The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-06

by the poor show that ordinary bakers
bread gives the highest percentage of
waste: that Is IT gives the least nutri
ment for a given amount of money.
Whole wheat and Graham flours should
| be used in bread making, the latter.
| however, which contains bean, must
br avoided where there is gastric or
intestinal catarrh Bread may be
raised with either baking powder or
yeast, the oaves should be small and
| thoroughly baked, in order to kill the
| yeast germ. As the yeast plant grows
| it feeds upon the -four and diminishes
| it's nutritive quality by just so much
| All cooking experts condemn the home
| made and the brewers yeast, and give
! preference to the compressed yeasts.
TO TEST BAKING POWDER.
| Baking powder is q modern substitute
| for yeast and when made of pure soda
and cream Of tartar Will probably in
| jure none but the most delicate stom-
! achs. Unfortunately, it is much adul-
terated, and chiefly with the two pois-
| onous substances, alum and ammonia.
A simple way of testing for the presence
of either or both is to put a teaspoonful
Of baking powder into teacup, add
| and then set the cup on the stove. If
the powder effervesces alum is present.
! The greater the effervoscence the larger
| the proportion of alum. If there is any
| ammonia present its fumes may be de-
| teCted during efferVesCenCe. Alum has
! the property of increasing its bulk
| many times, over under the influence
of moisture, hence it is largely used
| by bakers as an .adulterant of flour
A very small per cent. OF alum added to
sack of flour will give the baker five
more loaves to the sack. The only per
| fectly hygienic method of raising bread
is by aeration In this method a blast
of carbonic acid gas is forced by me-
! chanical means into the dough. The
bread thus made is light and porous,
| with none of the fermentng tendencies
| which are due to year and baking pow
der. 1t would be a great boon to the
| poor, as indeed to all bread consumers,
if an aerated bread bakery could be
started in Pittsburg.
In the absence of aerated bread peo-
pie with feeble digestions are forced to
confine themselvs to various unleaven-
ed grain preparations. Oatmeal and
Graham crackers are digestible, and so
are many of the steam cooked cereals
!,
some of these cereals are not so thor
oughly cooked as they claim to be,
and the slight additional cooking which
we give them in our home is not suf-
ticient to make their starchy elements
| digestible. The first step toward the
digestion of starch is thorough cooking.
Raw starch is incapable of digestion or
assimilation 1t is the raw starch which
| they contain which makes unripe fruits
| so very undigestible. AS they ripen. the
heat of the sun slowly cooks this starch
and converts 1t into grape sugar. There
| are some preparations of wheat now on
the market in which, by slow and long
continued dry heat, the starch is suf-
ticiently pre-digested to be aasimilated
by those with the most obstinate starch
Indigestion.
Oats stand next in value to wheat
In the shape of porridge or crackers
oatmeal is quite as nutritious as wheat
but it is strong food, and those who
; eat much of it should live a vigorous
; outdoor life. Oatmeal will not make sc
light and appetiZing bread as wheat
flour. and for that reason is not SC
much used. Oatmeal porridge is not q
wholesome food for weak digestionS, as
it is generally swallowed in spoonfuls
without chewing. Dry food, with thor.
; ough mastication to stimulate the sal.
wary glands, is the first step towards
, recovering lost digestion.
FACTS CONCERNING CORN.
Corn is a wholesome cereal, for it con
tains fat and protein, as we'll as starch
and furnishes abundant heat and en-
; | ergy. Our ordinary canned corn is no
j tOriOusly indigestible. however, on ac
" count of the hard outer skins which
i | it contains. Cornmeal is eminentl!
[ wholesome, mush being an especial!
| nutritious and valuable food. Rye i
inferior to wheat in nutritive qualite
and digeStibilty, but when used il
connection with buttermilk, as is tn
( custom in Germany, will amply supper
t life.
= The protein. or albumen, of barle,
: dissolves readily in water, on whicI
{ account barley is especially valuabl
= for thickening beef broth, and barle
e water is one of the best and most nour
= ishing foods for fever convalescents.
n Although rice has a high percentag
y of starch, it WILL when properly cooked
: digest in one hour. 1t contains ! par
protein to SO parts carbohydrates, an
$ to our American standard, is not cap
able of supporting life; nevertheless
n the masses of China and India live an
1t do hard labor with rice as their onl
l. food.
h Among vegetables, beans, peas an
n lentils are easily the most nutrition:
e They contain a high percentage OF pre-
d tein, and with the addition Of a lii
II tie fat, will supply every element tn
l. body requires. The potato has falle
1t into disrepute lately, chiefly on accour
J. of improper methods of cooking. 1t
is true that fully one third of the potat
a is waste, and 1t should by no meai
l. have the place it now occupies IN II
dietary of the poor.
on account Of its high percentage
starch a potato must be properly an
y thoroughly cooked to be digestible. tt
liz only proper way to cook potatoes is
d bake them with the skins on, thous
= they may be steamed and mashed will
d, out positive detriment. But even Wht
a. baked they should not be eaten unle!
Id dry and mealy \ Watery, soggy pot'
o. to is absolutely indigesuble. We a
IN ready understand why fried potato
lie should be avoided, and as to pota
1T salad it is a deititic absurdity. Vim
Ce | gar, as we have learned, prevents Il
he digestion Of starch, and in the fa
OF of that fact we take a starchy veg
is table and deliberately dress 1t WI