CHAPTER VII.BUYING FOOD AND CARING FOR IT.

WHEN a housekeeper understands just what to do, and can spend the time to go to the market herself, she will find that she can have a better table, with greater variety and at less expense, than when she orders from the provision man who comes to the house each day. It is true that there are a great many housekeepers who have neither time nor strength for daily or even weekly visits to the markets, but the average housekeeper has the time, and she will find that in the end it will add to her mental and physical health, as well as to the attractiveness of her table.

FIRST FIVE RIBS.

In ordering at the house it is a difficult matter to keep in mind all the things that the provision man briskly calls off. Even if he should not miss many little things that one might choose for the sake of economy and variety, it would be almost impossible to remember them all when giving him the order. In the market, however, the articles are spread out before you, and one thing suggests another. Here the prices can be kept in mind when selecting the food; and should the thing that you have decided upon be too expensive, something else that you will find to be nearly or equally good may be substituted. For example, you may have planned to have halibut for dinner, and found that, instead of being eighteen cents, it has gone up to twenty-five or thirty cents. You will naturally hesitate before adding fifty per cent to the expense of the dish. A cod, haddock, whitefish, red-snapper, or something else of moderateprice, will make a satisfactory substitute. Although the prices of beef, mutton, pork, etc. are not subject to great changes, the prices of fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, and game fluctuate constantly. Then again, many little savory dishes are suggested by the sight of the various little odds and ends found in the stalls. The sight and odor of a piece of smoked bacon may give you visions of the many savory dishes to which it will give relish,—liver and bacon, chicken livers en brochette, and rashers of bacon with chops or beefsteak.

CHUCK RIBS.

In the market, too, perhaps you will see sheep’s hearts, which when boiled make a cheap and savory breakfast, luncheon, or supper dish. Calves and lambs’ tongues are both cheap and good. They may be kept in brine for a week or two and then boiled, the same as beef tongue; or they may be boiled while fresh. They make an attractive dish when served in jelly, or they may be braised, and served with vegetables à la jardinière, making an elegant as well as an economical dish. Sheep and lambs’ kidneys are delicious when broiled, stewed, or sautéd. They are always cheap. Perhaps you may see a piece of honeycomb tripe which would make a pleasing dish for breakfast. The liver of nearly all animals is used, but beef, calves, and pigs’ livers are the most common. Sheep and lambs’ livers are delicious.

HIND QUARTER OF BEEF.

EXPLANATION OF DIAGRAM.

FORE QUARTER OF BEEF.

EXPLANATION OF DIAGRAM.

SIRLOIN ROAST,—SECOND CUT.

Perhaps you want just about two pounds of the neck of mutton for a broth. You see it cut off and are sure to get nearly what you want. It may be you want a pound or two of the round of beef chopped for a Hamburg steak or for beef tea. If you see it cut, you will not get three or four pounds instead of two. This is true of all the cuts of meat and fish. It is a rare thing that the provision man, who takes your order at the house, does not bring you more than you want. In the fish, vegetable, and fruit market there is constant change, and we cannot be well supplied with the best and cheapest except by a personal visit to the sales place.

If one have a large and cold room to keep stores in, and the family be large, it will pay to buy in quantity, provided the housekeeper knows what to do with the supplies when she gets them.

CARCASS OF MUTTON.

1.⎫1. Leg.2.⎬ Hind quarter.2. Loin.4.⎭3. Shoulder.3.⎫4. Flank.5.⎬ Fore quarter.5.⎫ Breast.5.⎭5.⎭

In cold weather I often buy a hind quarter of mutton. To give the housekeeper an idea of what can be done with such a piece of meat, let me explain how I use it. This is for a family of three, with an average of one guest for one meal each day. It must be kept in mind that the part of the hind quarter which will spoil first is the flank; next come the ribs and loin; the leg will keep many weeks if hung in a cold dry place. When the piece of mutton is sent home, I cut off the flank and the thin end of the ribs, leaving the rib and loin chops quite short. Should I want to cook any of the chops that day or the next I cut off the required number, but if I do not care to use them for several days, they are not cut off until that time. The piece of meat is now hung in my cold room, and cut from as required. The flank and thin ribs are freed from every bit of fat; the lean meat is cut into cubes and placed in a stewpan with four tablespoonfuls of chopped onion, a generous half-cupful of pearl barley, two level tablespoonfuls of salt, one level teaspoonful of pepper, and three quarts of cold water. These materials for a soup are placed on the fire and skimmed carefully when they begin to boil; then the stewpan is set back where the contents will just bubble for three hours. The bones are placed in another stewpan with one quart of cold water. They cook for two hours and then the water is strained into the soup in the other stewpan. When the soup has been cooking for three hours, two tablespoonfuls of butter are put into a small frying-pan and set on the fire. When this becomes hot, two tablespoonfuls of flour are stirred into it, and when the mixture becomes smooth and frothy it is added to the soup; after which a tablespoonful of chopped parsley is added. The result is a gallon of the most delicious Scotch broth. This soup is just as good when warmed over as when first made, and it is so substantial that it answers for luncheon, no meat, fish, or vegetables being required. From the remainder of the hind quarter I get fourteen chops, cutting the last four fromthe leg, and a good roast. All the fat is rendered for soap grease; and as I make my own soap, this is quite an item.

SIRLOIN ROAST.A, Tenderloin. B, Back of Sirloin. C, Flank. D, Suet.

The weight of the hind quarter described is about twenty pounds, and I save about one third what it would cost me to buy the soup meat, chops, and roast separately. One must have a good sharp knife, a meat-saw, and a cleaver to cut up meats in this manner.

Before going to market one should look through her supplies, and then make a list of things for use with them. A list of the meals that are to be arranged, and such purchases as must be made for these meals, is next in order. One may find it best to make radical changes in her plans when she gets to the market; still, the list will be a great aid as a guide. With it, one is not likely to buy too much or too little.

RIB CHOP BEFORE TRIMMING.

RIB CHOP AFTER TRIMMING.

In some places it is a great pleasure to go through the markets, especially on the regular market days. This is particularly true where there is a large German or French population. The women of these nationalities have stalls where they sell eggs, butter, cheese, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and flowers,—the product of their own and neighbors’ farms. Nothing can be brighter or more picturesque than are such markets in the spring, summer, and fall, when flowers and vegetables are in abundance. Even the poor laborer’s wife takes home her little growing plant, or a bunch of fresh flowers. Going to market has not been all prose to that poor woman, although she had to calculate veryclosely in her purchases for her table; for has she not had the sight and odor of the plants and green vegetables, and did not their beauty and freshness fill her mind with visions of a beautiful and fragrant country? What a pity there are not such markets in all our cities!

If you have never made a practice of going to market, try the plan now. It will pay you.

LOIN.

A woman who has to provide for a large family can plan and buy with greater economy than if her family consisted of only two or three. This is especially the case with meats and some kinds of fish. In buying meats, if the family be small, it is wiser to get only the parts actually wanted than to buy large pieces, simply because they are cheaper by the pound. When planning to cook a large piece of meat or fish, its adaptability to being made over into various little dishes should be considered. Pork is the least desirable of the fresh meats for such purposes. For warming over in various ways the following-named meats are the most valuable: poultry, veal, lamb, mutton, and beef. The white meats are better than the red for this purpose. This is also true of fish; the white, dry varieties are much better for made-over dishes than the dark, oily kinds.

The smallest prime roast of beef is one of the short ribs, weighing from three to four pounds. There are two of these short ribs. In Boston they are called the tip of thesirloin; outside New England, the short ribs or first cut of the ribs. The two ribs are included in the cut, but it is possible to get the cut divided.

A small loin of lamb, mutton, or veal, weighing about three or four pounds, makes a roast that will not last forever. Great care must be used in treating these small roasts. The heat must be moderate after the roast is browned and there must be a generous and frequent basting, else the meat will be dry.

RUMP.

A turkey weighing between six and seven pounds is about the smallest one can find in the market, but it can be served in so many ways that one need not grow to hate the sight of turkey before it is all gone.

In the season of lamb it is possible to get a small leg from which there can be cut one or two cutlets. The remainder of the leg can be roasted the following day. If there be a cold room where meats can be hung, a leg of mutton can be used for several meals. Cut off about one third for a roast. In about two or three days cut off a thick slice, to be breaded and fried, and served with tomato sauce. In four or five days the remainder of the leg can be roasted. The leg of mutton that one can get small enough for this purpose will probably be what butchers call yearling lamb. It is not possible to get the best kind of beef or mutton in so light a weight that it can be used to advantage in a small family.

One grouse or partridge, a chicken, duck, or rabbit, a pair of pigeons or of quail, all can be used as a roast in a family of two.

Here are some of the things that can be bought in small quantities: half a pound of sausages, a thin slice of ham that will not weigh more than half a pound, a quarter of a pound of dried beef, a quarter of a pound of smoked bacon, a quarter of a pound of smoked salmon or halibut, one pound of salt codfish, which will answer for three or four dishes,—fish-balls, fish in cream, fish hash, etc.; one thin slice of round steak, weighing about a pound, can be used for beef olives or roll; a slice of veal from the leg can be used in the same way; a piece of beef, cut from the shoulder, and weighing about two or three pounds, can be braised; about a pound and a quarter of fresh beef, cut from any of the tough parts of the animal, can be prepared in a stew; mutton and veal can be used in the same way.

A short porter-house steak may be made to answer for two meals. Cut out the tenderloin, broil it, and serve with brown or mushroom sauce. The remainder of the steak should be put in a cold place and used a day or two later.

LEG OF MUTTON.

In summer vegetables should be bought from day to day, as they are required. In the fall and winter tuberous vegetables may be bought in larger quantities, if there be acool place in which to store them. The common white potatoes may be purchased by the barrel, but as the sweet potato decays rapidly, it is best to buy it by the pound. Carrots, turnips, beets, onions, squash, etc., are vegetables that can be stored, and if one live in a country town it will be well to store them; but for the housekeeper in the city it will be economy to purchase these vegetables only as she requires them.

Squash spoils quickly after it has been cut. Since one can purchase as small a quantity as two or three pounds, it would, therefore, be unwise to buy a whole squash simply because it costs a little less per pound than when bought in a small quantity.

If one have a cold cellar, it would be well to put in one or two barrels of apples late in the fall; but as all fruits as well as vegetables require a low, dry temperature, it would be unwise to make large purchases unless one have a proper place to keep them in.

Butter is an expensive article, and should be selected with care. If one have the proper place for storing it, and can get it direct from some trustworthy dairy, it would be economical to purchase the winter’s supply in October. About fifty pounds will be enough for a family of two for six months. This should be put up in two or three small tubs. It must be kept in a cool, sweet place.

Eggs, of course, are best fresh. It is wise economy for the young housekeeper to pay the extra price, and always be sure of the quality of her supply.

Pure milk is a most important adjunct to the table. As far as it is in her power to do so, the housekeeper should see that the supply comes from a wholesome source, and then do her part to keep the milk good by having the vessels perfectly clean and the surroundings such that the milk shall not be contaminated.

About Groceries.

Flour, if stored in a cool, sweet, dry place, will be better for bread-making if kept several months after being made. All the meals are better when fresh, and only a small quantity should be purchased at a time. Sugar is about the same price, whether you buy it in small or large quantities. It saves much bother to buy the granulated and cut sugar in sufficient quantities to last a month or more. Powdered sugar “cakes,” and only a small amount should be kept in store. English breakfast tea improves with age, while the lighter teas do not. The green coffee berry grows better as it grows older; but after coffee is roasted it quickly loses strength and flavor, so that only a small quantity of the roasted berry should be bought at one time.

Buy flavors, spices, etc. in small quantities, and get only the purest. The store closet should always contain macaroni, rice, fine breakfast hominy, tapioca, barley, corn-starch, arrowroot, farina, chocolate, breakfast cocoa, tea, coffee, some of the cereal preparations for mush, white and red pepper, mustard, a small supply of whole spices, such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and pepper; also ground cinnamon, mace, and allspice. The less ground clove one uses the better. It is well to have on hand a bunch each of dried thyme, savory, and sage, and half an ounce of bay leaves, which can be purchased at the grocer’s or druggist’s, a few packages of gelatine, and a small package of sea-moss farina, which insures a foundation for a cold dessert at short notice.

For emergencies, the store closet should always contain some canned peas, tomatoes, corn, fruit, chicken, salmon, a box of fancy crackers, some plain soda crackers, a bottle of olives, and a can of condensed milk. One need never be at a loss to prepare a good meal at short notice with this supply in reserve.

CARE OF FOOD.

One may buy food with good judgment, and yet fail to be an economical provider because she does not take proper care of it. Perfect cleanliness is essential for the best preservation of food. The cellar, pantries, storerooms, refrigerators, and all the receptacles in which food is kept, should be frequently inspected and thoroughly cleaned. Heat and moisture tend to cause decay; therefore it is important that all foods should be surrounded with pure, cool, dry air. When it is possible, expose every closet and food receptacle to the sun and air several times a week.

All kinds of cooked food, particularly the animal foods, spoil quickly when covered closely while still warm. All soups, meat, fish, bread, etc., that are to be kept for many days or hours, should be cooled thoroughly and quickly in a current of cold air. In hot weather it is a good plan, when cooling soups, milk, or any liquid mass, to place the vessel containing the food in another of cold water,—with ice, if convenient,—and set it in a cool draught.

All meat, when not hung up, should be placed on a dish and set in a cool place. If poultry be drawn, and a few pieces of charcoal be placed in the body, it will keep longer than if hung undrawn. It must not be washed until it is to be cooked. The dryer the meat is kept the better.

A dish of charcoal placed in the refrigerator or pantry helps to keep the atmosphere dry and sweet.

Milk and butter should be kept in a cool place, and away from all strong odors.

Bread and cake must be thoroughly cooled before being put in boxes or jars; if not, the steam will cause them to mould quickly. The bread box should be washed, scalded, and thoroughly aired in the sun, twice a week. The crusts and stale pieces of white raised bread, for which there is no other use, should be put in a pan, be dried slowly in a warmoven, and then be pounded, sifted, and put in glass jars for future use.

All the trimmings of fat should be rendered while they are sweet; then strained into jars or pails kept for that purpose. Put beef, pork, and chicken fat together; this will answer for deep frying. Ham, bacon, and sausage fat answers for frying potatoes, hominy, mush, etc. All the strong-flavored fats, such as mutton, duck, turkey, and the skimmings from boiled ham, are to be kept by themselves for making soap.

It should be remembered that pure fat will keep sweet many months, but if water or any foreign substance be left in it, it will spoil quickly. When rendering or clarifying fat, cook it slowly until there are no bubbles. As long as bubbles form, you may be sure that there is water in the fat. If put away in that condition it will become rancid.

To clarify fat that has been used for frying, put it into a frying kettle, being careful not to let the sediment go in, and place the kettle on the fire. When the fat becomes hot, add three raw potatoes cut into slices, and stir well. The impurities gather on the potatoes. Three potatoes will be enough for four pounds of fat. Whenever there are any trimmings of fat from any kind of meat cut them in bits and place in a frying-pan on the back part of the stove, where they will cook slowly until all the liquid fat has been extracted. Strain this into a pot kept for this purpose.

As soon as the fat is skimmed from soups, gravies, and the water in which meat has been boiled, it should be clarified, as the water and other objectionable particles contained in it will cause it to become rancid if it stands a long time. Put it on the stove, in a frying-pan, and heat it slowly. When it becomes melted, set it where it will simply bubble, and keep it there (being careful not to let it burn) until there isno motion, and all the sediment has fallen to the bottom of the pan. When this stage is reached the fat is clarified.

Sometimes fat that has been used several times for frying, and has not been strained, will become dark and unfit for use. This may be put into a kettle with about six times as much hot water, boiled for twenty minutes, turned into a large pan, and set in a cold place. When the contents of the pan become cold, the fat will be found in the form of a solid cake on the surface of the water. It must be removed, and clarified in the manner already described.

To clarify butter, put it in a stewpan, and set it on the back part of the range, where it will heat slowly. When a clear, oily substance is found on top, and a cloudy sediment at the bottom of the pan, lift the pan gently and pour off the clear substance, which will be the clarified butter.

When the fat is ready to strain, draw it back where it will partially cool; then strain it through a piece of cheese-cloth.

Tin or stoneware vessels are the best in which to keep fat. The pails in which lard comes are very good for soap grease, because, knowing their exact capacity, one knows just how much grease there is on hand. Have the pails covered, and keep them in a cool place.

Save for stock all the bones and trimmings from fresh meat, the bones from roasts or broils, and such pieces of cooked meat as are too tough or hard to serve cold or in made dishes. Put these in a stewpan, with water enough to cover them, and simmer for five or six hours. Strain into a bowl, and cool quickly. No matter how little bone or meat there may be, cook it in this way while it is fresh and sweet. A gill of stock has great value in warming over meats, fish, and vegetables.

It is true that the care of remnants and their preparation for the table is not a slight matter; but in the household where attention is given to this matter there is no waste,and a pleasant change of fare can be made daily. If a housekeeper looks into her larder each morning, and avails herself of the opportunities she finds to make little dishes of the bits of food which she sees before her, the work of caring for the odds and ends may become a pleasure rather than a burden; the preparation of this food giving a bright woman an opportunity to exercise much taste and skill in producing dainty and healthful dishes.

Pieces of cold meat or fish may be divided into small pieces, and warmed in a white or brown sauce; or the sauce and meat or fish may be put in a small baking dish, covered with grated bread crumbs, and then browned in the oven. If there be not enough fish or meat to serve to the entire family, use an extra quantity of sauce, and fill up the dish with either well seasoned mashed potatoes, hominy, rice, or macaroni. Cover lightly with grated bread crumbs, and dot with butter. Bake this for half an hour in a moderately hot oven.

Cold meat or fish may be hashed fine and mixed with potato, rice, or hominy, and a sauce, and made into croquettes.

Bits of cooked ham or sausages may be minced fine and mixed with hashed potatoes; the mixture being then well seasoned and put into a frying-pan, with a little butter or sweet drippings, and browned. If there be a little gravy of any kind, it may be added to any of the above-mentioned dishes.

Nearly all kinds of vegetables may be combined in a salad or a hash.

Tough pieces of meat and bones may be used in making little stews or a little soup stock. All kinds of meats may be combined in making a stew or soup.

A few spoonfuls of almost any kind of meat, fish, or vegetable may be heated in a sauce and spread over a plain omelet, just before rolling it up, thus giving a change in this dish of eggs.

A soft-boiled egg left from a meal may be boiled until hard, and then used in a salad or an egg sauce.

Pieces of bread may be used for puddings and griddle-cakes, and, in the form of dried crumbs, for breading.

Pieces of cake and gingerbread may be used in puddings.

Gravies, sauces, and soups, no matter how small the quantity, should be saved to use in warming over meat, fish, or vegetables.

A few tablespoonfuls of cold rice or hominy are often a pleasing addition to muffins or griddle-cakes. Indeed, it is rarely necessary to waste a particle of food if the proper attention be given to the little details of kitchen management.

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