CREAMED CODFISH

1 pt. of salt codfish picked up fine ; cover in cold water and bOil up once ; turn off water and add 1 pt. of cream thickened slightly or a cream sauce. (See index. )

MEATS AND SAUCES. 35

MEATS AND SAUCES

Mrs. F. P. Hue

The qviality of beef depends on the age of the creature, and man- ner of feeding". Good beef should be firm and of fine grained tex- ture, bright red in color, and well mottled and coated with fat. The fat should be firm, and of a yellowish color. Suet should be dry and crumble easily. Meat should be removed from paper as soon as it comes from the market, otherwise the paper absorbs some of the juice.

Keep meat in a cool i)laee. Always wipe beef before cooking, with a cheesecloth wrung out of cold water, but never allow it to stand in cold water. Inattention to the temperature of the water and too early application of salt causes great waste in boiling meats. To make fresh meat rich and nutritious it should be placed in a ket- tle of boiling water, skimmed well as soon as it begins to boil again, and placed where it will slowly boil. Turn meat occasionally and keep well under water and fresh hot water supplied as it evapor- ates in boiling. Boil gently, as rapid boiling hardens the fiber and renders the meat hard and tasteless. No salt should be added until the meat is nearly done, as it extracts the juices if added too soon. Salt meats should be put on in cold water, so that it may freshen in cooking; as soon as water boils (if meat is very salt), replace by fresh cold water, the water being changed until it remains fresh enough to give meat a palatable flavor when done. Allow twenty minutes to the pound for fresh meats, and twenty-five for salt and smoked meats; the time to be modified, of course, by the quantity of meat. The broth of boiled meats should always be saved to use in soups, stews and gravies. A pod of red pepper in the water will prevent the unpleasant odor from filling the house.