The variety of food preparations that are served on the tables of well-to-do families is almost endless in number, and human ingenuity seems to be exercised to the limit in devising new ones. It is no exaggeration to declare that we are now living in a period of gastronomic luxury that makes heavy demands on both our financial and physical resources. It is not possible to deal with the recipe phase of cookery, excepting within the limits of a "cook book." There are, however, general principles pertaining to all cookery that may properly be discussed in this connection. The preparation of food may be considered from several points of view, viz. the chemical reactions produced by certain combinations, the effects of cooking, special considerations pertaining to classes of foods, and mechanical display.