In place of suet use bread crumbs soaked in oil or butter.
Use nuts as substitute for meats. To prepare the nuts for cooking, pick from the shell carefully and chop very fine, or better yet, grind in nut mill.
In place of gelatine, use Irish Moss or corn starch.
Nut butter takes the place of meat extract and fats in gravies and sauces. Where plain butter is preferred with a savory flavoring of herbs, always brown the flour used for thickening.
Cocoanut or cow’s butter is the substitute for lard or cotoline in vegetarian pastry.
The value of herbs for savories and soups is too little understood by American cooks. Here is “Aunt Susan’s” receipt for a “soup powder” that will flavor any soup, gravy, or savory dish with a fine flavor:
Sweet Marjoram—Powdered, two ounces.
Parsley—Powdered, two ounces.
Summer Savory—Powdered, two ounces.
Thyme—Powdered, two ounces.
Bay Leaf—Powdered, two ounces.
Lemon Peel—Powdered, one ounce.
Sweet Basil—Powdered, one ounce.
Rosemary—Powdered, one ounce.
Peel and slice, or chop, cover the onions with boiling water, and let stand three or four minutes, drain and put in ice water, let stand ten or fifteen minutes, or, until crisp. The onions are just as crisp as before, and much more delicate.
Just scald, then cut from the cob, put in a pan and set over kettle of boiling water; stir frequently, and in a couple of hours the corn will be almost dry, if the water in kettle has been constantly kept at boiling. Set in warm oven half an hour and the corn is ready to put in bags; dry and clean.
| 1 pound of wheat flour is equal to | 1 quart |
| 1 pound and two ounces of Indian meal make | 1 quart |
| 1 pound of soft butter is equal to | 1 quart |
| 1 pound and 2 ounces of best brown sugar make | 1 quart |
| 1 pound and 1 ounce of powdered white sugar make | 1 quart |
| 1 pound of broken loaf sugar is equal to | 1 quart |
| 4 large tablespoonfuls make | ¹⁄₂ gill |
| 1 common-sized tumbler holds | ¹⁄₂ pint |
| 1 common-sized wine glass is equal to | ¹⁄₂ gill |
| 1 tea-cup holds | 1 gill |
| 1 large wine glass holds | 2 ounces |
| 1 tablespoonful is equal to | ¹⁄₂ ounce |
Crush a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar to powder, put it into a sauce pan with a tablespoonful of water, and stir it unceasingly over a gentle fire until it begins to acquire a little color. Draw it back and bake it very slowly, still stirring it, until it is almost black, without being in the least burnt. It will take about half an hour. Pour a quart of water over it, let it boil for a few minutes until the sugar is quite dissolved, pour it out, and when cold, strain it into a bottle and store it for use. A tablespoonful of this browning will color half a pint of liquid.
It is very essential for health that all the properties of food should be retained in the cooking, therefore the habit of boiling the various vegetables, in an unnecessary quantity of water, and then draining this down the sink, is a means of defrauding the organism of the nourishment originally contained in the article.
Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and other articles requiring their skins to be removed for serving or mincing, should, when possible, be steamed “in their jackets” and peeled as much as necessary afterwards.
Cauliflowers, cabbage, &c., are excellent when steamed. Green peas, beans, and such, should be put in a covered vessel, with a little butter, and, when necessary, a spoonful or two of water, and gently stewed, standing inside a saucepan of water without the water touching them; or they can be stewed in the oven in an earthenware jar, with a little butter and a spoonful or two of water. This method of cooking takes very little longer time than the ordinary boiling in water. The oven should be moderately heated.
Fruits are better stewed in a double enamelled saucepan, or baked in a tightly covered earthen jar in the oven with as little water as possible.
Dried fruits, such as raisins, figs, dates, &c., should be washed and picked over carefully, then soaked for several hours in cold water till they are soft and swollen to their fullest extent, when they should be stewed in the same water.
As little salt as is palatable should be used, and an effort made to daily lessen its use. When once the system is freed from the use of this mineral in its daily food, a small dose shows it to be an active poison. There is enough of natural salts in our vegetable foods without our making use of the mineral deposit. Knowing that many will use this book who are just turning from the meat diet, we give, as a rule, the usual quantity of salt in the receipts used in ordinary cookery. For the same reason we give the ordinary beverages in daily use, in the menus.
Fruit juices are far more conductive to good health than tea or coffee, and we especially recommend lemon juice diluted with boiling water as a breakfast beverage, though we have not ventured to place it on the regular bill of fare. It is a most appetising morning drink, and should be taken a short time before eating.