The art of cooking should be taught in every public school. Every boy and girl should not only know how to cook, but should be able to quickly detect and understand the causes of bad cooking.

Though there may come a day when foods can be tastily and wholesomely prepared without cooking, such a vast change is unquestionably far removed from the present age.

Therefore, knowledge of cooking is of almost as much importance as that of reading or writing. Thousands become regular patrons of the doctors simply because of inferior cooking. The best food in the world can be made indigestible and almost devoid of nourishment from the same cause.

The contents of this book will plainly set forth the best methods of preparing all the foods now used on the table of the average English-speaking family.

Too often cooking is looked upon merely as the art of preparing food to tickle the palate of gourmands whose sense of taste is so deadened that no food, not highly seasoned, can be enjoyed. Such persons have lost the power to appreciate the delicate flavor of the wholesome, nourishing foods. It is the taste of the seasoning alone that they crave.

The preparation here advised is meant to bring out to the greatest degree the most delicate flavor of food, and therefore but little seasoning is used with the exception of salt.

Food, properly cooked, properly eaten, in proper quantities, has a vast influence upon the strength, beauty and suppleness of the body. The brain, too, draws all its nourishment from the same source, and clear and strong mental faculties depend more upon competent cookery at the present day than we imagine.

The suggestions contained herein are presented with the hope that they will be of material assistance to the reader in building the highest degree of physical and mental powers through the aid of nourishing foods properly and palatably prepared.