enlarged portion of an underground stem, having upon its surface a
number of little buds, or "eyes," each capable of independent growth.
The tuber is made up of little cells filled with starch granules,
surrounded and permeated with a watery fluid containing a small
percentage of the albuminous or nitrogenous elements. In cooking, heat
coagulates the albumen within and between the cells, while the starch
granules absorb the watery portion, swell, and distend the cells. The
cohesion between these is also destroyed, and they easily separate. When
these changes are complete, the potato becomes a loose, farinaceous
mass, or "mealy." When, however, the liquid portion is not wholly
absorbed, and the cells are but imperfectly separated, the potato
appears waxen, watery, or soggy. In a mealy state the potato is easily
digested; but when waxy or water-soaked, it is exceedingly trying to the
digestive powers.
It is obvious, then, that the great _desideratum_ in cooking the potato,
is to promote the expansion and separation of its cells; in other words,
to render it mealy. Young potatoes are always waxy, and consequently
less wholesome than ripe ones. Potatoes which have been frozen and
allowed to thaw quickly are much sweeter and more watery, because in
thawing the starch changes into sugar. Frozen potatoes should be thawed
in cold water and cooked at once, or kept frozen until ready for use.
PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Always pare potatoes very thin. Much of
the most nutritious part of the tuber lies next its outer covering; so
care should be taken to waste as little as possible. Potatoes cooked
with the skins on are undoubtedly better than those pared. The chief
mineral element contained in the potato is potash, an important
constituent of the blood. Potash salts are freely soluble in water, and
when the skin is removed, there is nothing to prevent these salts from
escaping into the water in which the potato is boiled. If the potato is
cooked in its "jacket," the skin, which does not in general burst open
until the potato is nearly done, serves to keep this valuable element
largely inside the potato while cooking. For the same reason it is
better not to pare potatoes and put them in water to soak over night, as
many cooks are in the habit of doing, to have them in readiness for
cooking for breakfast.
Potatoes to be pared should be first washed and dried. It is a good plan
to wash quite a quantity at one time, to be used as needed. After
paring, drop at once into cold water and rinse them thoroughly. It is a
careless habit to allow pared potatoes to fall among the skins, as in
this way they become stained, and appear black and discolored after
cooking. Scrubbing with a vegetable brush is by far the best means for
cleaning potatoes to be cooked with the skins on.
When boiled in their skins, the waste, according to Letheby, is about
three per cent, while without them it is not less than fourteen per
cent, or more than two ounces in every pound. Potatoes boiled without
skins should be cooked very gently.
Steaming, roasting, and baking are much better methods for cooking
potatoes than boiling, for reasons already given. Very old potatoes are
best stewed or mashed. When withered or wilted, they are freshened by
standing in cold water for an hour or so before cooking. If diseased or
badly sprouted, potatoes are wholly unfit for food.
_RECIPES._
BOILED POTATOES (IN JACKETS).--Choose potatoes of uniform size,
free from specks. Wash and scrub them well with a coarse cloth or brush;
dig out all eyes and rinse in cold water; cook in just enough water to
prevent burning, till easily pierced with a fork, not till they have
burst the skin and fallen in pieces. Drain thoroughly, take out the
potatoes, and place them in the oven for five minutes, or place the
kettle back on the range; remove the skins, and cover with a cloth to
absorb all moisture, and let them steam three or four minutes. By either
method they will be dry and mealy. In removing the skins, draw them off
without cutting the potatoes.
BOILED POTATOES (WITHOUT SKINS).--Pare very thin, and wash clean.
If not of an equal size, cut the larger potatoes in two. Cook in only
sufficient water to prevent burning until a fork will easily pierce
their center; drain thoroughly, place the kettle back on the range,
cover with a cloth to absorb the moisture, and let them dry four or five
minutes. Shake the kettle several times while they are drying, to make
them floury.
STEAMED POTATOES.--Potatoes may be steamed either with or without
the skin. Only mature potatoes can be steamed. Prepare as for boiling;
place in a steamer, over boiling water, and steam until tender. If water
is needed to replenish, let it always be boiling hot, and not allow the
potatoes to stop steaming, or they will be watery. When done, uncover,
remove the potatoes to the oven, and let them dry a few minutes. If
peeled before steaming, shake the steamer occasionally, to make them
floury.
ROASTED POTATOES.--Potatoes are much more rich and mealy roasted
than cooked in any other way. Wash them very carefully, dry with a
cloth, and wrap in tissue paper; bury in ashes not too hot, then cover
with coals and roast until tender. The coals will need renewing
occasionally, unless the roasting is done very close to the main fire.
BAKED POTATOES.--Choose large, smooth potatoes as near the same
size as possible; wash and scrub with a brush until perfectly clean; dry
with a cloth, and bake in a moderately hot oven until a fork will easily
pierce them, or until they yield to pressure between the fingers. They
are better turned about occasionally. In a slow oven the skins become
hardened and thickened, and much of the most nutritious portion is
wasted. When done, press each one till it bursts slightly, as that will
allow the steam to escape, and prevent the potatoes from becoming soggy.
They should be served at once, in a folded napkin placed in a hot dish.
Cold baked potatoes may be warmed over by rebaking, if of good quality
and not overdone the first time.
STUFFED POTATO.--Prepare and bake large potatoes of equal size, as
directed in the preceding recipe. When done, cut them evenly three
fourths of an inch from the end, and scrape out the inside, taking care
not to break the skins. Season the potato with salt and a little thick
sweet cream, being careful not to have it too moist, and beat thoroughly
with a fork until light; refill the skins with the seasoned potato, fit
the broken portions together, and reheat in the oven. When hot
throughout, wrap the potatoes in squares of white tissue paper fringed
at both ends. Twist the ends of the paper lightly together above the
fringe, and stand the potatoes in a vegetable dish with the cut end
uppermost. When served, the potatoes are held in the hand, one end of
the paper untwisted, the top of the potato removed, and the contents
eaten with a fork or spoon.
STUFFED POTATOES NO. 2.--Prepare large, smooth potatoes, bake until
tender, and cut them in halves; scrape out the inside carefully, so as
not to break the skins; mash smoothly, mix thoroughly with one third
freshly prepared cottage cheese; season with nice sweet cream, and salt
if desired. Fill the shells with the mixture, place cut side uppermost,
in a pudding dish, and brown in the oven.
MASHED POTATOES.--Peel and slice potatoes enough to make two
quarts; put into boiling water and cook until perfectly tender, but not
much broken; drain, add salt to taste; turn into a hot earthen dish, and
set in the oven for a few moments to dry. Break up the potatoes with a
silver fork; add nearly a cup of cream, and beat hard at least five
minutes till light and creamy; serve at once, or they will become heavy.
If preferred, the potatoes may be rubbed through a hot sieve into a hot
plate, or mashed with a potato beetle, but they are less light and flaky
when mashed with a beetle. If cream for seasoning is not obtainable, a
well-beaten egg makes a very good substitute. Use in the proportion of
one egg to about five potatoes. For mashed potatoes, if all utensils and
ingredients are first heated, the result will be much better.
NEW POTATOES.--When potatoes are young and freshly gathered, the
skins are easiest removed by taking each one in a coarse cloth and
rubbing it; a little coarse salt used in the cloth will be found
serviceable for this purpose. If almost ripe, scrape with a blunt knife,
wash very clean, and rinse in cold water. Boiling is the best method of
cooking; new potatoes are not good steamed. Use only sufficient water to
cover, and boil till tender. Drain thoroughly, cover closely with a
clean cloth, and dry before serving.
CRACKED POTATOES.--Prepare and boil new potatoes as in the
preceding recipe, and when ready to serve, crack each by pressing
lightly upon it with the back of a spoon, lay them in a hot dish, salt
to taste, and pour over them a cup of hot thin cream or rich milk.
CREAMED POTATOES.--Take rather small, new potatoes and wash well;
rub off all the skins; cut in halves, or if quite large, quarter them.
Put a pint of divided potatoes into a broad-bottomed, shallow saucepan;
pour over them a cup of thin sweet cream, add salt if desired; heat just
to the boiling point, then allow them to simmer gently till perfectly
tender, tossing them occasionally in the stewpan to prevent their
burning on the bottom. Serve hot.
SCALLOPED POTATOES.--Pare the potatoes and slice thin; put them in
layers in an earthen pudding dish, dredge each layer lightly with flour,
and salt, and pour over all enough good, rich milk to cover well. Cover,
and bake rather slowly till tender, removing the cover just long enough
before the potatoes are done, to brown nicely. If preferred, a little
less milk may be used, and a cup of thin cream added when the potatoes
are nearly done.
STEWED POTATO.--Pare the potatoes and slice rather thin. Put into
boiling water, and cook until nearly tender, but not broken. Have some
rich milk boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, add to it a
little salt, then stir in for each pint of milk a heaping teaspoonful of
corn starch or rice flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Stir
until it thickens. Drain the potatoes, turn them into the hot sauce, put
the dish in the outer boiler, and cook for a half hour or longer. Cold
boiled potatoes may be sliced and used in the same way. Cold baked
potatoes sliced and stewed thus for an hour or more, make a particularly
appetizing dish.
POTATOES STEWED WITH CELERY.--Pare and slice the potatoes, and put
them into a stewpan with two or three tablespoonfuls of minced celery.
Use only the white part of the celery and mince it finely. Cover the
whole with milk sufficient to cook and prevent burning, and stew until
tender. Season with cream and salt.
POTATO SNOWBALLS.--Cut largo potatoes into quarters; if small,
leave them undivided; boil in just enough water to cover. When tender,
drain and dry in the usual way. Take up two or three pieces at a time in
a strong, clean cloth, and press them compactly together in the shape of
balls. Serve in a folded napkin on a hot dish.
POTATO CAKES.--Make nicely seasoned, cold mashed potato into small
round cakes about one half an inch thick. Put them on a baking tin,
brush them over with sweet cream, and bake in a hot oven till golden
brown.
POTATO CAKES WITH EGG.--Bake nice potatoes till perfectly tender;
peel, mash thoroughly, and to each pint allow the yolks of two eggs
which have been boiled until mealy, then rubbed perfectly smooth through
a fine wire sieve, and one half cup of rich milk. Add salt to taste, mix
all well together, form the potato into small cakes, place them on oiled
tins, and brown ten or fifteen minutes in the oven.
POTATO PUFF.--Mix a pint of mashed potato (cold is just as good if
free from lumps) with a half cup of cream and the well-beaten yolk of an
egg; salt to taste and beat till smooth; lastly, stir in the white of
the egg beaten to a stiff froth. Pile up in a rocky form on a bright tin
dish, and bake in a quick oven until heated throughout and lightly
browned. Serve at once.
BROWNED POTATOES.--Slice cold potatoes evenly, place them on an
oiled tin, and brown in a very quick oven; or slice lengthwise and lay
on a wire broiler or bread-toaster, and brown over hot coals. Sprinkle
with a little salt if desired, and serve hot with sweet cream as
dressing.
ORNAMENTAL POTATOES.--No vegetable can be made palatable in so many
ways as the potato, and few can be arranged in such pretty shapes.
Mashed potatoes made moist with cream, can easily be made into cones,
pyramids, or mounds. Cold mashed potatoes may be cut into many fancy
shapes with a cookie-cutter, wet with a little cold water, and browned
in the oven.
Mounds of potatoes are very pretty smoothed and strewn with well-cooked
vermicelli broken into small bits, and then lightly browned in the oven.
Scoring the top of a dish of mashed potato deeply in triangles, stars,
and crosses, with the back of a carving knife, and then browning
lightly, gives a very pretty effect.
BROILED POTATO.--Mashed potatoes, if packed firmly while warm into
a sheet-iron bread tin which has been dipped in cold water, may be cut
into slices when cold, brushed with cream, and browned on a broiler over
hot coals.
WARMED-OVER POTATOES.--Cut cold boiled potatoes into very thin
slices; heat a little cream to boiling in a saucepan; add the potato,
season lightly with salt if desired, and cook until the cream is
absorbed, stirring occasionally so as to prevent scorching or breaking
the slices.
VEGETABLE HASH.--With one quart finely sliced potato, chop one
carrot, one red beet, one white turnip, all boiled, also one or two
stalks of celery. Put all together in a stewpan, cover closely, and set
in the oven; when hot, pour over them a cup of boiling cream, stir well
together, and serve hot.
THE SWEET POTATO.
DESCRIPTION.--The sweet potato is a native of the Malayan
Archipelago, where it formerly grew wild; thence it was taken to Spain,
and from Spain to England and other parts of the globe. It was largely
used in Europe as a delicacy on the tables of the rich before the
introduction of the common potato, which has now taken its place and
likewise its name. The sweet potato is the article referred as potato by
Shakespeare and other English writers, previous to the middle of the
seventeenth century.
PREPARATION AND COOKING.--What has been said in reference to the
common potato, is generally applicable to the sweet potato; it may be
prepared and cooked in nearly all the ways of the Irish potato.
In selecting sweet potatoes, choose firm, plump roots, free from any
sprouts; if sprouted they will have a poor flavor, and are likely to be
watery.
The sweet potato is best cooked with the skin on; but all discolored
portions and the dry portion at each end, together with all branchlets,
should be carefully removed, and the potato well washed, and if to be
baked or roasted, well dried with a cloth before placing in the oven.
The average time required for boiling is about fifty minutes; baking,
one hour; steaming, about one hour; roasting, one and one half hours.
_RECIPES._
BAKED SWEET POTATOES.--Select those of uniform size, wash clean,
cutting out any imperfect spots, wipe dry, put into moderately hot oven,
and bake about one hour, or until the largest will yield to gentle
pressure between the fingers. Serve at once without peeling. Small
potatoes are best steamed, since if baked, the skins will take up nearly
the whole potato.
BAKED SWEET POTATO NO. 2.--Select potatoes of medium size, wash and
trim but do not pare, and put on the upper grate of the oven. For a peek
of potatoes, put in the lower part of the oven in a large shallow pan a
half pint of hot water. The water may be turned directly upon the oven
bottom if preferred. Bake slowly, turning once when half done. Serve in
their skins, or peel, slice, and return to the oven until nicely
browned.
BOILED SWEET POTATOES.--Choose potatoes of equal size; do not pare,
but after cleaning them well and removing any imperfect spots, put into
cold water and boll until they can be easily pierced with a fork; drain
thoroughly, and lay them on the top grate in the oven to dry for five or
ten minutes. Peel as soon as dry, and send at once to the table, in a
hot dish covered with a folded napkin. Sweet potatoes are much better
baked than boiled.
STEAMED SWEET POTATOES.--Wash the potatoes well, cut out any
discolored portions, and steam over a kettle of boiling water until they
can be easily pierced with a fork, not allowing the water in the pot to
cease boiling for a moment. Steam only sufficient to cook them, else
they will be watery.
BROWNED SWEET POTATOES.--Slice cold, cooked sweet potatoes evenly,
place on slightly oiled tins in a hot oven, and brown.
MASHED SWEET POTATOES.--Either bake or steam nice sweet potatoes,
and when tender, peel, mash them well, and season with cream and salt to
taste. They may be served at once, or made into patties and browned in
the oven.
POTATO HASH.--Take equal parts of cold Irish and sweet potatoes;
chop fine and mix thoroughly; season with salt if desired, and add
sufficient thin cream to moisten well. Turn into a stewpan, and heat
gently until boiling, tossing continually, that all parts become heated
alike, and serve at once.
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES.--Wash clean and wipe dry, potatoes of
uniform size, wrap with tissue paper, cover with hot ashes, and then
with coals from a hardwood fire; unless near the main fire, the coals
will need renewing a few times. This will require a longer time than by
any other method, but they are much nicer. The slow, continuous heat
promotes their mealiness. When tender, brush the ashes off with a broom,
and wipe with a dry cloth. Send to the table in their jackets.
TO DRY SWEET POTATOES.--Carefully clean and drop them into boiling
water. Let them remain until the skins can be easily slipped off; then
cut into slices and spread on racks to dry. To prepare for cooking, soak
over night, and boil the next day.
TURNIPS.
DESCRIPTION.--The turnip belongs to the order _Cruciferæ_,
signifying "cross flowers," so called because their four petals are
arranged in the form of a cross. It is a native of Europe and the
temperate portions of Asia, growing wild in borders of fields and waste
places. The ancient Roman gastronomists considered the turnip, when
prepared in the following manner, a dish fit for epicures: "After
boiling, extract the water from them, and season with cummin, rue or
benzoin, pounded in a mortar; afterward add honey, vinegar, gravy, and
boiled grapes. Allow the whole to simmer, and serve."
Under cultivation, the turnip forms an agreeable culinary esculent; but
on account of the large proportion of water entering into its
composition, its nutritive value is exceedingly low. The Swedish, or
Rutabaga, variety is rather more nutritive than the white, but its
stronger flavor renders it less palatable. Unlike the potato, the turnip
contains no starch, but instead, a gelatinous substance called pectose,
which during the boiling process is changed into a vegetable jelly
called pectine. The white lining just inside the skin is usually bitter;
hence the tuber should be peeled sufficiently deep to remove it. When
well cooked, turnips are quite easily digested.
PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Turnips are good for culinary purposes
only from the time of their ripening till they begin to sprout. The
process of germination changes their proximate elements, and renders
them less fit for food. Select turnips which are plump and free from
disease. A turnip that is wilted, or that appears spongy, pithy, or
cork-like when cut, is not fit for food.
Prepare turnips for cooking by thoroughly washing and scraping, if young
and tender, or by paring if more mature. If small, they may be cooked
whole; if large, they should be cut across the grain into slices a half
inch in thickness. If cooked whole, care must be taken to select those
of uniform size; and if sliced, the slices must be of equal thickness.
_RECIPES._
BOILED TURNIPS.--Turnips, like other vegetables, should be boiled
in as small an amount of water as possible. Great care must be taken,
however, that the kettle does not get dry, as scorched turnip is
spoiled. An excellent precaution, in order to keep them from scorching
in case the water becomes low, is to place an inverted saucer or
sauce-dish in the bottom of the kettle before putting in the turnips.
Put into boiling water, cook rapidly until sufficiently tender to pierce
easily with a fork; too much cooking discolors and renders them strong
in flavor. Boiled turnips should be drained very thoroughly, and all
water pressed out before preparing for the table. The age, size, and
variety of the turnip will greatly vary the time necessary for its
cooking. The safest rule is to allow plenty of time, and test with a
fork. Young turnips will cook in about forty-five minutes; old turnips,
sliced, require from one and a quarter to two hours. If whole or cut in
halves, they require a proportionate length of time. White turnips
require much, less cooking than yellow ones.
BAKED TURNIPS.--Select turnips of uniform size; wash and wipe, but
do not pare; place on the top grate of a moderately hot oven; bake two
or more hours or until perfectly tender; peel and serve at once, either
mashed or with cream sauce. Turnips are much sweeter baked than when
cooked in any other way.
CREAMED TURNIPS.--Pare, but do not cut, young sweet white turnips;
boil till tender in a small quantity of water; drain and dry well. Cook
a tablespoonful of flour in a pint of rich milk or part cream; arrange
the turnips in a baking dish, pour the sauce over them, add salt if
desired, sprinkle the top with grated bread crumbs, and brown in a quick
oven.
CHOPPED TURNIPS.--Chop well-boiled white turnips very fine, add
salt to taste and sufficient lemon juice to moisten. Turn into a
saucepan and heat till hot, gently lifting and stirring constantly. Cold
boiled turnip may be used advantageously in this way.
MASHED TURNIPS.--Wash the turnips, pare, and drop into boiling
water. Cook until perfectly tender; turn into a colander and press out
the water with a plate or large spoon; mash until free from lumps,
season with a little sweet cream, and salt if desired. If the turnips
are especially watery, one or two hot, mealy potatoes mashed with them
will be an improvement.
SCALLOPED TURNIPS.--Prepare and boil whole white turnips until
nearly tender; cut into thin slices, lay in an earthen pudding dish,
pour over them a white sauce sufficient to cover, made by cooking a
tablespoonful of flour in a pint of milk, part cream if preferred, until
thickened. Season with salt, sprinkle the top lightly with grated bread
crumbs, and bake in a quick oven until a rich brown. Place the baking
dish on a clean plate, and serve. Rich milk or cream may be used instead
of white sauce, if preferred.
STEAMED TURNIPS.--Select turnips of uniform size, wash, pare, and
steam rapidly till they can be easily pierced with a fork; mash, or
serve with lemon juice or cream sauce, as desired.
STEWED TURNIPS.--Prepare and slice some young, fresh white turnips,
boil or steam about twenty minutes, drain thoroughly, turn into a
saucepan with a cup of new milk for each quart of turnips; simmer gently
until tender, season with salt if desired, and serve.
TURNIPS IN JUICE.--Wash young white turnips, peel, and boil whole
in sufficient water to keep them from burning. Cover closely and cook
gently until tender, by which time the water in the kettle should be
reduced to the consistency of syrup. Serve at once.
TURNIPS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Wash and pare the turnips, cut them
into half-inch dice, and cook in boiling water until tender. Meanwhile
prepare a cream sauce as directed for Scalloped Turnips, using thin
cream in place of milk. Drain the turnips, pour the cream sauce over
them, let them boil up once, and serve.
PARSNIPS.
DESCRIPTION.--The common garden parsnip is derived by cultivation
from the wild parsnip, indigenous to many parts of Europe and the north
of Asia, and cultivated since Roman times. It is not only used for
culinary purposes, but a wine is made from it. In the north of Ireland a
table beer is brewed from its fermented product and hops.