PREPARATION OF FOOD 177 



this form of energy a person uses is measured by a unit 

 of heat named the calorie (kal'6-ri). A calorie represents 

 the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 

 a pint of water about four degrees Fahrenheit. A man 

 in rising from a chair, walking eight feet, and returning 

 uses about one calorie. 



Pecuniary Value of Food. — The table on page 178 from 

 the government bulletin helps to give students an appre- 

 ciation of the relative cost and value of the more common 

 foods. 



148. The Preparation of Foods. — Some foods, such as 

 milk, fruit, and nuts, may be eaten without being cooked. 

 but most of our food has to undergo this process before it 

 is suitable for eating. As no two kinds of vegetables or 

 meat are best cooked in exactly the same way, attention 

 should be given to the preparation of food for the table. 

 Successful cooking accomplishes four ends. (1) Changes 

 are brought about to make the food more digestible, such 

 as softening or dissolving it. (2) The nutritious parts 

 are carefully saved. (3) Certain amounts of the three 

 classes of foodstuffs are selected in order that all the 

 chemical elements which the body needs may be supplied. 

 This is known as a "balanced ration." (4) The food 

 is made attractive in appearance and taste, "good to 

 eat." 



Every woman who wishes to have a happy, healthy 

 family should make a serious study of cooking. Many of 

 the facts about the nutritive elements which foods contain, 

 and the many changes which they undergo in cooking 

 are found out by chemists who study them in laboratories. 

 It is not necessary for all of us to know all these facts. 

 but a good cook follows the rules and recipes which have 

 been made as a result of scientific laboratory studies. 



To illustrate how much is involved in cooking, let us 



