The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-03
FOOD FOR THE BABY
METHODS OF COOKING TO GET
THE BEST RESULTS.
Barley and Oatmeal Cruel Should Be
Made Fresh Every Day-Proper
Preparation of Nourish.
ing Beef Juice.

HOW are some OF the IOOdS we are
to give our babies to be cooked ?"
asked young mother the other day
when told to put barley cruel with
the milk formula.
To woman who has much expert
ence with babies this may seem a
foolish question; but, indeed, how is
one to know until one is told? And
l was glad that my young friend
asked frankly about this, that all
mothers should know how to make
She has never had occasion to know
until recently, and now that I am tell
ing her I mean to add the ways of
cooking to some other things that
may be given to small infants
Gruels being first on the dietary
list, let us begin with them They
are made, of course, with a cereal
and boiled until all the nourishment
is extracted. Then the liquid is
strained off and is digested without
difficulty, as rule. Barley and oat-
meal are the first given, and barley
is preferred in the milk formulas
unless there is constipation; then oat-
meal is better. Both grains are
ground into -four, and when making
the guel try to get -four, using the
grain only when the flour is not to
be had.
Make barley Cruel by mixing tea
spoonful of the flour into smooth
paste with little cold water Have
boiling in double boiler a pint of wa
ter, and into this pour the -four paste,
taking care to keep it smooth. Let
this boil for 20 minutes very slowly
and strain if lumpy. To the same
quantity of boiling water take two
tablespoonfuls of oatmeal flour. If
the grain is used instead, two table
spOonfuls of the barley would be re-
quired, or three tablespoonfuls of oat-
meal.
Cruel put into the modified milk
should be made fresh every day and
kept cold until used. For barley wa
ter, which is given sometimes when
the stomach is in delicate state,
there are prepared extracts in the
market, or it may be made by slowly
boiling a cup of the grain and a quart
Of water. AS the water boils away
it should be renewed until the
strength of the grain has been extract
ed. Then strain, and if the liquid is
thick thin with boiled water.
Beef juice is early put on the baby's
food list, and while easily prepared,
it should be done carefully The
round is the juiciest part of the beef,
and pound of this should be boiled
just long enough to heat it through
Then cut into bits and squeeze either
through meat press or an ordinary
lemon sQueeZer.
Salt slightly, and if heated when
given set the cup containing it into
another of hot water If heated too
long it curdles.
Farina, given at some time to all
small children, requires the most
careful cooking-certainly twice the
time that the directions given In
preparing all cereals for babies never
forget that they cannot be over
cooked and the chances are that they
will be underdone. When this hap
pens they form a soggy mass in the
little stomach.
When an infant is old enough to
have an egg to eat, always prepare it
by coddling, which renders it so much
more digestible. TO do this place the
egg in boiling water and draw back
Immediately where the water will not
boil. Let stay in this water for six
minutes. The cooking will thus be
far more even.
Broths are strong extracts of meat
and the principle of cooking all is the
same; always use cold water, let it be
long time coming to the boil, and
then simmer instead of boiling This
extracts the good of the meat with
out wasting the liquid. Broth made
with water that is boiling when poured
over the raw meat is worthless
Washington Star.