Toast is considered separately from bread, as it enters into so many combinations making a complete meal, and the ordinary methods of cooking are liable to devitalize all of the ingredients.

Common toast is not so nutritious as is usually imagined, as at best some of the cells are burned into ash, however, the craving of the ash is responsible for the desire for toast when other food is distasteful, as in sickness. The poison of the ash in small quantities acts as a mild stimulant and if toast is well combined with milk, eggs, cheese, nuts, etc., it becomes a permissable foundation for many luncheon or breakfast dishes where light bread would otherwise be entirely discarded.

No article or diet requires more skill in its preparation than toast. It should be made from freshly sliced light bread or whole wheat bread not too new for firmness. It must be seared to a golden brown quickly on one side only, before a hot fire, in a gas toaster, or on a hot stove or a heavy griddle. In this way the inner cells are not raised to a high degree of heat. If it is desired hard and crisp it should be put into a slow oven to dry gradually, then buttered. When bread is buttered and placed in a hot oven to toast, the high degree of heat required for browning and drying destroys the life in the proteid cells which have been protected in the first baking, as well as decomposing the fat globules of the butter.

Milk-Toast

Bread. Butter. Milk. Flour.

Toast six slices of bread to golden brown. Heat one pint of milk over hot water. Dissolve a table-spoon of flour in a little cold milk and add to the hot milk. Stir until it thickens. Add to this one table-spoon of butter. Pour over the toast and serve in individual hot plates.

Grandmother's Milk-Toast

Bread. Butter. Milk. Flour.

Heat one pint milk, stir into it one table-spoon flour, add spoon of butter. Do not let it boil but stir as it gradually thickens. Season to taste and put into it slices of untoasted bread allowing it to simmer but not burn or boil, for ten minutes.

Cheese-Toast

Bread. Butter. Cheese.

Butter six slices of bread and cover with grated cheese. Put upon a heavy griddle and toast to a golden brown on the bottom side. As the toasted side becomes crisp the butter and cheese are melted but not injured by heat, making a nutritious and delicious rarebit.

Cheese may be slowly melted in the oven on dry buttered toast.

Egg-Toast

Bread. Butter. Eggs.

Toast and butter six slices of bread. Scramble three eggs and serve one table-spoonful on each slice of toast.

Poached Egg Toast

Bread. Butter. Eggs.

Cream. Toast and butter six slices of bread; dry in the oven until crisp. Poach six eggs and serve one on each slice of toast, covering each egg with a spoonful of hot cream.

Cream-Toast

Bread. Butter. Cream.

Toast and butter six slices of bread. Pour over them one cup of hot cream. If preferred sweet, one teaspoon of sugar may be added to the cream. Milk is more desirous than cream when sugar is used as it is not so rich or heating.

Nut-Toast

Bread. Butter. Nutmeats.

Toast and butter six slices of bread. Melt the butter on the toast in the oven. While hot cover thickly with ground nut-meats.

English Walnuts And Toast

Bread. Butter. Nuts.

Cream. Parsley.

Toast and butter six slices of bread; dry crisp in the oven. Dip a dozen nuts in melted butter, turning them from side to side until slightly heated through. Cover each slice of toast with a spoon of hot cream and serve two nuts on each slice. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Golden-Ball Toast

Bread Butter. Hard cooked eggs.

Milk. Flour. Lettuce.

Toast and butter six slices of bread; simmer six eggs until they are hard; thicken one pint of milk with two table spoons of flour and season with, butter. To the thickened milk add the shredded whites of the eggs and pour over the toast on individual hot plates. Upon each slice of toast place a curley leaf of lettuce, holding the unbroken yolk of the egg, or the yolk may be pressed through a seive, and heaped upon the lettuce leaf. A few drops of lemon juice may be added to the yolk.