General Books

SOUPS ASPARAGUS SOUP. Take four large bunches of asparagus, scrape it nicely, cut off one inch of the tops, and lay them in water, chop the stalks and put them on the fire with a piece of bacon, a large onion cut up, and pepper and salt; add two quarts of water, boil them till the stalks are quite soft, then pulp them through a sieve, and strain the water to it, which must be put back in the pot; put... more...

Introduction There are cook books and cook books, and their generation is not ended; a generation that began in the Garden of Eden, presumably, for if Mother Eve was not vastly different from her daughters she knew how to cook some things better than her neighbors, and they wanted to know how she made them and she wanted to tell them. Indeed, it has been stated that the very first book printed, a small... more...

Grace before Meat"Let me cook the dinners of a nation, and I shall not care who makes its laws." Women, if they did but know it, might well thus paraphrase a famous saying. Proper dinners mean so much—good blood, good health, good judgment, good conduct. The fact makes tragic a truth too little regarded; namely, that while bad cooking can ruin the very best of raw foodstuffs, all the arts of... more...

TEA Tastes differ as to which of the many kinds of tea is the best, and yet the general use of English Breakfast and Oolong warrants the recommending of these two teas as standard. The Chinese have taught us the correct idea of tea drinking; to have it always freshly made, with the water boiling, and to steep the leaves at table. The tea table can be easily equipped now with a boiler in silver or... more...

GENERAL DIRECTIONS. The following directions may appear trite and common, but it is of the greatest consequence that they be strictly observed: Attend to minute cleanliness. Never wipe a dish, bowl, or pan, with a half dirty napkin, or give the vessel a mere rinse in water and think that it is then fit for use. See that it be dried and pure from all smell before you put in any ingredient. Never use the... more...

CARVING. Carving is one important acquisition in the routine of daily living, and all should try to attain a knowledge or ability to do it well, and withal gracefully. When carving use a chair slightly higher than the ordinary size, as it gives a better purchase on the meat, and appears more graceful than when standing, as is often quite necessary when carving a turkey, or a very large joint. More... more...

MRS. WILSON'S COOK BOOK Bread, the staff of life, must be palatable and good if we are to be satisfied with it when we eat. Can you think of anything that will spoil a meal more quickly than poor, over moist, doughy or heavy bread? Bread may truly be called the staff of life, as it will maintain life longer than any other single food. Yet many women think bread-making is a simple task; that the... more...

THE COMPLEAT COOK: Expertly prescribing the most ready wayes, whether Italian, Spanish, or French, for dressing of Flesh and Fish, &c. To make a Posset, the Earle of Arundels Way.. Take a quart of Creame, and a quarter of a Nutmeg in it, then put it on the fire, and let it boyl a little while, and as it is boyling take a Pot or Bason, that you meane to make your Posset in, and put in three... more...

INTRODUCTION Meals of many courses are neither practical nor popular with the modern hostess. For a company luncheon or supper it is not necessary to serve more than a hot dish, a salad, a biscuit or sandwich, a dessert and a beverage. A first course and a relish may be provided if desired. SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPERS The following menus were arranged especially as Sunday night suppers, but they are equally... more...

INTRODUCTION The word "fat" is one of the most interesting in food chemistry. It is the great energy producer. John C. Olsen, A.M., Ph.D., in his book, "Pure Food," states that fats furnish half the total energy obtained by human beings from their food. The three primary, solid cooking fats today are: There are numbers of substitutes for these, such as butterine, oleomargarine and... more...