Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-10-14
DUEL BETWEEN PAN AND BAG.
BY Martha MccuIIOch Williams.

Experience has been M only school,
which, perhaps, accounts for the
fact that 1 hold no opinions half
heartedly. Especially about cooking.
1t seems to me the finest of fine arts,
all too much misprised, and held a.
drudgery instead of privilege. Pos
sibly this makes me reactioRary-a
holder-fast to old methods. Certainly
when Soyer's paper bag cookery was
suggested to me, there was not a
stouter skeptic in all these United
States. Soyer's experience did moth
ing to change my mind. Rather, it
convinced me that paper bag cooking
was one Of the things that cost more
than they come to. For l set myself
this sum. Gags, plus greasing, plus
clips, equal the cost of many sauce
pans. Furthermore, it is against
sense and reason that the mere put
ting of food in a bag should either
hasten the cooking or better the fla
vor of it. Thus I argued the case
forthrightly, but ended by conces-
sion-I would try out paper bags and
see what 1 should see.
The first bag left me warmly tri-
umphant
Wisdom ferments like yeast AS l
acquired it, there was no keeping it
to myself. 1t dripped down upon my
next story neighbor, a cook both born
and made. She was interested but
skeptical-less so than l had been,
notwithstanding of an open mind. So
when l proposed an experiments
culinary duel, if you please-whose
result was to be decided by the scales
she was ready, even eager to engage
in it.
Each of us bought rib roast-hers
weighing four pounds, mine but three.
To the eye, they were identical save
in the matter OF size. And our gas
ranges are oven-brothers, made by ex-
actIy the same pattern. Her roast
went into a pan, mine into bag. Not
having to haste nor watch mine, after
the flame was turned down properly,
| had liberty to run in on her and see
how she Jared. She was doing her
best-a best that is superlative,
watching and basting her beef with
the skill of chef. The result was
something beautiful to behold when
she took it out after little more than
an hour. Mine was still in the oven,
it's bag intact, though 1 had turned
out the gas after forty-five minutes.
It had not been on full for forty min
utes, whereas my neighbor had kept
hers lowered only the least bit. The
exact saving of gas do not under
take to compute-but that there was
a saving is beyond question.
The scales showed her roast to
have lost in weight a fraction over
nine ounces. Mine, lighter by a
pound, had lost fraction under two
ounces. Furthermore, all the strength
of my meat was in the gravy. A fifth
at least of hers remained sticking to
the pan, though she treated it in the
usual way. We reckoned that a pa
per bag would have saved her half
pound weight of beef, equivalent to
twelve cents, the cost of many paper
bags. Indeed, l felt that the gas saw
ing alone would have more than paid
for the bag, the clips, the. greasing.
Moreover, my beef was tenderer than
hers, had a richer taste, and was
juicier.
Smothered Chicken.-Have a good
sized broiler cut into joints, taking
care not to leave sharp bones to the
joints. Salt and pepper them lightly,
.dredge with flour and lay in a WE'LL
creased bag upon thin slices of bacon.
Cover with more bacon slices, taking
care to keep the chicken spread
rather fiat Add a tablespoonful OF
water, or a couple of peeled and
sliced tomatoes. Shreds of green pep
per add somewhat of flavor to the to-
matoes. Seal in bag and cook for
forty minutes, stacking heat almost
half after the first five minutes.
Copyright, 1911, by the Associated
Literary Press.)