782 Readixc-Coursi". for !"\\r.mer.s' Wives. 



preparation of foods 



Although meals may be wisely and carefully planned and the food 

 may be the best the market affords, the dietary is neither a good nor 

 a wholesome one unless the food is also carefully and well prepared. The 

 actual cooking of food may make or mar its usefulness to the body. 



Cooking is the name given to the process of changing the state of 

 food by applying heat. Hence all our cooking processes require heat in 

 some form. The amount of heat and the way it is applied decide the 

 method of cooking. 



There are three good reasons for cooking food : 



1. To make it more digestible. 



2. To destroy any parasites which may be in or on it and whose 

 presence may be hurtful to us. 



3. To make it more palatable. 



If the cooking fails to accomplish these results, something is wrong 

 with the process. 



Taste is an important factor in food preparation, for the bread which 

 'tastes good' and which is so appetizing that the mouth waters at sight 

 and thought of it, is actually more easily digested than the equally 

 nourishing but sodden and unsightly loaf. 



The greatest art in cookery is to prepare simple, wholesome fare so 

 palatably that it will compete successfully with artificial seasoning. 



Really good bread, a rare thing, should be so toothsome that it will 

 be eaten with the same relish as cake. Well-cooked meats and vege- 

 tables should require no spiced sauces or condiments, such as pickles 

 and catsups, to make them acceptable. Natural flavor should be de- 

 veloped and depended on to give character to our foods. 



The art of food preparation becomes much simpler and immeasurably 

 more interesting when we gain possession of the rules which govern the 

 cookery of our common foods. We have all been accustomed to say 

 " good luck " to a success and " bad luck " to a failure, without realizing 

 that luck actually plays a very small part in the process. Understand- 

 ing or misunderstanding is, as a rule, the real cause of the excellent 

 bread or the fallen cake. 



A knowledge of the art of cookery is like a knowledge of spelling or 

 reading. It may be easier for some persons to acquire, but it is within 

 the reach of all who desire it. Cooks may be born but they may also 

 be made. There is no art which is of more importance than this one, 

 since it has so much to do with human welfare and human efficiency. 

 All honor to the intelligent woman who is a good cook. 



