The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-03-27

there is a tendency TO discolor. as
with potatoes. More detailed infor-
nation regarding this new introduc-
ton and its preparation will be sent
free to the housewife who applies to
the United States department of agrl.
culture.
The Importance Of Properly Cooking
Starch.
Starch cookery is a very important
subject. That starch may be thor
oughly cooked It is essential that ev-
cry starch grain be brought into con.
tact with water of at least 140 to us
degrees f.
In the case of starches separated
from the plant cells when they we're
formed (arrow root, corr starch. etc.
cooking is a simple matter, and long
continued cooking is seldom needed to
make them palatable and in good con
dition for digestion.
The selection of potato starch in.
stead Of corr or wheat starch for thick
ening sauces in accordance with the
custom Of French cooks is rational,
since 1t does not require so long boil
ing to insure the best results.
In the case Of starch still enclosed
in plant cells-as is the ease with the
starch present in cereal breakfast
foods, etc.-long cooking is desirable
in order that water may penetrate to
each individual starch grain and unite
with it to form the well cooked mate
rial which is considered most whole
some.
Starches from different plants or
plant parts differ in the form of the
starch grain, so that starches Of va.
rious kinds al be identified by the
aid OF he microscope. But from the
culinary standpoint they are practical
ly interchangeable, and one form of
starch may be substituted for another
in nearly all cases. Just as we may
substitute the yam or a dish Of rice
for the potato as a vegetab' so we
may use starch from the potato, or
corn, or wheat, or rice for t%hickening
gravies or making pu~ddings, making
slight changes in proportion, according
to the expansive powers of each kind.
Suggestions Regarding s~ueeulent
Roots.
Beets contain a larger percentage
OF sugar than most vegetables, and
should be baked or steamed to retain
as much of this as possible. At all
events, they should be cooked in the
skins, and the tip of the root and a
portion of the leaf stems should also
be left on until after cooking. Even
so, some color and sweetness are lost
in the water in which they are cooked.
Radishes, red or white, when a little
too large to eat raw, may be cooked
like turnips and served with a white
sauce.
Raw carrots often are eaten by chill.
dren, and are advocated by those who
believe in the use of raw foods. When
grated, raw carrots may be used in
soups without further cooking, or
added to salads. The carrot contains
so much sugar that its use for sugar
making in the same way as the beet,
has been seriously considered.
The parsnip is said to have been
cultivated ever before the Christian
era. The woody fiber of these roots
is softened by freezing without injury
to other portions. Hence they are left
in the ground until the frost comes or
even through the winter. But the
roots must be used before they begin
to grow again or they lose their sweet
ness and get rusty" The larger ones
are likely to be less sweet and more
woody. Small parsnips just from the
ground in the spring will cook in less
than a half hour. If steamed In their
skins, they lose less sweetness than
by boiling. They should be peeled aft.
er cooking, and served plain or with
sauce, or sauteed in butter or
mashed and made into f~ritters. They
may be made into a stew with pota-
toes, onions, and milk.
The vegetables sometimes known as
the "oyster plant" is the satisfy"
which is most available for use during
the late fall and winter. The root turns
dark quickly if the skin is removed be.
fore cooking, and after pairing should
be dropped at once into vinegar and
to prevent d~iscoloration. Aft
er boiling for about thirty minutes, the
may be served with butter or
sauce, or mashed and made into
frittara