Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-19
Steam Cookery


method Of cooking. hut leavening This
Ia apparent when We steam rice suc.
oessfully. or any pudding or a brown
bread Ia the case OF the rice there
ia no other leayen present but the
action OF the steam, and it will swell
to more than double. Good steamed
brown bread has sponginess that
comes from steaming.
Starchy foods which are soggy after
they are cooked are about as bad IA
need be. Light and puffy steamed
rice or other steamed puddings are
delicious and not indigeslible.
With Eas, perhaps steam cooking
may be more precise than with any
Other fuel. 1t may be much more pre-.
else than baking in a small oven,
since small ovens are the subject Of
almost caprlcous conditions. IL the
precision possible IN secured there is
no need whatever Of obeying such d.
rectlons "a "replenish steamer with
boiling water or add as needed
more boiling water" No more should
be needed.
Covered closely. with the right
amount of fire underneath. the boiling
may 90 on four hours with the tiniest
amount of evaporation. Water having
once reached the boiling point needs
but the minuiest fire to keep it boiling.
Most people use great deal. presum-
ably because almost any amount can
be used in bringing water to boil
that is, for raising it from 50 degrees
to 2la degrees. If we started with
pound or pint of water, the amount
of fire used to raise it to boiling would
raise over 200 quarts l degree under
certain conditions.
II Is far less expensive to steam a
loaf Of brown bread three or four
hours in the right and economical way
than 10 bake one pan of baking pow
der biscuits in the oven. Yet there
are people who are constantly making
biscuits who think brown bread too
expensive for them. Moasses is the
expensive item in the latter. but the
hours or meal total only 2 or cents,
and no shortening is required.
BY the way, pretty nearly abhor
baking powder biscuits dietotically. In
an emergency they may do. but to cat
biscuits once day is to court dys.
pepsa This has been proven time
and time again. Iron coated stomachs
pass on the trouble TO some other part
of the body. to be heard Of only after
insidious years. delicate stomachs
register an immediate protest.
II has been proven that each Ave
drops of water passing off from boil
ing water as steam absorbs enough
heat to cool one pound of water ]
degree. There are forty.fiye drops OF
water in teaspoonful. There are
three easpoons in a tablespoon and
sixteen tablespoons in one-half pint.
Suppose in steaming loaf of brown
bread one quart Of water escaped
from the kettle as steam. Careless
cooks allow even more to cook away.
This would be loss Of S,640 degrees
Of heat, totally and unnecessarily
wasted
Suppose we had, instead of a mold
OF brown bread in our KETTLE stew
cooking, or a chicken, or some other
meat il boiling, or vegetables. and
the water was allowed to escape at
this rate. Then the matter would be
ons. The escaping steam would not
only carry heat with 1t. but certain
volatile odors. the escape of which
means loss of flavor. The more palata-
Bile a food is-that is. the fuller of
pleasant flavor The more digestible
1t Ia.
A more serious digestive and eco
nomic loss az well comes when any
protein. whether in meat or beans, is
hard boiled. This food substance may
DO SO hardened by excess of heat that
the digestive juices cannot break it
down to the liquid form in which all
food must be before il can make its
way out of the digestive canal into
the body proper; in other words, from
within TO really in.
A pot roast is practically steamed
in it's own juices and in those of tho
vegetables used for seasoning. II the
steam escapes so do the flavor and the
quality of the meat