Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Who knows better than a sensible woman that a man's physical welfare affects his mental and moral condition, and understands the connection between an appetising dinner and an amiable frame of mind ? Good cooking, too, is necessary HIGH-CLASS AND DOMESTIC COOKERY 69' for the preservation of health. However plain the food may be, it must be treated properly, or it will fail to nourish, and be productive of that dread enemy, in- digestion. There are rules and reason for everything done in cooking as much as in any other art, and upon the observance of these rules depends success. Sameness is one of the least serious charges to be brought against the cooking of an ordinary middle - class family, though greater variety would be more agreeable ; there are generally worse evils — bad cook- ing and serving up indigestible and wasteful dishes. The greater efficiency of man-cooks has been attributed, and certamly not without reason, to the better know- ledge of the method : much more than women they work by rule ; they rely on the clock, the scales, and carefully tested recipes. It is not always profound knowledge that is necessary ; great care, more delibera- tion, and better method would, in many households, effect a marvellous transformation. A good cook does not entirely depend on book and rule ; a cer- tain natural aptitude is necessary, though knowledge acquired from teachers and books on cookery is most m valuable. It would be useless to expect to educate every woman to be a skilful cook ; nor is it necessary that all women should be first-rate cooks ; but every woman should and could, if disposed, be able to prepare the plainer articles of food so that they are palatable, nutritious, and digestible. Whether the trouble to get this know- 70 PRACTICAL GASTRONOMY ledge be great or small, it ouglit to be faced. No intelli- gent and competent housekeeper, whether mistress or servant, should, however, be contented by merely acquir- ing the rudiments of cooking ; she should be able to compound cheap and palatable dishes, the recipes for which she had herself put together. Anythmg which is a person's duty to do should be done well, and by doing so one ought to find pleasure and pride in it. Cooking being such an important part of the daily work of millions of mistresses and servants, it is one of those things in which they should excel. They should not begrudge the time and study required to enable them to become skilful and economical cooks. It is no trifling matter to serve day after day half- boiled potatoes and badly cooked vegetables, unpalatable stews, and underdone meat ; the human stomach not only fails to get its proper nourishment as it should from these viands, but it experiences also inconvenience, contracts disease, and suffers the consequent penalty. What can be more unpalatable than food served up before it is properly cooked, and what less satisfying to the appetite ? Any food which the stomach loathes, whether from toughness, richness, bad flavour, or un- palatableness, is not a pleasure, and cannot possibly be wholesome or economical, and must consequently be injurious to human health. Wise people can check gluttony, if good cookery should encourage over-eating ; but this I should hardly think would be the case. HIGH-CLASS AND DOMESTIC COOKEKY 71