FLOUR.
Good nutritive flour has a yellowish tinge on account of the nutritive gluten contained therein; flour must not be gray, for this color denotes impurities. The whiter the flour the larger is the proportion of starch and smaller the proportion of albuminous substances. To test flour, put some of it on a bluish white sheet of paper, where color, finish and grain can be distinguished.
The finest brands of flour have less albumen than others, because this is distributed near the outer shell, which is removed. Good flour possesses a certain degree of cohesiveness which can be observed when pressing some of it in the hand; poor flour acts like dust.
Flour made of grain not thoroughly seasoned is not well adapted for gravies and baking. Adulterations and mixtures of good and poor flour are easily detected in cooking and baking as the gravies are thinner and cakes are liable to fall.
To keep large quantities of flour, the same must be placed high in a covered wooden box in an airy place, so that the moisture of the floor and air which is deleterious, may not affect it. Flour must turned and sifted often.