In Conclusion—Let Nothing Be Wasted
That small piece of ham left from breakfast, finely minced, will doubtless make one tablespoonful, when finely minced, for your omelet.
The half-cup of creamed onions left from dinner, if rubbed through a sieve, added to thin white sauce and served with “hard boiled” eggs, will furnish a delicious dish for luncheon or supper.
The small bits of jelly added to a berry pie will materially improve the richness of its juice, or it may be added to the mince meat, but should never be thrown away. The tablespoonful of apple and other sauces left-over may be used in a similar way.
The leaves and roots of celery, as well as the outer stocks, may all be used either for making cream of celery soup or for flavoring the soup stock.
Broken crackers that cannot be served on the table, may be crushed moderately and used for stuffing, or may be rolled fine and used for crumbing oysters, scallops or fish, croquettes, etc.
There need be no waste of stale bread in the kitchen. For stale bread can be used in an infinite variety of ways. Only the thin brown crust may be removed and this makes good food for the chickens. Smalls bits of bread should be dried in the warming oven, covered with a piece of cheese cloth to protect it from dust, then passed through the meat chopper and sifted. The fine crumbs are used for crumbing purposes, and the coarse crumbs for the top of Au Gratin dishes.
The onion from which a slice has been cut, should be turned “cut side” down on a saucer, and covered with a cup or small bowl, and set aside in a cool place for future use.
When using garlic, break off one section, called “a clove of garlic,” in cooking parlance. The remainder of bulb will keep some time if kept dry.
The outer leaves of lettuce, if not wilted and torn, may be cut in shreds or ribbons and used to garnish salad or cold meat dishes.
Stale cheese has many possibilities, as shown in the chapter on “How to Use Stale Cheese.” If kept in a cool place, in a covered dish, it may be grated and ready for future use.
The stale rye bread makes delicious stuffing, and is also used for making puddings.
Brown bread may be dried, then crumbed and used in ice cream or bisque, and will take the place of macaroons very palatably.