Cooking foods at the temperature found to be most desirable for them will give most satisfactory results.  The Fahrenheit scale is used in all the recipes as indicated by the abbreviation F.

Temperatures for Candies:
Candy temperatures are most easily obtained by the use of a thermometer.  Cold water tests which compare favorably with the temperature tests are obtained by dropping ½ teaspoon boiling syrup into ½ cup cold water.  The following are examples of temperatures and corresponding water tests:

Item	Temperature	Cold Water Stage
Fudge, Fondant	234º  - 238º F.	Soft Ball
Divinity, Caramels	245º  - 248º F.	Firm Ball
Taffy	265º  - 270º F.	Hard Ball
Buttter-Scotch	275º  - 280º F.	Soft Crack
Brittle Candy	285º  - 290º F.	Hard Crack
Caramelized Sugar	310º  - 320º F.	Caramel Stage

Temperatures Used in Deep Fat Cooking:

Select a fat with a high smoking point, and one which will not absorb food flavors.  Fill a straight-sided, flat bottomed kettle with melted fat to the depth of 2 1/3″ to 3″.  Place the food in a wire basket.

After having been used, the fat, if dark, may be clarified by slowly cooking in it 6 to 8 thin slices of pared raw potatoes.  When the fat ceases to bubble and the potatoes are well browned, strain and store in a cool place.

Temperatures for deep fat frying may be determined by a thermometer or by browning a 1″ cube of bread in the hot fat.  The temperature of the fat should be kept uniform during the cooking process.  This may be accomplished by frying small quantities at one immersion.  The following are examples of temperatures and corresponding bread cube tests:

Item	Thermometer	Bread Cubes Brown in:
Doughnuts and Fritters	360º  - 365º F.	60 seconds
Croquettes	365º  - 380º F.	40 seconds
French Fried Potatoes	380º  - 390º F.	20 seconds

Oven Temperatures:

Temperatures for oven cooking may be determined with an oven thermometer, automatic oven temperature control, or by noting the time required for browning to a golden brown 1 teaspoon of flour which has been lightly dusted over the bottom of a pie pan.

Oven Type	Temperature	Flour Dusting Method
Very Slow Oven	250º  - 300º F.	5 minutes
Slow Oven	300º  - 350º F.	4 minutes
Moderate Oven	350º  - 400º F.	3 ½ minutes
Hot Oven	400º  - 450º F.	1 ¼ minutes
Very Hot Oven	450º  - 550º F.	½ minute

A Griddle or Waffle Iron is sufficiently hot for baking griddle cakes or waffles if the Griddle/Waffle Iron will snap when cold water is dropped on it.  Drop the water on the Griddle/Waffle Iron when it is smoking hot.

Information taken from the 1938 The Household Searchlight Recipe Book