Part 1

Left-Over Foods _and_ How to Use Them

_With suggestions regarding the preservation of foods in the home_

_Written by_ ELIZABETH O. HILLER _for the_ MCCRAY REFRIGERATOR CO. KENDALLVILLE, INDIANA

COPYRIGHT, 1910 McCRAY REFRIGERATOR CO. KENDALLVILLE, IND.

[Illustration: frontispiece]

_Left-over foods and how to use them_

I cannot say that I altogether agree with the statement, “Scraps are accidents to be taken care of, no doubt, but the very last objects on which to bestow either expense or labor.” The “scraps” or “left-over” bits of food that accumulate in the average household, _are_ worthy of consideration and with little labor and expense are convertible into the most palatable viands. There is always some labor attendant on any and all household duties, for we have all learned that the Earl of Chesterfield uttered a great truth when he said (away back in the 17th century), “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” I have discovered that this old maxim applies to household management as well as all other vocations.

It is the careless tossing together of “left-over” food and giving the creation when finished, a name quite as unattractive as itself, that has caused this great antipathy so prevalent among people, for serving or partaking of “made-up” dishes. _Hash_, itself, is a very much abused term as well as the mixture thus named.

This little book of helpful suggestions has been carefully prepared and if followed by the housewife, fortunate enough to receive one, she will find immediate help over some of the “rough places” too often found in the daily routine of house work, where the preparation for such duties has been limited.

Study the chapter on “How to Measure Accurately, and Combining Ingredients,” and all the others and you cannot fail to learn, thoroughly, the lesson “Left-Overs and How to Use Them.”

To Market and Care for Food

Every one seems to have “a way of their own” for marketing and taking care of food. There are, however, but two methods of marketing and but one _proper_ way to take care of food.

One of the methods of marketing is that followed by the French and Mexican housekeeper; that is, buying just enough for the daily needs and no more. The other method is that in vogue in America and England. It is buying provisions in large quantities (in some cases wholesale) flour, sugar and apples by the barrel, butter by the firkin, canned goods by the case, sides of bacon, whole hams, etc. Both methods have their advantages. The one adopted by the prudent housewife will be that which best suits the conditions under which she lives; the income, the size of the family, and the conveniences provided for storing provisions.

Where the family is small and the home is an apartment, if it is equipped with a fine large glass- or tile-lined McCray refrigerator, the problem of preserving food is not difficult (see chapter on Care of Refrigerator, page 10). For the small family, buying just what is needed for the day and no more is the best. This method, does, however, require most careful thought, and very accurate estimates must be made by the housewife, lest she buy more than she can use and thereby sustain great waste.

Herein lies the necessity for housekeepers in general having a better knowledge of food values. For the large family with a generous income, and where cold storage provisions are made, buying in large quantities is by far the most economical method to follow. Every housekeeper should do her own marketing if possible; she thereby becomes acquainted with the market and market prices, makes her selections, buying little or much as the case requires. In this way she will soon learn the advantages gained by the French and Mexican housekeepers’ methods. The latter carries her daily supplies home in a receptacle made of a gourd holding less than a quart, while the former does not hesitate to buy small portions of birds, fish, meats, etc. It is obvious that the foreign methods show the greater economy.

A Word on Food in Season

Food is at its best when in season. The price is at its minimum and the flavor and quality all that can be desired.

Out of season, all food becomes a luxury and is lacking in flavor as well as quality. The provident housekeeper will take advantage through the year, of fruits and vegetables, when seasonable, beginning in the early spring to put away her stores for the following winter. To these she may add dried and canned fruits that have proved by use to be most wholesome and palatable.

Care of Vegetables, Fresh Fruit, etc.

Fresh vegetables should be cooked as soon as possible after being taken from the garden. Where it is necessary to keep them, all wilted leaves and unsightly portions should be removed and vegetables spread out in a cool, well ventilated place. If placed in the refrigerator, first prepare them for cooking, then fold them in cheese cloth, wrung from fresh cold water, and place them on the top shelf of the refrigerator. The leaves of such vegetables as lettuce, endive, cress, dandelions, etc. may be kept fresh and crisp. After picking them over wash and drain, put them in a covered lard pail, and place in the refrigerator. Wilted vegetables may be restored by soaking in fresh cold water. Cucumbers may be pared and thinly sliced, placed in a fruit jar, closely covered, and kept crisp and fresh in the refrigerator for several days.

Fresh Fruit

All fruits may be kept in fine condition where the luxury of a large cold storage room is installed. Where a refrigerator is used, great care should be exercised in placing fruits and vegetables in their respective places. (See frontispiece, page 2).

There are some fruits, owing to their strong odor, that should never be placed in the refrigerator; these include, bananas, musk-melons, canteloupe, etc. Other food will soon become flavored from contact with such fruits when confined in the refrigerator or even in a store-room. Milk, cream, butter and other fats most readily absorb flavors when exposed to odorous fruits, flowers, etc. The greatest care should be given the left-over food. It should be put in small vessels (jelly glasses) with closely fitting covers, then placed in the refrigerator; there will then be little danger of contamination.

Over ripe vegetables (especially tomatoes) and fruits should not be kept in the refrigerator. Berries should be carefully picked over, and washed, when necessary, before putting them in the refrigerator. Strawberries may be picked over, placed in a colander or a croquette basket and cold water poured over them before removing the hulls.

Potatoes

Potatoes keep better and are lower in price before they have been stored. It is therefore economy for the large consumer to buy them, early in the season, when they are most plentiful. They may be kept in barrels or bins, raised three inches from the floor, in a cool dry room or cellar. For the small family, where space is a consideration, it is more economical to buy not less than a peck at a time. They may be kept in a box lined with heavy paper in a cool dry place.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are in season from August to May, and should be bought in small quantities. The kiln-dried sweet potatoes are the best. These fleshy roots of plants belong to a different family from the white potato, they contain a large percentage of sugar and have not the keeping qualities of the white potato. They, too, should be kept in a cool dry place.

Beef and Mutton

A loin of beef or a side of mutton is a profitable investment for the large consumer. With proper cold storage facilities the meat can be kept well and is much improved by “hanging.”

Fish

Fresh fish should be dressed at the market and removed from the paper as soon as delivered. Salt should never be sprinkled over fish “to keep it.” The salt extracts the rich juices and leaves the fish tasteless. Simply cover it closely and put it in a cold place. If securely covered it may be placed, with safety, in the refrigerator.

Butter

Butter should be placed in the refrigerator as directed above, namely: under the ice chamber which is the coldest part of the refrigerator; this space should be reserved for the butter, cream, milk, eggs and meat.

Butter should always be closely covered. An earthen jar, with a close fitting cover, may be purchased at any house furnishing shop for ten cents; this size will hold five pounds and will prove very satisfactory.

Milk and Cream

Too much care and attention cannot be given to this food; even though it does not sour as quickly in winter as it does in hot weather, it should have just the same care. Never allow either cream or milk to stand uncovered. There is nothing gained by paying a fancy price for milk which has been pasteurized and kept clean, under the most sanitary conditions in the dairy, before delivery to the consumer, if the latter does not know how to take care of it and leaves it uncovered, in a hot kitchen or in a refrigerator, with other uncovered food. There need be no surprise if it sours quickly and develops an unpleasant flavor; for both milk and butter will absorb odors and flavors when thus exposed, which will render them unfit for use. Make it _an invariable_ rule, _never_ to allow these foods to remain uncovered.

Eggs

Wash the eggs, when they come from the market, in cold water. The shells are then clean and ready for use. They are used for clearing soup stock, coffee, etc. Eggs, too, should be kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator along with milk, cream and butter.

How to Measure Accurately

[Illustration: MEASURING CUP MARKED IN QUARTERS]

[Illustration: MEASURING CUP MARKED IN THIRDS]

A system of accurate measurements is absolutely necessary to insure success. Scientific training has exploded the old idea, that “with good judgment and experience measuring ingredients _by sight_ will do.” The exact quantity called for, measured each time in the same utensil whatever it be, cup, tablespoon or teaspoon are definite guides that must be followed if success would be attained. Enameled measuring cups marked plainly in quarters or thirds each holding a half-pint, a teaspoon holding sixty drops, a tablespoon of ordinary size (do not mistake a dessert spoon for this spoon) and a case-knife are the few essentials that must be used for measuring ingredients in the recipes incorporated in this book. These utensils may be purchased at any kitchen-furnishing shop for a nominal sum.

To Measure Ingredients

All flour, meal, confectioners’, powdered and granulated sugar, soda and other dry ingredients, that are put into cartons or cans, that are apt to settle and in some cases harden, should be sifted before measuring. This suggestion is not to be ignored if you would be successful as well as economical, for by sifting these ingredients they are lightened and made to go further.

A Cupful

A cupful means all the cup will hold; the cup is filled with a tablespoon heaping full, then leveled with a knife. Great care must be taken not to shake the cup. All dry ingredients are tossed lightly into the cup, then leveled with a knife.

Measuring Liquids

Place the cup to be filled on a saucer, and fill it to the brim. A cupful of liquid could not be carried safely across the kitchen without spilling some of its contents.

Measuring Butter, Lard, Etc.

Fats used for shortening are packed solidly in cups, table or teaspoon and leveled with a knife. A pair of measuring cups will be found very convenient when measuring ingredients. One for the dry and the other for the shortening and liquids. One cup may serve the purpose if dry ingredients are measured first, then liquids and fats when such ingredients are called for.

Tablespoons and Teaspoons

Tablespoons of regulation size are filled and leveled with a knife. A teaspoon is filled and leveled with a knife. To measure liquids, a table or teaspoon means all the spoon will hold. To measure dry ingredients in table or teaspoon, dip the spoon in the ingredient. When filled, lift, and level with knife, sharp edge of blade turned toward handle of spoon. Dividing with knife lengthwise of the bowl of spoon is a half-teaspoonful. Dividing the half crosswise is a fourth, and dividing the fourth crosswise is one-eighth. Divisions are made in the teaspoon the same. Less than an eighth of a teaspoon is a few grains.

[Illustration: FULL TABLESPOON QUARTER TABLESPOON HALF TEASPOON HALF TABLESPOON FULL TEASPOON QUARTER TEASPOON]

Combining Ingredients

The next very important step toward success in all cookery, is in combining ingredients and mixtures; and one too often disregarded by the amateur. There are three movements considered in combining ingredients--stirring, beating, and cutting and folding.

_Stirring_ is combining ingredients by circular motions, enlarging and repeating these motions until all ingredients are thoroughly blended. This motion is most commonly used in all cookery, either alone or alternating with beating.

_Beating_ is accomplished by cutting down through ingredient or ingredients with a mixing spoon, or a similar utensil, from top to bottom, turning ingredients over and over, cutting through them until all are thoroughly blended and lightened. By this motion ingredients are not only blended, but air, also, is incorporated which increases the lightness of the mixture.

_Cutting and Folding_ means to combine two mixtures, one made very light by thorough beating or whipping, as heavy cream or whites of eggs. This is a combination of the two former motions. It is best accomplished with a wooden spoon made for this purpose. These repeated vertical downward motions, made with this spoon, is called cutting, and turning the ingredients over and over, allowing the spoon with each turn to come in contact with the bottom of the bowl is called folding. Repeat these motions until the ingredients are thoroughly blended without destroying the air bubbles previously made by beating or whipping one part of the mixture. Briefly--

_To stir_ means blending ingredients.

_To beat_ means lightening the mixture by incorporating air.

_To cut and fold_ is combining two mixtures (one of which has been made light by beating) in such a manner as to prevent the escape or loss of air previously introduced.

Standard Table of Weights and Measures

All measurements are made level. A teaspoon of regulation size holds sixty drops. Three teaspoons of liquid equal one tablespoon. Four tablespoons of liquid equal one-half gill or one-quarter cup. Two gills equal one cup. Two cups equal one pint. Two pints (four cups) equal one quart. Four cups of liquid equal one quart. Four cups of flour equal one pound or one quart. Two cups of butter packed solidly equal one pound. One-half cup of butter packed solidly equals one-quarter pound, or four ounces. Two cups granulated sugar equal one pound. Two and one-half cups powdered sugar equal one pound. Two cups of milk or water equal one pound. Two cups chopped meat packed solidly equal one pound. Nine to ten eggs (without shells) equal one pound. Two tablespoons butter (solid and level) equal one ounce. Four tablespoons butter (solid and level) equal two ounces, or one-quarter cup. Two tablespoons granulated sugar equal one ounce. Four tablespoons flour equal one ounce. Four tablespoons coffee equal one ounce. One tablespoon liquid equals one-half ounce. Tbsp.--Tablespoon. Tsp.--Teaspoon. F. G.--Few grains.

The Refrigerator

For the preservation of food before cooking, and for the left-overs after a meal, there is no appliance placed in the home that is of so much importance as the refrigerator. It should be a McCray Refrigerator, a perfectly beautiful, practical, convenient and entirely sanitary accession to the needs of the kitchen, the chief _essential_ of its furnishings. It should be large and well adapted to the wants and necessities of the household, with an ice capacity of at least one hundred pounds. It is the best made refrigerator, offered for sale and for the consumers comfort, in the world to-day. When planning your kitchen, be sure you have a place, well-selected, for one of these refrigerators. Its drain pipes should never be connected directly with the sewer, and if possible locate it so that the ice compartment may be reached from the outside from a rear porch--that is opening out of doors. This will save much annoyance from the iceman, with soiled shoes, trailing dripping ice across the clean kitchen floor. The refrigerator should be easy of access for the cook, for plain as well as fancy cooking, demands many steps. Much time and energy is saved by a little judicious planning in locating the kitchen appliances. Remember the old adage, “Let your head save your heels.”

Care of the Refrigerator

[Illustration: BRUSH FOR REFRIGERATOR DRAIN PIPE]

In giving the proper attention to the care of the refrigerator, there are three very essential points to observe; the first, and most important, the location of the refrigerator, then the waste pipe, and last but not least a full supply of ice. If economy is an item in the management of the house, then special attention will be given the place in which refrigerator is placed--a cool, dry, well ventilated room, conveniently near the kitchen that steps may be saved and where the direct rays of the sun _do not fall on it_, and where the iceman can gain access to it without “tracking up” the kitchen with his soiled shoes.

The compartments in which the food is kept should be wiped out carefully once a week. If anything is spilled within the refrigerator it should be removed immediately. All crumbs, drops of liquid or small particles of food should be carefully and instantly removed.

Once a week the supply of ice may be allowed to run low; the ice may then be removed and the ice chamber thoroughly washed, the rack upon which the ice stands washed and rinsed with a solution of sal soda, the drain pipe and the trap also thoroughly swabbed out with a brush attached to a long wire handle, made for this purpose. Pour the solution through the drain pipe as far as it can be reached and then rinse with clear boiling water.

The ice compartment should be kept filled with ice. A large piece of ice keeps better than a small one and insures much better circulation of air. The door to the ice compartment should be kept tightly closed at all times save when it is being filled with ice. The fact is that all the doors should be opened and closed as quickly as possible.

The most scrupulous cleanliness in all its parts should be found in the refrigerator. Food such as meat, potatoes, etc. should never be laid on the shelves of the refrigerator, and the habit of filling the ice chamber with meat, fish, fowl and vegetables is most unsanitary and unhealthful.

The Care of Food in the Refrigerator

When the food is placed on the table in the kitchen by the tradesman, the care of it at once falls upon the one who is in charge of the household and she must know just how to take care of each article.

All meat should be removed from the paper at once; wiped with a piece of cheese cloth wrung from cold water, placed on a plate, another plate turned over it and placed in the position indicated, in frontispiece, on page 2. The butter should be put in a jar, covered and placed on the shelf of the refrigerator immediately under the ice chamber. A space should be left on this shelf for eggs, milk and cream. Cheese should be removed from the manilla paper leaving it wrapped in the wax paper, and placed in a covered vessel in the refrigerator. The care of vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc., follows hereinafter.

Left-Over Meats

Beef Croquettes

1¾ cups finely chopped left-over roast beef or steak. ¾ teaspoon salt. ¼ teaspoon pepper. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce. Few drops onion juice. 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley. Brown sauce.

PROCESS: Remove all fat and gristle from cold roast beef or steak. Chop fine and add ingredients in the order given, moisten with thick Brown Sauce (made by increasing the quantity of flour called for in the recipe for Brown Sauce to half cup). Shape in cones, drip in crumbs, egg and crumbs and fry in deep hot fat. Serve with Brown, Tomato, or Creole Sauce.

Left-Over Roast Beef--Mexican Style

1 onion finely chopped. 2 tablespoons butter. 1 red pepper shredded. 1 green pepper shredded. 1 clove garlic finely chopped. 1 cup tomato pulp. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce. ¼ teaspoon celery salt. Few drops Tobasco Sauce. Thinly sliced cold roast beef.

PROCESS: Cook onion in butter five minutes; cut peppers in thin shreds with the shears. Add to onion. Add garlic and tomato pulp. Simmer fifteen minutes. Add Worcestershire Sauce, celery salt and Tobasco. Salt to taste. Cut cold roast beef in thin slices and re-heat in sauce. Serve with baked potatoes on the half-shell.

Delicious Beef Pie

Line the bottom and sides of a well buttered baking dish with hot, highly seasoned mashed potatoes, to which add two tablespoons finely chopped onion or chives; over this, place a thick layer of left-over roast beef cut in small pieces; season with salt, pepper, onion juice, one tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, moisten with Brown Sauce and cover with a layer of potato mixture, ornament rim of dish with some of the mixture forced through a pastry bag and star tube. Brush over lightly with beaten egg. Bake in a hot oven until mixture is thoroughly heated and potato is delicately browned.

Cecils with Brown Sauce

1 cup left-over roast beef or finely chopped rare steak. 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs. 1 tablespoon cream or melted butter. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce. Yolk one egg, slightly beaten. Salt, pepper and onion juice.

PROCESS: Add seasonings to beef; add bread crumbs, cream or butter and beaten egg yolks; shape in small balls the size of an English walnut, roll in flour, egg and crumbs, and fry in deep hot fat, drain on brown paper. Arrange in a pyramid on a hot platter and serve with Brown or Tomato Sauce.

Beef Cutlets

[Illustration: Beef Cutlets]

Chop the flank end of the porterhouse steak very fine, first removing superfluous fat. Season meat with salt, two or three drops Tobasco Sauce, onion piece and Worcestershire Sauce to taste. Shape into cutlets about three-fourths of an inch thick; dip in egg, then in crumbs and fry in deep hot fat five minutes. Do not brown them too quickly. Dispose them around a mound of hot riced potato or well seasoned boiled rice.

Beef-Steak Pie

Cut left-over cold broiled steak or remnants of cold roast beef in one-half inch pieces. Cover with hot stock or water, add one small onion and simmer slowly until meat is tender. (About one hour). Remove onion and thicken stock with flour diluted with cold water. Season highly with salt and pepper. Add potatoes cut in one inch cubes and previously parboil ten minutes in boiling salted water. Put into a buttered baking-dish and cool; cover with a crust made of biscuit dough, rolled one-fourth inch thick. Make three incisions in top of pie. Bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. The top may be brushed over with the white of an egg diluted with two tablespoons milk five minutes before removing from oven.

Creole Croquettes