Evening star., 1925-05-21
Deft Handling and Mixing in Kitchen
BY LYDIA LIE BARON WALKER.

An expert in culinary matters car
tell the minute woman takes spoon
and starts to stir a mixture whether
she is good cook or not Quick work
this, in judging! Perhaps it seems so
but when | explain the secret almost
any competent housewife could judge
similarly. There is a knack in han
ding the spoon-a deftness that indi-
Gates latent ability in an amateur and
success in an experienced person.
q light touch is essential. but it must
be firm and definite. This knack is
we'll worth acquiring. 1t will deter
mine whether or not tea biscuits will
turn out light and f1aky or hard and
tough. 1t will determine whether a
cake will have the desired light and
creamy texture characteristic of per-
fection in cake making or whether the
batter will turn out merely an ordinary
cake, eatable and not heavy, yet not
right.
Some housewives express determine
tion in the very way they stir Il batter
or mix dough. They grasp the han
die of the spoon as if ii would elude
them unless firmly gripped. They
press the tip of the spoon down heaV-
lily until it scrapes the bottom of the
mixing bowl with every revolution it
makes. Butter and sugar may be
Creamed so without detriment, but
when the flour is Sifted in and the
liquid is alternately added this heavy
handling is ruinouS. The ingredients
that are being combined are fine. They
must be manipulated as if they We're.
Handle Spoon Lightly.
A spoon should be held securely in
the hand, but the wrist should be
flexible. Let it serve as sort of axle
for the hand as it lightly turns the
spoon around and around in the bowl
or back and forth. as the case may be-
The spoon should gently fold in the
-four at first if cake is being made
When it has become Incorporated suffi-
Ciently the cake can be beaten vigor-
ouSly, but not heavily. When the
liquid is added a little at time. it, too
should be lightly worked into the bat
TER until it will not splash when the
batter is beaten. Each time that either
some of the flour or the liquid is
added the batter should be vigorously
beaten before more is added
Making Pie Crust.
If pie crust is being made. the
shortening must be gently fiecked into
the prepared -four until the mass is
actually flaky before the small
amount OF iCe.cold water is added. If
the shortening is mixed with firm
pressure, the pie crust VIII be firm,
too, when it comes to the table. 1t
should be in the most delicate of
flakes, scarcely sticking together when
cut. There are some expert pie makers
among housewives who can handle
dough so deftly that they can mix pie
crust with their hands and it will
come out like puff paste. If you watch
them You will notice that they work
the shortening into the flour with the
tips of their fingers, which appear to
flutter around, giving slight pres
sure here and there, as if feeling the
texture rather than manipulating the
dough. They can tell by the feel
when sufficient shortening has been
used. They know Immediately when
10 stop adding the icy water. They
seem to barely touch the rolling pin
over the top of the crust on the board
as they roll it out. There seems To he
magic i'll their hands. for the crust in
creases in size without appearing to
be pressed or spread into the right
sized circle to fit pie plate. The pies
these wome:= make are marvels TO less
competent cooks.
The trouble with the unsuccessful
pie-makerS is generally that of heavy