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| _Crown 8vo, 2/6 net_ |
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| A GUIDE |
| TO |
| MODERN COOKERY |
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| BY THE SAME AUTHOR |
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| _Fourth Edition_ |
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| _Crown 8vo, 2/6 net_ |
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| =366= MENUS and |
| =1200= RECIPES |
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| Of the Baron Brisse |
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| In FRENCH and ENGLISH |
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| Translated by |
| Mrs. Matthew Clark |
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| _Ninth Edition_ |
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| _Fcap. 8vo, 2/6 net_ |
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| LEAVES FROM |
| OUR TUSCAN KITCHEN |
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| OR |
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| HOW TO COOK |
| VEGETABLES |
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| By Janet Ross |
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| With Photogravure Frontispiece |
| |
| _Third Edition_ |
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THE
SKILFUL COOK
A PRACTICAL MANUAL
OF
MODERN EXPERIENCE
BY
MARY HARRISON
FIRST CLASS DIPLÔMÉE, SOUTH KENSINGTON
LECTURER ON HYGIENE, DOMESTIC ECONOMY
AND COOKERY
_EIGHTH EDITION_
1905
LONDON
J. M. DENT & CO.
29 & 30, BEDFORD STREET, W.C.
_All rights reserved_
TO
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE PRINCESS CHRISTIAN
WHOSE INTEREST IN EVERY GOOD AND USEFUL WORK
HAS SO JUSTLY ENDEARED HER TO ALL
CLASSES OF THIS NATION
THIS WORK
IS
BY HER GRACIOUS PERMISSION
Most Respectfully Dedicated
BY HER
HUMBLE AND OBEDIENT SERVANT
MARY HARRISON
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Introduction 1
Hints to Young Housekeepers 6
Food and Diet 8
The Table 13
How to Cook 15
How to Clean Stoves and Cooking Utensils 19
Rules for Boiling 22
Rules for Roasting 23
Rules for Frying 24
Rules for Baking 26
Rules for Grilling 27
Rules for Broiling 27
Joints 28
Poultry and Game 32
Savoury Meat Dishes 40
Sauces 53
Breakfast Dishes and Beverages 69
Cold Meat Cookery 84
Entrées 92
Fish Cookery 111
Pastry 133
Puddings 151
Vegetables 190
Soups 203
Bread and Cakes 226
Jellies and Creams 243
Soufflées and Omelets 263
Invalid Cookery 268
Supper Dishes and Salads 277
Miscellaneous Dishes 283
Odds and Ends 288
How to use up Fragments 291
Forcemeats 293
Preserves 295
Menus 297
Suppers 308
INDEX 313
THE SKILFUL COOK.
INTRODUCTION.
The importance of every woman having a thorough knowledge of domestic
economy cannot be too strongly insisted on. The false refinement which,
of late years, has considered an acquaintance with domestic matters to
be only suitable for servants, has been fraught with the most disastrous
consequences. This may seem strong language, but it is not too strong.
All sanitary reformers know well enough that it is in the power of many
women to prevent very many deaths, and an incalculable amount of misery
and vice. Speaking of sanitary reform, the late Canon Kingsley
says:--'Women can do in that work what men cannot. The private
correspondence of women, private conversation, private example of
ladies, above all of married women, of mothers of families, may do what
no legislation can.' And again, in the same speech, delivered on behalf
of the Ladies' Sanitary Association, he says:--'Ah! would to God that
some man had the pictorial eloquence to put before the mothers of
England the mass of preventable agony of mind and body which exists in
England, year after year: and would that some man had the logical
eloquence to make them understand that it is in their power, in the
power of the mothers and wives of the higher classes--I will not say to
stop it all, God only knows that--but to stop, as I believe,
three-fourths of it.'
This may seem to some, perhaps, too serious an introduction to a cookery
book; but it is my earnest wish that my book may not be simply a
collection of recipes for cooks to refer to, but a real help to those
women who, recognising the importance of good cookery in sanitary
reform, are doing their utmost (as I know many are) to acquire that
knowledge, and are thereby making the lives of those about them brighter
and happier; and are also by their examples doing an amount of good that
they themselves scarcely dream of. I have been told more than once by
those benevolently interested in the working classes that with
instruction to ladies on cookery they had no sympathy, and they seemed
to think that it would be better if lessons on the subject were given
exclusively to the poor. They forget that the wives of the working men
are women who have most of them been domestic servants, and that what
they learn in their situations, and what habits they there acquire, they
take for _good_ or _evil_ into their own homes; and in this way an
ignorant careless mistress may be doing an infinitude of harm to her
sister women in a lower position than herself. On the other hand, a
mistress who understands thoroughly the management of a house, by wisely
training her servants in habits of order and industry, by teaching them
what they do not know and have had no opportunity of learning about
hygiene or the laws of health, may be--in fact cannot help being--a
blessing indirectly to many homes.
I believe that the working classes must be taught in this way if they
are to be taught at all. I have myself, over and over again, tried to
benefit my poorer sisters by giving them free lessons on food and
cookery; and although I invariably find a few who are very grateful for
such instruction, the majority, I imagine, never trouble to put in
practice what they have been taught. Their habits have been already
formed, and it is not easy for them to alter them. But it is a
significant fact that those who do value the lessons are generally
respectable hardworking women, who have held good situations under good
mistresses.
I have also heard it very ignorantly objected by some that by teaching
ladies how to cook, you are taking the bread out of the servants'
mouths. This is, indeed, the conclusion of a shallow mind; for with
equal justice and good sense, it might be said that the owner of any
large business was taking the bread out of his _employés'_ mouths
because he happened to be acquainted with all the details of his own
business, and was able to see that those in his employment attended to
their duties properly. But this, I suppose, everyone will admit, that
the owner of any business ignorant of the management and details of it,
would not unlikely one day find himself without any business to manage.
And if this is true with regard to men's businesses, is it not equally
so with regard to women's?
I have the greatest sympathy with servants, and would be the last to
injure them in any way. A good servant is a treasure: and good work
always deserves good wages. But the more a mistress knows of household
work herself, the more is she likely to appreciate a servant who
honestly and conscientiously performs her duties; and by understanding
their difficulties, the more consideration is she likely to show to
those in her employ.
But there are some ladies to whom a knowledge of domestic economy ought
to be especially invaluable--namely, those whose means are so limited
that they cannot afford to engage servants who have had any great
experience, and, therefore, who keep only what is called a general
servant, a term which often means a woman or girl who will undertake to
do everything, but who has only the vaguest notions of how anything
should be done. They, poor things, have had no opportunity of learning
in the homes from which they came. But it will be well for the poor
'General' if her mistress can teach and train her; for she will then
leave her situation with knowledge and habits that will make her a
valuable and useful woman, and be of the greatest service to her all her
life.
It is, however, quite surprising to see the rough way in which some
people allow themselves to be served, and the muddle in which they
prefer to live rather than do anything themselves that they consider
menial; as if an untidy house, slovenly servants, badly cooked and
coarsely served food, are not likely to do much more to lower their
self-respect than any amount of so-called drudgery. 'A gentlewoman,' it
has been said, 'never lowers herself by doing that which would make her
feel less a gentlewoman if left undone.'
How much healthier and happier, too, many girls would be, if, instead of
going out in all weathers, day after day, to earn a miserable pittance
in any such employment as daily governesses, they would do some of the
lighter housework, cooking, &c., at home. By being able to do with one
servant instead of two, they would save probably more than they could
earn in other ways, besides being much stronger from the exercise thus
taken. But too many girls are, unfortunately, imbued with the vulgar
notion that work is not genteel. What a Moloch this gentility has been
and still is! What a number of human sacrifices are continually placed
at its shrine, and what puppets its votaries become! Mr. Smiles says:
'There is a dreadful ambition abroad for being "genteel." We keep up
appearances too often at the expense of honesty, and though we may not
be rich, yet we must _seem_ to be so. We must be "respectable," though
only in the meanest sense--in mere vulgar outward show. We have not the
courage to go patiently onward in the condition of life in which it has
pleased God to call us, but must needs live in some fashionable state to
which we ridiculously please to call ourselves; and all to gratify the
vanity of that unsubstantial genteel world of which we form a part.'
It would effect a moral revolution if women would only look at matters
in the true light. How much crime and misery may be traced to mismanaged
unattractive homes! How many deaths to the ignorance of hygiene! How
much intemperance to the physical depression caused by badly cooked
food! Let us hope that the refinement, falsely so called, which is only
another name for vanity, laziness, and selfishness, may soon give way to
the true refinement of heart and mind which considers nothing too menial
which will benefit others; nothing too common that will add to the
happiness of our fellow-creatures.
If we women could earnestly and courageously endeavour to do the duty
nearest to us, remembering that all honest work, of whatever kind, has
been for ever ennobled by the great Founder of our Faith, so should we
be, one in one way and one in another, 'helping to move (to quote Dean
Goulburn) the wheels of the great world system whose revolutions are
bringing on the kingdom of Christ.' 'To be good and to be useful,' as
Canon Kingsley says, 'are the two objects for which we were sent into
this world.'
HINTS TO YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS.
She looketh well to the ways of her household.
_Proverbs of Solomon._
Take care that you know definitely what sum you can afford to spend on
your household expenses, and make it a point of conscience never to
exceed it. Market with ready money, if possible; but, if it is more
convenient to pay by the month, or quarter, never make that an excuse
for letting your bills mount up to double what you can afford to pay.
With accounts, carefully kept, it is quite possible to regulate the
expenditure to the income.
Never order things at random, but inquire the price of everything before
purchasing. Take every pains to know how to judge of the quality of
meat, groceries, &c., so that you may not be imposed on. Never be
ashamed to say you cannot afford to have this or that. To be poor may be
a misfortune, but it is not a fault; and, indeed, to be rich is often a
far greater misfortune. The discipline of poverty, and the self-denial
it involves, will often strengthen a character which the luxury of
riches would enervate.
Cultivate sufficient independence of character to enable you to form
your household, and regulate your expenses according to your _own_
means, and not according to the income of your neighbours. What does it
matter if some may sneer at your thread-bare carpets and frugal fare?
The approval of your own conscience is of far more importance than the
friendship of the vulgar-minded. Above all things keep your accounts
most strictly. Without this you are like a mariner without a compass,
or chart, you don't know where you are or what is your position, and you
will find yourself, before long, on the rocks of debt and difficulty.
Extravagant housekeeping has been the cause of the most serious evils;
and, if persisted in, will be sure, in time, to wreck the peace and
happiness of yourself and family.
Extravagance is, no doubt, often the result of mere thoughtlessness, but
that does not mend matters. There is as much evil wrought by want of
thought as by want of heart. If it is true that there is but one step
between the sublime and the ridiculous, it is equally true that there is
but one step between folly and wickedness. Therefore, all young
housekeepers ought to give earnest attention to the management of their
affairs, for certainly in these matters the 'wise woman buildeth her
house, while the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.'
FOOD AND DIET.
The human body is constantly wearing out. With every movement, every
breath drawn, there is some waste of its substance. To repair this
waste, and, in the case of children, to provide material for their
growth, a certain amount of food should be taken daily. The food taken
should consist of such qualities as will make flesh and muscle; such as
will also keep up the heat of the body, and give force, or the power of
movement. These foods must contain a certain quantity of liquid, and the
salts necessary to keep the blood pure.
TABLE OF FOODS.
Flesh-forming or Nitrogenous.
_Examples_--Meat
Poultry
Fish
Game
Eggs
Cheese
Flour
Oatmeal
Barley
Rice
Peas
Beans
Lentils
Heat-giving or Carbonaceous.
_Examples_--Butter
Suet
Dripping
And fat of all kinds
Sugar in whatever form
Starch, which is contained in all vegetables
The foods under the head of flesh-formers, although classed as
flesh-formers, are really compound foods. They contain some heat-giving
as well as flesh-forming properties.
The heat-giving foods, on the contrary, are all simple foods. Life could
not be sustained on any one of them alone, whatever quantity might be
taken. These facts are sufficient to show the necessity of a mixed diet.
Professor Church says in his lectures on this subject: 'Our food must be
palatable, that we may eat it with relish, and get the greatest
nourishment from it. The flavour and texture of food, its taste, in
fact, stimulates the production of those secretions--such as the saliva
and the gastric juice--by the action of which the food is digested or
dissolved, and becomes finally a part of the body, or is _assimilated_.
As food, then, must be relished it is desirable that it should be varied
in character--it should neither be restricted to vegetable products on
the one hand, nor to animal substances (including milk and eggs) on the
other. By due admixture of these, and by varying, occasionally, the kind
of vegetable or meat taken, or the modes of cooking adopted, the
necessary constituents of a diet are furnished more cheaply, and at the
same time do more efficiently their proper work. Now, if we were to
confine ourselves to wheaten bread, we should be obliged to eat in order
to obtain our daily supply of albuminoids, or 'flesh-formers,' nearly
4 lb.--an amount that would give us nearly twice as much of the starchy
matters which should accompany the albuminoids--or, in other words, it
would supply not more than the necessary daily allowance of _nitrogen_,
but almost twice the necessary daily allowance of _carbon_. Now animal
food is generally richer in albuminoid, or nitrogenous constituents,
than vegetable food; so, by mixing lean meat with our bread, we may get
a food in which the constituents correspond better to our requirements;
for 2 lb. of bread may be substituted by 12 oz. of meat, and yet all the
necessary carbon as well as nitrogen be thereby supplied. As such a
substitution is often too expensive, owing to the high price of
meat--cheese, which is twice as rich in nitrogenous matters (that is
flesh-formers) as butchers' meat, may be, and constantly is, employed as
a complete diet, and for persons in health, doing hard bodily work, it
affords suitable nourishment. Even some vegetable products, rich in
nitrogen, as haricot beans, may be used in the same way as meat or
cheese, and for the same purpose.'[1]
[1] Church _On Food_.
It is a pity that the value of haricot beans, peas, lentils, and oatmeal
is not more generally known. One writer says that there is as much
nourishment in 1 lb. of either of these as in 3 lb. of lean meat; and in
a lecture on the same subject, another writer states that in three
farthings' worth of oatmeal there is as much nourishment as in a mutton
chop. These are certainly facts which should be known, especially by
people of limited means. Macaroni and semolina are also valuable foods;
they are prepared from the most nutritious part of the wheat grain. Rice
and maize are deficient in flesh-forming properties, but useful as
heat-giving foods; so are, also, tapioca, cornflour, and sago.
Potatoes and fresh vegetables contain but little nourishment. They must
not, however, be despised on that account, as they are most valuable
additions to our daily diet on account of the potash and other salts
which they contain. These vegetables help to keep the blood pure. The
anti-scorbutic properties of the potato are so great, that since its
introduction into England leprosy is said to have entirely disappeared;
neither is scurvy the scourge it was formerly.
The food taken daily should be in proportion to the work done. A
labouring man, for example, working hard each day, would require such
foods as liver and bacon, steak, bullock's heart, beans, peas, cheese,
hard-boiled eggs, &c.; foods, in fact, that would not be too easily
digested. Hard work causes the food to be assimilated more readily. A
too easily digested fare would cause a constant feeling of hunger. For
anyone, on the contrary, leading a sedentary life, the food taken could
not be too digestible. In that case, mutton, plainly cooked chicken,
soles, milk puddings, and lightly boiled eggs should be the kind of
viands chosen.
Children should have plain wholesome fare. Oatmeal and bread are both
excellent foods for them. The lime they contain hardens their bones. The
bread should be made from seconds flour, which contains more
flesh-forming and mineral matter than the whiter and more sifted kinds.
Children should also have plenty of good milk. This is of the greatest
importance, especially for the first months of a child's life. Milk is
the only perfect food, and contains all that is necessary to sustain
healthy life. It is also the only food a child can properly digest,
until it cuts its teeth. The improper feeding of children is the great
cause of infant mortality. When it becomes advisable to add to milk
other foods, they should be nutritious and well cooked. Fine oatmeal or
baked flour are, perhaps, the two best. Dr. Fothergill says: 'Children
fed on the food of their seniors, or rich cake, and crammed with
sweeties, do not as a rule thrive well. They cannot compare favourably
with children fed on oatmeal, maize, and milk. Oatmeal is recovering its
position as a nursery food, after its temporary banishment. Oatmeal
porridge is the food _par excellence_ of the infants born north of the
Trent, or was, at least, and stalwart people were the results.'
There is no doubt oatmeal is an excellent food, not for children only,
but for everyone, especially for those who work hard. It is much to be
regretted that it is not more universally used. The English, as a rule,
eat too much animal food; and do not give sufficient attention to the
proper preparation of vegetables.
Oatmeal water is considered a most strengthening beverage, and is used
by men in foundries when beer and fermented liquors would be found too
heating.
Of alcoholic drinks, Mr. Buckmaster says (echoing the opinion of eminent
physiologists): 'BEER, WINE, and SPIRITS are never to be regarded as
foods. Their popular use is entirely due to their stimulating
properties. They contain no nitrogen, and are therefore not
flesh-formers, nor can they add anything to the wasting tissues. All
stimulants act by increasing, for a time, the vitality of the body; but
this activity is always followed by depression in proportion to the
previous excitement. TEA and COFFEE do, to some extent, prevent waste;
but their value as foods depends mainly on the sugar and milk taken with
them; and their use, _instead of food_, is almost as hurtful as
intoxicating drinks. COCOA differs very much from either tea or coffee,
since it is a nutritious liquid food.'
In a lecture on the action of alcohol upon health, Sir Andrew Clark says
of health: 'That it is a state which cannot be benefited by alcohol in
any degree.' He also states: 'It is capable of proof, beyond all
possibility of question, that alcohol, _in ordinary circumstances, not
only does not help work, but is a serious hindrance of work_.'
These facts are so important, and ought to be so universally known, that
it is to be hoped before long the chemistry of food will occupy the
place it should as one of the most necessary branches of everyone's
education.
THE TABLE.
A properly cooked meal, and a neatly arranged dinner-table, are
helps to the happiness and moral progress of the humblest of
families.--Buckmaster.
A really capable housekeeper will not be satisfied with good cookery
only. She will be careful to have each dish nicely served, however plain
it may be. Culture, or the want of it, will be seen at once in the
appointment of her table. This remark does not apply to a profusion of
glass, silver, or flowers--these are questions of wealth--but to the
neatness and order with which a table is laid, and the manner in which
the meal is served.
Some people are particularly sensitive to external impressions; and to
them a dinner, or any other meal, however costly, served in an untidy
room, with table-cloth soiled, silver tarnished, glasses smeared, and
above all a slovenly servant, would be enough to give a feeling of
depression that would anything but aid digestion.
A great point to be attended to is to have everything perfectly clean
and orderly, however old and plain. Clean table-cloths make a wonderful
difference to the look of a table; a few flowers also will do much to
give it a bright appearance. Servants should be neat in their dress, and
quiet in their movements. If only one is kept, that is no reason why she
should wait at table in a slovenly dress and with ruffled hair.
The dining-room should be, if possible, a bright room with a good
aspect. Heavy, sombre furniture, however fashionable, should be
avoided. It is unfortunate that so little attention is paid to the
influence of colour; a warm colouring will do much to give a bright look
to a room which would otherwise be dull.
The influence of the mental emotions on the digestion is so great that
it is important that the conversation at meals should be as cheerful as
possible, and no unpleasant subject should be discussed: anything that
disturbs the appetite disturbs the digestion also.
With these points carefully attended to--a bright room, neatly-laid
table, well-cooked food, and cheerful conversation--dinner, or any other
meal, will become what it should be, a refreshment to both mind and
body.
HOW TO COOK.
Hints to Beginners.
A few hints to beginners on the proper way to set about their work may
be, perhaps, of some use; as I know many people get disgusted with
cookery at the very outset, and after one attempt, form a resolution
never to enter the kitchen again. They have spent the whole morning
trying to make a single dish, and that has proved a failure; they have
become hot, tired, and irritable, and ill able to bear the laughter
their failure has excited. There has been a waste of material to no
purpose, and they conclude, therefore, that it is useless for _them_ to
make any further attempts. At any rate, they determine that they will
not try again 'just yet;' and that often means that they do not try
again at all. This disappointment and fatigue is generally the result of
want of method and forethought. A recipe has been taken into the kitchen
to be tried; very probably one half of the terms used in it have not
been understood by the would-be cook. She at once begins to make the
dish, going to the recipe to look for each article required as she wants
to use it. If some of the supplies have run short, she has perhaps to
wait in the middle of her operations while she sends to purchase them.
Moreover, when the cake, pastry, or whatever it may be, is made, the
fire has very likely been forgotten. In this way, even if the dish has
been properly prepared, it is spoiled in the cooking.
Those, too, who have some knowledge of the art and perhaps, can cook
fairly well, will often find the work a great fatigue and toil. They
spend double or treble the time they need in the kitchen, just for the
want of a little judicious management.
Before trying a recipe read it over, _carefully_ notice how a dish is to
be cooked, and make up the fire accordingly. If it is pastry, take means
to get the oven hot; if a boiled pudding, make a good fire, and put a
large saucepan of water on to cook it in before doing anything else.
When this most important matter is attended to, put all the materials
required on the table with the weights and scales; notice what cooking
utensils will be required, see that they are all clean and ready for
use, and put them near to hand. If, for example, you want to make a
cake, proceed in this manner:--Attend first to the fire to get the oven
lightly heated, then put out the weights and scales and all necessary
materials; put a basin on the table for mixing, two or three cups for
breaking eggs in, one or two plates to put the different ingredients on
as they are measured, a grater, and anything else that may be required.
Then carefully weigh the materials, taking the exact quantities named in
the recipe. Prepare them all before mixing any of them. Wash and pick
over the currants, and while they are drying, cut up all the candied
peel; beat up the eggs, and grease and prepare the cake-tin. The butter
should then be rubbed into the flour, and the other dry ingredients
should be added. The cake should then be quickly mixed, put into its
tin, and placed at once in a hot oven.
If several dishes are to be made, a little thought beforehand will often
prevent a very great deal of fatigue and waste of time. Suppose, for
example, that you wish to prepare two or three dishes for supper and to
make some cakes for tea. You have, perhaps, decided to have a chicken
coated with Béchamel sauce, a _gâteau_ of apples with whipped cream, a
custard pudding, and some rock cakes. Make, the day before, if possible,
a list of the articles required for the different dishes, and order what
is necessary in good time, so that there may be no delay the next
morning. Have the kitchen quite clear from all litters before you begin
to work. No one can cook well in a muddle. Then commence operations by
making up the fire and putting a saucepan of stock, or water, on to boil
for the chicken. Next put the gelatine to soak for the _gâteau_, not
forgetting a little in the Béchamel sauce. The longer gelatine soaks,
the more quickly it will dissolve. Then slice the apples and put them to
stew with the sugar, so that they may be cooking while you are preparing
something else. Afterwards truss the chicken; and probably, by the time
it is ready, the water or stock in the saucepan will be boiling. Put the
chicken into it to simmer gently, noticing the time, so that it may not
be over-cooked. Then prepare the ingredients for the rock cakes; mixing
them--as they require a quick oven--before the pudding. While they are
cooking, prepare the custard; and by the time it is made, the cakes, if
the oven is properly hot, will be sufficiently set to admit of the heat
being moderated. Now make the Béchamel sauce; strain it and add the
dissolved gelatine. Take up the chicken, remove the skewers, place it on
a dish, and coat it nicely with the sauce. Then rub the apples through
the sieve, and finish making the _gâteau_. By this time the chicken,
_gâteau_, and rock cakes are made, and the custard will be cooking.
While waiting for the custard, whip the cream for the _gâteau_ and put
it on a sieve to drain; prepare any decorations you may intend to put on
the fowl, and lay them on a plate near to it in the pantry, ready to put
on just before serving. Everything will now be ready. With just a little
management, even a slow worker would scarcely take a longer time to
make these dishes than an hour and a half.
Whatever failures and disappointments you may meet with at first, do not
be discouraged. Success is certain if you will only have a little
patience and perseverance. Do not be disheartened because you feel very
awkward, and because you not unfrequently forget the oven, and let your
cakes and pastry burn. Try not to mind the banter of your relations and
friends at any possible failure. Many well-meaning efforts to acquire
this useful knowledge have been nipped in the bud by the thoughtless,
silly way in which some people will laugh at any mistake or blunder. A
cake which has caught in baking, or a pudding with the sugar left out,
will probably afford them an inexhaustible subject of mirth. Make up
your mind, however, not to be discouraged by any of these things.
Practice will give nimbleness to your fingers and strength to your
memory. As regards any laughter your mistakes may cause, only persevere,
and it will not be long before the laugh will be on your side. But keep
in mind in any of your attempts that you must be _exact_ in all you do.
If you try to cook without paying strict attention to weights of the
materials to be used and to the other directions, you will deserve to
fail. Be very particular in measuring quantities; bear in mind that
carelessness in this respect is no mark of a superior cook as some
people imagine, but rather of a careless or ignorant one.
As whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, bring all your
intelligence to bear upon what you take in hand.
HOW TO CLEAN STOVES AND COOKING UTENSILS.
Iron Saucepans.
Immerse them in a pan of hot water with soda in it, and wash them
thoroughly inside and out, taking care that nothing is left sticking to
the bottom of the saucepans. If anything has been burnt in them, boil
some strong soda and water in them before washing them, and then rub the
bottom of the saucepan with sand until it is quite clean. The sand must
be used nearly dry; if too much wetted it loses its power.
The saucepan lids should be thoroughly rinsed and dried.
Enamel Saucepans.
Wash them thoroughly in hot water with soda in it, using soap if
necessary. If anything has been burnt in the saucepan, boil strong soda
and water in it before cleaning it, and rub it well with sand. Rinse and
dry thoroughly.
Anglo-American Saucepans.
Clean like enamel saucepans. They should be kept perfectly clean inside
and out.
Tin Saucepans.
Clean these like iron saucepans.
Dish Covers and Jelly Moulds.
Wash with soap and water and dry thoroughly. Powder some whiting, and
mix with a little cold water; brush the mixture over the covers and
moulds; when dry, rub off with a plate brush or soft cloth or leather.
To Clean a Roaster.
Wash the dripping-pan and inside of the roaster with hot water and soda
to remove all grease, then rub them with sand until they are quite
bright, rinse and dry thoroughly. Clean the outside of the roaster with
whiting, used according to directions given for cleaning dish covers.
Hair and Wire Sieves.
Wash these thoroughly with hot water with soda in it, and scrub them
quite clean with a sieve-brush. Dry them thoroughly, and keep them in a
_dry place_. If this is not done a hair sieve will get mildewed, an iron
one rusty, and a copper one will verdigris and become poisonous.
Copper-wire sieves should always have especial care.
Paste Boards and Rolling Pins.
Scrub them well with hot water and sand. Do not use soda, as it will
make the wood yellow.
Baking Tins.
Wash them in hot water with soda in it, and rub with sand until they are
bright; rinse and dry well.
To Clean a Close Stove or Open Range.
Scrape out all the ashes and brush up all the dust. Then, with a brush,
thoroughly clean the flues. Brush the stove over with liquid blacklead,
and when it is dry polish with brushes. Then clean any steel about the
stove and the fire-irons and fender with emery-paper; any brass with
brick-dust well rubbed on with a leather.
Brush all the dust from the oven, and wipe it round with a cloth wrung
out of hot water.
To Clean a Gas Stove.
Wash off any grease that may have been spilled on the stove with a cloth
dipped in hot water, and wipe the inside of the stove, taking care to
dry it thoroughly. Wash the dripping-pan in hot water with soda in it,
and rub it with sand to brighten it. Then wipe it quite dry.
Brush the stove over with liquid blacklead, and polish it with brushes.
Copper Cooking Utensils.
Wash them well in hot water with soda in it; moisten some salt with
vinegar, and rub them well with this to remove stains and tarnish. Then
wash them quickly with soap and water, and dry them thoroughly; polish
them with a little powdered whiting rubbed on with a soft leather.
RULES FOR BOILING.
All meat, with the exception of salt meat, should be put into boiling
water, and should be well boiled for quite five minutes, in order that
the albumen on the outside of the joint may be set. The hardened albumen
forms a kind of casing. This casing serves to keep in, as far as
possible, the flavour and juices of the meat. When the meat has been
boiled sufficiently long to effect this hardening, the kettle should be
drawn to one side of the fire. The water should be kept at simmering
point until the joint is cooked. The general rule, as regards time
required for boiling, is a quarter of an hour for each pound of meat and
a quarter of an hour over. But only general rules can be given, as the
time will vary according to the nature of the joint to be cooked. A
thick piece of meat will necessarily take longer to cook than a thin
piece with much bone, although both may be the same weight. Very _fresh_
meat will also take longer to cook than that which has been hung.
As soon as the water boils, after the meat is in it, the scum should be
carefully removed from time to time, while it is cooking. If the scum be
allowed to boil down, it will settle on the joint and discolour it. It
is best, however, as a precaution, to wrap the meat in a very clean
cloth; this will effectually preserve its colour. Salt meat should be
put into lukewarm water, for the purpose of drawing out some of the
salt. It should be simmered gently, allowing always twenty minutes to
the pound, and twenty minutes over. Salt hardens the fibre of the meat;
it, therefore, requires to be cooked for a longer time to make it
tender.
RULES FOR ROASTING.
To roast successfully, make up a nice clear fire. When once made up, it
should be replenished, if necessary, by putting on coal or coke at the
back. The live coals should be drawn to the front to prevent smoke.
Fasten the joint to the jack. Place the roaster close to the fire for
the first ten minutes, so that the heat of the fire may at once harden
the albumen, and form a case to keep in the flavour and juices.
Afterwards, draw the roaster farther back and cook gradually, basting
every ten minutes. The basting keeps the meat from drying up, and gives
it a better flavour. The length of time allowed for roasting is the same
as for boiling, the rule being a quarter of an hour for each pound, and
a quarter of an hour over. For white meat, veal and pork, or solid
joints without bone, allow twenty minutes to the pound, and twenty
minutes over. These rules, however, cannot always be strictly adhered
to, as the size and shape of the joint must be taken into consideration,
as well as the weight. Meat that has been frozen will take longer to
cook than fresh meat. Meat which has been well hung will take a shorter
time than fresh meat. If a jack is not used, the joint should be
fastened to a rope of worsted, which should be kept constantly turning.
Gravy, for a joint, may be made according to two methods. The first
method is to take the dripping-pan away half an hour before the joint is
cooked, then to put a hot dish in its place, and to pour the contents of
the pan into a basin. Put the basin into a refrigerator; or, place it on
ice. As soon as it is cold, the fat will cake on the top of the gravy,
and should be removed very carefully. Make the gravy hot, diluting it
with warm water, if necessary, and pour it round the joint.
The other and more usual method of making gravy, is to pour away all the
fat from the pan as soon as the joint is cooked; and then pour into the
pan a sufficient quantity of hot water, scraping well the brown glaze
from the bottom; colour carefully with caramel, or burnt sugar, and pour
it _round_ the joint, not _over_ it. Pouring the gravy over the meat
destroys its crispness.
On no account make gravy from stock; stock is quite unsuitable, as the
vegetable flavour is, to many persons, disagreeable.
RULES FOR FRYING.
French or Wet Frying.
This is cooking in a large quantity of fat sufficient to cover the
articles fried in it. Oil, lard, dripping, or fat rendered down, may be
used for this purpose. Oil is considered the best, as it will rise to
600° without burning; other fats get over-heated after 400°, and
therefore require greater care in using. Success depends, almost
entirely, on getting the fat to the right degree of heat. For ordinary
frying, the heat required is 345°. Unless this point is carefully
attended to, total failure will be the result. There are signs, however,
by which anyone may easily tell when the fat is ready for use. It must
be quite still, making no noise; noise, or bubbling, will be caused by
the evaporation of moisture, or water in it. The expression, 'boiling
lard,' or 'boiling fat,' has been misleading to many inexperienced
cooks, who, not unnaturally, imagine that when the fat is bubbling, like
boiling water, it is boiling, and, therefore, at the right heat. But
boiling _fat_ does not bubble. When it has the appearance of boiling
water, it is simply due, as already explained, to the presence of water
in it, which must pass away by evaporation, before the fat can reach the
required heat. When it ceases to make any noise, and is quite still, it
should be carefully watched; for very soon a pale blue vapour is seen
rising, and then the fat is sufficiently hot. If, from the position of
the stove, it is not easy to see this vapour, a piece of bread may be
held in the fat as a test; if it begins to turn brown, in about a
minute, the fat is ready. It should then be used without delay; since,
when once hot enough, it rapidly gets overheated or burnt. Fat is
burning when the blue vapour becomes like smoke. Burnt fat has an
unpleasant smell, and is apt to give a disagreeable taste to the
articles fried in it. With ordinary care fat need not get overheated.
Next to oil, fat rendered down (_see_ Rendering down Fat), is best for
the purpose. If strained after each time of using, and not allowed to
burn, it will keep good for months, and may be used for fish, sweets, or
savouries, and no taste of anything previously fried in it will be given
to the articles cooked. For this kind of frying, a kitchener, or gas
stove, is preferable to an open range.
All kinds of rissoles, croquettes, fillets and cutlets of fish,
fritters, &c., should be fried in this manner, and should not be darker
than a golden brown. It is an advantage to use a frying-basket for all
such things as are covered with egg and bread-crumbs; but fritters, or
whatever is dipped in batter, should be dropped into the fat, as they
become so light that they rise to the top of it. When they are a pale
fawn colour on the one side, they should be turned over to the other.
Care must be taken to drain everything, after frying, on kitchen paper
in order to remove any grease.
Dry Frying.
This is frying in a cutlet or frying pan, with a small quantity of fat,
and is only suitable for such things as require slow cooking, such as
steaks, mutton or veal cutlets, fillets of beef, liver and bacon.
Pancakes also are fried in this manner. Success depends, as in French
frying, in having the fat rightly heated, taking care that the outside
of the meat cooked be sealed up. In this way the juices and flavour will
be retained in it. Make, therefore, the frying-pan hot, then put in the
fat; and when that is also perfectly hot, put in the meat to be cooked.
When each side has been well sealed up, the heat applied must be
moderated, so that the cooking may be gradual. The common mistake in
this kind of frying is to put the meat into the fat when it is but
barely melted; the juices of the meat are thus allowed to escape, and
the meat is toughened.
RULES FOR BAKING.
To bake meat successfully, the oven must be well ventilated, otherwise,
the joint cooked in this manner will have an unpleasant flavour. The
meat should be put on a trivet, which should be placed on a baking-tin.
The oven must be very hot when the meat is put into it, and the heat
should be kept up for the first quarter of an hour. This is to form the
casing already alluded to in the directions for roasting and boiling;
the heat of the oven must then be very much moderated, and the joint
cooked very gradually, allowing twenty minutes for every pound, and
twenty minutes over. The meat should be basted; and the gravy may be
made in the same manner as in roasting.
RULES FOR GRILLING.
For this method of cookery, a clear fire is essential. The griller is
warmed, and the meat fastened in it. It is then hung on the bars of the
fireplace, and a dish passed underneath to catch any gravy. An ordinary
sized chop, cooked in this way, will take about five minutes on the one
side, and three on the other.
RULES FOR BROILING.
This is cooking over the fire on a gridiron. The flavour of broiled meat
is usually preferred to that of grilled. Put the gridiron over the fire
to heat, and then put the chop, or steak, on it; place the gridiron
close to the fire at first, that the heat may rapidly seal up the
outside of the meat. When this has been accomplished, lift the gridiron
further from the fire, and cook gradually, turning occasionally. A clear
fire is essential. Coke is better than coal for broiling, because there
is less smoke from it.
JOINTS.
Sirloin of Beef.
This is the primest joint, and must be either roasted or baked (see
directions). Horse-radish should be served with it. Yorkshire pudding is
also liked with roast beef.
Ribs of Beef.
These should be cooked like sirloin, and served with the same
accompaniments. A neater looking joint is made by boning and rolling
them. The bones can be used for soup.
Aitch Bone, Round, Thick and Thin Flank of Beef.
Those are usually salted and boiled (see directions for boiling salt
meat). Serve with carrots and turnips, and yeast, Norfolk, or suet
dumplings.
Brisket of Beef.
This should be stewed (see directions for stewed brisket).
Leg of Mutton.
This may be roasted, baked, or boiled. If roasted, it should be served
with red-currant jelly; if boiled, with caper sauce. Carrots and turnips
are liked with boiled mutton.
Shoulder of Mutton.
This may be either roasted or baked. Serve with onion sauce.
Saddle of Mutton.
This may be either roasted or baked. Serve with red-currant jelly.
Neck of Mutton.
This is boiled, and requires long and gentle cooking. Serve with caper
sauce.
Fore Quarter of Lamb.
This joint should be roasted or baked. Serve with mint sauce.
Leg of Lamb.
This may be either roasted, baked, or boiled. Serve, if roast, with mint
sauce; and if boiled, with _maître d'hôtel_ sauce.
Shoulder of Lamb, Saddle of Lamb, Loin of Lamb
All these are either roasted or boiled, and served with mint sauce.
Fillet of Veal.
Stuff it with veal stuffing and make into nice round shape; fasten it
securely with string and skewers, and roast or bake it. Serve with cut
lemon, and send some boiled ham, pork, or bacon to table with it. Use a
pint of thin melted butter, instead of water, for making the gravy.
Breast, Shoulder, and Loin of Veal.
These are all roasted. Thin melted butter is used to make the gravy for
them, and cut lemon is served with them.
Knuckle of Veal.
This is boiled, and served with one dessertspoonful of chopped parsley
added to one pint of melted butter.
Leg of Pork.
This must be roasted or baked, the skin having been previously scored
with a knife. Serve it with apple sauce.
Chine of Pork.
Stuff it with pork stuffing (see Forcemeats) and roast it. Serve with
apple sauce.
Spare Rib of Pork.
This is roasted, the skin having previously been scored. Serve it with
apple sauce.
Hand of Pork.
Soak it for two or three hours before cooking, and boil it. Serve with
pease pudding.
Leg of Pork.
This joint is also salted and boiled. It is served with pease pudding.
To Cook a Ham.
Put into lukewarm water, to which has been added one pint of old ale.
Simmer it very gently until quite tender. For a ham always allow
twenty-five minutes to each pound, and twenty-five minutes over. Let it
get cold in the liquor in which it boiled, then remove the rind and
carefully cover with raspings.
Bacon.
Cook like ham, taking care that it is simmered until perfectly tender.
Remove the skin and cover with raspings.
Pickled Pork.
Put it into lukewarm water and simmer gently until tender.
POULTRY AND GAME.
Roast Goose.
_Ingredients_--1 Goose.
Sage and onion stuffing.
1½ oz. of flour.
1 onion.
1 apple.
3 sage leaves.
½ lb. of gravy beef.
1 quart of water.
_Method._--Stuff the goose by placing the sage and onion forcemeat
inside it.
Then truss it nicely and roast it from one and a half to two hours.
If it is a large one, two hours; if a small one, one and a half hours.
To make the gravy, simmer the giblets in water for three hours with half
a pound of gravy beef cut in pieces, a sliced onion, apple, and three
sage leaves, pepper and salt.
Then stir in a thickening made of the flour, and colour the gravy with a
little burnt sugar. If liked, a glass of port wine may be added.
Pour a little gravy round the goose, and serve the rest in a tureen.
Apple or tomato sauce should be served with roast goose.
Roast Turkey.
_Ingredients_--1 turkey.
Some veal forcemeat (omitting the suet).
1 lb. of gravy beef.
3 pints of water.
1 onion.
2 oz. of flour.
_Method._--Place the forcemeat inside the turkey, and truss it nicely.
Roast it from one and a half to two and a half hours.
Make the gravy by simmering the giblets and beef in the water with the
onion for three hours.
Thicken the gravy with the flour, and pour a little round the turkey.
Serve the rest in a tureen.
Place some fried or baked sausages round the turkey, and serve with
bread sauce.
Boiled Turkey.
A small turkey is sometimes boiled like a fowl, and served with oyster,
celery, or Béchamel sauce.
Roast Duck.
_Ingredients_--1 duck.
Some sage and onion stuffing.
Rather more than 1 pint water.
1 oz. of flour.
1 onion.
1 apple.
¼ lb. of gravy beef, or 2 or 3 bones.
_Method._--Stuff the duck by placing the forcemeat inside it.
Truss it nicely, and roast it from three-quarters of an hour to an hour,
according to its size.
Make the gravy by simmering the giblets in the water with the beef or
bones, onion, apple, pepper and salt, for two hours.
Thicken it with the flour, and colour carefully with burnt sugar.
Pour a little gravy round the duck, and serve the rest in a tureen.
A glass of port wine may be added to the gravy if liked.
Apple or tomato sauce should be served with roast duck.
Ducklings.
These are cooked and served like ducks, and take from twenty to forty
minutes to roast, according to their size.
Roast Hare.
_Ingredients_--1 hare.
Some veal forcemeat.
½ lb. of gravy beef.
1 pint of water.
1 onion.
1 oz. of flour.
Pepper and salt.
_Method._--Stuff the belly of the hare with the forcemeat, and sew it
in.
Truss it nicely, and roast it from one and a quarter to two hours,
according to its size, basting it constantly.
To make gravy, cut the beef into small pieces, and simmer in the water,
with the onion sliced, for three hours. Thicken it with the flour, and
add, if liked, a glass of port wine.