POTATOES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2215, 18 September 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

POTATOES .

Till*, potato is an atr'teablp and wholesome; food, but can only form a good :n d economical diet when mixed with other jilinicntriry sjbstanu\s. , bring 1 deficient m nitrogen and f.ir, it should be .it-sociateJ with meat or h'4i. In Ireland, and in some countiy districts, potato. \s iorm a very often-used dish, when e.ifen with buttermilk and salt, and as such they supply iv really inexpensive Act nutritious ji'id p ilat ible repast. It is surprising th it churn, or buttermilk, is not in gieater dcmiuii in our large towns ; it consists of a solution of cheese, or caseine, with suirar, and a fair percentage of fat, >.nd .some health-giving salts. Lookinsr at its percentage of nutrition and its commercial co-t, the balance i-* 1 ir^ely in f.ivour of the purchaser; and were it supplied m quantity, fresh and undiluted, it would be welcomed by the poor livinir in towns inste, id of being retained for the US3 of the pigs. This seems also a good opportunity to direct attention to the value of good bkimmed or old milk as a cheap food. "omo recent investigations by Ritth.ius'n, a Gcrui'tn chemist, tend to 4iow that tho pri'e p.iid for albumenoifls, th.it 1- flesh forming ui.i'<ti ils, in slim milk, is loss thfiu th it paid fo. any oidin.iry food in the mai ker, e\o< pt stook-h'-h Twoqu.uts of bkirn milk contain as much iiit'o_'cnous mateiiril .is lib of me it. In towns t.iis milk i> sold at 2d per q . irt, and at this pi ice it is much cheaper th/in mea" , but thesivinir is nm< h irieatei still iti the country, wh^re good skim milk can beobt lined at Id per qu.ut. Atrrii ultut .1 1 ibourers live la.jrely upon skim miik, buttermilk, -and pot itoes, and the imxtuie clos-ly resembles beef and potat-x" , so far ■is cherni' 1 d composition is "onecrno.l. This f ,v t may Mm what e'xp! Un the health and sticnirth of the ajrii'-ultu" il libonrer. Mis-, B'.yth »i\esthe tollovunir excellent directions for the cooking of potatoes : — 1. Wash potatoes in cold water, nc er hot. Why? P»ecuise warm witei would draw away some of the nourishment. 2. Potatoes aie be--t w hen boiled in their c kips Wh\ ? Because tin' mo-.t noui filing p'irt is next to the '•kin, and the -Kin, not being porous, kejps in the noiuisiiment. 3. Old potatoes are put on the fire with co fit water, while ynuni* ones aie put into boiling water. Why? Beciuse slow cooking is needed to yet to the hi art of the old and som. what hu ! v\t*n, while it would nuke the young one. sole and watery. 4 Do not cover then with water till they are about to be set on the tiie. ■Vhy? Because if they stand long, cvi u in cold water, nourishment will be lost. f>. Let all the potatoes boiled at one time be a.s nearly possible of the .same bi/c. Why ? That we may not have some haul and others in a pulp, but all equally well cooked. (>. Keep them coveied bile they are being cooked. Why? Because if the pan be wholly or paitly unco\eicd, the steam in escaping carries off some of the heat, and involves prolonged cooking. 7. When they are sufficiently cooked the water is poured oil", and they are again set near the Hie, meiely covered uith the lid of the .saucepan tilted to one side. Why? Because we must now let the supeiiluous moisture escape that the potato may be mealy, not watery. The economist should especially note that potatoes are best cooked in their skins, for Dr. Letheby states that the waste is then only 3 per cent., or half an ounce in a pound, wheie as if they are peeled iii-.t it is not le^s than 14 per cent , oi fro"n 2 to 3 ounces in the pound. How few people know r that almost the entire nourishment of a potato lies within a quarter of an inch of the skm ; therefore, peeling removes almost all that is valuable. If a very fine slice of thin section of a raw potato be h^ld before a veiy strong light this fact will become obvious the starch cells will be seen thickly packed beneath the skin, while the inner pait of the circle will be observed to be mere moisture. The true nutriment lies, however, not in the skin, but immediately beneath it. The outside is a most indigestible corky substance, and only serves the purpose ot retaining the juices of the potato. Invalids should, therefore, avoid the skin, and though the potato ia perhaps best boiled, or steamed, for all ordinary purposes, it i*3 to be obser\ ed that they are more diecstable baked than when boiled— a baked potato digests in '.H hours, boiled in o.\ hours. When a c coin" pare the potato with wheat, oats', barley, or other farinaceous products, we see that it falls far short in nntutive value, but its u.se, nevei theless, has »iv important influence on tho general hrakh. In onsideling the .subject of diet we must not retr content with a calculation of amounts of flesh formei.s and he it pioduceis, but we must also lcckon up the percentage of minerals or .s ilts contained in our daily fare. If thc>e 'tie \\ mting oi uefn lent the penalty ia ill hcilth. Cut the u-gulai and due biipply of poi.r<h baltb aie especially needed to picsci\c the blood m a healthy state, and a.s potatoes contain about a teaspoonful ot potash in each pound, that fact may » \plain the intenst longing tliat son"j [copies tike ior pot a toes, and why we i>c\ ci seem to tiie- ot them as the companion of Meat dishes They ha\o spiei il anti-si orbutie probities, and foi tins it s.son aie always em ploj'ed, cillu v li -h or pusuivod, on board vessels at b^a.