The art of cookery

To Toast Bread. — When a slice of bread is placed near a clear fire it gradually browns or toasts. The same method of cooking that is termed broiling when applied to meats is termed toasting when applied to bread. Broiling must therefore be varied somewhat in its application to different articles. The heat applied to a steak when first put to broil cannot be too intense, for the best results are obtained when the surface is seared or cooked instantly. But in toasting or broiling bread this is not the case. The application of heat to the slice of bread in order to toast it properly should be gradual, as the object is not to shut in the moisture which the bread contains but to drive it out, and gradually dry and brown the surface of the bread. Bread is toasted to divest it of moisture, as well as to brown and give it a peculiar flavor. Toasting converts the insoluble starch in bread into a soluble substance called dextrine, which after being moistened by the saliva is easily digested. For this reason bread properly toasted agrees better with weak stomachs than any other kind of bread. But if the slices are thick and are carelessly held before or Broiling. 41 over a very hot fire, the outside becomes quickly browned and toughened, the moisture is driven in, instead of being evaporated, and the toast is rendered clammy and indigestible. To make good toast it is necessary to observe these directions : Cut the bread in even slices about half an inch in thickness. Slightly dry them in the oven, or before the fire. Put each slice on a toasting fork, or in a wire broiler, and hold it before or over a clear bright fire of coals, but at a sufficient distance from them to allow it to brown evenly without burning. When the surface of one side becomes a rich golden color, turn and toast the other side in a similar manner. Serve in a toast rack, or on a warm plate. Be careful not to pile the slices on each other, or they will lose their crispness and flavor. Toast of good quality can be made only from sweet, light, well-baked bread ; and no amount of toasting will convert inferior bread, or bread that is sour, heavy, and half-baked, into toast that is digestible or fit to be eaten. GRIDDLE BROILING. It goes without saying that a griddle cannot supersede or fill the place of a broiler. But when the fire is not in proper condition for a broiler to be used advantageously, a hot griddle can be made to serve as a very acceptable substitute. And steaks, chops, etc., cooked on a hot griddle — if properly done — are just as much broiled as if they had been cooked in a broiler over hot coals. For the outer surfaces can be seared as thoroughly, and the juices retained as perfectly, by the latter as by the former method. Food 42 The Art of Cookery. broiled on a griddle differs somewhat in flavor from food broiled on a gridiron or broiler ; but when one has to choose between the use of a wire broiler over a slow fire, and the use of a hot griddle over a quick fire, there should be no hesitancy about deciding in favor of using the griddle.