648 
Suvplement lo the Tropical dgricditurisV^ [March 1, 1902. 
talent in cooking. Not tliat it is so very difficult ; 
it just requires a little care, that is all. and the 
remembrance of just a few simple rules. Old 
potatoes are placed iu cold water, new ones in 
boiling water; some old potatoes are best steamed, 
some best boiled. If boiled in their jackets, as 
some prefer, they will not be so good a colour as 
if peeled first. To boil old potatoe?:, first scrub 
them clean in lukewarm water; they must be quite 
free from dirt before you begin to peel them, or 
they will stain. Peel them very thinly, as the 
most nourishing part lies next the skin, and it is 
a sin to waste it. As they are peeled throw them 
into a basin of clean cold water, where they may 
stay until wanted for boiling — an hour or longer 
will not matter. Place them in the saucepan with 
only sufficient water to cover them, and a good 
table-.>poonful of salt to each two quarts of water. 
Bring them to the boil and boil gently, so that 
they may not break, for half hour strain off the 
water, and let them stand by fire or in a warm 
place, with the lid of the saucepan half off, for 5 
minutes, when they should be perfectly dry and 
like balls of flour. Some kinds are better if 
drained from the water after 20 minutes cooking 
and allowed to finish in their own steam with the 
lid of saucepan on ; then, when quite soft, partly 
remove the lid and let them dry as before. Now, 
if required to be kept hot any length of time, they 
can be placed in the hot water bath ; but here is 
a wrinkle which everybody should take — if they 
have been boiled in an iron saucepan they must be 
removed into another vessel, or they will be almost 
sure to turn black. It is, perhaps, a safer plan to 
boil potatoes in an enamelled saucepan ; then 
there will be no difficulty in keeping them a good 
colour, and this saucepan can be placed in the hot 
water bath with the lid partly off, until the 
potatoes are required for serving. It is obvious 
that only potatoes of equal sizes should be boiled 
together, as small ones would be tender while 
large ones were still hard. To steam tomatoes, 
simply place them in the steamer, sprinkle a little 
salt over them, and keep the water boiling in the 
saucepan beneath, Kather more than half au honr 
may he allowed, and they will liot be so likely to 
spoil if cooked over time by this method of cooking. 
New potatoes are well washed and scraped, placed 
in cold water for a short time to preserve their 
colour, then into fast-boiling water salted in 
proportion, and with a sprig of mint to give 
them an agreeable flavour. They will probably 
be tender in 20 minute?, which may be ascertained 
by trying them with ,i skewer. When nearly so, 
strain off the water, let them finish cooking in 
their own steam, and dry them liUe old ones. 
Baked potatoes must be well scrubbed, and placed 
in a moderate oven; large ones should be chosen, 
and they will take from f to 1 hour to become 
soft. It is easy to tell when they are done, by 
taking tliem in a cloth and squeezing them with 
the hands. All kitids of cooked potatoes are best 
taken to table uncovered ; if necessary to keep the 
heat in, use a folded cloth iu preference to the 
vegetable cover, as it will absorb the steam, ai\d 
the potatoes will be less liUely to be heavy. Some 
people have a groat partiality for mashed potatoes, 
uud there is tt little instrument, called a potato 
masher, which does the work very nicelj', miking 
the flakes of potato fall ligiitly, and effectually 
removing all lumps. Care must be taken, how- 
ever, to make it very hot before using and to 
mash the potatoes m a warm place, or they will 
be hopelessly cold and heavy. Perhaps the better 
Ijlan is to turn them to the saucepan after mashing, 
and to stir them lightly over the Are, with a bit 
of butter or a little milk, until they are smoking 
hot again. 
Greens, quite contrary to potatoes, require very 
fast boiling in an uncovered saucepan. By greens, 
I include all green vegetables, from cabbages to 
turnip-tops. They require very careful washing, 
both to remove the grittiness which some of them 
acquire and the insects which may cling to them 
in some of their crevices. To remove the latter, a 
good plan is to laj' the vegetables in strong salt 
and water for 10 minutes or longer; the insect?, 
if any, will then generally crawl out of their own 
accord, not liking a salt-water bath. 
To boil a fresh young summer cabbage: Cut 
off the outside leaves and part of the stalk, and, 
if a large one, cut in quarters; if small, merely 
slit the stalk down a couple of inches in two 
places. Wash well in fresh water, then leave it 
iu the salt water as recommended. Have ready a 
large saucepan with plenty of fast-boiling water, 
well salted in the proportion of a heaped table- 
spoonful of salt to every half-gallon, of water, 
and, unless the cabbage is very young and freshly 
gathered, a bit of soda about the size of half a 
bean. After the water boils again upon the 
insertion of the cabbage, allow \ hour; then tiy 
it with a skewer ; if not quite tender at the stalk, 
it will most likely require another 5 minutes ; but 
as soon as ever it is done, take it up, place iu a 
colander, and thoroughly drain from the water, 
for nothing is more objectionable than wet cabbage. 
Serve in a very hot vegetable dish, and, for the 
convenience of helping, cut it acros.s once or twice. 
There should always be a drainer at the bottom of 
vegetable dish, for this and all green vegetables, 
as very possibly after the most careful straining 
there will still be a little moisture left. 
To boil cauliflowers requires a little more care 
in order not to break the flower, and yet to have 
them quite tender. Wash and prepare them like 
cabbage, but they should never be cut up, unless, 
indeed, they are so close that they cannot be 
cleansed properly in any other way. Leave them, 
in salted water for a time before cooking, place 
them in boiling water, with the head dowmoardt 
in the saucepan — the reason for this is that should 
any scum rise on the water it will not discolour 
the flower if turned this way. Boil from 20 
minutes to J hour, according to size ; when the 
stalk feels tender upon the insertion of a skewer, 
the rest is sure to be doue, as this is the hardest 
part, and takes longest to cook. 
Cut greens of any kind are cooked in the same 
way, a tiny piece of soda in the water helps to 
keep their colour and to make them boil tender ; 
but too much of this is very objectionahle, as it 
makes the vegetables boil to a mash, and renders 
them unwholesome. Greens should be well drained 
from the water, and afterwards may be phiced 
with advantage between two plates and welj 
