The Bulletin. 37 



It is sometimes necessary to provide food for the family at the lowest possi- 

 ble cost. To do this it is necessary to know what foods can be substituted one 

 for the other ; then to compare the relative cost of each. We must get rid of 

 the idea that "a cheap food is a poor food." Often the cheaper cuts of meat 

 contain as much nutritive value as more expensive ones, and can be made 

 palatable and attractive by a wise exercise of the art of cookery. 



By referring to the lists of food materials given under each of the five food 

 substances we may easily find what foods can be interchanged; also at what 

 reduction of cost. Meat, given at the head of the protein list, is usually an 

 expensive food. Eggs make a good substitute, but here one must be governed 

 by the price of eggs. When they go down to fifteen cents per dozen we can 

 well afford to use them in the place of meat. Their food value is very great. 

 The digestibility of well-cooked eggs is high. They can be cooked in many 

 different ways, besides being a necessary ingredient of many dishes. 



Fish affords another example of meat substitutes. It has this advantage 

 over eggs — it is cheap, for "Nature does the feeding, and we have only to pay 

 for the catching." Fresh fish should be used freely in the season it is cheapest 

 and best. Fish is easily digested and is recommended for people who take 

 little exercise. For people who live inland salted and smoked fish form a valu- 

 able food. Corned mullets or corned mackerel soaked over night make a nice 

 breakfast dish. They may be either fried or broiled. Then there are the 

 packages of codfish, which can be now bought already "flaked." Codfish mixed 

 with mashed Irish potatoes, shaped into cakes or balls and fried, gives another 

 good breakfast dish. Sardines should not be overlooked. They come "ready 

 to eat," and so save the housewife's time and energy. They can be quickly 

 served when an unexpected guest arrives at meal time. 



Cheese is another meat substitute. In America, unfortunately, it seems to 

 be regarded more as a luxury than as a staple article of diet, yet one pound of 

 cheese is equal in food value to two pounds of meat. It is rich in both protein 

 and fat. Considering this, its price is very low, and it ought to do good service 

 in the place of meat. Its food value is fully recognized abroad. In Switzer- 

 land, and to a great extent in Germany and Italy, cheese is a part of the daily 

 food given to the outdoor laborers in the place of meat. A great advantage in 

 using cheese, and one tbat should appeal strongly to the overworked housewife, 

 is that it is generally given uncooked. There is some doubt as to the digesti- 

 bility of cheese. It is claimed by noted German scientists that, when taken in 

 the usual quantity — from one-fourth to one-half pound daily — and by people 

 who lead an active outdoor life, it is about as easily digested as meat. For the 

 average person, who takes but little outdoor exercise, cheese is hard to digest. 

 This is true of most kinds as purchased in our market, but the home-made cot- 

 tage cheese, often called clabber cheese, is an exception. This dish is easy to 

 prepare and is very economical where there is a home supply of milk. It is a 

 good way to use up the overplus of sour milk on the farm. Cottage cheese 

 makes a nice tea or supper dish, and is so palatable and nutritious that I will 

 give the recipe. 



COTTAGE CHEESE RECIPE. 



Place sour milk in vessel on back of stove and let it warm gradually. Take 

 care that the, milk does not become hot, as this will make the curd tough and 

 hard to digest. When the curd is separated from the whey — a process hastened 

 by the application of heat — pour into a bag and let drip until the whey is 

 removed. Turn curd into a dish, season to suit taste with salt and pepper, 

 mould into little balls or pats, or stir with a fork, then pile lightly on dish." 

 A little cream may be added to the curd along with the seasoning. 



The vegetable foods — peas, beans, lentils and nuts, particularly peanuts — 

 that may in a measure supplant meat should often be found on the table. The 

 peanut paste or butter made from finely ground nuts is pleasing to the taste 

 and very nutritious. Peanut-butter sandwiches make a wholesome lunch for 

 school children. We Americans are said to eat too much meat. Since it forms 

 the most expensive part of the diet, it would be well, from an economical stand- 

 point, too, to often replace it with some of the above-named substitutes. 



