The International Jewish Cook Book: 1600 Recipes According To The Jewish Dietary Laws With The Rules For Kashering

THE FAVORITE RECIPES OF AMERICA, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, RUSSIA, FRANCE, POLAND, ROUMANIA, Etc. The Jewish housewife enjoys the enviable reputation of being a good cook; in fact she is quite famous for her savory and varied dishes. Her skill is due not so much to a different method of cooking as to her ingenuity in combining food materials. The very cuts of meat she has been always accustomed to use, are those which modern cooks are now advising all to use. The use of vegetables with just enough meat to flavor, as for instance in the Shabbos Shalet, is now being highly recommended. While it is not given to each and every woman to be a good cook, she can easily acquire some knowledge of the principles of cooking, namely: 1. That heat from coal, charcoal, wood, gas or electricity is used as a medium for toasting, broiling or roasting. 2. That heat from water is used as a medium for boiling, simmering, stewing or steaming. 3. That heat from fat is used as a medium for deep fat frying. 4. That heat from heated surfaces is used in pan-broiling, sauté, baking, braising or pot-roasting. The length of time required to cook different articles varies with the size and weight of same—and here is where the judgment of the housewife counts. She must understand how to keep the fire at the proper temperature, and how to manage the range or stove. In planning meals try to avoid monotony; do not have the same foods for the same days each week. Try new and unknown dishes by way of variety. Pay attention to garnishing, thereby making the dishes attractive to the eye as well as to the palate. The recipes in this book are planned for a family of five, but in some instances desserts, puddings and vegetables may be used for two meals. Cakes are good for several days. Do not consider the use of eggs, milk and cream an extravagance where required for certain desserts or sauces for vegetables, as their use adds to the actual food value of the dish. As a rule the typical Jewish dish contains a large proportion of fat which when combined with cereal or vegetable fruits, nuts, sugar or honey, forms a dish supplying all the nourishment required for a well-balanced meal. Many of these dishes, when combined with meat, require but a small proportion of same. Wherever fat is called for, it is intended that melted fat or dripping be used. In many of the dishes where fat is required for frying, any of the good vegetable oils or butter substitutes may be used equally well. These substitutes may also be used in place of butter or fat when same is required as an ingredient for the dish itself. In such cases less fat must be used, and more salt added. It is well to follow the directions given on the containers of such substitutes. It is understood that all meats be made kosher. Before preparing any dish, gather all materials, and see that all the ingredients are at hand.