Ellsworth American., 1875-11-11
4arm ann houstboID.
I1pe-!ec. cookery.


The following excellent hints upon the
ever-irui;lul and important topic OF imper-
feet cookery were written for the New York
Tribune by Mrs. ;. b Lyman
To ascertain just how much really good
material j. spoiled in the cooking would
form an interesting and quite fruitful sub
iect OF research. and set some housekeep-
er> a, least to thinking. II every loaf OF
bad bread manufactured from good -four.
every oyerdone or underdone piece of meat
prime Ia original quality, every mess ofpo-
ta'ne~ ruined 10 the kettle. every muddy
cup ot coffee made. every dish OF every
soy, " 'i5cH might be palatabe and nutri-
t,u>. hu, which by carcles>ness ignorance.
or pa -.ect j. made tasteless aud mediocre,
-f a'i these cou.d be written down in a
baoe. "ith date, and specifications. aud
IT, average cook confronted with them
o.re year. what CONSERVATION would OF
sh1uil I'll her heart and what a fearful :
gte-a,e OF material wasted beyond redemp-
tion would appear In the account,
TAe lac, j.. that cookery IS entitled to
rauk among the exact sciences. and that
happy accidents are OF rare occurrence In
tha culinary domain, while nhappy acci-
dents are constantly happening. There Is
continually the golden mean TO be sought
In the a1mixture Of all elements that are ,
make up sayory meal; and such is the
tota! deprayity Of material things" as one
Of our witty writers once phrased il. that II
there is one chance in ten OF things going
wrong, that chance is sure TO befan. To
cook potato exactly right, so that il will
b. just done. and ne more. be mealv,
white. perfect.-reqlires an exercise Of
talent little short Of genius so one would
tLirk who eats that vegetable at ordinsr,
ts5.es. The same i, true OF onions. that
odorous bulb. which i almost always sery-
ed UNDERGONE: and of beans. which are ei-
th2r burned n baking or dried to chok-
Ing consistency.
II is not variety or quantity that is so i'm
portant as quality and If those who cook
could only realize this, and precipitate all
their powers upon the perfect preparation
OF only TWO dishes at each meal. those who
feed n their hands would certainly be the
gamers. Il is grea; deal easier. when
one has really made up her mind to il. to
have everything right. than il is to Jet things
dsift; for one right thing his into another
right thing, and then tlA whole is right.
Badly cooked food Is not only sheer waste
Z,
nerve. muscle, soul-power The hungry
body valnly attempts recuperation in try
IL TO digest aud assimilate food not "con-
Yenieat' for 1t. 50 that what might have
been accomplished had the food been right
remains undone
Apropos hereto. aud Tor the help of care
less cooks, the following extract from an
unpublished busineS. letter is gwen
Having written an hour or so, found
the inner roominess large and descended to
breakfast The order was scrambled eggs.
steak, coddsh cake, corn cakes, mufins
.tewed chicken. and chocolate. The eggs
were so old they smelt. the chicken even
wofse, the corn cakes tasted like saw lust.
and the butter was oleomargarine or worse
The mullins turned out to be one small but
good graham biscuit. burned to cinder at
the top. The chocolate was aat and bitter
But the hotel is central. is Elegant; the fur
nlture Is costly; the walls are frescoed
the mirrors are large; the darkies are clev-
er; the bills are ample; the lady boarders
wear scant skirts with raffled humps; and
how rude it would be to snive about
the mere victuals! won't do it. went
without my breakfast, paid for it with efiu-
siTe cheerialness, tipped my hat jauntily
in taking leave Of the handsome cashier,
and knew that had had just as good time
as the otner fellows