The water for tea should be drawn fresh and brought to a
quick boil and used immediately. Stale water that has lost
its sparkle, or water that has been standing in the kettle will
not make good tea. Of course, teapot and kettle should be
kept scrupulously clean. Rinse the teapot (china or earthen-
ware), with boiling water, put in 1 teasp tea for each cup
or person to be served, pour on the boiling water (water
must be boiling furiously), cover the teapot closely, and set
on back of range to steep from 3 to 5 minutes, but no longer,
and serve at once. Over-steeped tea is not healthful, and even,
dangerous, while properly prepared tea is harmless and mildly
stimulating. If too strong, add hot water to each cup when
pouring, and if not strong enough, use more tea. Serve
with unboiled cream. If a good tea leaf was used, and these
directions are faithfully followed, a delicious and refreshing
brew will be the result. Always keep the dry tea in a closed
canister and never allow left-over tea to remain in teapot.
For iced tea, pour the freshly made tea from the leaves into-
a pitcher and let cool, after which add ice and serve as soon
as chilled.— [Mrs. J. C, N. Y.
Coffee
There are three methods of preparing coffee — one by filter-
ing, the other by boiling, and the other by the careless process
which produces a muddy and ill-flavored concoction which is
as harmful as it is unpalatable. In the first place, the water
should be freshly boiled (see directions for tea), and the
coffee pot must be immaculately clean — of china, earthen or
graniteware. Never allow left-over coffee to stand in the
coffee pot, and scald the latter about once a week, adding
a little soda to the water. The coffee pot should be rinsed
with boiling water, and the fresh water for the coffee be boil-
ing furiously. If a filtered coffee is desired, use a regular
filterer or a homemade one, consisting of a round cheesecloth
198 FARM AND HOME COOK BOOK
bag with a wire run through the hem at the top, the circle
a little wider than the top of the coffee pot, so that when the
iDag is suspended in the pot, the edge of the bag may turn
over the edge of the pot, and permit the cover to be put
on, and put 1 tablesp finely-ground coffee for each cup or
person to be served into the filterer, and pour over the freshly
boiling water. Keep the coffee pot standing in another pot
of boiling water, to keep hot. The filtered coffee may be
turned over the grounds in the filterer for a second time, to
extract all the strength, and the coffee should then be served
at once, with rich, boiling hot milk, or thick, sv/eet uncooked
cream.
Page 132
Presented as published in 1907. 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
The water for tea should be drawn fresh and brought to a quick boil and used immediately. Stale water that has lost its sparkle, or water that has been standing in the kettle will not make good tea. Of course, teapot and kettle should be kept scrupulously clean. Rinse the teapot (china or earthenware), with boiling water, put in 1 teasp tea for each cup or person to be served, pour on the boiling water (water must be boiling furiously), cover the teapot closely, and set on back of range to steep from 3 to 5 minutes, but no longer, and serve at once. Over-steeped tea is not healthful, and even, dangerous, while properly prepared tea is harmless and mildly stimulating. If too strong, add hot water to each cup when pouring, and if not strong enough, use more tea. Serve with unboiled cream. If a good tea leaf was used, and these directions are faithfully followed, a delicious and refreshing brew will be the result. Always keep the dry tea in a closed canister and never allow left-over tea to remain in teapot. For iced tea, pour the freshly made tea from the leaves into a pitcher and let cool, after which add ice and serve as soon as chilled. — [Mrs. J. C, N. Y.
Coffee
There are three methods of preparing coffee — one by filtering, the other by boiling, and the other by the careless process which produces a muddy and ill-flavored concoction which is as harmful as it is unpalatable. In the first place, the water should be freshly boiled (see directions for tea), and the coffee pot must be immaculately clean — of china, earthen or graniteware. Never allow left-over coffee to stand in the coffee pot, and scald the latter about once a week, adding a little soda to the water. The coffee pot should be rinsed with boiling water, and the fresh water for the coffee be boiling furiously. If a filtered coffee is desired, use a regular filterer or a homemade one, consisting of a round cheesecloth
bag with a wire run through the hem at the top, the circle a little wider than the top of the coffee pot, so that when the iDag is suspended in the pot, the edge of the bag may turn over the edge of the pot, and permit the cover to be put on, and put 1 tablesp finely-ground coffee for each cup or person to be served into the filterer, and pour over the freshly boiling water. Keep the coffee pot standing in another pot of boiling water, to keep hot. The filtered coffee may be turned over the grounds in the filterer for a second time, to extract all the strength, and the coffee should then be served at once, with rich, boiling hot milk, or thick, sweet uncooked cream.