58. Perhaps the greatest problem in the planning of menus for a family
is that of securing sufficient variety. A housewife who uses the same
recipes and the same combinations of food repeatedly is apt to get into
a rut and the members of her family will undoubtedly lose interest in
their meals. This condition results even with the dishes of which those
of the family are extremely fond. However, they will not tire so quickly
of the foods they care for if such foods are served to them less often.
Then, too, there is more chance to practice economy when a larger
variety of food is used.
The importance of planning menus systematically should not be
overlooked, either, no matter how simple they may be. Even if breakfast
consists of only two or more dishes, luncheon of three or four, and
dinner of no more than four or five, a certain amount of planning should
be done in order that the meal may be properly balanced. If the
suggestions for meal planning already given are applied to this work,
very little difficulty will be experienced in providing meals that are
both attractive and properly balanced. In addition to these suggestions,
a few general rules for menu making ought to be observed. Most of these
are simple and can be followed with very little effort.
59. Unless the menu is planned for a special occasion, the cost of the
various dishes should be made to balance. For instance, if an expensive
meat is to be served, the vegetables and the salad selected to accompany
it should be of moderate cost. On the other hand, if an expensive salad
is to be served, a dessert of moderate cost, such as a simple rice
pudding, should be used to offset the price of the other dish. Planning
meals in this way is urged for the sake of economy, and if it is
carefully followed, all the meals may be made to average about the
same cost.
60. Another important point in successful meal planning is the avoidance
of two dishes in the same meal made from the same food. For instance,
tomato soup and tomato salad should not be served in the same meal, for
the combination is undesirable. Corn soup contrasts much better with
tomato salad than does the tomato soup, for it has the bland flavor that
is needed to offset the acid salad. Some housewives, it is true, object
to such planning on the ground that it does not give them opportunity to
utilize all the materials they may have on hand at the same time. But in
nearly every instance the materials can be used to excellent advantage
in meals that are to follow and, in addition, the gain in variety is
sufficient to warrant the adoption of such a method.
61. As there should be variety in the materials used to make up the
dishes of a meal, so should there be variety in the flavor of the foods
selected. Rice, macaroni, and potato, for instance, make an undesirable
combination. They are too similar because they are all high in starch;
besides, they resemble one another too closely in consistency and they
are all bland in flavor. If a meal contains one or two bland dishes, a
special effort should be made to supply some highly flavored dish in
order to relieve the monotony. The same thing may be said of acid foods;
that is, an oversupply of these is just as distasteful as too many
bland foods.
62. To have fresh fruit for the daily breakfast would be very
delightful, but such fruit cannot always be secured. When fresh fruit
cannot be had every day, it is better to alternate it with canned fruit
or stewed dried fruit than to have it for several days in succession and
then have to serve the alternative for a number of days. The same is
true of cereals. If use is to be made of both cooked and uncooked
cereals, it is much better to alternate them than to serve the cooked
ones for breakfast for an entire week and then uncooked ones the
next week.
63. When two vegetables are used in the same meal, they should be
different. Sweet potatoes and white potatoes, although often served
together, do not belong in the same meal. In fact, for most seasons of
the year, two vegetables dissimilar in consistency should be supplied.
For instance, if spinach is included in a meal, some contrasting
vegetable, such as carrots, shell beans, etc., should be served with it.
Beets and carrots would not make a good combination, nor should cabbage
be combined with spinach, especially if both vegetables are prepared
with a sour dressing.
64. A bland food or one high in fat, such as roast pork, certain kinds
of fish, etc., is much more palatable if a highly seasoned sauce or
another highly seasoned food or, in fact, a food of an entirely
different flavor is served with it. Apple sauce or baked apples are
usually served with roast pork for this purpose, while sour sauces or
pickles of some description are served with fish to relieve its
blandness.
65. To secure the most successful meals, the main course should be
decided upon first and the additional dishes, such as soup, salad, and
dessert, should be the second consideration. In this method of planning
meals, they can be properly balanced, for if the main course is heavy,
the others can be made light or some of them omitted altogether, while
if the main course is a light one, heavier dishes may be selected to
accompany it.
Whenever it is possible to do so, the heavy meal of the day should be
served at noon and the lighter one in the evening. This plan should
always be followed for children, and it is preferable for adults.
However, having dinner at noon is often very inconvenient and sometimes
impossible, because frequently one or more members of the family are at
business some distance from home and their coming home at noon for
dinner is impractical. In such an event, the evening meal should be the
heavy one, but it should not be made too hearty and overeating should
be avoided.
At all meals, tea and coffee should be used sparingly. Especially should
this rule be followed by persons who are nervous, or high strung, or are
troubled with indigestion and insomnia. At any rate, it is advisable not
to drink either of these beverages at night.
* * * * *