The Household

There was a time when potatoes were worth i dollar eaeh! How éouïa ttaat beV The man must havetoeeri star; Ing to pa y that prlc it was no one man, bul thniisands of rnen, ho paid that price. an] ri;lit liere in California, too. Ttaey had abundajice of bread and meat (salt is a rule) and whisky; luá utill ihfv starved, and the tarvation showc-d tscll' as scurvy. With scurvy at the doors potatoes were cheap at ñ dollar a piece. Ofcoiiree this as in the gold ilays. whén agriculture was al a discount and fruit and vegetables sea ree. lint tliis tact is a li'xt. and liears (in tlic question of how to cook a potato. Few seein to kttOW how Dl lo be willing t take tlte tronblè to cook :i potato fco ás to 'gët the real food valué of it. 'l'licconiiiKiii iilca s tliat n potato is three-fpuitks water und tlie rest starch; aml the fallaev htden entirely the liealtb value of the potato. To the Htmrvy-otricken sufferer staren is of no use; lie has abundanceof it in hisbn his floiir, or rice. A putalo is in rcality three-fourfhs juice and anout onefouitb starch. and t was the juicc tlüi! the early ('alifoinians paid a dollar for the jiiice w hicli most coóks tlirow away, servlng np tbs less useful starch devoid Of anima and llavor, except, perhaps, that of salt. The scorbuti.c minere dared not eook theix potatoes, bul eai tin-ui iaw. The juice was too precious ti waste; Uit1 starch they did waste, tor uncooked atarcfa is almost indigestible by the human body. In fniits and vegetables the blood (juice) is tiuly the life Uiereóf , 'and any mode of Cöoking wliicli does not ]resci e that is at once foolish, extravagani and unlieallliy. .Mild scurvy, dut! to the want Of tliose jllices, is the most coimnon cause (in cliildreu especiaily) of limr.)' !:i:i diseases, of maltonncd l'iincs, nul of nmcli physical weakl and lialiilitv fco disease. In cookUlg potatoes many people lirst. pare thcin. losing tlms the most nutritiouss part of the potato, fot we lind, as a rule, in all seeds and vegetable growth, thal the tlesh and borie-fortning materials are most aliiindant towards the surface Thus in wheat the central part OÍ the sced is little more than pille síaivli, the albuminous and mineral mattera i'xistinjr chieflj neartheouter surface. But öur cook, not satiafled with wasiing the onter and liest pari ofxhe potato, proceeds furtliei' tb wa-lc th ■ jiiice bj' stepin-r the cuf, putato.s in eold water. Boiltng water would not be so wasteful, as it would maguíate the albuincn near the surface, and thus put a new skin on the potato. wliicli ould preserve the juices. Th wasteful ook, after steeping, now proceèdsi further to waste the life ol' the potatoes liy bpiling them n water. Analysis has shown that by this mode of eooking forty-two per cent. (nearl' one-]ialf) of the potash is lost; and as potash is fov scurvy perhaps the most valualile part. it is safe to say thal half of the juice is lost. Thè jtliee of the potato conlaiiis. combined with the potash. the acid of orungee (citrie acid) and othera, prolialily those of applcs (malie) and of urapes (tartaric). As regards quantity, the juice of thfi potato is jnsl I wil rich in these auti-scorlnitie acids and alkalies as that of the grape. Proper eooking shouW preserve all this. The Germán oats his potato raw, as s.ihiil: bilt this plan, as lieforc remarked is wasteful of the starch. though it niakes sure of tlip juice. The Frenchman cooks his in nearly boiling oil, perhaps the best method of any. il" the potato must be lirst pared, is it cooks them thorouglily, quickly, and with rio loss of but water. It. hbeve}-, requises considerable praetice, as, if the oil is tOO cold, it soaks into the pola1,". spoiling it in taste, as also for the ordinary dyspeptic Amciican stomach. A.gain, if the oil be too imt it bttrns the outside of the potato; hut tbi is the lesser eril. [f rigliüy managet!, the potato comes out dry. niealy, and Of a palé amber tint; no oil is absorbed, as niay lio tested by placing the potato on a piece of clean whiti' paper which it will not stain. In this mode of eookiug, the potatoes are placed in a wiro basket, and so plnngéd into a di i of hoi oil, for how long experiétfee alone can teil. Steaiojng is the onl mode of cpoking tree trom all objection, and is at ouue e is , inexpensive and ecolioniical. All impromptu steatner niay be made by piercing with, say one-fourth or ohohalf inch holes the bottoin of an old saucepan, and ülaqmg this over anotnei of rat lier smaller sie, in which :i little water is kept luiskly boiling. The ]iotatoes may be either pared or not, a desired; paling is of couise alwa.vs wasteful in itself; but the steaming extracta ao f urtlu-r juice. Boiling with tlieir j;ickets on is I ree from many ol' the olijections mentionctl against the boiling of pared potatoes. Analysis has shown a loss of only three percent. Putting plenty of salt in the water teiids tii pxevent the loss of juice. Baking, perhaps, of all modes of eooking, best brings out the Havor, aroma and ipialityof a good potato. Bakrng, or rather roastiug in the ashes Luider tiie lire. makes a dish worthy of an epicuro. But this mode wastes perhaps not as much. imt a considerable proportkni of the potato, and some of the juice. for niuch of the potato adheres to the liurni skin, and also the evaporation froni the surface draws the inner juices towayd the skin, where. much of them are ui med iieyoiul use. When fruit or vegetables are scarce. md children are not ery healthy. there s no cheaper, easier and better medicine than potato soup. Cu the potatoes in thin slices and pul them in cold water an hour or two before boiling, f conveniente Boíl quickly and strongíy till soft, after which stand them back on the b!o e, stirring tlieni vvell till all is reduced to a granular soup. Add no salt till near the end. Toniatoes or iiny other vegetable may be added to laste. Meat, too. of couise, and inilK. if it is aliundant. will add to the nchneSB ol the pótalo in its hcalth value. In lioiling whóle potatoes wy and have tlu-iii ms near one stee as pnssible. Waleh partieularly tn boil llirin evenly, aifd without pause. II' tin1 boillug cease tor a little, the potatoes cool and begin to snck in water. The good (■(.uk keeps ni his boiling lili the moment lic n mis olí' the water, and 1 1 hm i he tllows tliem Bome lifctle time mi the stove, witli the lid ofï the saucepan, to dry. Those waxy, damp, badly cookod potatoea are :i sore tria] t" a weak stoniach. Tliey are didicult to ma.slinate. The saliva cannoi penétrate to every staroli cell, for tliey are ahraily soaked with water eonsoquently tlieir digestión must go on in the Iwvela instead of in the niOUtli; and tn most persons Uiat mëans Mainlenee and soinetinies cry uiicom li rt :il ilc i'eelnijrs. lint in a dry, mealy potato wliicli bas been eyenly and giückly codked, evèry staich granule lias expanded itsell' diiulile. has lunst its eell wall and absorbed all the jniee in its neighborhqod. When t es inlo the inonth it is easily reduced t' a meal, and so rapidly absorbs the saliva l li.it it in hálf rtijreeted btfore ii reaches the stoiiiiicli.