HOME ECONOMICS 



2818 



HOME ECONOMICS 



cms kinds, cheese, condensed milk, olives, pre- 

 pared oils for cooking, and such vegetables as 

 will keep. 



Bread. As about two-fifths of the ordinary 

 weight of food consumed by the average family 

 is bread, it becomes the most essential food 

 product of everyday life. As more bread is 

 made from wheat than from any other grain, 

 wheat is the raw material which should be best 

 understood by the buyer. 



In point of economy, there is very little dif- 

 ference between home-made and bakers' bread; 

 but there might be a great difference in the food 

 value if home-makers understood how to se- 

 cure the best results in food value from every 

 bushel of wheat used in bread-making. 



The most important food essentials are found 

 in the outer layer of the perfect wheat kernel. 

 The bran and the germ contain essential food 

 values. The old process of milling did not 

 eliminate these substances, but the keeping 

 qualities of the flour were impaired. The 

 highly-milled white flour differs greatly in dif- 

 ferent sections of the country, owing to the 

 different kinds of wheat grown. Mills of the 

 Northwest use the spring wheat, those of 

 the Southwest the hard winter wheat; in some 

 sections only soft winter wheat is milled. Some 

 millers use a combination of wheats to secure 

 different grades of flour. 



There is no absolute standardized test for the 

 quality of flour by the consumer except through 

 its use, consequently it is best for the home- 

 makers to adopt the brands that give them 

 the best results, when used according to indi- 

 vidual methods. As the highly-milled flours 

 which are commonly used in bread-making 

 lack some of the most nutritious elements of 

 the natural grain, the home-maker has learned 

 to introduce coarse flours, such as bran, oat- 

 meal and corn meal, in order to produce a 

 properly-balanced food for the family. This 

 method increases the cost of the bread without 

 bringing adequate returns. The different flours 

 and meals thus used are milled separately and 

 the buyer must pay for two processes instead 

 of one. He pays for the process of division, 

 although nature originally combined the dif- 

 ferent flours in one grain. 



It is not the price of foods that should claim 

 our attention, but the manner in which the 

 food is produced. Every buyer should know 

 the food value of every natural product, in 

 order to purchase table supplies intelligently. 



All whole wheat flours and cereals should be 

 100 per cent wheat, if the best results are to be 



obtained when they are used as human food. 

 Whole wheat, whole oatmeal, unpolished rice 

 and unpearled barley each contain essential 

 nutritive substances that are removed through 

 the modern process of preparation for the mar- 

 ket. The adoption of whole-grain foods would 

 mean an increase of at least twenty-five per 

 cent in the health of many people. In this 

 connection it is worth noting that nothing is 

 expensive that gives full return for the money 

 and time expended. The cheapest foods, from 

 a money standpoint, may be the most expen- 

 sive in the end. All denatured, bleached, de- 

 germinated, polished and otherwise doctored 

 foods are relatively weak in food value. Every 

 purchaser of foods should understand that pure 

 whole-wheat flour contains all the food ele- 

 ments demanded by the normal adult, although 

 it may be too heavy for invalids and children. 



Whole wheat contains a larger proportion of 

 brain and nerve food than any other article of 

 diet. The purchase of whole wheat and corn 

 products, together with an intelligent under- 

 standing of their use in the daily menu, is one 

 of the most important items in the 'budget of 

 the modern home-maker. Housekeepers should 

 gradually replace the highly-milled white flour 

 with attractive dishes of whole oats, whole 

 wheat and corn meal, which may be made into 

 many different kinds of bread, boiled and baked 

 puddings, cakes and biscuits. 



Meats. Next to grain foods, the most impor- 

 tant material for the furnishing of the table is 

 the meat. Good buyers must study their com- 

 position. Meats furnish the material necessary 

 for the growth and repair of the body, but they 

 should be used with discretion, as an excessive 

 use of meat is one cause of ill health. Tem- 

 perance in eating is just as important as in 

 drinking. 



The price of meat depends upon the cut more 

 than upon the nutritious quality. Plenty of 

 vegetables should be used with all meat rations. 

 The quick-cooking cuts of meat are the most 

 expensive, but the food value is no greater 

 than that of the cheaper cuts; the latter re- 

 quire longer cooking because they are taken 

 from the active parts of the animal and are 

 somewhat tougher in fiber. If it were not for 

 the word "stewing" and the occasional unsightly 

 appearance, as well as the insipid flavor, of 

 most stewed meats, the cheaper cuts would be 

 more popular; many of them are really more 

 nutritious. Scientific cooking has taught the 

 home-maker how to make the neck and shoul- 

 der pieces into attractive dishes at a minimum 



