FISH
Fresh fish is offered in variety at all seasons of the year, and is a valuable and comparatively inexpensive food; salted and smoked fish contain much protein in a concentrated form; the canned varieties are important, too, especially for the emergency shelf, as they furnish a substantial, inexpensive food which can be served in many ways at short notice.
GROCERIES
Groceries in sealed packages are, as a rule, slightly more expensive than those sold in bulk; but they are cleaner, often fresher, and more convenient to store and use.
BUTTER AND OTHER SHORTENING
To the taste of the average person, there is no real equivalent for the flavor of fine creamery butter, but, for cooking, excellent results may be obtained by the use of cheaper shortening, beginning with the common household fats which are so often discarded. All drippings from the roasts and fat from boiled meats should be carefully strained and saved; beef and chicken fat may be used in many recipes, including those for cookies, cakes, meat sauces, soups, and made dishes; bacon fat is excellent for corn cake, meat sauces, and soups of peas, beans, or lentils; sausage fat may be used for gingerbread, cookies, poultry stuffing, and also for frying potatoes and other vegetables, for in these the spicy flavoring is not objectionable. Both bacon and sausage fat and that from soup stock are useful for basting lean roasts, fish, or meat loaf. Any surplus fat, including that of lamb and mutton, should be clarified and added to that in the frying kettle. Fat which cannot be utilized for cooking should be made into kitchen soap.
COOKING FATS—OILS
There are many excellent brands of wholesome cooking fats and oils on the market, including peanut, corn, and cottonseed oil, and compound vegetable fats. Almost any of these costs less than butter.
OLEOMARGARINE
The best oleomargarine is wholesome and economical, and much to be preferred to inferior grades of butter.