Science in the Kitchen Part 43

"The keeping qualities of b.u.t.ter depend princ.i.p.ally upon two things: First, the b.u.t.termilk must be all gotten out; and secondly, the grain of the b.u.t.ter should be kept as perfect as possible. b.u.t.ter should not be allowed to be churned after it has fairly come, and should not be gathered compactly in the churn in taking out, but the b.u.t.termilk should be drained from the b.u.t.ter in the churn, through a hair sieve, letting the b.u.t.ter remain in the churn. Then take water and turn it upon the b.u.t.ter with sufficient force to pa.s.s through the b.u.t.ter, and in sufficient quant.i.ty to rinse the b.u.t.termilk all out of the b.u.t.ter. With this process of washing the b.u.t.ter the grain is not injured or mashed, and is thus far kept perfect. And in working in the salt the ladle or roll or worker, whatever it is, should never be allowed to slip on the b.u.t.ter,--if it does, it will destroy the grain,--but it should go upon the b.u.t.ter in a pressing or rolling motion."

Test the temperature of the cream with a thermometer, and churn it at 60 in summer and 62 in winter. If the b.u.t.ter is soft, it may be hardened by pouring onto it while working a brine made by dissolving a pint of salt in ten quarts of water. The salt used in the b.u.t.ter should be carefully measured, three fourths of an ounce of salt to the pound being the usual allowance.

b.u.t.ter, like milk, absorbs odors readily, and should never be allowed to remain in occupied rooms or any place exposed to strong or foul odors, but be kept covered in a cold place.

CHEESE.

Cheese is a product of milk prepared by separating the casein, with more or less of the cream, according to the manner in which it has been prepared, from the other ingredients of the milk. It is an article, which, although possessing a large proportion, of nutritive material, is very difficult of digestion, and the use of which is very questionable, not only for this reason, but because it is very liable to contain a poison called tyrotoxicon, capable of producing most violent and indeed fatal results, according to the remarkable researches of Prof. Vaughan of Michigan University. This poison is sometimes found in ice cream and custards, cream-puffs, etc., made from stale milk or cream.

It is much better to use milk in its fresh, natural state than in any of its products. Made into either b.u.t.ter or cheese, we lose some of its essential elements, so that what is left is not a perfect food.

_RECIPES_

HOT MILK.--Milk is more easily digested when used hot. This is not due to any marked chemical change in the milk, but to the stimulating effect of heat upon the palate and stomach.

To prepare hot milk, heat it in a double boiler until a wrinkled skin appears upon the surface. In the double boiler it may be kept at the proper temperature for a long time without difficulty, and thus prepared, it forms one of the most healthful of foods.

Milk, either cold or hot, should be taken a few sips only at a time, and not be drank in copious draughts when used in connection with other foods at mealtime. It will then coagulate in the stomach in small flakes much more easily digested than the large ma.s.s resulting when a large quant.i.ty is swallowed at a time.

DEVONSHIRE OR CLOTTED CREAM.--This is prepared as follows: Strain the milk as it comes fresh from the cow into a deep pan which will fit tightly over a kettle in which water can be boiled, and set away in a cool well-ventilated place, where it should be allowed to remain undisturbed from eight to twelve hours or longer. Then take the pan up very carefully so as not to disturb the cream, place over a kettle of water, heat to near the boiling point, or until a rim of bubbles half an inch wide forms all around the dish of milk. It must not, however, be allowed to boil, or the cream will be injured. Now lift the pan again with equal care back to a cool place and allow it to stand from twelve to twenty-four hours longer. The cream should be a compact ma.s.s of considerable thickness, and may be divided with a knife into squares of convenient size before skimming. It is delicious for use on fruit and grains.

COTTAGE CHEESE.--This dish is usually prepared from milk which has curdled from lack of proper care, or from long standing exposed to the air, and which is thus in some degree decomposing. But the fact that the casein of the milk is coagulated by the use of acids makes it possible to prepare this dish in a more wholesome manner without waiting for decomposition of the milk. Add to each four quarts of milk one cupful of lemon juice; let it stand until coagulated, then heat slowly, but do not boil, until the curd has entirely separated from the whey. Turn the whole into a colander lined with a square of clean cheese cloth, and drain off the whey. Add to the curd a little salt and cream, mix all together with a spoon or the hands, and form into cakes or b.a.l.l.s for the table. The use of lemon gives a delicious flavor, which may be intensified, if desired, by using a trifle of the grated yellow rind.

COTTAGE CHEESE FROM b.u.t.tERMILK.--Place a pail of fresh b.u.t.termilk in a kettle of boiling water, taking care to have sufficient water to come up even with the milk in the pail. Let the b.u.t.termilk remain until it is heated throughout to about 140, which can be determined by keeping a thermometer in the milk and stirring it frequently. When it is sufficiently heated, empty the curd into strong muslin bags and hang up to drain for several hours. If properly scalded and drained, the curd will be quite dry and may be seasoned and served the same as other cottage cheese. If scalded too much, it will be watery.

COTTAGE CHEESE WITH SOUR MILK.--Take a pan of newly-loppered thick sour milk, and place it over a kettle of boiling water until the whey separates from the curd, breaking and cutting the curd as the milk becomes warmed, so as to allow the whey to settle. The milk should be well scalded, but not allowed to boil, as that will render the curd tough and leathery. Have ready a clean piece of cheese cloth spread inside a colander, dip the curd into it, and leave it to drain. If preferred, the corners of the cloth may be tied with a string, thus forming a bag in which the cheese may be hung up to drain. When well drained, remove the dry curd to a dish, rub it fine with the hands, add salt, and season with sweet cream, beating it well through the curd with a silver fork. It may be shaped into b.a.l.l.s with the hands or pressed in large cups or bowls.

FRENCH b.u.t.tER.--Fill a large, wide-mouthed gla.s.s bottle or jar about half full of thick sweet cream. Cork tightly, and with one end of the bottle in each hand shake it vigorously back and forth until the b.u.t.ter has separated from the milk, which it will generally do in a few minutes. Work out the b.u.t.termilk, make into small pats, and place on ice until ready to serve. As a rule this b.u.t.ter is not washed or salted, as it is intended for immediate use.

SHAKEN MILK.--Fit a conical tin cup closely over a gla.s.s of milk and shake it vigorously until all of a foam, after which it should be slowly sipped at once; or a gla.s.s of milk may be put into a quart fruit can, the cover tightly screwed on, and then shaken back and forth until the milk is foamy.

EMULSIFIED b.u.t.tER.--Boil the b.u.t.ter with water for half an hour to destroy any germs it may contain; use plenty of water and add the b.u.t.ter to it while cold. When boiled, remove from the fire and allow it to become nearly cold, when the b.u.t.ter will have risen to the top and may be removed with a skimmer, or it may be separated from the water by turning the whole after cooling into a clean strainer cloth placed inside a colander. The b.u.t.ter may be pressed in the cloth if any water still remains. If hardened, reheat just sufficient to soften, and add to it, while still liquid, but cooled to about blood heat, the yolk of one egg for each tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and stir until very thoroughly mingled.

Or, add to each tablespoonful of the liquid b.u.t.ter two level tablespoonfuls of flour, rub together thoroughly, and cook until thickened in a half cupful of boiling water. If cream is not obtainable and b.u.t.ter must be used for seasoning, it is preferable to prepare it in one of the above ways for the purpose, using the quant.i.ty given as an equivalent of one cupful of thin cream. It will be evident, however, that these preparations will not only season but thicken whatever they are used in, and that additional liquid should be used on that account.

TABLE TOPICS.

A little six-year-old boy went into the country visiting. About the first thing he got was a bowl of bread and milk. He tasted it, and then hesitated a moment, when his mother asked if he didn't like it; to which he replied, smacking his lips, "Yes, ma'am. I was only wishing that our milkman in town would keep a cow!"

When Horace Greeley was candidate for the presidency, he at one time visited New Orleans, whose old creole residents gave him a dinner; and to make it as fine an affair as possible, each of the many guests was laid under contribution for some of the rarest wines in his cellar. When dinner was announced, and the first course was completed, the waiter appeared at Mr. Greeley's seat with a plate of shrimp. "You can take them away," he said to the waiter, and then added to the horrified French creole gentleman who presided, "I never eat insects of any kind." Later on, soup was served, and at the same time a gla.s.s of white wine was placed at Mr. Greeley's right hand. He pushed it quietly away, but not un.o.bserved by the chief host. "Do you not drink wine?" he asked.

"No," answered Mr. Greeley; "I never drink any liquors."

"Is there anything you would like to drink with your soup?" the host then asked, a little disappointed.

"If you've got it," answered Mr. Greeley, "and it isn't any trouble, I'd like a gla.s.s of fresh b.u.t.termilk."

Said the host afterward in his broken English, "Ze idea of electing to ze presidency a man vot drink b.u.t.termilk vis his soup!"

Old friendships are often destroyed by toasted cheese, and hard salted meat has often led to suicide.--_Sydney Smith._

A German sitting beside a Spanish officer on board a Havana steamer, was munching Limberger cheese with evident satisfaction when it occurred to him that he ought to offer some to his neighbor, who very coolly declined. "You think it unhealthful to eat that?"

inquired the German in polite astonishment. "_Unhealthful?_"

exclaimed the Hidalgo, with a withering look and a gasp for a more adequate word; "No, sir: I think it an unnatural crime!"--_Oswald._

Good for Dyspepsia.--"Really, don't you think cheese is good for dyspepsia?" said an advocate of the use of this common article of food. "Why, my uncle had dyspepsia all his life, and he took a bit of cheese at the close of every meal!"

Mattieu Williams tells us, "When common sense and true sentiment supplant mere unreasoning prejudice, vegetables oils and vegetable fats will largely supplant those of animal origin in every element of our dietary."

EGGS

As will be seen from the a.n.a.lysis given below, an egg is particularly rich in nitrogenous elements. It is indeed one of the most highly concentrated forms of nitrogenous food, about one third of its weight being solid nutriment, and for this reason is often found serviceable in cases of sickness where it is desirable to secure a large amount of nourishment in small bulk.

Composition of the white of an ordinary hen's egg.

Nitrogenous matter..................... 20.4 Fatty matter........................... 10.0 Mineral matter......................... 1.6 Water.................................. 68.0

Composition of the yolk.

Nitrogenous matter..................... 1.0 Fatty matter........................... 30.7 Mineral matter......................... 1.3 Water.................................. 52.0

The white of egg is composed mainly of alb.u.men in a dissolved state, inclosed in layers of thin membrane. When beaten, the membranes are broken, and the liberated alb.u.men, owing to its viscous or glutinous nature, entangles and retains a large amount of air, thus increasing to several times its original bulk.

The yolk contains all the fatty matter, and this, with a modified form of alb.u.men called vitellin, forms a kind of yellow emulsion. It is inclosed in a thin membrane, which separates it from the surrounding white.

The yolk, being lighter than the white, floats to that portion of the egg which is uppermost, but is held in position by two membranous cords, one from each end of the egg. The average weight of an egg is about two ounces, of which ten per cent consists of sh.e.l.l, sixty of white, and thirty of yolk.

HOW TO CHOOSE EGGS.--The quality of eggs varies considerably, according to the food upon which the fowls are fed. Certain foods communicate distinct flavors, and it is quite probable that eggs may be rendered unwholesome through the use of filthy or improper food; hence it is always best, when practicable, to ascertain respecting the diet and care of the fowls before purchasing eggs.

On no account select eggs about the freshness of which there is any reason to doubt. The use of stale eggs may result in serious disturbances of the digestive organs.

An English gentleman who has investigated the subject quite thoroughly, finds upon careful microscopical examination that stale eggs often contain cells of a peculiar fungoid growth, which seems to have developed from that portion of the egg which would have furnished material for the flesh and bones of the chick had the process of development been continued. Experiments with such eggs upon dogs produce poisonous effects.

There are several ways of determining with tolerable accuracy respecting the freshness of an egg. A common test is to place it between the eye and a strong light. If fresh, the white will appear translucent, and the outline of the yolk can be distinctly traced. By keeping, eggs become cloudy, and when decidedly stale, a distinct, dark, cloud-like appearance may be discerned opposite some portion of the sh.e.l.l. Another test is to shake the egg gently at the ear; if a gurgle or thud is heard, the egg is bad. Again, eggs may be tested by dropping into a vessel containing a solution of salt and water, in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a quart. Newly laid eggs will sink; if more than six days old, they will float in the liquid; if bad, they will be so light as to ride on the surface of the brine. The sh.e.l.l of a freshly laid egg is almost full; but owing to the porous character of the sh.e.l.l, with age and exposure to air a portion of the liquid substance of which the egg is composed evaporates, and air acc.u.mulates in its place at one of the extremities of the sh.e.l.l. Hence an egg loses in density from day to day, and the longer the egg has been kept, the lighter it becomes, and the higher it will rise in the liquid.

An egg that will float on the surface of the liquid is of too questionable a character to be used without breaking, and is apt to be unfit for use at all.