She will endeavor to serve what is pre-
pared in the most attractive manner, since our enjoy-
ment of food depends largely upon its appearance, and
its nutritive value is often in direct proport on to its pal-
atability.
" What a man eats that he is," is a familiar proverb ;
or, as the same idea has been expressed by one who has
studied the effect of foods, " Our successors may even
dare to speculate on the changes that converted a crust
of bread, in the brain of Shakespeare, into the concep-
tion of the immortal Falstaff."
At present, too often, the only indication of zeal for
better foods on the part of housekeepers is shown by a
demand for new recipes. In the future more thought
will be given to the scientific laws which govern the
processes of cookery, and which are not always made
clear by the cook-books of to-day. Just as the musical
compositions and paintings of the old masters are con-
stantly reproduced, so the recipes of our ancestors are
now used with slight changes, and will be for genera-
8
THE HOME COOK BOOK.
tions, but with continual adaptation to improvements in
materials and utensils. The housekeeper of the twenti-
eth century will have learned that it is more satisfactory
in the end to have simple food in perfect condition, than
to strive after novelties, or disguise imperfect material
with elaborate seasonings and high-sounding names.
Processes and proportions will to some extent take the
place of recipes, but cook-books will not lose their charm.
There are many suggestions to be gained from these,
even where a recipe cannot be followed strictly.
In the yearsto come, housekeepers will have learned the
power and value of cooperation, and many undertakings
which are dreaded to-day will have lost their terror.
Through cooperation, the fireplace has given way to the
cookstove and the range, which are gradually yielding to
the gas and oil stoves, and may ultimately be displaced
by electrical appliances. In the same way greater per-
fection has been attained in our food materials, much of
the tedious preparation which our grandmothers were
obliged t3 carry on in their individual homes now being
done for the community by the aid of machinery.
All this is eliminating the drudgery from our house-
keeping, and in this way that problem of the present cen-
tury, "the servant-girl question," may ultimately be
solved. The hands which cannot be skilled in half a
hundred trades, to carry on the manifold duties of gen-
eral housework, can be trained to one, and in factories
may be directed to prepare someone portion of the daily
food ; while the housemother, with trained mind and
deft fingers, and with water, steam, gas, and electricity
at her command, may in the home blend the efforts of
these outside laborers in the forms most pleasing and
valuable to her own home circle.
Anna Barrows.
HOME MAKING AND HOUSE
FURNISHING.
The entrance to a h:)use, the first impression it gives,
may indicate the nature of its occupants ; indeed, one's
habitat of necessity takes on a certain air of personaHty.
This IS less a question of outlay than of individuality.
Page 2
Presented as published in 1896. 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
She will endeavor to serve what is prepared in the most attractive manner, since our enjoyment of food depends largely upon its appearance, and its nutritive value is often in direct proportion to its palatability.
" What a man eats that he is," is a familiar proverb ; or, as the same idea has been expressed by one who has studied the effect of foods, " Our successors may even dare to speculate on the changes that converted a crust of bread, in the brain of Shakespeare, into the conception of the immortal Falstaff."
At present, too often, the only indication of zeal for better foods on the part of housekeepers is shown by a demand for new recipes. In the future more thought will be given to the scientific laws which govern the processes of cookery, and which are not always made clear by the cook-books of to-day. Just as the musical compositions and paintings of the old masters are constantly reproduced, so the recipes of our ancestors are now used with slight changes, and will be for genera-
tions, but with continual adaptation to improvements in materials and utensils. The housekeeper of the twentieth century will have learned that it is more satisfactory in the end to have simple food in perfect condition, than to strive after novelties, or disguise imperfect material with elaborate seasonings and high-sounding names. Processes and proportions will to some extent take the place of recipes, but cook-books will not lose their charm. There are many suggestions to be gained from these, even where a recipe cannot be followed strictly.
In the yearsto come, housekeepers will have learned the power and value of cooperation, and many undertakings which are dreaded to-day will have lost their terror. Through cooperation, the fireplace has given way to the cookstove and the range, which are gradually yielding to the gas and oil stoves, and may ultimately be displaced by electrical appliances. In the same way greater perfection has been attained in our food materials, much of the tedious preparation which our grandmothers were obliged to carry on in their individual homes now being done for the community by the aid of machinery.
All this is eliminating the drudgery from our housekeeping, and in this way that problem of the present century, "the servant-girl question," may ultimately be solved. The hands which cannot be skilled in half a hundred trades, to carry on the manifold duties of general housework, can be trained to one, and in factories may be directed to prepare someone portion of the daily food ; while the housemother, with trained mind and deft fingers, and with water, steam, gas, and electricity at her command, may in the home blend the efforts of these outside laborers in the forms most pleasing and valuable to her own home circle.
Anna Barrows.
HOME MAKING AND HOUSE FURNISHING.
The entrance to a h:)use, the first impression it gives, may indicate the nature of its occupants ; indeed, one's habitat of necessity takes on a certain air of personaHty. This IS less a question of outlay than of individuality.