The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-06
GREASE FOR THE
WHEELS OF WAR
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
IMPORTATION BUREAU
By Frederic j. Haskin, Director.
Washington, ID. G.


like cat trying to catch it's own
tail, is in danger of developing hot
box.
That may be a mixed metaphor,
but it aptly suggests the dual nature
of the problem-human and mechan-
ical Both people and machinery
are suffering from a lack of oils ana
greases. They are the fuels and the
lubricants of both human and me-
chanical effort, and both humanity
and machinery are being caileo upon
for most unusual efforts these Gays.
AS a natural result. both the 1uels
and the lubricants are getting scarce.
Lack of crude oil threatens to stop
the motors of war, and lack OF puc-
ter and lard is threatening the Ell
ficiency of the human machlne the
world over. The food conservation e1-
perts. who have become so increolpiy
numerous in the past few monilS'
are all engaged in telling US now TO
eat less grease. All We lack IS soiile
one to tell us how to get more greasy
Their are two reasons Lor .ne Cow
city of food fats-namely. the grow.
ing need of civilization for soap. anu
the present widespread RAD e"i Ing
killing of our fellow humans.
All soap contains fat and much OF
tbe fat used in soaps could pc useo
in foods. 1t is coneeivaole W. noint
human race may come to the POM
of having to choose between soaP
for its morning bath and butter LOT
it's breakfast.
THE food conservationists delicate
" hesitate to recommend economy ny, ~
do urge. however, that soap powders
should be used for cleaning up around
the house, as these contain ohiy
fraction of the fat that soaps contain.
Glycerine is fat product ana nitro
glycerine is one of the most import
ant of the high explosives which the
civilized nations are using In 'neir
present effort to remove each cther
from the face of the earth. IN.
fortunately, it seems to take more rat
| to blow man up than II Goes 70 heep
him alive, for this method of using
fats is one of the largest factors IN
bringing about the shortage. Every
man killed on the field of battle has
cost the world more than his right
full share of fat, and unless some
more economical method of killing
men can be invented, the fat shortage
is going to get shorter and shorter
IN this connection, Miss Abby L.
Marlatt, one of the federal food con-
serva tionists, filings out the terse mot
to; 1.-The war can be shortened by
using less shortening" She urges that
we put less fat into everything we eat,
that we serve smaller portions of but
ter, and fry things in less lard. This
is a valuable suggestion, but the trou-
have a certain amount of fat, and
you can't tool it by serving unshort-
ened biscuits. In Germany the war
to many people has come mean chief
ly an endless hankering for grease.
A certain young man in this country
| who had a young lady friend in Aus
tria made a tremendous hit by send
| ing her a five-gallon bucket of lard
| for a birthday present. A nation of
Jack Spratts at this time could prob
/ ably dominate the world.
As intimated above, whar we really
need is someone to tell us where we
can get more fats. In he official
announcements of the die. censor
| we find but one suggestion along this
| line. We are told that among the
entrails of chicken, which has been
well brought up, there are sundry
| chunks of fat of very fine grade.
| This fat which is wasted by many
people, is yorth a dollar ano ten cents
a pound, and if you buy your chick
ems dressed you should Insist that
these internal fats be sent along with
| them. You can fry it out and use it
| for baking cakes, or else you can fry
| the chicken in it. Sour cream is an
other fat which can be profitably used
| in cooking. Butter should never be
used for cooking, and should be used
sparingly on the table.
The way to economic in the use OF
| butter is to observe carefully how
| much butter each member of your
| family eats at a meal, and then give
| him just that much. Hotels have made
| a pretty careful study of this matter.
| If they give a man much butter, of
/ course some Is wasted. BIT if they
give him too little. he is sure to call
| for a second portion. Hence, 1t is
! necessary to figure out just about how
| much butter the average customer
| will eat. The portion most commonly
served is a piece about one and a
quarter inches square and half an
inch thick, which weighs about half
a pound of butter into thirty-two
equal pieces.
Where butter and cream are used in
cooking to give flavor, they should be
used as sparingiy as possible. Too
| much butter makes cake soggy, any
way. In the case of vegetables it is
more economical to stir in butter af-
ter they are cooked thar to cook it
with them. A still better method is
to cook vegetables with 81 chunk of
bacon or pork instead of using butter.
Various substitutes may ne used for
| butter in shortening pastry. One of
the best of these is a rendered mixture
of equal parts of suet, lard and but
ter. Beef brisket fat makes an excel
lent shortening for all sorts of cakes
and pastries in which enough spice is
used used to mask the slGvor of the
4 fat. The economical use of Shorten
ings is also a health precaution for
pastries in which too much fat has
J been used are particularly indigesti-
BILE. This is also a good time to make
unshortened breads and cakes, such
as beaten biscuit and sponge cake.
In frying, fat serves chiefly as q
medium for transmitting heat. OF
course some fat is absorbed. and this
modifies the flavor of the food, but
If too much is absorbed. not only is
the method wasteful. but the digesti-
| bility of the food is impaired. The
best way to insure the absorption oil
: minimum amount of fat in fkying
foods is to have the fat very hot be-
fore the food is put into it. The de-
partment of agriculture has made
! some experiments to determine the
J temperature at which foods will alb
sorb the least fat. The most smpor-