Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-04-05
ABoLIsHEs uNsleHTlY HANDS.

In all the many and varied rewards
Of diligence none are better worth
while than those that wait upon dill
igent paper bag cooking. Ease is
one of them, deftness another. neat
ness In the kitchen still a third. 1t
10 quite impossible to make mere
words convey all that this method
Of cookery means-still more impos-
sible to set down all that its use will
teach you.
For example. its use will teach you
how little art can improve on nature
in matter of fiavors. Paper bag cook
ing keeps in the flavor, intensifies it.
and makes It the sauce of appetite.
Good digestion commonly waits on
appetite.
But there are other things to take
into account Not the least Of them
is the saving to ones hands and ones
temper in the matter OF washing up
after a meal.
Whether this falls to the cook. to
her mistress. or haply. to the gallant
man Of the house, who thrusts him
self helpfully into the toughest part
of the work, the fact remains indis-
putable that pan scrubbing is hard
work, distasteful in the extreme and
bound to leave unpleasant reminders.
Pots and pans mean the use Of strong
alkalies. without them the pots can
not be kept sanitary. No sort OF glove
yet devised will permit the free use
possible to the bare hand. The syl-
logism runs about thus wise: To
cook in the old way. you must have
pots, the pots must be kept clean, or
else be a constant menace, and to
keep them clean requires detergents
so powerful they will destroy human
cuticle the same as they "cut grease"
Result, rough, Redeemed, painful hands,
in spite of emollients, glove-wearing
and so on. The most careful mani
curing will not undo the effect of
steady pot-washing.
Baked Blue Fish.-Cut off head and
tail, wash clean, wipe with soft,
damp cloth, stuff with soft bread
crumb stuffing, else lay sliced pota-
toes inside. with a seasoning OF but
ter, pepper, salt and onion, and tie
up securely. Rub all over outside
with soft butter or dripping, sprinkle
! with salt, put in a creased bag. with
small lump of fat and a very little
cold water. Seal bag and cook In a
hot oven twenty to forty minutes,
according to weight. Serve with
sliced lemon and garnish with par
sley. squeeze of lemon Juice In the
bag is to many tastes an improve
ment.
Cat Fish, Baked or BroiIed.-Cat
| fish are good to eat, notwithstanding
| their looks. Anything under four
pound weight is fine for stuffing and
baking. Use a bread crumb stuffng
or one made of cornmeal beaten up
in egg and lightly fried, seasoning 1t
with pepper. salt and a suspicion Of
onion. Put plenty OF butter in with
the stuffing, wiping the fish as dry
as possible before stuffing it and salt
! ing and peppering the inside. Season
the outside likewise, grease well with
soft butter, put an extra lump OF but
ter in the bag, add little milk and
water, half and half, and put in hot
oven. Bake in full heat ten minutes.
then turn down the flame one-half
and cook according to size-it will
take about ten minutes extra to the
pound. But make a peep-hole and look
in before taking out of the bag-eye
and nose will help to decide when
the fish is well done. very big cat
fish is better cut in steaks or fillets.
Wipe dry. dip in melted butter.
sprinkle with lemon Juice. then with
pepper. salt and a little fine bread
crumb or corn meal. Lay in we'll
creased bag on thin-sliced bacon. put
more bacon over 1t, seal and cook thir-
ty minutes to an hour. according to
weight.
Copyright, 1911. by the Associated
] Literary PressO