Woman\'s Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2 by Woman\'s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

W >> Woman\'s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences >> Woman\'s Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19

Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon,
Steve Schulze and PG Distributed Proofreaders

WOMAN'S INSTITUTE LIBRARY OF COOKERY

VOLUME TWO

MILK, BUTTER, AND CHEESE

EGGS

VEGETABLES

WOMENS INSTITUTE OF DOMESTIC ARTS AND SCIENCES, Inc.

PREFACE

This volume, which is the second of the Woman's Institute Library of
Cookery, deals with such essentials of diet as the dairy products--milk,
butter, and cheese--the protein food, eggs, and the energy-producing
nutrients, vegetables.

In _Milk, Butter, and Cheese_, Parts 1 and 2, are explained the place
that milk occupies in the diet, its composition, grades, and the dishes
for which it is used; the purchase, care, and use of butter and butter
substitutes; and the characteristics, care, and varieties of both
domestic and imported cheeses, as well as a number of excellent recipes
for cheese dishes. A luncheon menu, in which a cheese dish is
substituted for meat, is of interest in this connection, for it shows
the housewife, early in her studies, not only how to combine dishes to
produce a balanced meal, but also how to make up a menu in which meat is
not needed.

In _Eggs_ are discussed the nutritive value of eggs, the ways in which
to select, preserve, cook, and serve them, and how to utilize left-over
eggs. So many uses have eggs in the diet and so nourishing is this food
that too much attention cannot be paid to its preparation. In this
lesson, also, is given a breakfast menu to afford practice in preparing
several simple dishes usually served in this meal.

In _Vegetables_, Parts 1 and 2, every variety of vegetable is discussed
as to food value, preparation, place in the meal, and proper methods of
serving. With such a fund of knowledge, the housewife will be well
equipped to give pleasing variety to her meals.

In addition to the instruction in these matters, there are a large
number of illustrations, which make clear the important details in every
process employed and in many recipes show certain steps as well as the
finished result. With such detailed information, it is our desire that
as many of the recipes as possible be tried, for it is only through
constant practice that the rules and principles of cookery will become
thoroughly instilled in the mind. Nothing is of more value to the
housewife than such a knowledge of food and its preparation, for, as
every one knows, proper diet is the chief requisite of good health.

To be of the greatest assistance to the woman in the home is the purpose
of these volumes--to relieve her household tasks of much of their
drudgery and to help her come to a realization of the opportunity for
good that is hers. In no better way can she create happiness and
contentment in her home than by preparing appetizing, nutritious meals
and serving them in the most attractive manner.

CONTENTS

MILK, BUTTER, AND CHEESE
Milk in the Diet
Composition of Milk
Products Obtained from Milk
Characteristics of Wholesome Milk
Grades of Clean Milk
Preserved Milk
Milk in the Home
Recipes for Milk Dishes and Sauces
Economical Use of Butter
Flavor and Composition of Butter
Purchase and Care of Butter
Cooking With Butter
Serving Butter
Butter Substitutes
Characteristics and Care of Cheese
Imported Cheese
Domestic Cheese
Serving Cheese
Recipes for Cheese Dishes
Luncheon Menu

EGGS
Description of Eggs and Place in the Diet
Nutritive Value of Eggs
Selection of Eggs
Preservation of Eggs
Cooking of Eggs
Serving of Eggs
Egg Recipes
Use of Left-Over Eggs
Breakfast Menu

VEGETABLES
Variety in Vegetables
Structure, Composition, and Food Value
Purchase and Care of Vegetables
Classification of Vegetables
Methods of Preparing and Cooking Vegetables
Sauces for Vegetables
Asparagus and Its Preparation
Beans and Their Preparation
Beets and Their Preparation
Brussels Sprouts and Their Preparation
Cabbage and Its Preparation
Carrots and Their Preparation
Cauliflower and Its Preparation
Celery and Its Preparation
Corn and Its Preparation
Cucumbers and Their Preparation
Eggplant and Its Preparation
French Artichokes and Their Preparation
Greens and Their Preparation
Jerusalem Artichokes and Their Preparation
Kohlrabi and Its Preparation
Lentils and Their Preparation
Mushrooms and Their Preparation
Okra and Its Preparation
Onions and Their Preparation
Parsnips and Their Preparation
Peas and Their Preparation
Peppers and Their Preparation
White Potatoes and Their Preparation
Sweet Potatoes and Their Preparation
Radishes and Their Preparation
Salsify and Its Preparation
Squash and Its Preparation
Tomatoes and Their Preparation
Turnips and Their Preparation
Vegetable Combinations
Serving Vegetables

* * * * *

MILK, BUTTER, AND CHEESE (PART 1)

* * * * *

MILK

MILK IN THE DIET

1. As is well understood, milk is the liquid that is secreted by the
mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young. The
word milk as it is commonly used, however, refers to _cow's milk,_
because such milk is employed to a greater extent as human food than the
milk from any other animal. Cow's milk in its perfectly fresh raw state
is a yellowish-white, opaque fluid, called _whole milk,_ and, as is well
known, possesses a distinctly sweet taste and characteristic odor. When
such milk is allowed to stand for some time without being disturbed, it
separates into two distinct layers, an upper and a lower one. The upper
layer, which is lighter than the lower one and occupies a smaller space,
consists largely of globules of fat and is called _cream;_ the lower
layer, which is white or bluish-white in color and is composed of water,
solids, and protein, is, when separated from the cream, called
_skim milk._

2. As an article of diet, milk is very important, because its sole
function in nature is to serve as food. It is required by the infant; it
is needed in the diet of all growing children; and it is desirable in
the preparation of dishes for both young and old.

Milk is used to such a great extent because it fills many of the
requirements of an ideal food. It is generally liked, requires little or
no time for preparation, agrees with the majority of persons when used
properly, and contains substances that supply energy and build and
repair tissue. Still, it does not contain these substances in such
proportions as to make it an ideal or exclusive article of diet for
adults, and it must often be modified to suit the needs of infants,
because it is ideal for only the young of the species for which it is
intended. Therefore, while milk is often called a perfect food, in
reality it is perfect for only the calf. When it is desired for the
feeding of a very young child, it must be changed to meet the
requirements before it can be used with good results.

3. So important is milk as an article of food that, outside of the
purely rural districts, producing the milk supply is a business of
considerable importance. This is due to the fact that the purity of milk
must be constantly safeguarded in order that clean, safe milk may be
provided for the countless numbers that depend on it. In fact, milk
undoubtedly bears a closer relation to public health than any other
food. To produce an adequate amount of clean, safe, pure milk is one of
the food problems of the city and country alike. In the city much of the
difficulty is overcome by the ordinances that provide standards of
composition and cleanliness, as well as inspection to insure them; but
such ordinances are rarely provided for in villages and country
districts.

When there is no law to prevent it, unclean milk is sometimes used in
the manufacture of butter and cheese, but when this happens, great
injustice, if not positive harm, is done to the consumers of these
articles. Then, too, unless milk is carefully inspected, tubercular milk
is liable to be used in the making of butter, and such a condition will
cause the spreading of tuberculosis as readily as the use of the
contaminated milk itself.

4. With its various products, milk helps to form a very large part of
the dietary in most homes, but while nothing can take the place of this
food and while it is high in food value, there seems to be a general
tendency to think of it as an addition to the bill of fare, rather than
as a possible substitute for more expensive food. For instance, milk is
very often served as a beverage in a meal in which the quantity of meat
or other protein foods is not reduced. From an economical standpoint, as
well as from the point of view of the needs of the body, this is really
extravagant, for milk is itself largely a protein food. The serving of a
glass of milk or of a dish that contains generous quantities of milk
offers the housewife an opportunity to cut down considerably the
allowance of meat and eggs. Because of this fact and because milk and
its products may be used to add nutritive value to a food, to give
variety, and to improve flavor, they deserve considerable study on the
part of the housewife.

5. Since milk may be used in such a variety of ways, it may be easily
included in the dietary for the family. Being liquid in form, it may
always be served without any preparation as a beverage or with other
beverages, cereals, and fruits. It also has numerous other uses, being
employed in the making of sauces for vegetables and meats, in the place
of stock for soups, and as the liquid for bread, cakes, puddings,
custards, and many frozen desserts. Because of its extensive use, every
housewife not only should know how to buy milk and care for it, but
should be familiar with its composition, so that she may determine
whether or not it suits the needs of her family. In addition, she should
know the effect of heat on milk and the various methods of preparation
if she would be able to judge what food combinations can be used
with milk.

COMPOSITION OF MILK

6. As milk is usually taken into the body in liquid form, the common
tendency is to regard it as a beverage, rather than as an important
source of nourishing food material. However, a knowledge of its
composition, as well as the fact that milk becomes a solid food in the
stomach and must then be dissolved in the process of digestion, will
serve to show that milk contains solids. That it possesses all the
elements required to sustain life and promote health is proved by the
fact that a child may live for months on milk alone and during this time
increase in weight.

7. The solids contained in milk are proteins, fat, carbohydrate in the
form of sugar, and mineral salts, besides which, of course, water occurs
in large quantities. The sugar and fat of milk serve as fuel; the
mineral salts are chiefly valuable for the growth of bones and teeth and
for their effect on the liquids of the body; and the proteins, like the
fat and sugar, serve as fuel, but they also make and repair the muscular
tissues of the body.

In considering the food substances of milk, it will be well to note also
that they vary according to the breed, feeding, and individual
characteristics of the cow. Jerseys and Guernseys give milk rich in fat
and total solids, and while Holstein cows give a greater quantity of
milk, such milk has a smaller proportion of fat and total solids. As a
rule, though, the composition of milk may be considered as approximately
3.3 per cent. protein, 4 per cent. fat, 5 per cent. carbohydrate, and
.7 per cent. mineral matter, making a total of 13 per cent. This
indicates the quantity of actual food material in milk, the remainder,
or 87 per cent., being water.

8. PROTEIN IN MILK.--Because of the double usefulness of protein--to
serve as fuel and to make and repair muscular tissue--this element is
regarded as an important ingredient of milk. The protein in milk is
called _casein_. The opaque whiteness of milk is largely due to the
presence of this substance. As long as milk remains sweet, the lime
salts it contains hold this casein in solution; but when it sours, the
salts are made soluble and the casein thickens, or coagulates. In
addition to casein, milk contains a small amount of protein in the form
of _albumin_. This substance, upon being heated, coagulates and causes
the formation of the skin that is always found on the top of milk that
has been heated. The skin thus formed contains everything that is found
in milk, because, as it forms, casein is dried with it and sugar and
fat, too, are caught and held there. It is the protein of milk and its
characteristic coagulation that are made use of in the making of cheese.
In cooking, the protein of milk is probably more affected than any of
the other substances, but the degree to which the digestion of milk is
thus affected is not definitely known, this being a much
disputed question.

9. FAT IN MILK.--The other substance in milk that serves as fuel, or to
produce energy, is fat. It occurs in the form of tiny particles, each
surrounded by a thin covering and suspended in the liquid. Such a
mixture, which is called an _emulsion_, is the most easily digested form
in which fat is found. The fat in milk varies more than the other food
substances, it being sometimes as low as 2 per cent, and again as high
as 6 per cent. However, the average of these two, or 4 per cent., is the
usual amount found in most milk.

As has been mentioned, the fat globules of milk rise to the top because
fat is lighter than water, so that when milk has been undisturbed for
some time the top, which is known as _cream_, will be found to contain
most of the fat. Because of the fat it contains, the cream is yellower
in color than the milk underneath. If the cream is beaten, or churned,
these fat particles will adhere in a mass, advantage of this fact being
taken in the making of butter.

10. CARBOHYDRATE IN MILK.--The carbohydrate contained in milk is in the
form of sugar called _lactose_. It is unlike other sugars in that it is
not very sweet and does not disagree with most persons nor upset their
digestion. For this reason, it is often given to children, invalids, and
persons who have digestive disturbances. However, it is like other
carbohydrates in that in solution it ferments. The result of the
fermentation in this case is the production of _lactic acid_, which
makes the milk sour. With the fat, lactose makes up the bulk of the
energy-producing material of milk, and while this is important it is
only secondary when compared to the tissue-building power of the protein
and minerals. Besides being an important part of milk itself, lactose is
a valuable by-product in the manufacture of cheese. After being taken
from _whey_, which is the clear, straw-colored liquid that remains when
the curd, or coagulated portion, is completely removed from the milk,
the lactose is refined and sold in the form of a powder that is used for
various kinds of infant and invalid feeding.

11. MINERAL MATTER IN MILK.--Considerable quantities of mineral salts,
which are chiefly _lime_, _potash_, and _phosphates_, are found in milk.
As has already been pointed out, these are important in the building of
bone and hard tissue in the body, but in addition they help to keep the
fluids of the body in the right condition. Because of the work they do,
these mineral salts are necessary in the building of the bodies of
growing children, and are useful for repair and the regulation of the
body processes in adults. In cheese, butter, and cream, which are the
products of milk, less of the mineral salts are found in proportion to
the quantity than in whole milk, skim milk, and whey.

12. WATER IN MILK.--The percentage of water in milk is much greater than
that of all the other food substances combined, there being more than
six times as much. While this quantity seems very large, it is an
advantage, for milk provides nourishment to persons when they can take
neither solid nor more condensed food. On the other hand, the water is a
disadvantage, for it is responsible for the rapid spoiling of milk. This
fact is clearly shown in the case of condensed milk, where the water is
partly or completely evaporated, for milk of this kind keeps much longer
without spoiling than either whole or skim milk.

PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM MILK

13. Although milk is used extensively in its natural liquid form,
considerable use is also made of the numerous products of milk, chief
among which are cream, skim milk, buttermilk, sour milk, whey, butter,
and cheese. In fact, all of these occupy such an important place in the
dietary of the majority of homes that it is well for every housewife to
understand their value. Butter and cheese are discussed in detail later,
so that at this time no attention need be given to them. The other
products, however, are taken up now, with the intention of enabling the
housewife to familiarize herself with their production, nature, and use.

14. CREAM.--As has been pointed out, the particles of fat that rise to
the top of milk when it is allowed to remain undisturbed for some time
form the product known as cream. Cream may be removed from the milk by
skimming it off, or it may be separated from the milk by means of
machinery especially designed for the purpose. The greater the
proportion of fat in milk, the thicker, or "heavier," will be the cream.

Various grades of separated cream are placed on the market, the usual
ones being those which contain 8, 12, 16, 20, and 40 per cent, of fat.
Thin cream, which includes the grades that have only a small percentage
of fat, contains a larger quantity of milk than the others and is not so
desirable for many purposes. Still, it is used to some extent, because
it is cheaper and there are definite uses to which it can be put.
Medium-heavy cream is the kind to select when it is desired for
_whipping_. This is a process that consists in beating the cream rapidly
until a mass of tiny bubbles form and become stiff, very much as the
white of egg does.

15. SKIM MILK.--After a part or all of the cream has been removed from
whole milk, that which remains is called skim milk. While practically
all of the fat is taken out when milk is skimmed, very little protein or
sugar is removed. Therefore, skim milk is still a valuable food, it
being used to a large extent for cheese making, for the manufacture of
certain commercial foods, and for the feeding of animals. The housewife
does not, as a rule, buy skim milk; indeed, in some localities the laws
prevent its sale because it is considered an adulterated food. However,
it is really a wholesome, valuable food that is cheaper than whole milk,
and its use in the home should therefore be encouraged from an
economical standpoint. Here it may be used in the preparation of many
dishes, such as sauces, cakes, biscuits, muffins, griddle cakes, bread,
etc., in which butter or other fats are used, and in custards, puddings,
ices, and numerous other desserts.

16. BUTTERMILK.--The milk that remains in butter making after the butter
fat has been removed from cream by churning is known by the name
buttermilk. Such milk is similar to skim milk in composition, and unless
butter is made of sweet cream, buttermilk is sour. Buttermilk is used
considerably as a beverage, but besides this use there are numerous ways
in which it may be employed in the preparation of foods, as is pointed
out in various recipes. An advantage of buttermilk is that its cost is
less than that of whole milk, so that the housewife will do well to make
use of it in the preparation of those foods in which it produces
satisfactory results.

17. ARTIFICIAL BUTTERMILK.--Several kinds of sour milk that are called
buttermilk are to be had, particularly at soda fountains and
restaurants. While they are similar to buttermilk they are not the same,
because they are produced artificially from whole or skimmed sweet milk.
The usual method employed in the making of these artificial buttermilks,
as they may well be called, consists in adding to sweet milk tablets
containing lactic acid or a certain culture of bacteria that induce
fermentation, very much as yeast does, and then keeping it at about body
temperature for a number of hours in order to allow the milk to thicken
and sour. Such milks exert a beneficial action in the digestive tract,
and their food value, provided they are made from whole milk, is just as
high as that of the original sweet milk. Artificial buttermilks
therefore prove a valuable source of food supply for persons who find
them palatable and who do not care for sweet milk. Their food value may
be increased by adding cream to them.

18. SOUR MILK.--Ordinary milk contains large numbers of bacteria that
produce fermentation. When it is allowed to stand for some time, these
bacteria act upon the sugar, or lactose, contained in the milk and
change it into lactic acid. This acid gives to the milk a sour taste and
at the same time causes the casein of the milk to become a mass known as
_curd_, or _clabber_. This mass continues to grow sour and tough until
all the milk sugar is converted into lactic acid, so that the longer the
milk stands, the more acid it becomes. Sour milk, however, is useful
in the preparation of various dishes, such as hot breads and
griddle cakes.

[Illustration: FIG. 1]

19. WHEY.--When the curd is completely removed from milk, as in making
cheese, a clear, light, yellowish liquid known as whey remains. Whey is
composed of water, minerals, and milk sugar or lactic acid, and is the
least valuable part of the milk. The ingenious housewife will never be
at a loss to make use of this product, for, while its food value is
slight, the minerals it contains are important ones. Whey is sometimes
used to furnish the liquid for bread making and, in addition, it may be
used as a beverage for persons who cannot digest food as heavy as
milk itself.

20. COMPARISON OF FOOD VALUES OF MILK PRODUCTS.--So that the housewife
may become familiar with the food values of milk products, there is here
given, in Fig. 1, a graphic table for the comparison of such products.
Each glass is represented as containing approximately 1 pint or 1 pound
of the milk product, and the figures underneath each indicate the number
of calories found in the quantity represented. The triangle at the side
of each indicates the proportion of ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and
water, the percentage composition being given at the side. Housewives as
a rule fully appreciate the food value that is to be found in whole milk
and cream, but such products as skim milk, buttermilk, and whey are
likely to be ignored.

CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLESOME MILK

21. So far as the housewife is concerned, the qualities that
characterize wholesome milk are without doubt of great interest. She may
know of what use milk is in the diet and the food substances of which it
is composed, but unless she understands just what constitutes milk of
good quality, as well as the nature of inferior milk, she cannot very
well provide her family with the kind it should have. Therefore, to
assist her in this matter, the characteristics of wholesome milk are
here discussed. Such milk, it will be well to note, must be of the right
composition, must not be adulterated, must be fresh--that is, not older
when delivered than is permitted by law--and must be as clean
as possible.

22. STANDARD OF MILK COMPOSITION.--The housewife usually judges the
quality of milk by the amount of cream that rises to the top when milk
in a bottle is allowed to remain undisturbed for some time. This is
really an excellent test, because milk that contains only a small amount
of cream is of poorer quality than that which contains a larger amount;
in other words, the more cream milk contains, the higher will be its
food value and the greater its energy-producing ability. Then, too, milk
that is rich in cream usually contains proportionately large amounts of
protein and sugar.

While the composition of milk has much to do with the quality of this
food, it varies, as should be noted, in different breeds and even in
individual cows, depending on both the food and the care given to them.
For this reason, milk that is mixed is preferable to the milk of a
single cow, as the mixing of the milk of a number of cows insures a
better average composition.

23. ADULTERATION OF MILK.--The composition of milk, and hence its
quality, is seriously affected by its adulteration. By this is meant the
extraction of any of the food substances from whole milk; the addition
of anything that tends to weaken or lower its quality or strength; the
use of coloring matter to make it appear of greater value than it
actually is; or the use of preservatives to prevent it from souring as
soon as it ordinarily would. It is, of course, illegal to adulterate
milk, yet it is sometimes done. The most convenient and possibly the
most common materials used to adulterate milk are water and skim milk.
The addition of water to milk decreases the quantity of all its food
substances, but the addition of skim milk reduces the quantity of fat
only. The color of the milk is often affected by the use of these
adulterants, but when this happens, yellow coloring is usually added to
restore the original appearance.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19