, and see that at least a quarter of the amount is fat. Chop as finely as possible, reducing it almost to a paste. For a pint-bowl of this, make a dressing as follows:—
One even tablespoonful of sugar; one even teaspoonful of ground mustard; one saltspoonful of Cayenne pepper; one teacupful of good vinegar. Mix the sugar, mustard, and pepper thoroughly, and add the vinegar little by little. Stir it into the chopped ham, and pack it in small molds, if it is to be served as a lunch or supper relish, turning out upon a small platter and garnishing with parsley.
For sandwiches, cut the bread very thin; butter lightly, and spread with about a teaspoonful of the deviled ham. The root of a boiled tongue can be prepared in the same way. If it is to be kept some time, pack in little jars, and pour melted butter over the top.
This receipt should have had place under "Meats," but was overlooked.
TIN WARE.
One boiler for clothes, holding eight or ten gallons.—Two dish-pans,—one large, one medium-sized.—One two-quart covered tin pail.—One four-quart covered tin pail.—Two thick tin four-quart saucepans.—Two two-quart saucepans.—Four measures, from one gill to a quart, and broad and low, rather than high.—Three tin scoops of different sizes for flour, sugar, &c.—Two pint and two half-pint molds for jellies.—Two quart molds.—One skimmer with long handle.—One large and one small dipper.—Four bread-pans, 10x4x4.—Three jelly-cake tins.—Six pie-plates.—Two long biscuit-tins.—One coffee-pot.—One colander.—One large grater.—One nutmeg-grater.—Two wire sieves; one ten inches across, the other four, and with tin sides.—One flour-sifter.—One fine jelly-strainer.—One frying-basket.—One Dover egg-beater.—One wire egg-beater.—One apple-corer.—One pancake-turner.—One set of spice-boxes, or a spice-caster.—One pepper-box.—One flour-dredger.—One sugar-dredger.—One biscuit-cutter.—One potato-cutter.—A dozen muffin-rings.—Small tins for little cakes.—One muffin-pan.—One double milk-boiler, the inside boiler holding two quarts.—One fish-boiler, which can also be used for hams.—One deep bread-pan; a dish-pan is good, but must be kept for this.—One steamer.—One pudding-boiler.—One cake-box.—Six teaspoons.
WOODEN WARE.
One bread-board.—One rolling-pin.—One meat-board.—One wash-board.—One lemon-squeezer.—One potato-masher.—Two large spoons.—One small one.—Nest of wooden boxes for rice, tapioca, &c.—Wooden pails for graham and corn meal.—Chopping-tray.—Water-pail.—Scrubbing-pail.—Wooden cover for flour-barrel.—One board for cutting bread.—One partitioned knife-box.
IRON WARE.
One pair of scales.—One two-gallon pot with steamer to fit.—One three-gallon soup-pot with close-fitting cover.—One three-gallon porcelain-lined kettle, to be kept only for preserving.—One four or six quart one, for apple sauce, &c.—One tea-kettle.—One large and one small frying-pan.—Two Russia or sheet iron dripping-pans; one large enough for a large turkey.—Two gem-pans with deep cups.—Two long-handled spoons.—Two spoons with shorter handles.—One large meat-fork.—One meat-saw.—One cleaver.—One griddle.—One wire broiler.—One toaster.—One waffle-iron.—One can-opener.—Three pairs of common knives and forks.—One small Scotch or frying kettle.—One chopping-knife.—One meat-knife.—One bread-knife.—One set of skewers.—Trussing-needles.
EARTHEN AND STONE WARE.
Two large mixing-bowls, holding eight or ten quarts each.—One eight-quart lip-bowl for cake.—Half a dozen quart bowls.—Half a dozen pint bowls.—Three or four deep plates for putting away cold food.—Six baking-dishes of different sizes, round or oval.—Two quart blancmange-molds.—Two or three pitchers.—Two stone crocks, holding a gallon each.—Two, holding two quarts each.—One bean-pot for baked beans.—One dozen Mason's jars for holding yeast, and many things used in a store closet.—Stone jugs for vinegar and molasses.—Two or three large covered stone jars for pickles.—One deep one for bread.—One earthen teapot.—One dozen pop-over cups.—One dozen custard-cups.—Measuring-cup.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Scrubbing and blacking brushes.—Soap-dish.—Knife-board.—Vegetable-cutters.—Pastry-brush.—Egg-basket. —Market-basket.—Broom.—Brush.—Dust-pan.—Floor and sink cloths.—Whisk-broom.—Four roller-towels.—Twelve dish-towels.—Dishes enough for setting servants' table, heavy stone-china being best.
In beginning with a class of school-girls from fourteen to eighteen, it is best to let the first two or three lessons be demonstration lessons; that is, to have all operations performed by the teacher. An assistant may be chosen from the class, who can help in any required way. The receipts for the day should first be read, and copied plainly by all the pupils. Each process must be fully explained, and be as daintily and deftly performed as possible. Not more than six dishes at the most can be prepared in one lesson, and four will be the usual number. Two lessons a week, from two to three hours each, are all for which the regular school-course gives time; and there should be not more than one day between, as many dishes can not be completed in one lesson.
After yeast and bread have been once made by the teacher, bread should be the first item in every lesson thereafter, and the class made a practice-class. Each pupil should make bread twice,—once under the teacher's supervision, and at least once entirely alone. In a large class this may occupy the entire time in the school-year. Let the most important operations be thoroughly learned, even if there is little variety. To make and bake all forms of bread, to broil a steak, boil a potato, and make good tea and coffee, may not seem sufficient result for a year's work; but the girl who can do this has mastered the principles of cooking, and is abundantly able to go on alone.
The fire should be made and cared for by each in turn, and the best modes of washing dishes, and keeping the room and stores in the best order, be part of each lesson.
Once a week let a topic be given out, on which all are to write, any ingredient in cooking being chosen, and the papers read and marked in order of merit.
Once a month examine on these topics, and on what has been learned. Let digestion and forms of food be well understood, and spare no pains to make the lesson attractive and stimulating to interest.
In classes for ladies the work is usually done entirely by the teacher, and at least five dishes are prepared. A large class can thus be taught; but the results will never be as satisfactory as in a practice-class, though the latter is of course much more troublesome to the teacher, as it requires far more patience and tact to watch and direct the imperfect doing of a thing than to do it one's self.
A class lunch or supper is a pleasant way of demonstrating what progress has been made; and, in such entertainment, do not aim at great variety, but insist upon the perfect preparation of a few things. To lay and decorate a table prettily is an accomplishment, and each classroom should have enough china and glass to admit of this.
To indicate the method which the writer has found practicable and useful, a course of twelve lessons is given, embracing the essential operations; and beyond this the teacher can construct her own bills of fare. When the making of bread begins, it will be found that not more than two or three other things can be made at one lesson. Let one of these be a simple cake or pudding for the benefit of the class, whose interest is wonderfully stimulated by something good to eat.
Large white aprons and small half-sleeves to draw on over the dress-sleeves are essential, and must be insisted upon. A little cap of Swiss muslin is pretty, and finishes the uniform well, but is not a necessity.
For the rest each teacher must judge for herself, only remembering to demand the most absolute neatness in all work done, and to give the most perfect patience no matter how stupid the pupil may seem.
LESSON FIRST.
To make stock.
Beef rolls.
Apple float.
Boiled custard.
LESSON SECOND.
To clarify fat or drippings.
Clear soup.
Beef soup with vegetables.
To make caramel.
Cream cakes.
Beef à la mode.
To boil potatoes.
Mashed potatoes.
Potato snow.
Potato croquettes.
Yeast.
Wine jelly.
LESSON FOURTH.
Bread.
Plain rolls.
Beef hash with potatoes.
Beef croquettes.
Coddled apples.
LESSON FIFTH.
Graham bread.
Rye bread.
To broil beef steak.
To boil macaroni.
Macaroni baked with cheese.
To make a roux.
Baked custard.
LESSON SIXTH.
Parker-House rolls.
Steamed brown bread.
Purée of salmon.
Croquettes of salmon.
Corn-starch pudding.
Baked fish.
To devil ham.
Stuffed eggs.
Plain omelet.
Saratoga potatoes.
To use stale bread.
Bread pudding and plain sauce.
LESSON EIGHTH.
Irish stew.
Boiled cabbage.
Baked cabbage.
Lyonnaise potatoes.
Whipped cream.
Sponge cake.
Charlotte Russe.
LESSON NINTH.
Bean soup.
To dress and truss a chicken.
Chicken fricassee,—brown.
Chicken pie.
Meringues, plain and with jelly.
LESSON TENTH.
Oyster soup.
Oyster scallop.
Fried oysters.
Pie-crust.
Oyster patties.
Lemon and apple pie.
To bone a turkey or chicken.
Force-meat.
Boiled parsnips.
To boil rice.
Parsnip fritters.
LESSON TWELFTH.
To decorate boned turkey.
To roast beef.
To bake potatoes with beef.
Gravy.
Rice croquettes.
Chicken or turkey croquettes.
Wheat and corn.
Making of flour and meal.
Tea.
Coffee.
Chocolate and cocoa.
Tapioca and sago.
Rice.
Salt.
Pepper.
Cloves and allspice.
Cinnamon, nutmegs, and mace.
Ginger and mustard.
Olive-oil.
Raisins and currants.
Macaroni and vermicelli.
Potatoes.
Sweet potatoes.
Yeast and bread.
Butter.
Fats.
Draper's Physiology.
Dalton's Physiology.
Carpenter's Physiology.
Foster's Physiology.
Youman's Chemistry.
Johnston's Chemistry of Common Life.
Lewes's Physiology of Common Life.
Gray's How Plants Grow.
Rand's Vegetable Kingdom.
Brillât Savarin's Art of Dining.
Brillât Savarin's Physiologie du Goût.
The Cook's Oracle, Dr. Kitchener.
Food and Dietetics, by Dr. Chambers.
Food and Dietetics, by Dr. Pary.
Food and Digestion, by Dr. Brinton.
Food, by Dr. Letheby.
Cook-books at discretion.