^88 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



though it is surprising to find how much flavor is developed by pro- 

 longing the process from forty or fifty minutes to an hour or longer. 

 Cracked wheat or whole oatmeal takes a very long time to cook. Cereals 

 have a better flavor if they are cooked for a long time. A fireless cooker 

 is an ideal arrangement for accomplishing this process. It is not always 

 practicable to do the cooking all at one time, so it may be accomplished 

 by cooking the cereal as directed for ten or fifteen minutes at night and 

 putting it into a fireless cooker over night. It will then be thoroughly 

 cooked by morning and may be still warm enough to serve. At most, 

 it needs only a little reheating to get it in perfect condition. The cereal 

 may be cooked for twenty minutes or so on the evening fire and then 

 it may be reheated and the cooking may be completed in the morning 

 If the latter method is pursued, a few tablespoons of water should be 

 poured over the top of the cereal at night to prevent the formation of 

 a skin, and the cereal should be thoroughly heated through in the morn- 

 ing before being stirred or it will be lumpy. After it is hot it may be 

 stirred smooth. What better foundation for a delicious and wholesome 

 breakfast than fruit and a well-cooked porridge of mellow flavor, eaten 

 with good cream or rich milk? 



These two foods, starchy sauce mixture and cereals, give the clue to 

 the cooking of all starchy foods, for the principle is the same in all cases. 



To summarize. In cooking starch the following points are to be 

 observed : 



1. A supply of water sufficient to swell all the starch grains present. 



2. Enough heat to complete the process. 



3. A sufficient time of cooking to develop flavor. 



4. Some means for separating starch grains in powdered form, as 

 flour and cornstarch, so that they will not lump in cooking, 



5. To avoid the formation of a skin on the surface. 



VEGETABLE COOKERY 



The value of vegetables in the diet makes it highly desirable that 

 they should be prepared in such a way as to make them both appetizing 

 and digestible. While fruit may take the place of vegetables in the diet 

 it is often an inconvenient and expensive substitute. It is often necessary 

 to refuse such vegetables as cabbage, onions and turnips, because the 

 strong natural flavor they possess has been so highly developed in cook- 

 ing them that they have become exceedingly irritating to the digestive 

 tract, Yet, even these vegetables may be prepared in such a way as 

 to make them mild and easily digestible. 



