Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-01-08
TRUE VALUE OF FOOD
1T is NOT WELL-KNoWN BY ALL
HoUSEKEEPERS.
Price is No Guide to the Amount of
Nourishment-One Half Our In
comes Spent BindIy-UseIess Ex-
pense That Fritters Away Money.

pense That Fritters Away Money.
The current number of What to Eat
contains an article by Laura Clark
lockwood on the "Pecuniary Value of
Food" which is worthy of consider
alton. The greatest percentage of the
earnings of the wage-workers of the
country is spent for food but, unfor-
tunately, the money is spent more or
less blindly, she declares. That is,
the man or woman who does the buy
ing determines the purchase largely
by taste or by chance, as the case may
be, without regard to the nutritive
values.
And this mistake is through no spe-
cial fault of theirs but because there
is a great lack of general knowledge
upon the subject of the pecuniary
economy and nuitritive value of foods.
The average income of the people of
this country is small, not over $500
per annum, and statistics show that
of this amount over one-half is spent
for food. In many cases it has been
found that less money might have
been expended with better results;
that is, the different members of the
family might have been better nour-
ished through a different selection
OF cheaper food. The most economi-
cal food is that which is best adapt
ed to the requirements of the user,
which will best nourish the body,
which will "agree" with him, and
which is the least costly.
1t is all very well for those who can
afford porterhouse steak to use it, but
the rank and file cannot afford it, and
what they need to know is a palatable
way to prepare the cheaper cuts. A
butcher in New York said that he had
great difficulty in trying to convince
a poor seamstress, who always bought
tenderloin steaks at 60 cents a pound,
that she might get just as much nour-
ishment from the cheaper cuts. She
was rather insulted at the idea, ana
said with some dignity that she al
ways bought the best. Now this is
certainly case where the best is not
always the cheapest.
For instance, bearing in mind that
neck meat is richer in protein than
tenderloin steak, let us consider the
pecuniary value of each With our
lower prices here in the West we can
purchase two pounds of steak for 80
cents, and this amount will make a
meal for four people, there being, of
course, considerable waste in the way
of fat and trimmings.
This same 80 cents will buy four
pounds of neck meat. In our house
hold we cook it by thoroughly brown
ing all sides of it in hot butter in
which there is a slice of onion. This
soaring over the outside serves to re-
tain the juice. Then boiling water
enough to keep the meat from burn
ing is added and the meat allowed to
simmer for three hours. Add salt
and pepper short time before it is
done. A half hour before dinner
dumplings are made and added to the
contents of the kettle. The result is
as savory and nutritious dish as one
could wish. A second serving of the
same meat appears as croquettes into
which the gravy left from the first
day is incorporated, and third serv-
ing takes the form of hash, minced
meat on toast or meat soufie, and thus
the meat for three meals has been
provided at a cost of only 80 cents.
Do not despise hash. 1t is a tempt
ing dish when properly prepared
Chop the meat fine and put in the skill
let with little boiling water, butter
pepper and salt. Spread the chopped
potato on top. Cover closely and let
the potato steam through, but do not
stir it into the meat until just before
taking it from the stove. The nutri-
tive value of whole wheat flour is not
appreciated as it should be, for the
food value of pound of flour is much
greater than that of a pound of meat,
while it's cost is very much less.
1t is safe to say that many people
spend much more for their food than
is necessary. In recent article in
one of the leading magazines a per-
centage of over three-fourths of the
income was given for necessities, and
that when the income varied from ST.
500 to $4,000. That ratio for a family
of four was much too large, for in the
West, where food is comparatively
cheap, family of four can live very
well on $400 year, judiciously ex-
pended for food. This sum, of course,
does not include the cost of preparing
the food; that is servants wages.