The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-06
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
lNEORMATION BUREAU
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIS. Director.
Washington, d. o.
WAR KITCHENS.

d
ton housewives under the direction of
a community war kitchen It's fact-
Every morning from twenty-five to
fifty women assemble in neat white
washed basement in one of the city's
most fashionable sections ana MAKE
their own bread.
one morning they come and make
their own yeast. For cents they can
make enough yeast to raise twenty
loaves of bread. The next morning
they come and set the sponge, using
the yeast made the day before. Then
they go down town to shop or go TO a
movie, or sometimes they go home to
attend to other household duties. Five
hours later they return, and, Dehold,
the sponge has risen dutifully. They
bake their bread. After which. they
pay 13 cents to the director of the
kitchen and walk home, a la Benjamin
Franklin, a loaf of bread under each
arm.
War Kitchens Coming Here.
1t is a novel idea-this war kitchen
where women are taught how to COOK
correctly and economically-and one
which is soon to be extended to fvery
CITY in the. United States. The food
administration, the food controller OF
the District of Columbia, and num-
Der of enterprising Washington
women are responsible for 1t. asst
summer, the schools were thrown OPP
en- to women for canning purposes.
Housewives who were willing to con-
serve fresh vegetables and fruit but
did not know how, were told to oring
their materials to the schools and do
their work under the supervision OF
domestic science teachers.
The plan worked well. Women who
complained that they could make
nothing out of the cold pack method
as explained in the pamphlets made eX-
cellent progress when actually shown
how, by a practical demonstration.
The practical Transportation some
times proved that the pamphlets were
wrong For example, it was found
that while the recipe for canned to-
matoes called for an Whteen-minute
period of sterilization, the actual time
required for Sterilizing tomatoes was
twenty-five minutes. 1t was then
that a few women began to conceive
the idea of community kitchen,
which would teach housewives to save
other things besides fresh fruits and
vegetables.
Saving Wheat In Less White Flour.
The food administration called upon
the women of the country to save
wheat by using less white flour. Re
cipes for potato bread, corn bread,
whole wheat bread, rye bread every
kind of bread except white bread
were sent abroad, and the food author
tiles expected to see the use of white
flour considerably cut down. But
nothing of the kind happened. The
women of the nation, otherwise
pertiotie, went right on using the kind
of flour they had always used.
The local food administration was
panied and disappointed. Members
smiled sarcastically every time they
saw a woman with a knitting bag,
which was very often. Just as they
were at the point of complete disil-
lusionment concerning the patriotism
of the fair sex, they received a call
from certain Mrs. Wilcox, an ener-
getic blond lady of the Emma Nc
for the stubborn American house
wives. What do you expect?' she
asked in some indignation. These
Women have been using white flour
all their lives Most of them do not
believe that bread can be made with
anything else. Now the thing TO do
is to show them that it can"
So Mrs. Wilcox is now showing the
housewives of Washington, assisted by
couple of domestic science experts
who are volunteering their services.
The food administration is footing the
bill somewhat reluctantly, inasrnuch
as the idea is something of an ex-
pertinent. The liberty war kitchen,
as it is called, opened three weeks ago,
with an attendance of about six
women, including the director and her
two instructors. The next day. now
ever. there were fifteen, and since
then the classes have been increasing
until it is beginning tor look as if a
larger auditorium will be needed to
house the kitchen before the winter
is over.
The Making of Yeast.
One of the first things to be demon
strated was the making of yeast. First
faelT ma InR cts in T-al
their prevalence in the air, their taste
for sugar and the temperature at
which they work best. Then the
dem onstrator proceeded to make
some, First she pared four medium
sized potatoes, ground them thru a
meat-grinder and put them on the
stove to cook in quart of boiling
water. When they had cooked to a
thick substance resembling laundry
starch, she added a fourth of cup
of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt and
one commercial yeast cake, dissolved
in a fourth of a cup of luke-warm
water.
The kitchen utensils with. which she
worked were of the most modern
order. within the range of any house
wife however who is willing to make
a few sacrifices for conveniences in
her kitchen. Two smooth and spot
less wooden kitchen tables held the
dishes, knives. forks, spoons and ma
terials with which she worked. At
one side was a white enamel kitchen
cabinet and at the other a gas range
and a white enamel refrigerator. She
herself wore a white apron and white
cap, with red, white and blue button
on it.
The rest of the women sat on rows
of wooden chairs, taking in all the
equipment as well as the yeast process
Occasionally they asked questions.
One wanted to know if she could use
more salt in making her yeast, as her
family liked lots of salt in itsN bread,
and Miss Blantz assured her that it
was quite possible but that she would
have to use more yeast Another in
terrupted to know the original cost of
the ingredients and was told that the
potatoes cost ? cents, the yeast cake
3 cents and the sugar ? cents, making
a total of cents.
The Different Breads.