ON COOKING.

My Friends:

There are plenty of receipt books in this country, that direct as to the kind of ingredients for food, and as to the proper quantities; but no knowledge of receipts can ever make a good cook.

The great art of good cooking is taking care. Take care that your fire is not too hot, nor too low—that your oven is not too hot, nor too cold—that your bread is not too much raised, nor too little; that your mixtures have not too much, nor too little of any particular ingredient.—It is care, care, watch, watch, that alone can secure the art of cooking well. And there are few persons whose business it is to cook, who view their duty on this subject in a proper light. To illustrate my meaning, I will give an example. The domestic of a family in which I have [194]resided, was remarkable for always having good bread, at all seasons, even when the hot weather spoiled all other yeast but hers.

And such light, such sweet, such beautiful looking bread rarely is seen. Now the amount of pleasure and comfort given to this family by this one thing, few would appreciate. The master of the house always seemed to rejoice at every new baking, in seeing his family so well supplied. His wife always seemed pleased when her husband, children, and visitors praised the bread, and every member of the family, at every meal, felt a sort of satisfaction every time they looked at the bread plate. Now multiply these comfortable feelings at each meal, by the number of all the family, and then by the number of meals in a year, and what a large amount of enjoyment was thus made, simply by taking care always to have good bread! Change this bread to merely tolerable bread, and how much enjoyment would be lost!—Turn it to heavy and sour bread, and then how much discomfort would take the place of enjoyment!

[195] Now is it not God who gives us all the common comforts of life, and do we not thank and praise him for them? And is it not worthy the aim of his creatures to follow his example, in contributing to the daily enjoyment of a family? And ought we not to dignify and ennoble all the common cares of life, by regarding ourselves, as co-workers with God in providing for the comfort and enjoyment of his creatures?

This view of the subject teaches us the true meaning of the direction: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Now the glory of God consists in that perfect benevolence of his character, which leads him always to find pleasure in providing for the comfort, and caring for the happiness of his creatures. And the more happiness is made, the more his glory is promoted. And the more we labour to promote the comfort and enjoyment of others, the more we are becoming like him, and are promoting his glory. Thus, in the humblest of all positions, every one of us can do something to add to the stock of happiness, which exhibits the glory of God, as the [196]author of all being, and the source of all enjoyment.

Now it is much to be lamented, that people should fancy that there are some particular ways of doing good, that are especially acceptable to God. This is not so. It is the temper of mind, that God looks at and approves, and not the particular thing done.—A woman may go about and visit the poor, and give money to send education and the gospel to others, with very little self-denial, and perhaps from the mere love of the credit thus gained. And in this case, in God’s sight, the offering is of little value. But the domestic, who in her humblest employments, goes about trying to do every thing in the best manner, aiming thus to serve God, by promoting the comfort of his creatures—she is the one who receives his approving smile—she is the one who, whatever she does, is doing all “for the glory of God.” I wish all who read this would thus regard their daily pursuits in the kitchen, and then they will not feel, as too many in humble circumstances are apt to do, that they have no way in which they can serve God, or [197]do much good in the world. None of us can tell who does the most, or the least good. God appoints each one of us our lot, and requires all to do what they can, to complete the great sum of enjoyment, which He designs to secure. And the great thing for each to aim at is, not to have some great thing to do, but to possess that benevolent and submissive temper of mind that will rejoice to do good, wherever God appoints the place.

In the first of Corinthians, you will find a chapter in which “charity” is described. Now when the Bible was translated from the Greek 200 years ago, this word “charity” meant what the word benevolence means now, and we should so understand it. In this chapter you find it thus written: “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, (that is, benevolence,) I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity—it profiteth me nothing.”

Now this is the very thing I have been explaining.[198] A person may be the most learned person in the world, and may give all he has to feed the poor, and even suffer martyrdom for the sake of religion, and yet be destitute of that temper of true benevolence that makes him like God. All these great things may be done from a mere love of show, or the desire of applause, and then they are nothing in the sight of God.

But that patient, humble, kind, gentle, benevolent temper of mind, that loves to serve God and do good to man, in all circumstances, and at all times, this is precious in the sight of God. And this temper of mind can be cherished and exhibited, as much in the kitchen as it can in the pulpit.—It can be shown, as much in providing food for a family, as it can in those schemes of benevolence which send missionaries and Bibles to heathen lands.

And though it is the duty of all Christians to feel an interest in the spread of that blessed religion, which brings so much hope and comfort to us, and though we ought all of us to contribute something from our stock for this merciful and heavenly object, yet we ought to feel that this is only one way of showing our benevolent [199]feelings, and that we can have but a few chances of this kind in a year. But it is in every day life that we can all the time be showing forth the temper of benevolence. And here it is that Jesus Christ looks to see, whether or not, we are gaining that self-denying, benevolent, and submissive spirit, that alone can prepare us for His heavenly kingdom.

I will now point out some particulars in your every day duties, that demand special attention.

There is no one article of cooking, that is so important as good bread, for this is the chief dependence for food in most families, and the health of a family very much depends upon it. Poor bread is always unhealthy. There are three things that are requisite to secure good bread, viz. good flour, good yeast, and good care. The best kind of flour has a very white or a yellowish tinge, and the poorest looks as if ashes were mixed with it. Good flour too packs closely, and does not fly about easily. Grown flour makes bread that runs, and will not rise well. It is best always to try flour [200]in one or two batches, before getting a whole barrel.

Many persons secure good yeast the year round, by making yeast cakes. There are others who have tried them and do not like them. These are made by mixing Indian meal in a quart or two of the best yeast, till it is thick enough to work up into round cakes about three quarters of an inch thick, and two or three inches in diameter. These are dried in the sun, or what is better, in a drying wind. They are then kept in a bag, in a place where it is not damp, and where they will not freeze.

In using them, take one cake for a large batch of bread, and soak it in milk and water through the night, and then use it like common yeast. This yeast is good for hot weather when yeast spoils so often. The best time for making yeast cakes is in May and October, and they will keep six months or more. Success all depends on having the best of yeast for making the cakes.

Those who have most success in making bread, are very particular in heating their oven [201]exactly right. For this purpose they have oven wood kept in a pile by itself, and the sticks of nearly equal size. They then find out by trial, how many sticks heat the oven just right. Afterwards, they always use this number, and thus they are saved from much watching, and from many mistakes in baking.

Great care is needful also to put the bread in at just the right time. If the bread does not stand to rise long enough, it is too solid, either for health, or pleasure in eating. If it stands too long, it loses much of its sweetness, even if it does not become sour. A great deal of light and nice looking bread is not good, because it has lost its sweetness by being raised too much. The exactly right notch can only be found by trying, and after a while a cook will learn to know by the looks of the dough when it is just right.

Always smell of the dough, and if there is the least sourness, knead some dissolved pearlash in, and it will remove it. Nothing is worse than sour bread, and it can always be remedied by pearlash. To discover sourness, open a [202]place suddenly, and smell quickly before the gas escapes.

The following is the mode of making yeast and bread, practised by the domestic I have lived with, who makes as good bread as I ever saw.

For yeast, take a handful of hops, boil them in two quarts of water twenty minutes, strain off and mix in about three pints of flour, together with half a pint of distillery yeast, or a pint and a half of homemade yeast. Some molasses or sugar added, hides the bitter taste of the yeast, that sometimes is perceived in bread.

For bread, take a peck of flour, sift it, make a hole in the centre, and put in half a pint of distillery yeast, or nearly a pint of homemade yeast. Then wet up the flour with warm milk. The bread must then be kneaded for half an hour, until it is so thick and well mixed as to cleave from the hands without sticking at all. Raise it till it has cracks on the top and looks light and feathery. If sour at all, knead in a great spoonful of pearlash dissolved in a tea............