Corn should not be boiled in salt water, as the salt
hardens the outer covering of the skin, and makes it tough.
Cook the vegetables rapidly, till perfectly tender, but no
longer. If vegetables are cooked too long, flavor, color,
and appearance are all impaired. To judge when done,
watch carefully, and test by piercing with a fork. The
time required to cook a vegetable varies with its age and
freshness ; therefore the time-tables given for cooking serve
only as approximate guides.
Delicate vegetables, as green peas, shelled beans, celery,
etc, should be cooked in as little water as possible, toward
VEGETABLES 99
the last the water being allowed to boil away till there is
just enough left to moisten. In this manner all the de-
sirable soluble matter that may have been drawn out in
cooking is saved.
Strongly flavored vegetables, as cabbage, onions, etc.,
should be cooked in a generous quantity of water, and
the water in which onions are cooked may be changed one
or more times.
The general rule for seasoning vegetables is as follows :
To two cups small whole vegetables, or two cups of
vegetables mashed or sliced, add a rounding teaspoonful
of butter, and half a level teaspoonful of salt. To beans,
peas, and squash, add one half teaspoonful of sugar. Add
milk or the vegetable liquid when additional moisture is
required.
POTATOES
Preeminent among vegetables stands the potato.
The solid matter of potatoes consists largely of starch,
with a small quantity of albumen and mineral salts. Po-
tatoes also contain an acid juice, the greater portion of
which lies near the skin. This bitter principle is set free
by heat, passing into the water Avhen the potatoes are
boiled, and escaping with the steam when they are baked.
New potatoes may be compared to unripe fruit, as the
starch grains are not fully matured. Potatoes are at their
best in the fall, and they keep well during the Avinter. In
the spring, when germination commences, the starch
changes to dextrin or gum, rendering the potato more waxy
when cooked: and the sugar then formed makes them
100 VEGETARIAN COOK BOOK
sweeter. When potatoes are frozen, tlie same change takes
place.
In the spring, when potatoes are shriveled and gummy,
soaking improves them, as the water absorbed dissolves the
gam, and makes them less sticky. At other times, long
soaking is undesirable.
Soak about half an hour in the fall, one to three hours
in winter and spring. Never serve potatoes, whether
boiled or baked, in a closely covered dish, as they thus
become sodden and clammy; but cover with a folded nap-
kin, and allow the moisture to escape. They require about
forty-five minutes to one hour to bake, if of a good size,
and should be served promptly when done.
BAKED POTATOES
Potatoes are either baked in their jackets or peeled✪ Baked Potatoes;
in either case they should not be exposed to a fierce heat,
as thereby a great deal of the vegetable is scorched and
rendered uneatable. They should be frequently turned
while baking, and kept from touching one another in the
oven or dish. When pared, they should be baked in a dish,
and oil of some kind added, to prevent their being burned.
MASHED POTATOES ✪ Mashed Potatoes
Page 26 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1904. 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
Corn should not be boiled in salt water, as the salt hardens the outer covering of the skin, and makes it tough. Cook the vegetables rapidly, till perfectly tender, but no longer. If vegetables are cooked too long, flavor, color, and appearance are all impaired. To judge when done, watch carefully, and test by piercing with a fork. The time required to cook a vegetable varies with its age and freshness ; therefore the time-tables given for cooking serve only as approximate guides.
Delicate vegetables, as green peas, shelled beans, celery, etc, should be cooked in as little water as possible, toward
the last the water being allowed to boil away till there is just enough left to moisten. In this manner all the desirable soluble matter that may have been drawn out in cooking is saved.
Strongly flavored vegetables, as cabbage, onions, etc., should be cooked in a generous quantity of water, and the water in which onions are cooked may be changed one or more times.
The general rule for seasoning vegetables is as follows : To two cups small whole vegetables, or two cups of vegetables mashed or sliced, add a rounding teaspoonful of butter, and half a level teaspoonful of salt. To beans, peas, and squash, add one half teaspoonful of sugar. Add milk or the vegetable liquid when additional moisture is required.
POTATOES
Preeminent among vegetables stands the potato.
The solid matter of potatoes consists largely of starch, with a small quantity of albumen and mineral salts. Potatoes also contain an acid juice, the greater portion of which lies near the skin. This bitter principle is set free by heat, passing into the water Avhen the potatoes are boiled, and escaping with the steam when they are baked.
New potatoes may be compared to unripe fruit, as the starch grains are not fully matured. Potatoes are at their best in the fall, and they keep well during the Avinter. In the spring, when germination commences, the starch changes to dextrin or gum, rendering the potato more waxy when cooked: and the sugar then formed makes them
sweeter. When potatoes are frozen, tlie same change takes place.
In the spring, when potatoes are shriveled and gummy, soaking improves them, as the water absorbed dissolves the gam, and makes them less sticky. At other times, long soaking is undesirable.
Soak about half an hour in the fall, one to three hours in winter and spring. Never serve potatoes, whether boiled or baked, in a closely covered dish, as they thus become sodden and clammy; but cover with a folded napkin, and allow the moisture to escape. They require about forty-five minutes to one hour to bake, if of a good size, and should be served promptly when done.
BAKED POTATOES
Potatoes are either baked in their jackets or peeled; in either case they should not be exposed to a fierce heat, as thereby a great deal of the vegetable is scorched and rendered uneatable. They should be frequently turned while baking, and kept from touching one another in the oven or dish. When pared, they should be baked in a dish, and oil of some kind added, to prevent their being burned.
MASHED POTATOES
Records on this page
Baked PotatoesMashed Potatoes