The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual Part 11

The editor placed a thermometer in water in that state which cooks call gentle simmering; the heat was 212, i. e. the same degree as the strongest boiling.

Two mutton chops were covered with cold water, and one boiled a gallop, and the other simmered very gently for three quarters of an hour: the chop which was slowly simmered was decidedly superior to that which was boiled; it was much tenderer, more juicy, and much higher flavoured. The liquor which boiled fast was in like proportion more savoury, and when cold had much more fat on its surface. This explains why quick boiling renders meat hard, &c., because its juices are extracted in a greater degree.

Reckon the time from its first coming to a boil.

The old rule of 15 minutes to a pound of meat, we think rather too little: the slower it boils, the tenderer, the plumper, and whiter it will be.

For those who choose their food thoroughly cooked (which all will who have any regard for their stomachs), twenty minutes to a pound for fresh, and rather more for salted meat, will not be found too much for gentle simmering by the side of the fire, allowing more or less time, according to the thickness of the joint, and the coldness of the weather: to know the state of which, let a thermometer be placed in the pantry; and when it falls below 40, tell your cook to give rather more time in both roasting and boiling, always remembering, the slower it boils the better.

Without some practice it is difficult to teach any art; and cooks seem to suppose they must be right, if they put meat into a pot, and set it over the fire for a certain time, making no allowance whether it simmers without a bubble or boils a gallop.

Fresh-killed meat will take much longer time boiling than that which has been kept till it is what the butchers call _ripe_, and longer in _cold_ than in _warm_ weather: if it be _frozen_, it must be thawed before boiling as before roasting; if it be fresh-killed, it will be tough and hard, if you stew it ever so long, and ever so gently. In cold weather, the night before the day you dress it, bring it into a place of which the temperature is not less than 45 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer.

The size of the boiling-pots should be adapted to what they are to contain: the larger the saucepan the more room it takes upon the fire, and a larger quant.i.ty of water requires a proportionate increase of fire to boil it.

A little pot Is soon hot.

In small families we recommend block tin saucepans, &c. as lightest and safest. If proper care is taken of them, and they are well dried after they are cleaned, they are by far the cheapest; the purchase of a new tin saucepan being little more than the expense of tinning a copper one.

Let the covers of your boiling-pots fit close, not only to prevent unnecessary evaporation of the water, but to prevent the escape of the nutritive matter, which must then remain either in the meat or in the broth; and the smoke is prevented from insinuating itself under the edge of the lid, and so giving the meat a bad taste. See observations on Saucepans, in chapter 7.

If you let meat or poultry remain in the water after it is done enough, it will become sodden, and lose its flavour.

Beef and mutton a little _under_-done (especially very large joints, which will make the better hash or broil,) is not a great fault; by some people it is preferred: but lamb, pork, and veal are uneatable if not thoroughly boiled; but do not _over_-do them.

A trivet or fish-drainer put on the bottom of the boiling-pot, raising the contents about an inch and a half from the bottom, will prevent that side of the meat which comes next the bottom from being done too much, and the lower part of the meat will be as delicately done as the other part; and this will enable you to take out the contents of the pot, without sticking a fork, &c. into it. If you have not a trivet, use four skewers, or a soup-plate laid the wrong side upwards.

Take care of the liquor you have boiled poultry or meat in; in five minutes you may make it into excellent soup. (See obs. to No. 555 and No. 229.)

The good housewife never boils a joint without converting the broth into some sort of soup (read No. 5, and chapter 7). If the liquor be too salt, only use half the quant.i.ty, and the rest water. Wash salted meat well with cold water before you put it into the boiler.

_An estimation of the_ LOSS OF WEIGHT _which takes place in cooking animal food._--_From_ Mr. TILLOCH'S _Philosophical Magazine._

"It is well known, that in whatever way the flesh of animals is prepared for food, a considerable diminution takes place in its weight. We do not recollect, however, to have any where seen a statement of the loss which meat sustains in the various culinary processes, although it is pretty obvious that a series of experiments on the subject would not be without their use in domestic economy.

"We shall here give the result of a series of experiments which were actually made on this subject in a public establishment; premising that, as they were not undertaken from mere curiosity, but, on the contrary, to serve a purpose of practical utility, absolute accuracy was not attended to. Considering, however, the large quant.i.ties of provisions which were actually examined, it is presumed that the results may be safely depended upon for any practical purpose. It would, no doubt, have been desirable to have known not only the whole diminution of weight, but also the parts which were separated from the meat in the form of aqueous vapour, jelly, fat, &c.; but the determination of these did not fall within the scope of the inquiry.

_lbs._ _oz._ 28 pieces of beef, weighing 280 0 Lost in boiling 73 14

"Hence, the weight lost by beef in boiling was in this case about 26-1/2lbs. in 100lbs.

_lbs._ _oz._ 19 pieces of beef, weighing 190 0 Lost in roasting 61 2

"The weight lost by beef in roasting appears to be 32 per cent.

_lbs._ _oz._ 9 pieces of beef, weighing 90 0 Lost in baking 27 0

"Weight lost by beef in baking 30 per cent.

_lbs._ _oz._ 27 legs of mutton, weighing 260 0 Lost in boiling, and by having the shank-bone taken off 62 4

"The shank-bones were estimated at 4 ounces each; therefore the loss by boiling was 55lbs. 8oz.

"The loss of weight in legs of mutton in boiling is 21-1/3 per cent.

_lbs._ _oz._ 35 shoulders of mutton, weighing 350 0 Lost in roasting 109 10

"The loss of weight in shoulders of mutton by roasting, is about 31-1/3 per cent.

_lbs._ _oz._ 16 loins of mutton, weighing 141 0 Lost in roasting 49 14

"Hence, loins of mutton lose by roasting about 35-1/2 per cent.

_lbs._ _oz._ 10 necks of mutton, weighing 100 0 Lost in roasting 32 6

"The loss in necks of mutton by roasting is about 32-1/3 per cent.

"We shall only draw two practical inferences from the foregoing statement.--1st, In respect of economy, it is more profitable to boil meat than to roast it. 2dly, Whether we roast or boil meat, it loses by being cooked from one-fifth to one-third of its whole weight."

The loss of roasting arises from the melting out of the fat, and evaporating the water; but the nutritious matters remain condensed in the cooked solid.

In boiling, the loss arises partly from the fat melted out, but chiefly from _gelatine_ and _osmazome_ being extracted and dissolved by the water in which the meat is boiled; there is, therefore, a real loss of nourishment, unless the broth be used; when this mode of cooking becomes the most economical.[71-*]

_The sauces usually sent to table with boiled meat, &c._

These are to be sent up in boats, and never poured over the meat, &c.

Gravy for boiled meat (No. 327.) Parsley and b.u.t.ter (No. 261.) Chervil (No. 264.) Caper (No. 274.) Oyster (No. 278.) Liver and parsley (No. 287.) Celery (No. 289.) Onion (No. 296, &c.) Shallot (No. 295.) Wow wow (No. 328.) Curry (No. 348.)

BAKING.

The following observations were written expressly for this work by Mr.

Turner, English and French bread and biscuit baker.

"Baking is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways of dressing a dinner in small families; and, I may say, that the oven is often the only kitchen a poor man has, if he wishes to enjoy a joint of meat at home with his family.

"I don't mean to deny the superior excellence of roasting to baking; but some joints, when baked, so nearly approach to the same when roasted, that I have known them to be carried to the table, and eaten as such with great satisfaction.

"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; I mean well-fed, rather inclined to be fat: if the meat be poor, no baker can give satisfaction.

"When baking a poor joint of meat, before it has been half baked I have seen it start from the bone, and shrivel up scarcely to be believed.

"Besides those joints above mentioned, I shall enumerate a few baked dishes which I can particularly recommend.

"A pig, when sent to the baker prepared for baking, should have its ears and tail covered with b.u.t.tered paper properly fastened on, and a bit of b.u.t.ter tied up in a piece of linen to baste the back with, otherwise it will be apt to blister: with a proper share of attention from the baker, I consider this way equal to a roasted one.