Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 8

Sugar plays a very important part in cooking. It is added to cereals, vegetables, and fruit, many of which would almost be unpalatable without it, and which are rendered not only palatable but wholesome by its action.

It is the sugar of the carrot and that of the onion, or of the garlic, that gives such a peculiar and delicious flavor to gravies and sauces, to _beef a la mode_, _fricandeau_, etc.

_Pulverized._--When pulverized or powdered sugar can be had pure, it saves the trouble to do it; but often there are foreign matters in it and therefore it is better to make it; you know then what you have.

Break loaf sugar into small lumps, pound it and sift it. With a fine sieve, you can make it as fine as you please.

It was not used in Europe until about the middle of the seventeenth century.

For the cooking of sugar, see Preserves.

TARRAGON.

The French name of tarragon is _estragon_. It is excellent in vinegar and in many fish sauces. It is aromatic, sudorific, and stomachic, and grows very well in this country. It grows at least twice as large here as in Europe.

TIN TUBES.

These tubes are put in the pastry-bag, at the smaller end of it, to make _meringues_, ladies' fingers, etc.; they are of tin, and can be made by any tinsmith.

They have the shape of a trapezoid or frustum. Two are enough for any purpose.

No. 1. One inch and a half long; one inch and three-eighths in diameter at one end, and nine-sixteenths of an inch at the other end.

No. 2. One inch and a half long; one inch and a half in diameter at one end, and six-eighths of an inch at the other.

TRUFFLES.

Truffles are found in Europe and Africa, where they were first discovered.

The truffle is neither an animal nor a vegetable, although it has been cla.s.sed among the fungi, which has root, and the truffle has neither root nor stem.

The truffle is used for stuffing and flavoring only otherwise it is not of much value. On account of their scarcity, and the difficulty in finding them, they are rather costly.

We think truffles may be compared to lace--both are dear, and neither has an intrinsic value.

VANILLA.

Is a native of America, extensively used for seasoning creams, pastry, etc., to which it gives a delicious flavor.

Although a native of America, all the extracts of vanilla, as well as others, were formerly imported; but within a few years Americans have found out that they are able to distil also, and "Burnett's Extract of Vanilla" is better known to-day all over the country than any other.

VEGETABLE SPOONS.

Vegetable spoons are used to cut potatoes, carrots, and turnips; there are different shapes, round, oval, carrot-shape, plain, and scalloped.

We give here only two, being sufficient to explain their use.

The first (_a_) is of an oval shape, and makes the cut _c_; the second (_b_) is round, and makes the cut _d_.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

When the vegetable is peeled, place the spoon on it, the convex side up; holding the vegetable in your left hand, press on the spoon with your left thumb, and in order to cause it to cut the vegetable while turning it with the right hand, first half way or rather when the half of it is inside of the vegetable, stop, turn it the other way, causing it to cut the vegetable also, then raise it up without turning at all and you have in the spoon a piece of vegetable of the shape of the spoon, and as seen in the cuts.

WATER.

Rain-water is for cooking purposes, as for other purposes, the best, but is seldom used, especially in large cities, where it is difficult to procure it. Another difficulty is, when procured it soon gets foul.

The next best is river-water, or water from lakes.

By boiling, water evaporates its gases and alkali, and is inferior afterward for cooking purposes, especially for boiling vegetables; therefore, we earnestly recommend to use the water at the first boiling.

When foul water has to be used for want of other, if no filter, charcoal, sand, or paper can be had to filter it, it will improve by boiling it and then exposing it to the air for some time.

WINES.

Native wines, when pure, are just as good as any other for cooking purposes.

It is wrong and a great mistake to underrate native wines; they have a little more acerbity than foreign wines, but are not inferior. It cannot be otherwise, being grown in a virgin soil, or nearly so. The richer the soil or the younger the vineyard, the more acid the wine.

Cold nights during the ripening of the fruit make the wine more acid, not ripening so perfectly.

Wine is a healthy drink, and many invalids would recover much quicker by a judicious use of it.

Different wines are used in cooking, and we give the names of the best ones in the different receipts.

A little vinegar may be used as a subst.i.tute for wine, but it is very inferior, and in many dishes it cannot be used at all.

A few dollars spent during the year in wine for cooking purposes, makes much better and more wholesome dishes.

White wine contains little tannin; it retains nitrogenous matters, and is free from essential oils; hence the superior flavor and quality of brandy made with white wines.

It is more aperient and less nutritive than red wine.

Essential oils pa.s.s in red wine while it is fermenting.

Wine and sugar with certain fruits are excellent, and are known to neutralize the crudity of the fruit, such as straw-berries, pears, peaches, currants, etc.

MOTTO.

The motto of the New York Cooking Academy is--