The Jersey City news., 1891-09-12
WHY SOME COOKING FAILS
Ignorance of Natures Laws the
Cause of Many Ills and
Tempers.

The main causes of failure in cook
cry are lack of care in detail and ig-
norance of natures laws. Emerson
has said We must learn the home
ly laws of fire and water; we must
feed, wash, plant and build"
Exactness in measurement and care
in scraping dishes are essential; it is
not safe to ''guess." If sirup is meas
ured or an egg beaten, and either
poured into a mixture without rinsing
the cup or bowl, the proportions can
not be exact. Now, in order to rinse
q dish, it is allowable to add two or
three spoonfuls of liquid beyond the
limits of the receipt; but measure dry
ingredients first, then sirups, and last
ly the required milk or water.
Temperature is the rock upon which
many cook wrecks the work of her
hands without knowing the cause of
disaster. May the day soon come
when thermometer bearing a high
degree of heat shall be considered as
necessary in kitchen as a teakettle.
Flour cannot be too cold for pastry,
cookies or kindred doughs, while for
yeast bread it should be warm enough
to favor the growth of the yeast plant.
For the same reason warm water
should be used with yeast, while with
cream tartar and soda it would hasten
the escape of the gas. and cold liquids
only are allowable.
Doughs that stick to rollingpin,
board and hands in a hot kitchen
should be set away till thoroughly
chilled, but all trouble might have
been saved by using cold fat, flour and
liquid at first, and the texture of the
dough would have been better.
Potatoes are boiled and drained,
and then closely covered, instead of
being shaken in a draught of air, to
become white and foury by parting
with the superfuous steam.
Whites of eggs may be beaten to a
stiff froth by an open window when
it would be impossible in steamy
kitchen.
Roasts that should be juicy come
to the table as dry as paste board, be-
cause the oven was not hot enough
at first to instantly harden the outer
surface and prevent the escape of its
juices.
Deep frying is loudly inveighed
against by those who have not the in
clination to discover that less fat is
bsorbed by pieces of fish plunged in
deep fat than those which are turned
from side to side in limited quantity,
and that the intense heat of the fat
cooks it more thoroughly than is pos
sible by any other method, and, if
carefully drained on paper, little fat
remains = Home MQgdzaq2e.
=. ~, c,
The Chinese value a pair of old
boots which have been worn by an
upright magistrate, and the custom
of wishing friend HAPPY foot'' Is
still observed throughout Europe.
The casual putting on the left shoe
on the right foot, pulling it on uneven
or crosswise, bursting the shoe latch
or tie, lacing it wrong and losing a
button are all bad signs. A York
shireman will spit in his right shoe
before putting it ON, when going out
on i'm portant business. to bring luck,
and many an English girl has been
known to hang her boot out of the
window on st. Valentines night for
love-uck.
Prof. Black tells of singular SUI
perstition existing in England which
insists that if the youngest daughter
of family marries first, her sisters
must dance at her wedding without
shoes, SO as to insure husbands for
themselves. Old shoe throwing is
done for many purposes. In Ireland
the election of person to almost any
office is concluded by throwing an old
shoe over his head. The gypsies
say
Hurle after an old shoe
III be merry what here doe.
In the Isle of Man an old shoe is al
ways thrown after the bride, as we'll
as the groom. when leaving their
homes, and in the South the oldest
person on the plantation, white or
black, always throws an old shoe
after anyone starting on q long jour
ney. 1t is said that Mime. Patti and
other women of high standing on the
stage preserve most carefully the
boots they wore at their debut, which
they consider lucky to wear on the
first night of engagements forever
after Chicago Paper.