Strength and honor are her clothing; And she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household. And eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her saying:

Many daughters have done virtuously, But thou excellest them all.

- Proverbs XXXI, 25-29.

COOKING means the knowledge of Medea, and of Circe, and of Calypso, and of Helen, and of Rebekah, and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all herbs, and fruits, and balms, and spices; and of all that is healing and sweet in fields and groves, and savory in meats; it means carefulness, and inventiveness, and watchfulness, and willingness, and readiness of appliance; it means the economy of your great-grandmothers and the science of modern chemists; it means much tasting, and no wasting; it means English thoroughness, and French art, and Arabian hospitality; it means, in fine, that you are to be perfectly and always, ladies (loaf givers); and, as you are to see, imperatively, that everybody has something pretty to put on, so you are to see, yet more imperatively, that everybody has something good to eat.

- Ruskin: Ethics of the Dust.

THE lively and intense interest now displayed everywhere in the art of cookery, which is at once the most ancient and the most modern of the arts, marks such an advance over the pioneer days of domestic science as only a teacher of that subject, or an experienced housekeeper who has kept step with the march of progress, can fully appreciate. The increasing knowledge of food materials and the work they perform in the body, the constant study of the principles of nutrition and of the causes of malnutrition, the many inventions and labor-saving devices of the present-day kitchen, the eagerness to try new methods and the willingness to adopt them when proved to be better, the desire to work with intelligence rather than by "the rule of thumb" - all these are signs of the times indicating that domestic science is assuming an importance in our social fabric which augurs well for the future health and happiness of the American home. For those who wish to understand the "whys" of cookery - and who does not? - it is believed that the chapters in this book treating of the principles of cookery, the balanced ration, diet for weight control, school lunches, and kindred topics, will be found especially helpful.

As to the recipes themselves, they have stood the tests of experiment and experience, and unless too many liberties are taken with them, they will bring the success every cook desires. They are as economical as consistent with wise selection and the variety which is the spice of appetite; and are planned for a family of four, because four seems to be the average number today. They can readily be divided by two for a family of two; multiplied by three-fourths for a family of three; multiplied by one-and-a-half for a family of six; or doubled for a family of eight. Some articles, like cakes, will serve more than four, but they will keep for several days, and are better made by the four-in-family measure.

Every home-loving woman loves new recipes, and gathers them from all sources, begging them from friends, clipping them from magazines and newspapers, and pigeon-holing them in her kitchen cabinet or her desk for future use - too often having the vexatious experience of being unable to trace their whereabouts when wanted; or she places them between the pages of her cook book, until the overstrained binding, having reached the limit of endurance, bursts, and - but who need be told? The Invisible Loose-Leaf Binding Device has made the Loose-Leaf Cook Book possible, and it brings to you a method of keeping your cook book up to date. As the binding device admits of extension, memoranda and personal recipes can be added at pleasure, so that your cook book will become increasingly valuable as a record of your own housekeeping experience.

Acknowledgment is here made of the able assistance of Miss Helen Cramp, and of Miss Ada Z. Fish, in the preparation of the recipes; and of the kindness of other friends who have contributed their favorite recipes; especially of the courtesy of The Ladies' Home Journal for the use of illustrations which originally appeared in the pages of that magazine. The data and tables in regard to food values in this book are based chiefly on material furnished by the very helpful and instructive publications issued from time to time by the United States Government.