Water ^ or some other liquid, in connection with heat is
necessarj^ in man}^ forms of cookery. Grrains, peas, beans,
dried fruits which have parted with nearly all their moisture
in the ripening or drying process necessar}' for their preser-
vation, need a large portion of water in cooking, to soften
and swell the cellulose, gluten, and starch before the}^ can
be masticated and digested. In some vegetables and fruits
water draws out certain undesirable flavors ; it softens
and dissolves the gelatinous portions of meat, and makes
palatable and nourishing many substances which would be
rendered unwholesome by a dry heat.
Air^ or the free action of oxj^gen, upon our food while
cooking develops certain flavors not otherwise to be ob-
tained. Meat roasted or broiled has a much finer flavor
than when boiled, baked, or fried. Toasted bread, thin
corn cake baked before the fire, roasted apples, and many
articles cooked in the open air, show the benefit of this
free combined action of heat and air.
Drying in the sun was one of the earhest modes of
cookery. Then came roasting before an open fire, or
broihng over the coals, and baking in the hot ashes.
This last was the primitive oven. As the art of making
cooking-utensils developed, stewing, boiling, and frying
were adopted. Then, to economize heat, portable ovens
were invented ; these were originally a covered *dish set
over or near the fire, having sometimes a double cover
filled with coals. Afterwards, stoves which kept the fire
and heat in a limited space were introduced ; and im-
provements have been made in them so extensively that
we now have them with conveniences for doing every form
of cooking with wood, coal, oil, or gas.
Some one gives this distinction between man and other
animals : " Man is an animal that builds a fire and uses it
The Boston Cook Book,
3
to cook his food." It is quite important then, as a step-
ping-stone to cooking, to learn the properties and manage-
ment of a fire.
Fire.
Fire is heat and Kght produced b}- the combustion of
inflammable substances. Combustion is a chemical opera-
tion carried on in the air, or the chemical union of the
ox3'gen of the air with some combustible bodj^, like hy-
drogen gas or the solid carbon^ and is attended with the
evolution of heat and light. The heat and the hght come
from the sun. With every particle of vegetable matter
that is formed by the combined action of the sun and the
carbonic acid gas in the air, a portion of the sun's heat
and light is absorbed and held fast in it. And whenever
this vegetable matter is decomposed, — as in burning wood,
coal, or oil, which are only definite forms of vegetable mat-
ter, — this heat and light are given out. The amount of
each depends upon the mode of burning.
Ai7' is composed mainly of two elementary gases, ox3'gen
and nitrogen (one part oxj^gen and four parts nitrogen),
with a small amount of watery vapor and carbonic acid gas.
Page 4
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Water, or some other liquid, in connection with heat is necessary in many forms of cookery. Grrains, peas, beans, dried fruits which have parted with nearly all their moisture in the ripening or drying process necessary for their preservation, need a large portion of water in cooking, to soften and swell the cellulose, gluten, and starch before they can be masticated and digested. In some vegetables and fruits water draws out certain undesirable flavors ; it softens and dissolves the gelatinous portions of meat, and makes palatable and nourishing many substances which would be rendered unwholesome by a dry heat.
Air, or the free action of oxygen, upon our food while cooking develops certain flavors not otherwise to be obtained. Meat roasted or broiled has a much finer flavor than when boiled, baked, or fried. Toasted bread, thin corn cake baked before the fire, roasted apples, and many articles cooked in the open air, show the benefit of this free combined action of heat and air.
Drying in the sun was one of the earhest modes of cookery. Then came roasting before an open fire, or broiling over the coals, and baking in the hot ashes. This last was the primitive oven. As the art of making cooking-utensils developed, stewing, boiling, and frying were adopted. Then, to economize heat, portable ovens were invented ; these were originally a covered *dish set over or near the fire, having sometimes a double cover filled with coals. Afterwards, stoves which kept the fire and heat in a limited space were introduced ; and improvements have been made in them so extensively that we now have them with conveniences for doing every form of cooking with wood, coal, oil, or gas.
Some one gives this distinction between man and other animals : " Man is an animal that builds a fire and uses it
The Boston Cook Book,
to cook his food." It is quite important then, as a stepping-stone to cooking, to learn the properties and management of a fire.
Fire.
Fire is heat and Kght produced by the combustion of inflammable substances. Combustion is a chemical operation carried on in the air, or the chemical union of the oxygen of the air with some combustible bodj^, like hydrogen gas or the solid carbon, and is attended with the evolution of heat and light. The heat and the hght come from the sun. With every particle of vegetable matter that is formed by the combined action of the sun and the carbonic acid gas in the air, a portion of the sun's heat and light is absorbed and held fast in it. And whenever this vegetable matter is decomposed, — as in burning wood, coal, or oil, which are only definite forms of vegetable matter, — this heat and light are given out. The amount of each depends upon the mode of burning.
Ai7' is composed mainly of two elementary gases, oxygen and nitrogen (one part oxj^gen and four parts nitrogen), with a small amount of watery vapor and carbonic acid gas.