The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-02-25
SISTER MARY'S KITCHEN
Nca Service Writer

Every day hundreds of mothers face the problem of serving vege- tables to family much like the pro- verbal horse who was led to water. It is only by means of the utmost skill In cookery that the average family can be taught to eat and fin- ally to like vegetables.
 Attractive serving as well as care- full cooking and seasoning has much to do with the popularity of vege- tables. Colorful combinations often do their share. toward making vege- table dishes liked.
 It seems to be accepted as a gen. eral rule that the way to make the most of both flavor and food value in vegetables is to bake or steam them instead of boiling them. If they must be boiled. there are cer- tain precautions which must be ob- | served.
 Cabbage. onions. turnips. cauli- flower brussels sprouts and other strong favored vegetables should be boiled rapidly In comparatively large amount of water in an uncOv- cred container. Delicately fiavored | vegetables, such as peas, green beans 1 and asparagus. should be gently sim mcrcd In as small quantity of wa 1 ter as 1t is possible to use to cook them.
 Oycr-cOoking to Be Avoided The greatest care should be taken that vegetables are not Over-cooked. This is one of the most common faults and causes the worst results. Unpala blencss. loss of color and loss of natural flavor. are the most J obvious of the damaging effects Of 1 lii 1<.t, a. table Is cooked, the greater the loss In nutrients. Delicately favored vegetables lose their natural sweet ncss and become tasteless when cooked too long. and strong-flavored vegetables develop a strong flavor if over-coOked. Green vegetables lose thair vivid color and become | faded brownish color. white veEe- tables take on a unappetizing grayish or reddish tinge when cooked too long. No matter what method Of cooking is used. too exact care can not be taken to prevent over-cook- ing.
 Tn the case of some vegetables, certain parts require longer cooking than others. caulifower and aspar- agus particularly are this type of vegetable. The foweret of the cauli- mower SnOuiu Uc NcpI uP '''r r' cooking. This allows the stem which is tougher than the foweret, to come in contact with the greatest heat while the delicate fioweret re- ccives the moderate cooking 1t needs and the vegetable remains a milky
 white.
 Soda never should be added to
 vegetables as a means toward re-
 taining their color, for 1t destroys
 the vitamins to greater degree
 than the heat does.
 It's a good Idea to salt vegetables
 when they are almost done. Al
 though there k no definite and sci } entific data on the effect of salt or
 the color of vegetables. daily kitchen
 experiments show that green vege-
 tables remain a more natural green ] If salt Is added the last five minutes
 of cooking.
 All vegetables must be thoroughly washed and freshened before COOK ing. Gritty spinach is enough tt make even the most conscientiqp'
 vegetable cater forsake 1t and Is one
 of the reasons for its unpopularity
 A cold salt water bath for ffteer
 or twenty minutes has a fresheninf effect on practically all vegetables and frees them from any insects tha may be hidden in their leaves HOT GINGERBREAD. ] Hot gingerbread, baked like cup |. cakes, makes q grand dessert, serv , ed with whipped cream topped witi ] a little g:a|ed maple sugar.