The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-15
THE HIGHEST OF ALL ARTS.
Good Cooking n Necessary Qualification to
Grcnt Nation.

The art of cooking should rank with
painting, music and sculpture if any
thing, higher, because it is more beneficial
to the human race" said Miss Maria Parloa
of the School of Cookery up town.
" Is there much art used in cooking in
American queried reporter.
No, not as a general rule. We cook
too fast, do up things in hurry, and out
side of few fashionable restaurants the
best methods in preparing food are not in
vogue. But can say this, that I believe
New York is far ahead Of most cities in good
cooking, leaving out Paris. attribute the
fact to tho cosmopolitan population. A
moderately-priced restaurant here will fur
nish better cooked viands than similar one
in London. But in Paris the culinary art
is carried to the highest degree of perfec-
ton. A piece of their lean beef cooked by
an artist-and nearly oil French cooks are
artists-will be more palatable than q fine
slice of ours prepared by our cooks. One
reason 1 attribute good cooking to the
French is because they do not rush things
with big heated fires but are sparing with
their fuel and cook more slowly. Then,
too, they understand more thoroughly how
to season food properly. Our great fault is
that we are apt to season too highly from
having plenty. My pupils are all anxious
to learn how to cook the rare dishes first,
and generally ignore the everyday dishes
mostly used on the table. What is the re-
suit? They invariably wind up by learn
ing how to cook bread we'll, and dishes of
common articles of food. 1t surprises them.
Before they imagined that cooking bread
was easy, that anybody could do it. So
they can, but to do it properly is the thing.
Ladies who have been keeping house for
years absolutely do not know how to begin
to cook the simplest dish, in practice les.
son will say; Now get the pan ready
and am met instantly by the query. How
do you get the pm readyr In simple
things, that it is supposed as matter OF
course they know how to do, they are as
helpless as children. do not begin by
teaching to cook the simplest dishes. 1t
would be monotonous and devoid of inter-
est. Here is, for instance, the menu for the
first lesson in series of twenty Cream of
caulifower SOUP entre-cote steak, garnish-
cd with marrowbones caulifower with
cream sauce caulihower, au gratin baked
Indian pudding and vanilla ice cream. This
may seem complex for beginners, but the
only way is to begin at once and cook any
dish. The public would be surprised Of
the interest these ladies take in the art of
cooking and how careful and painstaking
in acquiring perfection. In few years
the finest and best cooking in the world
will be done among the rich people of New
York.
There is art in preparing the simplest
dish, and when It's we'll done the result in
many respects is almost as satisfactory as
performing some intricate pasquinade on
the piano or drawing the picture Of o high
stepping stork in shallow water. have been
teaching for some years and have succeed
ed beyond my most sanguine expectations.
Wealthy Indies are anxious to know some
thing about cooking and want their daugh-
tiers to gain knowledge of the art. Mrs.
Pierrepont Morgan's daughter attends the
school also William e. Dodge's, and Mr..
Hoes, the press inventor, with many others.
My idea is that in few years cooking will
be taught in the public schools. Girls can
then gain some practical knowledge and
have very useful accomplishment to go
with that of music and painting. But first
teachers must be taught to fill these depart
ments in the public schools before any steps
to that end should be taken. No nation can
be truly great without good cooks, and
America is in my opinion destined to be the
yrandest nation on earth"