The household cook book

HULLED CORN. — Soak a quart of yellow corn over night; the next morning pour off the water and put the corn in a kettle of hot water containing a cheese-cloth bag, holding a pint, or a little more, of clean wood ashes. Boil until the hulls begin to come off, then pour off the lye; rub the corn well in cool water to remove the hulls, then boil again in clear water until soft, changing the water TOAST 289 once or twice to take out the taste of the lye as much as possible. Hulled corn is eaten with milk like mush, and like mush it is fried when cold, HASTY PUDDING.— Into 2 cups cold milk, stir 2 cups cornmeal, 2 teaspoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt; gradually stir this into 4 cups boiling water, and boil 30 minutes, stirring it frequently. It can be fried when cold as directed for cornmeal mush. TOAST. Simple as the process of making it seems, perfect toast is very rare. Good toast should be crisp and golden clear through, not brown outside and clammy in the center. Use stale bread, cut even slices J inch thick, heat them gradually at first, so that the heat may penetrate to the center of the slice and evaporate the water before the outside is crusted over; dry it carefully and, lohen well dried, move it near the coals (which should be clear and red), and it will quickly turn a golden brown. Toast is often eaten which is cut in thick slices, browned outside, and left clammy in the center. Such toast is less wholesome than untoasted bread, and is wholly unfit for invalids, although healthy stomachs may cope with it. Well made toast is very easy of digestion, and well suited for invalids, because starch, when heated to 401°, is turned to dextrin, and that is much more easily digested than the starch. The object should be to turn as much of the starch as possible to dextrin, and clear through the bread, not merely a little on the outside. A little caramel is also developed usually in toasting bread. Some people prefer toast soft inside and browned outside, because they say it is easier to eat, but if you will try it you will find good, dry toast easily breaks and crumbles apart, and is readily moistened by the saliva. For invalids always instead of leaving toast soft inside, it is better to toast the bread well, and then dip it in hot water for an instant to moisten it, but do not soak it. If possible, serve dry toast directly from the fire; if not, pile it on a plate, lay a napkin over it, and set it in the oven, or on the hearth to keep warm. Be careful not to burn the outside while toasting bread. For ordinary use (not for invalids) the thicker slices of bread, less perfectly toasted, can, of course, be eaten by those who prefer them. WATER TOAST. — Prepare a pan of boiling hot water, adding always 1 teaspoon salt to the quart of water. Toast bread, dip in each slice quickly, moistening it merely, but do not let it soalc, as sloppy, sodden toast is not good. Butter each slice and pile them on a hot plate. Apple sauce, baked apples, poached eggs, and minced meats go with this kind of toast. MILK TOAST — For plain milk toast, toast the bread, and pour •) or 4 tablespoons of boiling salted milk or cream on each slice. The toast can be buttered or not, as loreferred, before pouring on the I'j