New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-12
LETTERS FROM The PEOPLE
A LESSON ON COOKING.

" h. tsr ia1 thsrefse wiser ra:ioDs 20 fora pat OF
,hsr archives" he cces not certify thai this cAn es
proved. bu, may j; not be presumed authoritative
We're IL the custom now TO record the invention
of rev ea:sb.s American eontnodton' "oaid form
neas,r report, and perhaps be rejected they GER
,.inly would If cookery were de6nei-tae preparation
of food for e.tns and for the nourshmeLt OF the eo'y
srd pr,seivn.ion Of hesth Whst is American cook
ery-;hs, Of tie mass of the pecplef The Amenea0s
themselves sre .ying Illustrations Of bad feeding ana
it s to their practice Of .tufirg Their stonschs w.ta
quantities Of iIdigestbe, innutIicious matter caliea
food that the deterioration Of heath is TO be atbuted
instead of their climate. The cookery oil the peopi' ol
the United States is bsd as-the administrator OF
their Government which is the extreme OF osaneSS'
both Government and kitchen potenia;es showing TOO
great al aptitude for spoilng.
There are however pahating reasons ior the naHon'
al carele ess in cookery.
Americans generally undervalue preparations Tor
eating Dis5anirg gu,tony, despising pampsnns 70
far ces they into the opposite extreme OF neglect
pg ,ba, which is Of real value to their bodies. Ihs
inattep,ion proceeds not from inability TO comprehend
the sci.nce Of cookery real dislike TO good things
for their apprecla,ve power Of such - on par win
that Of other natons but; they grow up wtn toe dea
thst it is unbeeonns to be dainty, and lowering 70
think too much of their stomschs. Then, American
mothers seldom instruct their daughters, and the cult
nsry skill which many of the former possessed Is lost
So long a. their energy and activity enddred these
preferred doing themselves all tha: was necessary 70
be DONE They would say, "Of what use to bother
myself teaching girl to do whas can, in third OF
the time do my and without the nsk of spoiling
Besides, my mother never taught me- and my daugh'
tiers m asst learn by chance, IS | and others did.
In times past mothers may have been excused rom
this duty from the multiplicity of their avocations;
moments were hours to them. Baking, brewing,
cooking, child.tendirg, knitting, mending, sewing,
Washing ironing, catding, spinning, weayiog, quilt
ing dyeing were all to be done with pair o. hands
beside the Incidental work that came in such as bind
ing shoes when the shoemaker made his yearly rouods,
tailoring dress-makiug, cake-msking and preserving,
to say nothing of the pig killing season The ambition
of an American housekeeper Of the odsn time wss
unbounded, ard her energy seemed inexhans,ible. 1t
is not strange hat the present race Is somewhat puny
for the ygor that ought 10 have been theirs or their
parents was used in some Of the enumerated occuPa-
tons A smart woman was a term Of high praise, and
was synonomous with good housewife, and every
mother aspred TO this reputation One might be IN
clned to think mothers dreaded finding equals in their
daughters; but this cannot be- for American mothers
are proveibislly indulgent and tender of these and
there are few things peted the majority OF young
American girls.
Am acquainted with an old lady an octogensrian,
who possesses enviabe skil in cookery, and whose
pies. gngerbread cakes and doughnuts are unsur
psssabe, and has reared large family, mostly grsi
vet she has never taught one her way to cook. She
has no rues never makes mistakes, is opposed to all
Innovations likes pork and seeratus, American condi-
ments, though she uses these judiciously.
In early times necessities were stronger than con-
forts The kitchens were poorly furnished with con-
venisnces and all cooking utensils were clumsy and
scarce, aud pots and kettles did double duty; iron
skillets were used instead Of sauoepans, and sundy
other unccuth-looking things whose names would
puzzle an etymologist.
Would not the establishment of college for cookery
be national beneisctionl A corps Of professors
should be appointed, and the charges for instruction
should embrace the two extremes of price; that the
wealthy would find the sum they paid should be suf
fciently extravsgant to boast of and the poor find
them moderate that they could avail themselves
Of its advantages. Who can say that this is not the
best reformstory idea Of the timesl Erasmus says:
bad feeding axes the vulgar seditious aud quarrel
sone." There is not much doubt that American rest
lessness and rritsblity arise from the diet of the
people, and cannot the political depravty of the times
be traced to error in food or drink Who can say
how much Of the Lecomptcn inquity be traced TO
something drank at the National
Iserously think every young woman ought to have
some knowledge of cooking; ignorance upon this SUBJ
ject ought to be reproach. doubt if il be generally
understood that, after certain period, the way to
mans heart lies through his stomach; and many
spinster, bad she understood cookery, might have
cooked herself fire husband.
Every beginner in cookery thinks II easy thing 10
learn, and without any knowledge Of the necessary
rudimerts, expects to bunder into some sort Of pro-
fciency, that in time the mistakes come to be
gsrded the rule and their experience is to be pre-
ferred to the teachings of science. Cook books are
deemed Of no account because the directions exceed
their patience. Roasting, boiling and stewing are
easy enough il is the baking that is difficult but
knowledge Of this will come after repeated trals-the
loss and waste caused by ignorance aid experiments
never being reckoned.
Travellers dwell with delight mutton eaters regret
fully upon the excellence of English boiled mutton;
but n the United States mutton deteroraes in cook
ing and the mot temp ing, luscious looking Joint the
market affords keeps rot ts promise TO the eye when
dished for eating. Why' Twenty 70 one, the cook
has put il to bell in cold or lukewsrm water Inquire
Of her iendery ard carefully elss the truth will fee
your seach, for diving for Truth in well Is play CON-
pared TO hunting her through tho snuous mszes Of sn
Irisb cooks mind. Ask her Why shs put the mes. in
not water, ihe will reply, "Indade ma am, did no
" sich thing; know me bznsss better nor that" but
you may feel she does not know it, for mutton,
corned beef and fresh fish must bs put to cook into
boiling water, and kept slowly boiling. After the
meet has been in sufficient time FOR the scum TO rise
sl Tim it off, and pour in half pint Of cold water