Soups are served chiefly as an appetizer, though they may be made to convey considerable nourishment. As an appetizer they appeal through the senses of taste and smell. It is therefore important that they should be served hot, as hot foods give off aromas which affect the nerves of smell.

Soups may be divided into Cream Soups and Plain Soups or Soups without milk or cream.

The cream soups are the more nourishing, though many of the plain soups are of a high nutritive value.

Cream gives a very delicate flavor to cooked foods, but on account of its scarcity it is often not a convenient article.

Milk and butter may be substituted for the cream in the proportion of 2 level tablespoons of butter and seven-eighths cup of milk for each cup of cream. When milk and butter are used as a substitute for cream in soups a little flour should be used for binding.

White Sauce is frequently used as a foundation for soups.

A crisp cereal preparation, such as a cracker, thin, crisp toast or croutons should be served with soup, thus insuring some mastication of the otherwise liquid food.

Croutons

Cut bread into half inch cubes. Toast in a moderate oven.

Bread Sticks

Cut stale bread into pieces, three inches long and half an inch thick. Toast in a moderate oven.

Cream Op Celery Soup

1 cup diced celery 1 pint water.

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 pint White Sauce.

Cook the diced celery, for which one large bunch will furnish the required quantity, in the salted water, until tender. The quantity of celery and liquid should equal one pint. To this mixture add one pint of the white sauce, made as follows:

White Sauce

4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons butter.

2 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt.

Rub together the butter and the flour, adding gradually the hot, but not scalding, milk. Cook this white sauce in a double boiler for 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt.

Cream Of Corn Soup

1 can of kernelled corn 1 quart of milk.

2 teaspoons salt.

3 tablespoons flour.

3 tablespoons butter.

Turn the corn into a sauce pan, add a little water and cook gently over the fire for a few minutes. Prepare a White Sauce of the milk, flour, butter and salt. Turn the corn into the White Sauce and cook together for a few minutes. Any canned corn may be used in place of the kernelled corn, providing it is put through a colander and a little more corn is used. Kornlet may be used in place of the kernelled corn.

Cream Potato Soup No. 1

2 large or 3 medium sized potatoes.

1 pint milk 1/2 cup cream.

2 teaspoons salt.

Scrub the potatoes, pare, slice and put to cook in sufficient boiling water to cover. Put through a colander with the liquid in which they were cooked. Heat the milk and cream and add to the mashed potatoes. Add salt and cook 5 minutes.

Cream Op Potato Soup No. 2

2 medium sized potatoes.

1 pint of milk and potato water.

2 teaspoons grated onion.

1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon celery salt.

2 teaspoons chopped parsley.

Wash and pare the potatoes and slice. Put to cook in sufficient boiling salted water to cover. Cook until tender. Drain the liquid into a pint measure and mash the potatoes. Add sufficient milk to fill the pint measure and turn into the mashed potatoes. Add the grated onion, salt and celery salt to the liquid. Rub the flour and butter together and pour over it, stirring meanwhile, the hot liquids. Put to cook over the fire until thickened. Add this to the mashed potatoes, cook 5 minutes and add the chopped parsley just before serving.