sour milk, and place it over a kettle of boiling water until the whey
separates from the curd, breaking and cutting the curd as the milk
becomes warmed, so as to allow the whey to settle. The milk should be
well scalded, but not allowed to boil, as that will render the curd
tough and leathery. Have ready a clean piece of cheese cloth spread
inside a colander, dip the curd into it, and leave it to drain. If
preferred, the corners of the cloth may be tied with a string, thus
forming a bag in which the cheese may be hung up to drain. When well
drained, remove the dry curd to a dish, rub it fine with the hands, add
salt, and season with sweet cream, beating it well through the curd with
a silver fork. It may be shaped into balls with the hands or pressed in
large cups or bowls.
FRENCH BUTTER.--Fill a large, wide-mouthed glass bottle or jar
about half full of thick sweet cream. Cork tightly, and with one end of
the bottle in each hand shake it vigorously back and forth until the
butter has separated from the milk, which it will generally do in a few
minutes. Work out the buttermilk, make into small pats, and place on ice
until ready to serve. As a rule this butter is not washed or salted, as
it is intended for immediate use.
SHAKEN MILK.--Fit a conical tin cup closely over a glass of milk
and shake it vigorously until all of a foam, after which it should be
slowly sipped at once; or a glass of milk may be put into a quart fruit
can, the cover tightly screwed on, and then shaken back and forth until
the milk is foamy.
EMULSIFIED BUTTER.--Boil the butter with water for half an hour to
destroy any germs it may contain; use plenty of water and add the butter
to it while cold. When boiled, remove from the fire and allow it to
become nearly cold, when the butter will have risen to the top and may
be removed with a skimmer, or it may be separated from the water by
turning the whole after cooling into a clean strainer cloth placed
inside a colander. The butter may be pressed in the cloth if any water
still remains. If hardened, reheat just sufficient to soften, and add to
it, while still liquid, but cooled to about blood heat, the yolk of one
egg for each tablespoonful of butter, and stir until very thoroughly
mingled.
Or, add to each tablespoonful of the liquid butter two level
tablespoonfuls of flour, rub together thoroughly, and cook until
thickened in a half cupful of boiling water. If cream is not obtainable
and butter must be used for seasoning, it is preferable to prepare it in
one of the above ways for the purpose, using the quantity given as an
equivalent of one cupful of thin cream. It will be evident, however,
that these preparations will not only season but thicken whatever they
are used in, and that additional liquid should be used on that account.
TABLE TOPICS.
A little six-year-old boy went into the country visiting. About the
first thing he got was a bowl of bread and milk. He tasted it, and
then hesitated a moment, when his mother asked if he didn't like it;
to which he replied, smacking his lips, "Yes, ma'am. I was only
wishing that our milkman in town would keep a cow!"
When Horace Greeley was candidate for the presidency, he at one time
visited New Orleans, whose old creole residents gave him a dinner;
and to make it as fine an affair as possible, each of the many
guests was laid under contribution for some of the rarest wines in
his cellar. When dinner was announced, and the first course was
completed, the waiter appeared at Mr. Greeley's seat with a plate of
shrimp. "You can take them away," he said to the waiter, and then
added to the horrified French creole gentleman who presided, "I
never eat insects of any kind." Later on, soup was served, and at
the same time a glass of white wine was placed at Mr. Greeley's
right hand. He pushed it quietly away, but not unobserved by the
chief host. "Do you not drink wine?" he asked.
"No," answered Mr. Greeley; "I never drink any liquors."
"Is there anything you would like to drink with your soup?" the host
then asked, a little disappointed.
"If you've got it," answered Mr. Greeley, "and it isn't any trouble,
I'd like a glass of fresh buttermilk."
Said the host afterward in his broken English, "Ze idea of electing
to ze presidency a man vot drink buttermilk vis his soup!"
Old friendships are often destroyed by toasted cheese, and hard
salted meat has often led to suicide.--_Sydney Smith._
A German sitting beside a Spanish officer on board a Havana steamer,
was munching Limberger cheese with evident satisfaction when it
occurred to him that he ought to offer some to his neighbor, who
very coolly declined. "You think it unhealthful to eat that?"
inquired the German in polite astonishment. "_Unhealthful?_"
exclaimed the Hidalgo, with a withering look and a gasp for a more
adequate word; "No, sir: I think it an unnatural crime!"--_Oswald._
Good for Dyspepsia.--"Really, don't you think cheese is good for
dyspepsia?" said an advocate of the use of this common article of
food. "Why, my uncle had dyspepsia all his life, and he took a bit
of cheese at the close of every meal!"
Mattieu Williams tells us, "When common sense and true sentiment
supplant mere unreasoning prejudice, vegetables oils and vegetable
fats will largely supplant those of animal origin in every element
of our dietary."
EGGS
As will be seen from the analysis given below, an egg is particularly
rich in nitrogenous elements. It is indeed one of the most highly
concentrated forms of nitrogenous food, about one third of its weight
being solid nutriment, and for this reason is often found serviceable in
cases of sickness where it is desirable to secure a large amount of
nourishment in small bulk.
Composition of the white of an ordinary hen's egg.
Nitrogenous matter..................... 20.4
Fatty matter........................... 10.0
Mineral matter......................... 1.6
Water.................................. 68.0
Composition of the yolk.
Nitrogenous matter..................... 1.0
Fatty matter........................... 30.7
Mineral matter......................... 1.3
Water.................................. 52.0
The white of egg is composed mainly of albumen in a dissolved state,
inclosed in layers of thin membrane. When beaten, the membranes are
broken, and the liberated albumen, owing to its viscous or glutinous
nature, entangles and retains a large amount of air, thus increasing to
several times its original bulk.
The yolk contains all the fatty matter, and this, with a modified form
of albumen called vitellin, forms a kind of yellow emulsion. It is
inclosed in a thin membrane, which separates it from the surrounding
white.
The yolk, being lighter than the white, floats to that portion of the
egg which is uppermost, but is held in position by two membranous cords,
one from each end of the egg. The average weight of an egg is about two
ounces, of which ten per cent consists of shell, sixty of white, and
thirty of yolk.
HOW TO CHOOSE EGGS.--The quality of eggs varies considerably,
according to the food upon which the fowls are fed. Certain foods
communicate distinct flavors, and it is quite probable that eggs may be
rendered unwholesome through the use of filthy or improper food; hence
it is always best, when practicable, to ascertain respecting the diet
and care of the fowls before purchasing eggs.
On no account select eggs about the freshness of which there is any
reason to doubt. The use of stale eggs may result in serious
disturbances of the digestive organs.
An English gentleman who has investigated the subject quite thoroughly,
finds upon careful microscopical examination that stale eggs often
contain cells of a peculiar fungoid growth, which seems to have
developed from that portion of the egg which would have furnished
material for the flesh and bones of the chick had the process of
development been continued. Experiments with such eggs upon dogs produce
poisonous effects.
There are several ways of determining with tolerable accuracy respecting
the freshness of an egg. A common test is to place it between the eye
and a strong light. If fresh, the white will appear translucent, and the
outline of the yolk can be distinctly traced. By keeping, eggs become
cloudy, and when decidedly stale, a distinct, dark, cloud-like
appearance may be discerned opposite some portion of the shell. Another
test is to shake the egg gently at the ear; if a gurgle or thud is
heard, the egg is bad. Again, eggs may be tested by dropping into a
vessel containing a solution of salt and water, in the proportion of a
tablespoonful to a quart. Newly laid eggs will sink; if more than six
days old, they will float in the liquid; if bad, they will be so light
as to ride on the surface of the brine. The shell of a freshly laid egg
is almost full; but owing to the porous character of the shell, with age
and exposure to air a portion of the liquid substance of which the egg
is composed evaporates, and air accumulates in its place at one of the
extremities of the shell. Hence an egg loses in density from day to day,
and the longer the egg has been kept, the lighter it becomes, and the
higher it will rise in the liquid.
An egg that will float on the surface of the liquid is of too
questionable a character to be used without breaking, and is apt to be
unfit for use at all.
HOW TO KEEP EGGS.--To preserve the interior of an egg in its
natural state, it is necessary to seal the pores of the shell air-tight,
as the air which finds its way into the egg through the pores of the
shell causes gradual decomposition. Various methods are devised to
exclude the air and thus preserve the egg. A good way is to dip
perfectly fresh eggs into a thick solution of gum-arabic,--equal parts
of gum and water,--let the eggs dry and dip them again, taking care that
the shells are entirely covered with the solution each time. When dry,
wrap separately in paper and pack in a box of sawdust, bran, salt, or
powdered charcoal, and cover tightly to keep out the air.
There is a difference of opinion as to which end should be placed down
in packing; most authorities recommend the smaller end. However, an
experienced poultryman offers the following reasons for packing with the
larger end down: "The air-chamber is in the larger end, and if that is
placed down, the yolk will not break through and touch the shell and
thereby spoil. Another thing: if the air-chamber is down, the egg is not
so liable to shrink away."
It would be well for housekeepers to make the test by packing eggs from
the same lot each way and noting the result.
Melted wax or suet may be used to coat the shells. Eggs are sometimes
immersed and kept in a solution of lime water, a pound of lime to a
gallon of cold water, or simply packed in bran or salt, without a
previous coating of fat or gum. By any of these methods they will keep
for several weeks. Eggs, however, readily absorb flavors from
surrounding substances, and for that reason lime water or salt solution
are somewhat objectionable. Nothing of a disagreeable odor should be
placed near eggs.
Eggs for boiling may be preserved by placing in a deep pan, and pouring
scalding water over them. Let them stand half a minute, drain off the
water, and repeat the process two or three times. Wipe dry, and when
cool, pack in bran.
Eggs should be kept in a cool, not cold, place and handled carefully, as
rough treatment may cause the mingling of the yolk and white by
rupturing the membrane which separates them; then the egg will spoil
quickly.
The time required for the digestion of a perfectly cooked egg varies
from three to four hours.
It is generally conceded that eggs lightly cooked are most readily
digested. What is generally termed a hard-boiled egg is not easily acted
upon by the digestive juices, and any other manner of cooking by which
the albumen becomes hardened and solid offers great resistance to
digestion.
TO BEAT EGGS.--This may seem trivial, but no dish requiring eggs
can be prepared in perfection, unless they are properly beaten, even if
every other ingredient is the best. An egg-beater or an egg-whip is the
most convenient utensil for the purpose; but if either of these is not
to be had, a silver fork will do very well, and with this the beating
should be done in sharp, quick strokes, dipping the fork in and out in
rapid succession, while the egg should grow firmer and stiffer with
every stroke. When carelessly beaten, the result will be a coarse and
frothy instead of a thick and cream-like mass. Use a bowl in beating
eggs with an egg-beater, and a plate when a fork or egg-whip is
employed.
If the white and yolk are used separately, break the shells gently about
the middle, opening slowly so as to let the white fall into the dish,
while retaining the yolk in one half of the shell. If part of the white
remains, turn the yolk from the one half to the other till the white has
fallen. Beat the yolks until they change from their natural orange color
to a much lighter yellow. The whites should be beaten until firm and dry
enough not to fall from the bowl if turned upside down. The yolk should
always be beaten first, since, if the white is left to stand after being
beaten, a portion of the air, which its viscous nature allows it to
catch up, escapes and no amount of beating will render it so firm a
second time. Eggs which need to be washed before breaking should always
be wiped perfectly dry, that no water may become mingled with the egg,
as the water may dilute the albumen sufficiently to prevent the white
from becoming firm and stiff when beaten.
In cold weather, it is sometimes difficult to beat the whites as stiff
as desirable. Albumen is quite susceptible to temperature, and this
difficulty may be overcome by setting the dish in which the eggs are
beaten into warm water--not hot by any means--during the process of
beating. In very hot weather it is often advantageous to leave the eggs
in cold or ice water for a short time before beating. When a number of
eggs are to be used, always break each by itself into a saucer, so that
any chance stale egg may not spoil the whole. If the white or yolk of an
egg--is left over, it may be kept for a day or two if put in a cool
place, the yolk thoroughly beaten, the white unbeaten.
_RECIPES._
EGGS IN SHELL.--The usual method of preparing eggs for serving in
this way is to put them into boiling water, and boil or simmer until
they are considered sufficiently cooked. Albumen, of which the white of
the egg is composed, is easiest digested when simply coagulated. The
yolk, if cooked at all, is easiest digested when dry and mealy. Albumen
coagulates at 160°, and when the boiling point is reached, it becomes
hardened, tough, and leathery, and very difficult of digestion. If the
egg were all albumen, it might be easily and properly cooked by dropping
into boiling water, allowing it to remain for a few seconds, and
removing it, since the shell of the egg would prevent its becoming
sufficiently heated in so short a time as to become hardened; but the
time necessary to cook properly the white of the egg would be
insufficient for the heat to penetrate to and cook the yolk; and if it
is desirable to cook the yolk hard, the cooking process should be
carried on at a temperature below the boiling point, subjecting the egg
to a less degree of heat, but for a longer time. The most accurate
method is to put the eggs into water of a temperature of 160°, allowing
them to remain for twenty minutes and not permitting the temperature of
the water to go above 165°. Cooked in this way, the white will be of a
soft, jelly-like consistency throughout, while the yolks will be hard.
If it is desired to have the yolks dry and mealy, the temperature of the
water must be less, and the time of cooking lengthened. We have secured
the most perfect results with water at a temperature of 150°, and seven
hours' cooking. The temperature of the water can be easily tested by
keeping in it an ordinary thermometer, and if one possesses a kerosene
or gas stove, the heat can be easily regulated to maintain the required
temperature.
Another method, although less sure, is to pour boiling water into a
saucepan, draw it to one side of the range where it will keep hot, but
not boil, put in the eggs, cover, and let stand for twenty minutes. If
by either method it is desired to have the yolk soft-cooked, lessen the
time to ten minutes or so, according to the hardness desired. Eggs are
best served as soon as done, as the white becomes more solid by being
kept in a hot shell.
It should be remarked that the time necessary to cook eggs in the shell
will vary somewhat with the firmness of the shell, the size of the eggs,
and the number cooked together.
EGGS IN SUNSHINE.--Take an earthen-ware dish which will stand heat
and also do to use in serving the eggs. Oil it and break therein as many
eggs as desired; sprinkle lightly with salt, and put into the oven for
two or more minutes till the eggs are set. Have ready some hot tomato
sauce prepared as for Tomato Toast; pour the sauce over them, and serve.
EGGS POACHED IN TOMATOES.--Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, cooked
until they are homogeneous or which have been rubbed through a colander;
season with salt if desired, and heat. When just beginning to boil, slip
in gently a half dozen eggs, the shells of which have been so carefully
broken that the yolks are intact. Keep the tomato just below the boiling
point until the eggs are cooked. Lift the whites carefully with a fork
as they cook, until they are firm, then prick them and let the yellow
mix with the tomato and the whites. The whole should be quite soft when
done, but showing the red of the tomatoes and the white and yellow of
the eggs quite distinctly. Serve on toast. If the flavor is agreeable, a
little onion.
EGGS IN CREAM.--Put a half cupful or more of cream into a shallow
earthen dish, and place the dish in a kettle or pan of boiling water.
When the cream is hot, break in as many eggs as the bottom of the dish
will hold, and cook until well set, basting them occasionally over the
top with the hot cream. Or, put a spoonful or two of cream into
individual egg or vegetable dishes, break a fresh egg in each, and cook
in the oven or in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water until the
white of the egg is well set.
POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS.--Break each egg into a saucer by itself.
Have a shallow pan half filled with scalding, not boiling, water on the
stove. If desired, a little salt and a tablespoonful of lemon juice may
be added. Slip the eggs gently from the saucer upon the top of the
water, holding the edge of the saucer under water to prevent the eggs
from scattering; dip the water over them with a spoon and let them stand
five minutes, or until the yolk is covered with a film, and the white is
firm but not hardened; keep the water just below the boiling point. Take
out the eggs one by one on a skimmer, and serve in egg-saucers, or on
slices of nicely browned toast moistened with a little sweet cream, as
preferred. If one is especially particular to keep the shape of the
eggs, an egg poacher should be used, or a set of muffin-rings may be
laid in the bottom of the pan, and the eggs turned into the rings.
POACHED EGGS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Poach eggs as in the foregoing, and
pour over them a sauce made according to direction on page 351.
QUICKLY PREPARED EGGS.--A good way to cook quickly a large number
of eggs, is to use a large-bottomed earthen dish, which will stand the
heat and in which the eggs may be served. Oil it well; break the
requisite number of eggs separately, and turn each carefully into the
dish; sprinkle lightly with salt; set the dish in the oven or in a
steamer over a kettle of boiling water for a few minutes until the eggs
are set, then serve.
SCRAMBLED EGGS.--Beat four eggs lightly, add a little salt if
desired, and half a cup of milk or cream. Have ready a hot, oiled
saucepan; turn the eggs in and cook quickly, stirring constantly until
firm, but soft.
STEAMED EGGS.--Break eggs into egg or vegetable dishes or
patty-pans, salt very lightly, and set in a steamer over a kettle of
boiling water until the whites are set and a film has formed over the
yolk. Serve the same as poached eggs, with or without toast.
WHIRLED EGGS.--Have a small kettle of water heated almost to
boiling, and with a wooden spoon, stir it rapidly round and round in the
same direction until a miniature whirlpool is produced. Have ready some
eggs broken in separate cups, and drop them carefully one at a time into
the whirling water, the stirring of which must be kept up until the egg
is a soft round ball. Remove with a skimmer, and serve on cream toast.
OMELETS.
_RECIPES._
PLAIN OMELET.--Beat the yolks of three eggs to a cream and beat the
whites to a stiff froth. Add to the yolks three tablespoonfuls of milk
or cream, one tablespoonful of finely grated bread crumbs, and season
lightly with salt; lastly, fold, not stir, the whites lightly in. An
omelet pan is the best utensil for cooking, but if that is not to be
had, an earthen-ware pudding dish which will stand the heat is good; an
iron spider will do, but a larger omelet would need to be prepared. A
tin saucepan is apt to cook the omelet so rapidly as to burn it in
spots. Whatever the utensil used, it should be hot, the fire clear and
steady, and all in readiness by the time the eggs are beaten.
Oil the dish well and gently pour in the omelet mixture; cover, and
place the pan on the range where the heat will be continuous. Do not
stir, but carefully, as the egg sets, lift the omelet occasionally by
slipping a broad-bladed knife under it, or with a fork by dipping in
here and there. It should cook quickly, but not so quickly as to burn.
From three to five minutes will generally be ample time. When the middle
of the omelet is set, it may be put into a hot oven to dry the top. As
soon as the center is dry, it should be removed immediately, as it will
be hard and indigestible if overdone. To dish, loosen from the pan by
running a knife under it, lay a hot platter, bottom upward, over the
pan, and invert the latter so as to shake out the omelet gently, browned
side uppermost; or if preferred, double one part over the other before
dishing. Serve at once, or it will fall.
An omelet of three eggs is sufficient for two or three persons; if more
is desired, a second omelet of three eggs may be made. Larger ones are
not so light nor so easily prepared. The dish used should be reserved
for that purpose alone, and should be kept as smooth and dry as
possible. It is better to keep it clean by wiping with a coarse towel
than by washing; if the omelet comes from the pan perfectly whole and
leaving no fragments behind.
FOAM OMELET.--Prepare as above, leaving out the white of one egg,
which must be beaten to a stiff froth and spread over the top of the
omelet after it is well set. Let this white just heat through by the
time the omelet is done. Fold the omelet together, and dish. The whites
will burst out around the edges like a border of foam.
FANCY OMELETS.--Various fancy omelets may be made by adding other
ingredients and preparing the same as for plain omelets. Two or three
tablespoonfuls of orange juice instead of milk, with a little grated
rind for flavor and three tablespoonfuls of sugar, may be combined with
the eggs and called an orange omelet.
A little cold cauliflower or cooked asparagus chopped very fine and
mixed in when the omelet is ready for the pan, may be denominated a
vegetable omelet.
SOFT OMELET.--Beat together thoroughly one quart of milk and six
eggs. Season with salt. Pour into a shallow earthen pudding dish, and
bake in the oven until well set.
TABLE TOPICS.
The candidates for ancient athletic games were dieted on boiled
grain, with warm water, cheese, dried figs, but no meat.
An unpleasant reminder.--(Scene, Thanksgiving dinner, everybody
commenting on the immense size of the turkey.) An appalling silence
fell upon the crowd when Tommy cried out, "Mamma, is that the old
sore-headed turkey?"
The eminent Prof. Wilder was reared a vegetarian, having passed his
earlier years without even knowing that flesh food was ever eaten by
human beings. When six years old, he saw on the table for the first
time, a roasted chicken, at which he gazed for some moments in great
bewilderment, when he seemed to make a discovery, and in his
astonishment burst out with the remark, "I'll bet that's a dead
hen!"
A story is told of a minister who was spending the day in the
country, and was invited to dine. There was chicken for dinner, much
to the grief of a little boy of the household, who had lost his
favorite hen to provide for the feast. After dinner, prayer was
proposed, and while the preacher was praying, a poor little lonesome
chicken came running under the house, crying for its absent mother.
The little boy shouted, "Peepy! Peepy! I didn't kill your mother!
They killed her for that big preacher's dinner!" The "Amen" was said
very suddenly.
MEATS