A piece of red pepper, ^ inch in diameter, dropped in at the start, is
used by some cooks. The essential oils are dissolved out of the veg-
etable while cooking, and from this oil the odor comes. If the water
is changed once or twice while the vegetable is cooking, it will be an
advantage, but be sure the fresh water is boiling hot when put in.
Changing the water while cooking also gets rid of some unwholesome
sulphuric gases given out by cabbage and onion.
Effect of Different Waters. — Many cooks do not understand the dif-
ferent effects produced by hard and soft water; peas and beans espe-
cially should be cooked in soft water if possible to obtain it (see
"Kain Water Cisterns"), as hard water containing lime and gypsum
harden vegetable casein, making them less digestible. With some
vegetables, soft water extracts most of their flavor and salts; but the
addition of a little salt partially remedies this.
Hints.— Be very careful to wash vegetables thoroughly, and exam-
ine them for insects. Spinach should be allowed to float on water in
a deep vessel and then lifted out with the hand and placed in deep
water in another vessel, in order to free it from sand.
Any vegetables which are peeled should be thrown into cold
water until wanted for cooking, to prevent their turning color.
When possible, it is much better to boil the different vegetables
by themselves; also, when such vegetables as cabbage, carrots, beets,
onions, potatoes, parsnips or turnips are boiled with meat, the flavor
of both the meat and the vegetable is injured. Not only this, but it is
also better to store vegetables separately. Certainly the strong scent-
ed vegetables, like onions, leeks and cabbage, should be kept apart,
for delicate vegetables will be spoiled in a short time, if near the
strongly scented ones. *
Vegetables are much -icer boiled in slightly salted water, and
then, when seasoned with butter, they are usually salted sufficiently
for most persons; the water being salted reaches a higher temi^erature
before boiling, and secures better cookery of the vegetables.
It is important that all vegetables should go to the table as hot
as possible, and 2 or 3 two-qt. tin basins are good to keep them in
until ready to put them on the table; or they may, if more conven-
ient, be kept in the kettles they were boiled in. Have the vege-
table dishes (that will not bear standing on the back of the range to
keep hot) standing ready on a table with hot water in them. For
common use, heavy white nappies are good for dishing up vegetables,
as they will bear standing on the back of the range, or in the edge
of the oven, with the door open. In dishing up vegetables, di-ain
them thoroughly from the water.
220 VEGETABLES
Vegetables which contain much sugar, like beets, turnips
squash, pumpkins, etc., especially if they are not of the best quality,
are improved by the addition of a little sugar — a fact overlooked by
many cooks. Boiling deprives them of jjart of their sweetness, so add
a little.
Vegetables like lettuce and cabbage, which contain potasl^ salts,
are best eaten with a mild acid, like vinegar. It is usual to serve
some condiment, like vinegar, salt, oil or pe^jper, with vegetables
which are eaten raw, and which may therefore ferment in the stom-
ach.
Page 167
Presented as published in 1902. 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
A piece of red pepper, ^ inch in diameter, dropped in at the start, is used by some cooks. The essential oils are dissolved out of the vegetable while cooking, and from this oil the odor comes. If the water is changed once or twice while the vegetable is cooking, it will be an advantage, but be sure the fresh water is boiling hot when put in. Changing the water while cooking also gets rid of some unwholesome sulphuric gases given out by cabbage and onion.
Effect of Different Waters. — Many cooks do not understand the different effects produced by hard and soft water; peas and beans especially should be cooked in soft water if possible to obtain it (see "Rain Water Cisterns"), as hard water containing lime and gypsum harden vegetable casein, making them less digestible. With some vegetables, soft water extracts most of their flavor and salts; but the addition of a little salt partially remedies this.
Hints.— Be very careful to wash vegetables thoroughly, and examine them for insects. Spinach should be allowed to float on water in a deep vessel and then lifted out with the hand and placed in deep water in another vessel, in order to free it from sand.
Any vegetables which are peeled should be thrown into cold water until wanted for cooking, to prevent their turning color.
When possible, it is much better to boil the different vegetables by themselves; also, when such vegetables as cabbage, carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, parsnips or turnips are boiled with meat, the flavor of both the meat and the vegetable is injured. Not only this, but it is also better to store vegetables separately. Certainly the strong scented vegetables, like onions, leeks and cabbage, should be kept apart, for delicate vegetables will be spoiled in a short time, if near the strongly scented ones. *
Vegetables are much nicer boiled in slightly salted water, and then, when seasoned with butter, they are usually salted sufficiently for most persons; the water being salted reaches a higher temperature before boiling, and secures better cookery of the vegetables.
It is important that all vegetables should go to the table as hot as possible, and 2 or 3 two-qt. tin basins are good to keep them in until ready to put them on the table; or they may, if more convenient, be kept in the kettles they were boiled in. Have the vegetable dishes (that will not bear standing on the back of the range to keep hot) standing ready on a table with hot water in them. For common use, heavy white nappies are good for dishing up vegetables, as they will bear standing on the back of the range, or in the edge of the oven, with the door open. In dishing up vegetables, di-ain them thoroughly from the water.
Vegetables which contain much sugar, like beets, turnips squash, pumpkins, etc., especially if they are not of the best quality, are improved by the addition of a little sugar — a fact overlooked by many cooks. Boiling deprives them of part of their sweetness, so add a little.
Vegetables like lettuce and cabbage, which contain potash salts, are best eaten with a mild acid, like vinegar. It is usual to serve some condiment, like vinegar, salt, oil or pepper, with vegetables which are eaten raw, and which may therefore ferment in the stomach.