Within a few years a great many new preparations
have been manufactured from the cereals. Nearly all
these goods have been prepared with a view to their use
in breakfast dishes. Some of them have been a success,
and others a bad failure. Since it has become the custom
to have mush of some kind for breakfast, and so many
people cannot eat oatmeal, other materials are substituted
for the old-fashioned cracked wheat and oatmeal.
Wheat germ meal is one of the most agreeable of the
new preparations. It comes in small packages, and is
quickly and easily cooked.
Hominy snow flakes is another new preparation which
makes a pleasant change on the breakfast-table or for
the nursery.
96 MISS PAKLOA'S KITCHEN COMPANION.
Grits is the name given to fine hominy in some sec-
tions of the South, " hominy " there meaning the coarse
hominy. Both the coarse and fine hominy are desirable
food materials, and should be found in every household.
The fine hominy can be used for many more purposes than
the coarse, and is therefore more desirable. The former
comes in five-pound packages ; the coarser kinds can be
bought in bulk.
MOLASSES.
When sugar was made in the old-fashioned way it
was always possible to obtain good black molasses.
Now that sugar is finally boiled in vacuum pans, the
best quality of molasses is very scarce. The finest conies
from Porto Kico, and the next best from New Orleans.
A good test of molasses is to put a bit of dissolved
soda in a spoonful of the molasses, and if the latter be
good it will foam up in a rich dark color, and the odor
will be pleasant. If, however, it should turn a greenish
shade, and the odor should be unpleasant, it will not
give satisfaction.
OLIVE OIL.
Unless one have a good cool cellar, it will be best to
buy oil in small quantities. Buying in large quantities
is much more economical if there be a good place to
keep the supply. Oil is cheaper when bought in large
bottles than in small ones ; yet in a small family it is
better to buy the small bottles, as oil loses its fine flavor
if the bottle be opened often.
Bae's Lucca oil is very reliable ; so is Barton & Gues-
tier's. There are many other good oils, and these brands
are mentioned only for the benefit of those who find it
difficult to judge of the quality.
One cannot be too careful in the selection and care
of salad oil. It should always be kept in a cool, dark
place. When the bottle is opened, wipe the inside of
the neck of the bottle before pouring out the oil. Some-
ABOUT FOOD. 97
times a particle of oil will cling to the cork and become
rancid. Unless this be wiped out, the whole bottle may
be tainted by it. Always taste or smell of the oil before
using it.
MACARONI, SPAGHETTI, ETC.
Macaroni, spaghetti, and all the other Italian pastes
are made of a hard wheat that is rich in gluten. These
pastes, when of the best quality, have a hard appearance,
with a slight yellowish tinge.
The Italian paste made in this country — and there is
a great deal of it — has a softer, lighter look. Some-
times it is colored with saffron, in which case it will
have a deeper yellow tinge.
Spaghetti is one form of macaroni, the only difference
being that the stems are only about one fourth as large
round as macaroni. It is prepared the same as macaroni.
Page 43
Presented as published in 1887. 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
Within a few years a great many new preparations have been manufactured from the cereals. Nearly all these goods have been prepared with a view to their use in breakfast dishes. Some of them have been a success, and others a bad failure. Since it has become the custom to have mush of some kind for breakfast, and so many people cannot eat oatmeal, other materials are substituted for the old-fashioned cracked wheat and oatmeal.
Wheat germ meal is one of the most agreeable of the new preparations. It comes in small packages, and is quickly and easily cooked.
Hominy snow flakes is another new preparation which makes a pleasant change on the breakfast-table or for the nursery.
Grits is the name given to fine hominy in some sections of the South, " hominy " there meaning the coarse hominy. Both the coarse and fine hominy are desirable food materials, and should be found in every household. The fine hominy can be used for many more purposes than the coarse, and is therefore more desirable. The former comes in five-pound packages ; the coarser kinds can be bought in bulk.
MOLASSES.
When sugar was made in the old-fashioned way it was always possible to obtain good black molasses. Now that sugar is finally boiled in vacuum pans, the best quality of molasses is very scarce. The finest conies from Porto Kico, and the next best from New Orleans.
A good test of molasses is to put a bit of dissolved soda in a spoonful of the molasses, and if the latter be good it will foam up in a rich dark color, and the odor will be pleasant. If, however, it should turn a greenish shade, and the odor should be unpleasant, it will not give satisfaction.
OLIVE OIL.
Unless one have a good cool cellar, it will be best to buy oil in small quantities. Buying in large quantities is much more economical if there be a good place to keep the supply. Oil is cheaper when bought in large bottles than in small ones ; yet in a small family it is better to buy the small bottles, as oil loses its fine flavor if the bottle be opened often.
Bae's Lucca oil is very reliable ; so is Barton & Guestier's. There are many other good oils, and these brands are mentioned only for the benefit of those who find it difficult to judge of the quality.
One cannot be too careful in the selection and care of salad oil. It should always be kept in a cool, dark place. When the bottle is opened, wipe the inside of the neck of the bottle before pouring out the oil. Some-
times a particle of oil will cling to the cork and become rancid. Unless this be wiped out, the whole bottle may be tainted by it. Always taste or smell of the oil before using it.
MACARONI, SPAGHETTI, ETC.
Macaroni, spaghetti, and all the other Italian pastes are made of a hard wheat that is rich in gluten. These pastes, when of the best quality, have a hard appearance, with a slight yellowish tinge.
The Italian paste made in this country — and there is a great deal of it — has a softer, lighter look. Sometimes it is colored with saffron, in which case it will have a deeper yellow tinge.
Spaghetti is one form of macaroni, the only difference being that the stems are only about one fourth as large round as macaroni. It is prepared the same as macaroni.