Produced by Clare Elliott, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
[Illustration: By permission of Harrison H Dodge, Superintendent A
CORNER OF WASHINGTON'S KITCHEN AT MOUNT VERNON]
School and Home Cooking is a text which can be placed in the handsof the pupils and used by them as a guide both in the school and home. Itsuse eliminates note-taking (which in reality is dictation) and thus savesmuch time.
The psychological method of education, which treats first ofmaterial within the experience of the beginner and with that as a basisdevelops new material to meet the needs of the pupil, was kept in mind inpreparing this text. Although the grouping of foods rich in each foodstuffmay be considered a logical arrangement, the method of arrangement of thecontent of each division and the method of approach of each lesson ispsychological. The manipulative processes and kinds of dishes aresufficiently varied to arouse and sustain the interest of a pupil.
Experience with pupils in the classroom shows that their interest in anysubject cannot be awakened by using a list or classification involvingtechnical terms in introducing the subject. For this reason aclassification of the foodstuffs is not placed at the beginning of thetext; they are classified after each is considered.
At the close of each division of the text there is placed a group oflessons called Related Work, which includes table service lessons,home projects, and meal cooking. Table service lessons areintroduced in this way to emphasize the fact that a complete meal shouldbe prepared before all types of foods are studied and manipulativeprocesses are performed. The cost and food value of mealsare considered in conjunction with their preparation. Wiseselection and thrifty buying of foods are also treated inthese lessons.
Home projects which progressive teachers have found effective inmaking home economics function in the home—one of the goals to beattained in democratic education—contain suggestive material which maybe adapted to the particular needs of the pupils in their homes.
An adaptation of the "meal method," i.e., meal cooking, is usedboth for the purpose of reviewing processes of cooking, and also forgaining skill and speed in the preparation of several foods at the sametime.
Experiments regarding food preparation and composition andprocesses of digestion are found in this book. Special care has been takento state these experiments in terms within the understanding of the pupiland to intersperse definite questions so that a pupil can followdirections, make observations, and draw helpful deductions.
The recipes have been adapted from various sources. Where it ispossible, without a sacrifice of flavor or food value, the least expensivefood materials are used. The more expensive materials are used assparingly as possible. Definite and practical methods of preparing foodsfollow the list of ingredients. The recipes have proved satisfactory inthe home kitchen.
Special thanks are due to Mrs. Mary Swartz Rose, Assistant Professor ofNutrition, Teachers College, Columbia University, for criticizing portionsof the text regarding dietetics; to Miss S. Gertrude Hadlow, Head of theDepartment of Engl