Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 241, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1915 — HINTS FOR THE COOK [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR THE COOK

SOME BETTER WAYS OF DOING KITCHEN WORK. How To Do Away With Lumps in Making Cocoa —To Keep Rice and Macaroni From Becoming Mushy. Instead of mixing cocoa with boiling water to dissolve it before putting it into the cocoa pot, try mixing the dry cocoa with an equal amount of granulated sugar and then pouring it into the boiling water in the, pot, stirring all the while. This does away with the lumps that usually have to be fussed over, and also a mussy cup. The kettle should be given frequent baths, else lime and other salts will settle on the bottom, which may then be dissolved off into the boiling water, making it “hard.” To heat water very quickly set a broad, flat saucepan over the Are and cover to keep in steam. A small zinc-covered board, the size of a -rolling board for pastry, is invaluable for setting hot dishes, pots, etc., upon. This preserves the kitchen table top, and leaves room on the stove for other things.. To prevent a roast from becoming fat soaked, set it upon a rack in the roasting pan. But keep the surface of the roasting pan covered with fat to prevent it from burning. Fat is better used here than water, as water utterly changes the character of the meat. Cold meats may be attractively served by removing Arst all gristle, bones and skin and excess fat and then cutting into thin strips or slivers. Warm indirectly by pouring over the, meat any desired hot sauce. To keep every grain of rice separate and distinct, cook itdn a pot of rapidly boiling water with the lid off. Cooked in a double boiler with the lid on makes the rice mushy. Macaroni should be cooked same as rice. To soften hard tissue of dried vegetables like peas, beans and lentils, cook in soft water. Otherwise add baking soda to ordinary water in the proportion of one teaspoonful to two quarts of water. If string beans are not freshly gathered from the garden, it will improve them to prepare them for cooking, then let them stand for an hour or more in cold water before applying heat. Dried apples, apricots, prunes, etc., should be soaked overnight in cold water before cooking, so as to "plump” them and Boften the dried tissue. Try "caramel sugar” as a dressing for mush, griddle cakes, sauces for puddings, icing for cakes, etc. This is made by cooking the sugar in a pan until it browns nicely or makes caramel. This may be made into a sirup by the addition of water and bottled for future use.