Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/168

126 QUANTITIES AND MEASURES

APOTHECARIES

Apothecaries compound their medicines by this weight, but buy and sell their drugs by avoirdupois.

QUANTITIES AND TIME

Scales and weights for weighing are desirable in all culinary operations, but they are not indispensable; for weights and measures have their equivalents, as the appended tables will show. They may not be strictly exact, but they are sufficiently so for ordinary purposes. The "rule of thumb" system sometimes produces very good results, but it is uncertain, and it is better to have a rough guide than none; and failing weights and scales, all ingredients should be measured in cups, spoons, or whatever utensil or vessel may be best suited to the quantity. But whether the ingredients are intended for a cake, pudding, soup or sauce, something more than exact weight and measure and careful mixing is required. The recipes give precise directions as to application of strong or gentle heat, and whether the vessels are to remain uncovered or otherwise. If these directions be disregarded, and soups or stews are allowed to reduce themselves by evaporation and rapid boiling, it naturally follows that the amount of liquid allowed for the stew is too little, and the quantity of thickening intended for the soup will be found too much. If eggs were of uniform size, and if flour always absorbed the same amount of liquid, it would be possible to state precisely how many eggs or how much milk would sufficiently moisten a given quantity of flour. As matters stand, indecisive terms and directions are sometimes unavoidable; occasionally something must be left to the discretion and common-sense of the worker.