The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-11-21
MY EXPERIMENTS WITH PAPER
BAG COOKERY.
BY Martha Mcculloch Williams.

tention by friends, who, rightly or
wrongly, seem to have high opinion
of my abilities as cook, admit that
/ was skeptical Of its practibility. In
deed, l. was more than that was
rather firm in my belief that it could
not prove out. .lBut ! was induced
to put the system to trial-and, 10
and behcld!-th very first trial made
me an enthusiastic follower Of M.
Soyer. Since then 1 have been doing
all my cooking by the Soyer method,
and each succeeding day more than
ever convinces me that any woman,
by following Soyer's general direc-
lions and using that good common
sense and care which are essential
to all good cooking, can master the
Soyer paper bag method of cooking in
very short time and will find 1t a
great boon both to herself and to all
the members of her household
Practically every advantage that M.
Soyer claims for his paper bag meth
cd Of cookery over the present greasy
pot and pan system of cooking
have found by actual experience to
prove out But as Il. soyer himself
says with engaging candor: THE
success of the system depends en-
tirely on how it is carried out. Some
people have imagined that all urge
amounts to a general use of the bag
in place of the ordinary saucepan,
without any attention to the condi-
lions that are essential to good cook
ing. Good cooking requires time, care,
attention to detail, taste and tenn
perature suited to the particular dish
being cooked. The paper bag does
not abrogate any of the rules that ap-
uly to efficient work at the kitchen
table"
1t is true, beyond peradventure of
doubt, that paper bags will never cook
fine meal off their own bat, as it
were; but my experience has taught
me that the bags plus moderate use
of brains, a trifle Of experience and a
certain deftness of manipulation that
/ comes with experience. will unques-
tionably simplify the problem of liv-
ing by lessening sensibly the cost
and the drudgery of the kitchen. The
use of the bags must be learned the
same as any other art of the kitchen,
but, / repeat, to the, housewife who
brings common sense to bear upon
this matter the time of learning will
be surprisingly brief.
Following M. Soyer's general direc-
tions for paper bag cookery. ] speedi-
ly learned that there are sundry
commandments to be observed whilr
pursuing his method of cooking.
The first and greatest of these is to
get the right bag, which is made es-
pecially for cooking, is paraffined,
ordorless even when crumbly crisp,
sanitary and to be had in sizes big
enough to hold Thanksgiving turkey
or tiny enough for a single chop.
Next, nearly as important, is to
grease the bag inside literally, using
butter, lard, oil, drippings or a very
4 fat rind of bacon. Grease thoroughly
lit is the dry spots which crisp,
crack, leak and make trouble. But
beware laying bag empty of all
but grease in the hot oven to spread
the grease. Even few seconds of
heat make the bag crackly and hard
to handle. Use soft grease, whatever
the sort, rubbing 1t on with the fling
ers. Mops and butter brushes can be
used, but they do the work less com.
pletely.
Further, proportion your bag size
to what it is destined to hold. The
closer the fit of bag and contents, the
better and the more even and compact
the lay of the food, the less trouble
in handling. Fold over the open end
at least three times and fasten with
strong wire clips. If, perforce, the
bag is too big, cut off the end and
then fold over the clip. Also,
have found it very satisfactory te
fold and clip empty corners, although
this is not essential to success. Where
bag and food touch the paper holds
it's texture, whereas in empty single
ply spaces it crisps rather easily and
is likely to break at a touch.
Use footed wire broiler, or very
open grid shelf, in the oven. All pa
per bag cooking is done in the oven
If gas oven, it must be lighted eighr
to ten minutes before putting in the
food and kept at blazing heat unit
the bag corners scorch lightly; ther
slacken the heat a third or even hal
throughout the rest of the time O
cooking.
De sure to lay the bags in tie over
with the seam uppermost, especially
if water has been put inside. Seams
will steam open now and then Il
the opening is downward there vii
be a leakage and much bother. Ii
event of leak, either set a pan un
derneath to catch the drip or lif
out the shelf and bag and slip the
latter, with its contents, into a big
ger bag, freshly creased.
A well creased bag can lie for some
time without change, but as soon as
it is filled with food it should be SCI