Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-08-02
WHY NOT WIN
At THE FAIR
Prepared for The Wood County Re-
porter by Nellie Maxwell of the
Department of Farmers In
stitutes of the University
of Wisconsin.

of Wisconsin.
The cause of many failures in food
contests is largely due to the lack of
knowledge of what is the standard in
foods
The simpler and daintier the food
the better chance it has to be a prize
winner. Many cooks think that the
more deliberately colored and decorated
a cake or salad the better chance
it has in the contest. A cake with
one pink, one green, one white and
one chocolate layer may be a work of
skill of certain kind; but it goes to
the foot on the cake table.
Such a cake is like ''the woman with
a good deal of taste, but it was all
bad"
In baking bread for fairs, never put
two or more loaves in a pan, unless
a pair is called for, bake bread in
single loaf bread pans, so that there
will be a perfect shaped loaf. Separ-
ating two loaves always leaves an ugly
broken side.
Do not make the loaves huge in
size, the judge need not eat whole
loaf to judge of it's merits.
Practice weeks ahead on getting a
shapely, fine grained loaf. Study the
score cards for all foods and try to
meet the conditions.
In making rolls, biscuits, gems and
small cakes, make them small and at
tractive. Greasy, fat-soaked dough-
nuts never get prize. Be careful
of your pastry, choose a kind that will
stand day or two without soaking and
Will cary we'll if you have some dis
lance to drive.
In displaying canned goods, such as
jellies, canned fruit, jams, pickles and
mince meat, have the jars clean and
very plainly labelled. Fruit should be
of good flavor, color and texture Chat
is keep its shape). Jelly should be
clear, just stand up when unmolded.
quivery or nervous" as the small boy
expressed it, and true to flavor. A
food contest is a great education to
those who will learn, for the woman
who likes her jelly so that she cuts it
with a knife will learn that that kind
is not accepted.
Study the score card for bread, the
Judge always follows such a card as
this-Flavor 20, lightness 10, sweet
ness Is, texture 20, color 5, crust 5,
shape 5, moisture 20.
Flavor-nutty, like wheat.
Lightness-no heavy streaks, thru
the dough.
Sweetness-odors sweet no yeasty
smell.
Texture-the grain should be even.
Small holes the size of agrain of
wheat.
Color creamy.
Crust-even golden brown.
Shape and size-one pound loaf,
dome shaped, Of uniform height in all
its parts.
Moisture when pressed with the
finger should neither crumble nor be
doughty. Hard bread has too much
flour, doughty bread has not been well
baked.
The points to consider in cakes are
flavor, texture of crumb and crust,
lightness moisture general appearance
A fine grained, light fluffy cake if of
the delicate variety, nicely favored
always stands high in contest. A
void cheap favorings and be careful
not to overdo the favoring. If YOU
have no desirable favoring use the
grated rind of an orange or lemon,
can be more delicious than
these natural fiavors.
A word about the judge at food
contests. She is chosen at some places
more for her ability as a successful |
politician, than for any qualification |
she may possess as a food expert. |
She should be chosen first, because
Of her scientific knowledge, her prac-
teal experience and her absolute i'm
partiality and Indifference to remarks.
For various reasons it Is wise to have
an outsider, she may quickly escape
IN time Of trouble, for there are always
a few "who have taken prizes for sew
en- years on that same cake recipe."
A good judge should explain care
FULLY to each enquirer why this food
won and that lost. After a few years
If such training given by a trained
woman, the contestants will be able
% bring to the fair only high grade
'oods, doing away with much disap-
continent and unnecessary work.