54 BULLETIN 123, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



REVIEW QUESTIONS, LESSON X. 



1. How does the cost of flavoring materials compare with their actual nutri- 

 tive value? 



2. What can you say of the food value of the three principal beverages com- 

 monly served hot? 



3. What is the best method of making tea, and in its preparation what special 

 points must be safeguarded? 



4. What simple tests will indicate presence of adulterations in coffee? 



5. Distinguish between chocolate and cocoa. Tell how to prepare each. 



LESSON XL SUMMARY OF COOKERY. 



Having briefly studied some of the most important groups of vege- 

 table foods, the students are better prepared to classify methods of 

 cooking and see how they may be adapted to developing the best 

 qualities of plant foods. 



The chief objects of cooking vegetables are these: To sterilize any 

 from doubtful sources; to soften or separate the woody fibers; to 

 make the carbohydrates more accessible to the digestive juices; to 

 modify and develop flavors; and to put into attractive form for the 

 table. 



The principal processes of cookery for vegetables are the same as 

 for meats — baking, boiling, and frying, with their modifications ; but 

 these must be adapted to the nature of the specific vegetable. 



There are classifications of vegetables according to their botanical 

 families and the parts of plants represented or according to their 

 composition as green or watery, starchy, nitrogenous, fatty, etc. In 

 discussing the use of different varieties in the kitchen these groups 

 are not always considered as they should be. Instead of studying the 

 structure and the food value of a vegetable, which would aid in show- 

 ing the best way to prepare it, too often every type is treated in the 

 same fashion. 



For convenience of the cook, all vegetables may be classed as either 

 the fresh, which are ready for cooking, or the dry, which must be 

 thoroughly soaked before using, and the canned, which may be used 

 by simply heating and seasoning, or in many other ways. Further- 

 more, with both fresh and dried vegetables, it should be considered 

 whether they are strong in flavor, in which case they should be cooked 

 in water first to remove some of their juices, or sweet or well-flavored, 

 and to be prepared in such a way as to retain as much of their natural 

 flavor as possible. Yet here the age and condition of each specimen 

 must be considered and the dividing lines between sweet and strong 

 can not be made hard and fast ; the young and perfect forms of the 

 stronger types may be much sweeter and better flavored than old and 

 imperfect samples of the sweet-flavored kinds. 



