14 Blue Ribbon Cook Book

COMMON MISTAKES
in COOKING os ah

Recipes are written accurately by experts after they have
been tried several times, so it is better to follow them exactly.
Nine out of ten mishaps, or failures, are due almost entirely to a
lack of mixing, or change of the recipe, or from failure to observe
the proper heat. A cupful means a half pint, level; a teaspoonful
means just what it says, a level teaspoonful; half a teaspoonful
means exactly one-half of the level teaspoonful. Careless
measuring of salt will make a dish so unpleasant that it is
practically useless. |

Divided recipes fail because they are not accurately divided.

Many mishaps occur from a lack of forethought. Do not
begin to make a dish until you have carefully read over the
recipe, collected all the ingredients, and fixed the fire. Do
one thing at a time. Make haste without hurrying. Cakes,
pastry and such delicate dishes, should be made when there is
no other cooking going on in the kitchen. Give them your
whole time.

Cornbreads are heavy when sweet milk is substituted for sour,
and the soda is not changed to baking powder.

Sponge cake has heavy streaks near the bottom when the
stove has been jarred, or the door of the stove slammed soon
after the cake has been put in the oven.

When cakes are saggy in the middle they are not sufficiently
baked. The centre of the cake is the last part to bake. Before
removing a cake from the oven touch it lightly in the centre;
if the finger makes an imprint the cake is not done; if it springs
back and does not “tick” or “sing,” it is done. A toothpick
inserted in cake should have no dough adhering to it.

Fruit cake is rather light in color when it has not been cooked
sufficiently long, or when it has been cooked too fast at first.
It should either be steamed three hours and baked one or two
hours, or be baked slowly for four hours.