In large institutions of
other kinds the catering could be provided at still less a head and
yet be very good, but it would be plainer than that required now-
a-days in first-class preparatory schools.
The aim of a good housekeeper should be to nourish those
under her care in the best possible manner. It is not sufficient
that the food should be “ nice,” though that is a sine qua non.
She must observe quietly the particular kind of food that suits the
constitution of the people she has to provide for. It is a pretty
general rule that men dislike twice-cooked meat, and many do not
care for sweets. The first difficulty can often be obviated by cutting
off a small portion of the joint before it is cooked, and using it up
in some of the ways given in this or in any other cookery book.
If the man or men in your household do not care for sweets give
them an extra course of something else,— one day a good savoury,
another an entree, another a vegetable course, and always soup or
fish. For yourself have a little pudding made. Nearly all the
recipes for them can be halved or made in even less quantities.
If you have only women to provide for you will probably find they
much prefer dainty made-up dishes to joints, and would rather
have poultry and game than meat, and they will certainly like
sweets.
4
HINTS ABOUT HOUSEKEEPING.
Children, again, are hard to feed. They are very dainty, and
though this trait must on no account be encouraged, the difficulty
can be almost entirely avoided by care on the part of the house-
keeper. They require very little meat ; that meat should not
be twice cooked ; and greasy things must be scrupulously
avoided. Soup is good for them, but they will not eat it if
it is highly seasoned. Everything must be very plain, but very
good, for children. Milk puddings are made more palatable to
them if a fruit sauce is served with the pudding in a separate
tureen, and it is also very good for them. Fruit sauce can be
made from jam if no syrup is handy.
There is a great art in good housekeeping. Nourishment is, ot
course, the primary object of food, and must lie at the root of all
your endeavours, but there is much to be learnt by the
inexperienced in the proper combination of food. Variety is not
essential to nourishment, but it is very expedient, and if it were
not wanted there would be no need of any cookery books. In
composing a menu you must consider the whole as well as the
details, choosing for the various courses those things that go best
together. There is not space to go thoroughly into this question
here, and I can only give the broadest and most elementary rules.
These are not to let two white courses follow each other ; that is,
if you have white soup let the fish be fried. Do not have boiled
meat and boiled fish, or boiled meat and a boiled pudding. If
you have pastry in the meat courses avoid it in the sweets. If
you have a rich kind of meat, let it be followed by a fruit sweet
in some form or other. The taste of things is improved by the
dishes that precede and follow them. Harmony must be, in fact,
observed in the composition of a menu, though the effect may be
heightened and improved by the introduction of some discords in
the shape of very indigestible but very delicious compounds.
5
SOUPS.
Page 7
Presented as published in 1901. 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
In large institutions of other kinds the catering could be provided at still less a head and yet be very good, but it would be plainer than that required nowa-days in first-class preparatory schools.
The aim of a good housekeeper should be to nourish those under her care in the best possible manner. It is not sufficient that the food should be “ nice,” though that is a sine qua non. She must observe quietly the particular kind of food that suits the constitution of the people she has to provide for. It is a pretty general rule that men dislike twice-cooked meat, and many do not care for sweets. The first difficulty can often be obviated by cutting off a small portion of the joint before it is cooked, and using it up in some of the ways given in this or in any other cookery book. If the man or men in your household do not care for sweets give them an extra course of something else,— one day a good savoury, another an entree, another a vegetable course, and always soup or fish. For yourself have a little pudding made. Nearly all the recipes for them can be halved or made in even less quantities. If you have only women to provide for you will probably find they much prefer dainty made-up dishes to joints, and would rather have poultry and game than meat, and they will certainly like sweets.
Children, again, are hard to feed. They are very dainty, and though this trait must on no account be encouraged, the difficulty can be almost entirely avoided by care on the part of the housekeeper. They require very little meat ; that meat should not be twice cooked ; and greasy things must be scrupulously avoided. Soup is good for them, but they will not eat it if it is highly seasoned. Everything must be very plain, but very good, for children. Milk puddings are made more palatable to them if a fruit sauce is served with the pudding in a separate tureen, and it is also very good for them. Fruit sauce can be made from jam if no syrup is handy.
There is a great art in good housekeeping. Nourishment is, ot course, the primary object of food, and must lie at the root of all your endeavours, but there is much to be learnt by the inexperienced in the proper combination of food. Variety is not essential to nourishment, but it is very expedient, and if it were not wanted there would be no need of any cookery books. In composing a menu you must consider the whole as well as the details, choosing for the various courses those things that go best together. There is not space to go thoroughly into this question here, and I can only give the broadest and most elementary rules. These are not to let two white courses follow each other ; that is, if you have white soup let the fish be fried. Do not have boiled meat and boiled fish, or boiled meat and a boiled pudding. If you have pastry in the meat courses avoid it in the sweets. If you have a rich kind of meat, let it be followed by a fruit sweet in some form or other. The taste of things is improved by the dishes that precede and follow them. Harmony must be, in fact, observed in the composition of a menu, though the effect may be heightened and improved by the introduction of some discords in the shape of very indigestible but very delicious compounds.