It is quite as important to know how to take care of food materials as it is to select them, and in a majority of homes the loss incurred through ignorance or care- lessness in this respect is very great. Consequently every housekeeper should be acquainted with the best methods of taking care of all kinds of food materials before and after they have been cooked, so as to avoid waste in this direction. Ignorance in selecting, caring for, and preparing their food materials has impoverished, and is impoverishing, many families. CHAPTER III. CARE OF FOOD MATERIALS. All kinds of meat and poultry should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere and should be suspended from hooks in such a manner as not to rest against anything. The choicest portion of the fowl or joint of meat should, when suspended, hang lowest, therefore turkeys, chick- ens, etc., should be hung by the feet, and a leg of lamb, mutton, or other animal by the shank-bone. It is unsafe to keep veal or fresh pork any length of time, and both meats are better to be cooked while Iresh. A turkey can safely hang three or four days in a cool, dry atmosphere, but chickens and other fowls do not improve after hanging twenty-four hours. Of course, in a well-ventilated ice-chamber the time they can be allowed to hang, without detriment, may be lengthened considerably. The best and most modern authorities approve of drawing all poultry and game before it is hung. It should not, however, be washed until shortly before it is to be cooked. Fresh fish should not be allowed to soak any length of time in cold water. They should be kept cold and dry, and are better to be cooked as soon as possible after being caught. Milk and cream should be kept apart from all foods i8 Care of Food Materials. 19 that emit odors, and should be closely covered. Butter also should be kept where it cannot absorb odors, and, if kept in large quantities, should be covered with brine, or with several inches of dry salt. A great deal of milk, cream, and butter is ruined by being put in a refrigerator or closet, with a variety of other articles whose odors they quickly absorb. All cooked foods should be stored in glass, china, or earthen-ware vessels, and should be carefully covered. Eggs should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere. If eggs are packed in dry salt, pointed end down, they may be kept in good condition for several weeks. Fruits and vegetables, as a general rule, keep best in a cool, dry atmosphere. Lettuce, cress, celery, and parsley are best preserved by being wrapped in a towel or napkin wrung out of cold water, then in paper, and kept in a cool place. Berries and all soft, small fruits should be picked over carefully and scattered on plates, or sheets of white paper. They should not be piled high in deep dishes until shortly before they are to be served. Imperfectly ripened, or partly green, tomatoes may be ripened very perfectly by being wiped dry, wrapped in paper or cloth, placed in a basket lined with paper or cloth to exclude the light, and set in a warm place for twenty-four hours. CHAPTER IV. PREPARATION OF FOOD MATERIALS.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

It is quite as important to know how to take care of food materials as it is to select them, and in a majority of homes the loss incurred through ignorance or carelessness in this respect is very great. Consequently every housekeeper should be acquainted with the best methods of taking care of all kinds of food materials before and after they have been cooked, so as to avoid waste in this direction. Ignorance in selecting, caring for, and preparing their food materials has impoverished, and is impoverishing, many families. CHAPTER III. CARE OF FOOD MATERIALS. All kinds of meat and poultry should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere and should be suspended from hooks in such a manner as not to rest against anything. The choicest portion of the fowl or joint of meat should, when suspended, hang lowest, therefore turkeys, chickens, etc., should be hung by the feet, and a leg of lamb, mutton, or other animal by the shank-bone. It is unsafe to keep veal or fresh pork any length of time, and both meats are better to be cooked while fresh. A turkey can safely hang three or four days in a cool, dry atmosphere, but chickens and other fowls do not improve after hanging twenty-four hours. Of course, in a well-ventilated ice-chamber the time they can be allowed to hang, without detriment, may be lengthened considerably. The best and most modern authorities approve of drawing all poultry and game before it is hung. It should not, however, be washed until shortly before it is to be cooked. Fresh fish should not be allowed to soak any length of time in cold water. They should be kept cold and dry, and are better to be cooked as soon as possible after being caught. Milk and cream should be kept apart from all foods Care of Food Materials. 19 that emit odors, and should be closely covered. Butter also should be kept where it cannot absorb odors, and, if kept in large quantities, should be covered with brine, or with several inches of dry salt. A great deal of milk, cream, and butter is ruined by being put in a refrigerator or closet, with a variety of other articles whose odors they quickly absorb. All cooked foods should be stored in glass, china, or earthen-ware vessels, and should be carefully covered. Eggs should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere. If eggs are packed in dry salt, pointed end down, they may be kept in good condition for several weeks. Fruits and vegetables, as a general rule, keep best in a cool, dry atmosphere. Lettuce, cress, celery, and parsley are best preserved by being wrapped in a towel or napkin wrung out of cold water, then in paper, and kept in a cool place. Berries and all soft, small fruits should be picked over carefully and scattered on plates, or sheets of white paper. They should not be piled high in deep dishes until shortly before they are to be served. Imperfectly ripened, or partly green, tomatoes may be ripened very perfectly by being wiped dry, wrapped in paper or cloth, placed in a basket lined with paper or cloth to exclude the light, and set in a warm place for twenty-four hours. CHAPTER IV. PREPARATION OF FOOD MATERIALS.

The art of cookery