The milk called for in the recipes incorporated in this book is skimmed milk, except where cream is called for and in such recipes the finished product will serve as the main dish for breakfast, luncheon or supper.

Milk should always be heated or scalded over hot water. Milk is seldom boiled in modern cookery. Occasionally "boiled milk"is found in Sick Room Cookery.

Water should be boiling rapidly when cereals are added. Corn meal and granulated hominy will combine with boiling water more readily if it is first moistened with some of the water before water is set to boil. Mush and porridges of all kinds are better seasoned if the seasoning is added to the boiling water, before adding the meal or cereal.

Long, slow cooking develops the flavor of corn meal and hominy and aids materially the process of digestion.

When preparing mush for frying, part milk should form part of the liquid or wetting to insure a rich brown crisp surface when finished. Mush to be sliced for frying etc., should never be packed in either tin or Russia iron bread pans as the salt and moisture will cause rust to form and settle on the mush and when turned from pan these spots look unsightly. A brick-shaped agate bread pan is best for this purpose or Pyrex glass bread pans.

Lightly grease the knife used for slicing cold mush; it will cut more evenly without breaking.

Tried out salt pork fat is the best fat to use for sauteing purposes as it burns at a very high temperature, This is especially true of butter. The vegetable oils give very satisfactory results both for deep frying and sauteing.

Corn meal and all cereals should be kept in a cool, dry place. The "water milled" corn meal from which nothing is removed makes the best flavored pone, dodgers, mush and in fact all the quick breads usually made from corn meal.

This (Water Milled) corn meal has not the keeping qualities that the modern commercial corn meals have. It should therefore be purchased in smaller quantities and used at once.

Motions Used In Mixing Ingredients

Three motions are considered in mixing batters, doughs and other ingredients, namely: stirring, beating, cutting and folding.

Stirring

Stirring is a rotary motion ordinarily used in all cookery. It is to thoroughly mix the ingredients.

Beating

Beating is turning the ingredients over and over to thoroughly mix, and at the same time incorporating air into the mixture. With each beating motion the spoon is brought constantly in contact with the bottom of the dish, bringing the contents over the top folding them in again. Beating is used in combination with stirring.

Cutting And Folding

Cutting and Folding is introducing one ingredient into a mixture, one or the other being the lighter of the two. This is accomplished with the wooden cake spoon, by making vertical cuts downward and turning mixture over, allowing the bowl of the spoon to bring the contents of the bottom of the dish over the top then folding them in again. The spoon turns entirely around in one's hand in making this motion. Repeat this motion alternately with beating until mixtures are thoroughly blended. When stiffly beaten whites of eggs are called for in a recipe they should always be cut and folded into such mixtures.

IMPORTANT - The foregoing instructions must be carefully followed; the ingredients called for in the recipes must be used, to insure success in the finished product Each recipe in this Corn Cook Book has been carefully tested by an expert - a graduated teacher in household economics.