GENERAL REMARKS

Meat, to be in perfection, should be kept a number of days, when the ■weather will admit of it. Beef and mutton should be kept at least a week in cold weather and poultry three or four days. In the summer meat should be kept in a cool, airy place, away from the flies, and if there is any danger of its spoiling, a little salt should be rubbed over it. Or it may be kept sweet, even in very warm weather, by covering it lightly with bran and hanging it in a draught in a shady, cool room. Meat can also be preserved by washing the meat, drying it and laying in strong vinegar, or by being boiled in the vinegar, leaving it in until cold, and then setting aside in a cool cellar.

To thaw frozen meat, place it for a few hours in cold water, the ice which forms on the surface as it thaws being easily removed. If cooked before entirely thawed, it will be tough. Meat once frozen should not be allowed to thaw until just before cooking.

Boiling fresh meat is a science, for if not properly boiled it is tough and tasteless. To make fresh meat nutritious and to confine its rich juices, place it in a kettle of boiling water — pure soft water is best — placing it where it will slowly but constantly boil. Skim it well the first time it boils up, and keep the meat constantly turned and under the water, adding fresh hot water as it evaporates in boiling. Do not let the meat remain long in the water after it is done, as it injures it, and add salt when the meat is nearly done, as it extracts the juices of the meat if added too soon.

Salt meat should be put on in cold water so that it may freshen in cooking. Allow twenty-five minutes for the fresh and thirty-five for the salt meat ; the time for boiling to be modified by the quality and quan- tity of the meat. A pot of red pepper in the water will prevent the unpleasant odor of boiling from filling the house.

The liquor in which any kind of meat is boiled makes a good soup when thickened and seasoned.

Baking meats is a very cheap and convenient way of dressing a din- ner for a small family. Legs and loins of pork, legs of mutton, fillets of veal, and many other joints will bake to great advantage, if the meat be good or rather fat ; but. if poor no baking will give satisfaction. Have the fire bright and the oven hot, wipe the meat dry with a towel, then, if not thoroughly clean, dash over cold water and quickly wipe dry. Have the pan hot when you put the meat in. If it is beef, put it in the hot pan and let it stand a half moment and then turn it over, thus searing both sides and preventing the juices from running so

GENERAL REMARKS. 521

quickly. Do not put the salt and pepper on the meat, but put it in the pan with the water and then baste the eat mevery three or four min- utes. You will find the meat will be thoroughly seasoned and will be much more juicy and tender, than by the old way of rubbing the salt on the meat ; putting the salt direct on the meat draws the juice out and toughens it. The time for baking meat depends upon the state of the oven and kind of meat baked. Fifteen minutes to the pound and fifteen minutes longer is the rule for beef and mutton, and twenty minutes to the pound and twenty minutes longer for pork, lamb and veal, or a little less if wanted very rare. When done the roast should be a rich brown, and when cut the bright red juices should follow the knife of the carver ; if purple, then it is raw, and unfit for food.

Broiling is the favorite method of cooking steaks and chops and is most acceptable for beef and mutton. Cleanliness in this mode of cooking is very essential. Keep the gridiron clean between the bars, and bright on the top ; when it is hot wipe it well with a cloth just before you use it. It is best to oil the gridiron with suet, and, also, to heat it before putting the meat on. Chalk is sometimes rubbed on the gridiron, when fish is to be broiled. It is better to have a gridiron expressly for fish, otherwise, meat is often made to taste fishy.

Tough steak is made more tender by pounding or hacking with a dull knife, but a tender steak should never be cut, else the rich juices will be lost. Never salt or pepper steak before or while broiling, but if very lean, dip in melted butter. Steak should be placed over a hot, clear fire and turned often so that the inside may be seared at once to retain the juices. When done, which will require from five to ten minutes, according to thickness of steak, season with salt and pepper, and bits of butter ; cover with a hot platter and serve at once. Use the best of butter for steak, and handle it with a small pair of broiling tongues, as a fork frees the juices. If fat drops on the coals below and there is danger of the meat tasting smoky, sprinkle a little salt on the conls and withdraw the gridiron for a moment. Have the meal all ready before broiling the steak and be diligently attentive to watch the moment any- thing is done. Never hasten the broiling of anything, lest you spoil it. Broiled meats must be brought to the table as hot as possible.

Frying is a very convenient mode of cookery. To make sure that the pan is quite clean, rub a little fat over it, and then make it warm, and wipe it out with a clean cloth. It is best to fry in lard not salted, and this is better than butter. Mutton and beef suet are good for fry- ing. The real secret in frying is to know when the fat is of a proper heat — according to what you wish to fry. When the lard seems hot, try it by throwing in a bit of bread. To fry fish, the fire must be very clear, and the fat very hot. When taking up fried articles, drain off the fat on a wire sieve.

522 MEATS.

To roast meats or game before the fire, the first preparation is to have the spit properly cleansed. It is well, if possible, to wash them before they get cold. When your meat is thin and tender, have a small, brisk fire. When you have a large joint to roast, make up a sound, strong fire, equally good in all parts. Set the meat, at first, some distance from the place where it is to roast, so as to have it heat through grad- ually, and then move it up to roast. Allow about fifteen minutes to the pound of most all kinds of meat in warm weather, but in winter twenty minutes. When the meat is nearly done, stir up the fire to brown it. The meat should be basted a good deal, especially the first part of the time. A pale brown is the proper color for a roast. When the meat is nearly done, the steam from it will be drawn towards the fire.

Parsley is the universal garnish for all kinds of cold meats, poul- try, fish, etc. Horse-radish is a garnish for roast beef, and slices of lemon for roast veal and calf's head. Carrots in slices, for boiled beef, hot or cold. Red beet root sliced, for cold meat and boiled beef. Mint either with or without parsley for roast lamb, either hot or cold. Pickled gherkins, capers or boiled onions, for boiled meats and stews,