School and Home Cooking Part 60

LESSON CVII

REVIEW: MEAL COOKING

MENU

Seasonable Vegetable Salad Salad Dressing Salad Rolls

See Lesson XIV for suggestions regarding the preparation of the lesson.

LESSON CVIII

HOME PROJECTS [Footnote 73: See Lesson IX]

SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME WORK.--Plan and prepare one-dish meals or meals containing meat-subst.i.tute,--at least one a week.

Plan and prepare meals containing meat,--at least one a week.

Compute the cost of these meals. Also note the time required to prepare them.

SUGGESTED AIMS: (1) To determine the difference in time required to cook a one-dish meal and a meal containing several different dishes.

(2) To determine the difference in cost of a meal without meat and one containing a meat-subst.i.tute.

DIVISION TEN

QUICK BREADS: POUR BATTERS

LESSON CIX

LEAVENING WITH STEAM AND AIR. POPOVERS

When flour is to be moistened and baked to make bread or cake, other ingredients are usually added to improve the grain, texture, and flavor.

To understand some of the principles of mixing and lightening baked flour mixtures, try the following:

EXPERIMENT 64: LEAVENING WITH STEAM AND AIR.[Footnote 74: NOTE TO THE TEACHER.--Experiments 64 and 65 can be performed most expeditiously by dividing the cla.s.s into groups of two and having each group do the two experiments.]--Mix 1/8 cupful of flour and 1/8 cupful of cold water. Beat thoroughly with a Dover egg beater. Note the consistency of the batter.

Pour at once into an oiled m.u.f.fin pan. Bake in a hot oven for at least 20 minutes. Remove from the pan, break it open, and answer the following questions:

What happened during baking to the cold air inclosed in the mixture? With what material did the flour combine during baking? Into what form was a part of the water changed during baking? Explain fully how the mixture was made porous.

EXPERIMENT 65: COMPARISON OF THICK AND THIN QUICK BREADS--Repeat Experiment 64, using 1/2 tablespoonful of cold water instead of 1/8 cupful. After baking, examine and compare with the bread of Experiment 64.

Which is the more porous? Explain how the difference in quant.i.ty of moisture accounts for the difference in grain. If a mixture is to be leavened with steam and air, what should be the consistency of the mixture?

Some simple flour mixtures are lightened by the method indicated above. In most cases, however, more air is introduced into the mixture by using lightly beaten eggs, or by using ingredients that produce gas, on being moistened and heated.

EXPERIMENT 66: PREPARATION OF FLOUR FOR QUICK BREADS.--Measure 1/4 cupful of pastry flour just as it comes from the can. Sift it, and return it carefully to the measuring cup, using a teaspoon. How much does the flour measure now? What does this experiment teach with regard to sifting flour before measuring? Of what advantage is it to sift flour not only before measuring, but when adding it to the other ingredients of a quick bread?

[NOTE.--Use this sifted flour for making Popovers.]

In preparing all quick bread mixtures, _pastry flour_ (see _Wheat Flour_) should be used. It should be sifted before measuring. Usually any other powdered ingredient, such as baking powder, soda, or spices, is added to the flour and mixed thoroughly (by sifting) into the other materials. Baking powder and soda need not be sifted before measuring, but should be stirred.

OVEN THERMOMETERS AND TEMPERATURES.--The ovens of a number of ranges are equipped with thermometers. Although it is possible to secure more satisfactory results with a thermometer than without, oven thermometers do not always indicate the temperature of an oven accurately. If a thermometer is fastened on an oven door, for example, and the door does not heat as quickly or to as high a degree as the interior of the oven, the true temperature of the oven cannot be ascertained by this device. By making allowance for the difference, however, such a thermometer may prove very useful. It is much more accurately and conveniently read than a thermometer which is hung or rests inside the oven unless the oven is provided with a gla.s.s door.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Courtesy of the _National Stove Co_ FIGURE 81--OVEN HEAT REGULATOR]

A device known as an "Oven Heat Regulator" (see Figure 81) may be attached to gas ranges. These devices do not merely measure the heat of an oven, but control it and keep the oven temperature constant. A "temperature wheel" (shown at B) is set for a desired temperature and the oven burner lighted. By the expansion or contraction of a sensitive copper tube placed in the top of the oven (shown at A) the gas valve (shown at C) is opened or closed. When the valve is opened the amount of gas burning is increased or decreased so that the temperature of the oven is kept constant, _i.e._ at the temperature at which the wheel is set. Insulated ovens, _i.e._ ovens which are constructed so as to retain heat and allow little to escape, are found on some of the modern gas, electric, and kerosene stoves. Some of the insulated electric ovens are provided with clocks or dials which may be adjusted so that the current is cut off automatically at the expiration of a certain length of time, or when a certain temperature is reached (see Figure 14). Because of the insulated walls on such ovens, the food continues to cook on "stored heat."

A chemical thermometer inserted in an oven is a fairly satisfactory means of obtaining oven temperatures. If one has the use of an oven provided with a chemical thermometer in the school kitchen, tests may be obtained so that the temperature of the oven in the home kitchen may be estimated.

The tests are as follows: Heat the oven; when it reaches a temperature of 250 degrees F., [Footnote 75: See footnote 86, regarding the use of the Fahrenheit scale.] place a piece of white paper in the oven. After 5 minutes, remove the paper, note the color. Continue to heat the oven; place paper in the oven at 350 degrees F., 400 degrees F., 425 degrees F., 450 degrees F., 475 degrees F., 500 degrees F., 525 degrees F., and 550 degrees F. Note the color of each piece of paper.

Baking temperatures have been cla.s.sified as follows: [Footnote 76: From Technical Education Bulletin, No. 22, "Some Attempts to Standardize Oven Temperatures for Cookery Processes," by May B. Van Arsdale, Teachers College, Columbia University.]

1. Slow oven (250 degrees to 350 degrees F.) for custards and meringues.

2. Moderate oven (350 degrees to 400 degrees F.) for bread, gingerbread, plain cake, [Footnote 77: The lower temperature should be used for loaf cakes and the higher temperature for layer cakes.] all mola.s.ses mixtures.

3. Hot oven (400 degrees to 450 degrees F.) for Parkerhouse rolls, and Popovers. In baking Popovers, the oven should be cooled to moderate heat after the first ten minutes.

4. Very hot oven (450 degrees to 550 degrees F.) for pastry. After the first 6 minutes, the temperature should be lowered to "hot."

Oven temperatures may be estimated also as follows: (_a_) note the number of minutes required to change white paper, flour, or bread to a light brown or to a golden brown; (_b_) note the number of "counts"

(one count per second) that the hand may be held in the oven.

POUR BATTER.--All breads may be divided into two cla.s.ses: (_a_) Quick Breads and (_b_) Yeast Breads. The former are so named because a much shorter time is required in their preparation. Quick breads are divided into several cla.s.ses, depending upon the proportion of flour and moisture in the batter. A _pour batter_ is the thinnest quick bread mixture.

It usually contains about equal parts of flour and moisture. A definite proportion cannot be stated, since the thickening quality of different flours varies, and the wetting quality of different moist materials varies. Many pour batters contain a little more flour than moisture.

Popover mixture is. a typical pour batter.

POPOVERS

1 egg 1/2 teaspoonful salt 1 cupful milk 1 cupful flour 1/3 teaspoonful fat (melted)

Oil iron gem pans; place them in the oven, heat until very hot. Put all the Popover ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat the mixture with a Dover egg beater. Pour it into the hot pans and bake 35 to 45 minutes in a hot oven, at 425 degrees F. Earthen cups placed in a dripping pan may be used instead of iron pans.

Popovers may be served hot as a bread, for breakfast or luncheon; or may be used as a dessert with custard or lemon filling or sauce. Fruit makes a pleasing addition to Popovers. Before baking, drop a piece of apple, peach, or other fruit, into the batter in each cup.

QUESTIONS

What change, other than moistening the flour, takes place in the milk that helps to lighten the Popovers?