The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-04-18
 :" "KMARY:S KITCHEN
NEA Service writer

NEA Service WIiter It is a decided economy to buy whole ham if you are sure you can use it all up. The choice mid dle cuts always are high when home is purchased they are not considered. Butt-end, hook end and center are regarded as a whole and priced at so much a pound.
 There are numberless ways of cooking smoked ham, but believe that the most meals can be served with the least danger of the fam fly becoming tired of the meat if both the ends are boiled and then worked up into interesting dishes. The center can be cut in slices for broiling. After the middle slices are used, the ends are put together and securely tied and treated as a whole ham. Plan how the entire ham is to be used and then there will be no waste.
 Soaking Is Good Rule
 Although it is not absolutely necessary to soak all hams before boiling or baking, I have found it advisable to do so even though am sure of my brand and the saltiness of the ham I've bought. An overnight bath in clear, fresh water cannot hurt any ham and will restire the moisture lost through curing. If a ham has been over-salted, soaking is i'm perative to make it tender as well as palatable.
 There are two precautions to keep in mind when cooking ham. Never cook highly salted piece of meat rapidly and in the case of broiling or sauteing, do not depend on 1t to furnish it's own fat entire- ly. Always begin to cook ham at low temperature and increase heat gradually.
 Start In Cold Water
 Put ham on to boil in cold wa ter. bring slowly to the boiling point and simmer gently until ten der. The time will vary, but it will take five or six hours for a twelve-pound ham, It can be boil ed in cider. or seasonings can be added to the water to give it a piquant flavor. Bay leaves, whole cloves, peppercorns, onion and car- rot are the seasonings generally liked.
 If the ham is to be used sliced cold. let it cool in the water in which it was cooked. Then re- move and trim as necessary. Plain boiled ham can be used in innu- merable made dishes and is excel- lent to have in the ice-box for an emergency.
 When the whole joint is to be baked it should be boiled first and then baked only long enough to brown the outside and season it.
 Modern inventions have made a science of baking and there is little reason for failure when delicate custard or pan of biscuits is to be baked. Every stove manufac- tured realizes the importance of dependable oven structure and builds his range on scientific prin- ciples.
 Most modern ovens have an oven regulator which automatically con- trols the flow of gas, oil or cleo tricity. It is almost impossible to maintain consistent results in bak- ing without the use of an oven thermometer of some sort. So if your oven is not equipped with regulator, invest in an oven ther-
 
 many times over.
 A knowledge of the heat require ments demanded by each type of food product is, of course. essen- tial.
 Bread Requires Care
 Bread perhaps offers the most difficult problem for many women. Bread is baked to check the growth of the yeast plant, to cook the starch in the grain and to diffuse the alcohol formed by the fermen- tation. To accomplish all this, the baking must be very thorough.
 Intense heat is needed to check effectively the growth of the yeast plant and long period of even heat Is required to cook thorough ly the starch and overcome fer mentation.
 Consequently the "hot' oven of 400 degrees F., is advised for the fist 10 minutes. Then-gradual re- duction of heat until the thermom- eter registers 300 degrees for the remaining period. If the oven is too hot or over 400 degrees, crust Is formed before the heat can reach the center of the loaf and insuffi- cient baking is the result.
 OIucI yeast llSeIl pTOuuClS SuCI as buns and rolls require hot oven and since they are small a temperature of 400 degrees may be retained throughout the bak- ing.
 Cake Takes Another Method
 Cake baking is law unto itself and requires entirely different oven manipulations. Thin batter rather than thick dough and a different leavening agent present a different problem. The oven temperature should be low when cake is put into the oven and gradually in- creased until the required tempera- ture is reached to complete the baking. Three hundred and fifty to 375 degrees are good temperatures for must butter cakes.
 Another important point regard ing cake baking is the position of the pan in the oven. The loaf cake should be placed in the center of the oven so that the distribution of the heat may be even-top, bottom and sides. Layer cakes. because they bake more quickly, are less apt to rise unevenly.
 ITALIAN STYLE VEAL CHOPS