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The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Produce

These basic tips may seem unnecessary for most modern households with a refrigerator, but modern devices can make people lazy and it is well-worth while knowing ‘why’ we must do certain things. It is also worth remembering these tips when refrigerators are not at hand or are so small that they will not hold everything, such as when camping or boating or on holiday in some parts of the world.

MILK:

Milk is known as ‘nature’s perfect food’, because no other food, taken alone, can support adult human life. It is of the utmost importance for the growth and development of adolescents, but it must be clean as bacteria also find it very nourishing and quickly multiply in it. If your milk is not bought pasteurized, then it should be scalded and cooled quickly before consumption.

How To Scald Milk: Rinse out a clean pan with cold water, pour in the milk and heat until bubbles rise around the side of the pan. Maintain the milk at this temperature, ie, do not let it boil, for three minutes. Do not let it overheat, as milk burns very easily. Pour immediately into a clean receptacle and stand it in a basin of cold water and cover with a muslin cloth to discourage the ingress of flies and dust.

How To Keep Milk Fresh: If milk is not be kept in the containers in which it was bought, transfer it to a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm container will cause milk to stick to the sides and go off more quickly. Keep milk in the coolest place in the larder and always covered. it is worth remembering that draughts are often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering dangling in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the containers remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs odours easily. Never mix new milk with old.

Sour Milk: Milk straight from the cow is slightly alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is formed and it becomes what we call ’sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk slows down this process. Milk which is ‘just on the turn’ can be revived by boiling with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to restore the alkalinity. Once the milk has gone too far and has curdled, it can be strained through (cheese) cloth, thereby separating the curds from the whey. The curds can be used as a filling for cakes, tarts, scones etc and the whey can be used as the liquid for making scones, cakes and soups etc., as it still has much goodness.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water content driven off by heat in some form or another before being placed in its container. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only slightly longer than fresh milk.

Condensed Milk: This is simply evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before canning. The sugar acts as a preservative and will keep the milk for about a week. Do not keep in the tin, but decant it into a jug.

Dried Milk: Dried milk comes is available in a variety of forms and particular attention should be paid to the instructions on the label. Niche market products can be bought especially for babies, invalids, convalescents and dieters, all of which contain varying amounts and types of added vitamins and minerals. Usually, they contain a great deal less fat than normal milk.

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The Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

EGGS: Part 1

Eggs can be fresh or dried, the latter being only chickens’ eggs without the shell and water. Dried egg should be stored in a cool, dry place – not in the fridge! Store eggs for a few days or a week in a cool place not close to strong-smelling foods. An egg stand is ideal for this purpose. If the eggs are soiled, wipe them clean – washing will remove the natural oils which help to preserve the eggs.

Pickled Eggs: eggs laid in the Spring keep better than those laid in the other seasons. Eggs that will not clean-up, must be rejected. Waterglass or the special preparations should be used. If an egg floats to the surface, use it immediately. Try to maintain the ambient temperature between 2 and 8 C and they should keep for 6 to 9 months.

Preparing Eggs for Cooking: break each egg into a cup on its own, before adding it to the other ingredients to ensure that it is still fresh. If you wish to separate the white from the yolk, tip the contents of the egg back and forth between the two egg shell halves and the albumen (white) will separate from the yolk. Beat the eggs with a whisk or a fork in an appropriate bowl. Egg whites should be whipped with a knife on a plate – a tiny amount of of salt will help.

Raw eggs used to be prescribed for invalids as they are easily digestible, but this not recommended these days due to the ubiquity of salmonella and other diseases. One method, retold here for the curious was to strain a beaten egg into a mug and slowly add a cup of hot milk (or tea, coffee or lemon water; add sugar to taste. Sherry was often added too.

Cooking Eggs: eggs should be cooked slowly because the white cooks at a temperature lower than that of boiling water and becomes ‘tough’ at higher temperatures. By the same token, if you use raw egg to thicken a sauce and the liquid is subsequently allowed to boil, the sauce will ‘curdle’, i.e. the egg will solidify into small specks, ruining its texture.

Coddling: produces easily digested egg-whites, making it an ideal method for invalids and children. Lower eggs into 3″ (75mm) boiling water; place lid and remove from heat. Let stand for: 7 mins for medium-, 5 mins for soft- and 20 mins for hard-boiled.

Boiling: lower fresh eggs gently into 75mm boiling water with a spoon. Cover and boil gently for 3-3″ mins for soft-, 4-5 mins medium- and 10 mins hard-boiled eggs.

Place in egg cups and tap the shell to crack it, allowing the steam to escape, thus preventing further cooking. For sandwiches, salads etc: boil the egg for 12 mins and plunge into cold water. This allows the shell to be easily removed and prevents a black ring forming around the yolk.

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Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

Eggs: Part 2

Poaching: boil 40mm water in a frying pan; add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar. Crack egg into cup, inspect and tip into water. Turn down the heat. Gather the white around the unbroken yolk with a spoon and simmer for 3-4 mins. Lift out with a fish slice, drain and serve on hot buttered toast.

Scrambling: beat the eggs well; add salt, pepper to taste and a dash of milk. Melt enough butter to cover the bottom of a small pan. Fry the eggs slowly, stirring continuously. Cook in a basin floating in boiling water, if preferred. Serve when almost completely set, in about 5 mins.

Frying: Melt enough fat to easily cover the base of the pan. Tip egg in gently and gather white around the yolk. When the white has set, baste the yolk to taste and remove whole with a fish slice.

Baked Eggs: lightly grease a fireproof dish and slide the egg(s) gently into it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and butter to taste. Bake in a moderate oven and serve in the same pan after the whites have set to your liking.

Omelettes: buy a pan and keep it just for omelettes! The base should be smooth and clean. Allow two eggs per serving; whip lightly and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat enough butter to cover the bottom of a shallow pan. When the butter is fairly hot, gently tip in the beaten eggs; as it sets, lift the handle and draw the set mixture up towards the handle, allowing the liquid egg to run down onto the hot pan. When all the liquid has set, tilt the pan back and roll the omelette up. Serve immediately on a hot plate. The omelette can be filled with almost anything, before being rolled over.

Pouring Custard: lightly beat 2-3 eggs for every pint of milk. Heat the milk and gradually pour over the eggs; add sugar and flavouring to suit your taste; cook in a double pan or jug and hot water until the required consistency has been reached. If it is not to be served up immediately, pour a thin layer of water onto it’s surface to stop a skin forming on top.

Baked Custard: start as above and then transfer the custard into a greased dish; sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and place dish in water to halfway up its sides. Bake at 350 F for 35-45 mins; test its solidity by inserting a knife – it should be clean on withdrawal.

Steamed Custard: as baked custard, but cook in a steamer or pan of boiling water. The cooking time is about the same too.

Custard Tarts: pour pouring custard into unbaked pastry cases and bake in the oven for 40-50 mins. A little jam can be placed in the bottom of the case first, if desired.

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About The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Products.

CHEESE.

Cheeses are manufactured from milk which has been naturally or artificially turned sour. The first method is brought about by standing the milk in a warm place and allowing natural, beneficial bacteria to turn the milk’s natural sugars into lactic acid. The second method is effected by adding an agent, usually in to form of rennet.

Colouring and salt are frequently put in too. The whey is then drained off and the curds are pressed into moulds where they are kept until ripened or cured. Some cheeses are subjected to pressure; soft cheeses are not. Curds are ripened or cured by a variety of means. The method, the quality of the milk, the breed of cow, sheep or other animal and the quality of its pasture and the type of bacteria all govern the final result.

Some local conditions are unique and those areas produce cheeses that are not successfully replicated elsewhere: cheeses like Gruyere and Camembert, although factories do attempt it. Some even have some success, just think most of the world’s Cheddar cheese now comes from the United States and Canada.

The constituents of cheese are typically: 33% fat, 33% protein and 33% water with salt, colouring, sugar etc making up the rest. These percentages vary from region to region as some producers use full-cream milk, others skimmed-milk and yet others add extra cream. Some add extra sugar, most do not. All cheeses have a high calcium content and may be considered ‘concentrated milk’ and stored as such.

Many people say that cheese most not be kept in a fridge and while storing in water, as for milk, is not an option, a cool larder is certainly ideal. Try the traditional method of hanging it up in muslin in a cool, breezy place. If it is hot, moisten the muslin cloth with water to which a little vinegar has been added.

in Europe, cheese is frequently served with a salad or/and bread and is often presented after or instead of the dessert course. Hard cheese can be nigh-on impossible for children to digest and grating it first will make it more edible for them. After being grated the cheese can be scattered on vegetables or fish soups or sauces; combined with egg, pasta, rice and oatmeal dishes; put on baked potatoes or pastry; toasted on bread or put in sandwiches or salads.

How To Cook Cheese: A not well known fact is that a lot of people find cooked cheese indigestible. The reason lies in its molecular structure. Here is why: cooked starch can be digested by the saliva in the mouth but other foods must pass to the stomach or intestines for this process. They are, however, broken up in the mouth. Digestion of protein begins in the stomach and is completed in the small intestine, while fat is not rendered soluble until it reaches the small intestine.

Cheese has a high fat and protein content, but when melted, the fat frequently covers the protein and stops the digestive juices reaching it in the stomach. This results in, its digestion is delayed until the fat has been absorbed by the intestines. Cheese can be made more digestible in the following way:

1] Adding to or combining with starchy foods. The starch will absorb the fat, not allowing it to cover the protein.

2] Using seasoning: Cayenne Pepper or mustard will irritate the intestinal lining, causing the release of extra digestive juices.

3] Cooking quickly. This has the effect of preventing the protein from becoming tough and stringy and so, harder to digest. You could also add the cheese late to sauces.

4] Adding alkali. A large pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda per 75g will help neutralize the fatty acids and make the proteins more easily digestible.

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