How to Get the Most Out of Foods

Introductory pages to Coulee Cookbook

In these days of rising food prices, every house wife is interested in getting the utmost out of her food dollar. Today, she is having to become "food conscious." She must give more of her time than ever before to the purchasing, plannig and preparation of meals. This task will become more important, more pressing in its demands as time goes on.

Here are a few suggestions and food conservation hints:

DON'T USE SODA IN COOKING GREEN VEGETABLES; because it completely destroys certain vitamins which occur most abundantly in this type of food.

USE AS LITTLE WATER AS POSSIBLE; when boiling vegetables because many vitamins are soluble in water, which means they are lost down the drainpipe if vegetables are cooked in a great deal of water. Save vitamins by using waterless or steam pressure methods when possible, by cooking wiht little water, and by utilizing water in which vegetables have been cooked for gravies and soups.

COOK THEM QUICKLY; long, slow cooking takes a heavy toll in flavor, color and vitamins. Green vegetables will retain good color without soda if they are put into rapidly boiling water and cooked in an open kettle without stirring, provided they are not over cooked or left standing too long. (High temerature combines with oxygen in the air to kill vitamins.)

RAISE TEMPERATURES FAST; when boiling foods, to reduce cooking time and give vitamins less chance to soak out.

START COOKING FROSTED FOODS; while they are still frozen because exposure to air affects some of the vitamins.

SERVE RAW FROZEN FOODS IMMEDIATELY; after thawing to prevent oxidation.

DON'T PUT VEGETABLES THROUGH A SEIVE WHILE HOT; for the same reason as with the frozen foods.

SERVE THEM FRESH; even exposure to air destroys some vitamins such as the valuable C, which is plentiful in fresh juice but begins to oxidize within the first half hour. Squeeze such juice to order. To preserve the vitamin value, prepare fresh fruits and vegetables just before serving. Much can be done to develp interesting salad combinations which permit the use of a greater variety of fresh uncooked vegetables. examples which might be palatably and profitably combined in mixed green vegetables salads are: shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, shredded beets, cauliflower flowerets, chopped tender beet greens, watercress, etc.

DON'T FRY FOODS CONTAINING VITAMINS A, B-1 OR C; (eggs, liver, chicken, lean pork, brown rice, nuts, tomatoes are examples.) Because Vitamin A is dissolved by fats and the other two are easily destroyed by direct heat. Oven baking, roasting or broiling eliminates this loss. Eggs boiled, poached, shirred, baked, in omelets or souffles are preferrable to fried, vitaminally speaking.