To Bone a Fish. — Cut off its head and insert the point of the boning-knife close to the backbone, under the small bones that lie near the inside surface of the fish. Slip the knife under these bones and carefully lift them from the fish, leaving the meat as little disturbed or broken as possible. With a round-pointed, dull- bladed knife scrape the flesh away from the backbone and the bones that project into the fish therefrom, until they can be lifted away clear of flesh; then with the blade of the knife smooth and pack together the flesh that has been disturbed by removing them. It is not advisable to bone small fish, and all fish, as well as meats of every kind, are of finer flavor when cooked with the bones left in them. To Prepare Soup-Bones. — Remove the skin from soup-bones, instead of washing them, and make deep in- cisions, quite near together, in the lean meat, with a knife. To Prepare a Roast of Beef. — Remove the outer skin, and with a moist cloth wipe the surface on the inside of the cut wherever it has been exposed to dust. All joints of meat should be prepared in the same manner as beef, and should not be wet or washed when it is possible to make them clean by removing the outer skin and wiping them. Preparation of Food Materials. 23 To Prepare a Leg of Mutton or Lamb The outer skin should always be carefully removed from both mutton and lamb before either of them are cooked. This is more important in the preparation of mutton and lamb than in the preparation of other meats, as mutton and lamb are both liable to have an unpleasant, woolly flavor when boiled or roasted, unless the outer skin has first been removed. To Prepare Steak or Chops. — Remove the outer skin and all superfluous fat and bones. As the fat of veal and lamb is much more delicate than that of beef and mutton a larger quantity of it can be left on the former than on the latter meats. To Prepare Breakfast Bacon — Cut ofl" the dried and hardened surface from as much of a piece of breakfast bacon as is needed. Lay the bacon, skin side down, on a meat board and cut in thin slices down to the rind, until the desired number is obtained, then turn the knife under the slices and separate them from the rind. To Prepare Sliced Ham. — Remove the outer rind, also a very thin strip along the inner edge of each slice, as those portions have a rank flavor, and are dirty from exposure. To Prepare a Ham for Boiling or Baking. — Lay the ham, skin side down, in a large pan, pour over it a quart of hot, and several quarts of cold, water. Add a large spoonful of soda to the water, and with a brush scrub the ham thoroughly all over, then rinse in clean water and soak ten or twelve hours, in sufficient water to cover it, with the skin side up. To Prepare a Dried Tongue.— A dried, smoked 24 The Art of Cookery. tongue should be prepared in the same manner as a ham. To Prepare Salted Fish. — Soak the fish, skin side up, in cold water ten or twelve hours, or long enough to freshen it sufficiently, then hang in a cool place to drain and become dry enough to broil readily. To Prepare Liver — Skin the liver, cut it in slices half an inch thick, soak half an hour in cold salt water, and dry with a soft towel. To Prepare Sweetbreads. — Put in cold salt water, and let them soak an hour.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To Bone a Fish. — Cut off its head and insert the point of the boning-knife close to the backbone, under the small bones that lie near the inside surface of the fish. Slip the knife under these bones and carefully lift them from the fish, leaving the meat as little disturbed or broken as possible. With a round-pointed, dullbladed knife scrape the flesh away from the backbone and the bones that project into the fish therefrom, until they can be lifted away clear of flesh; then with the blade of the knife smooth and pack together the flesh that has been disturbed by removing them. It is not advisable to bone small fish, and all fish, as well as meats of every kind, are of finer flavor when cooked with the bones left in them. To Prepare Soup-Bones. — Remove the skin from soup-bones, instead of washing them, and make deep incisions, quite near together, in the lean meat, with a knife. To Prepare a Roast of Beef. — Remove the outer skin, and with a moist cloth wipe the surface on the inside of the cut wherever it has been exposed to dust. All joints of meat should be prepared in the same manner as beef, and should not be wet or washed when it is possible to make them clean by removing the outer skin and wiping them. Preparation of Food Materials. 23 To Prepare a Leg of Mutton or Lamb The outer skin should always be carefully removed from both mutton and lamb before either of them are cooked. This is more important in the preparation of mutton and lamb than in the preparation of other meats, as mutton and lamb are both liable to have an unpleasant, woolly flavor when boiled or roasted, unless the outer skin has first been removed. To Prepare Steak or Chops. — Remove the outer skin and all superfluous fat and bones. As the fat of veal and lamb is much more delicate than that of beef and mutton a larger quantity of it can be left on the former than on the latter meats. To Prepare Breakfast Bacon — Cut ofl" the dried and hardened surface from as much of a piece of breakfast bacon as is needed. Lay the bacon, skin side down, on a meat board and cut in thin slices down to the rind, until the desired number is obtained, then turn the knife under the slices and separate them from the rind. To Prepare Sliced Ham. — Remove the outer rind, also a very thin strip along the inner edge of each slice, as those portions have a rank flavor, and are dirty from exposure. To Prepare a Ham for Boiling or Baking. — Lay the ham, skin side down, in a large pan, pour over it a quart of hot, and several quarts of cold, water. Add a large spoonful of soda to the water, and with a brush scrub the ham thoroughly all over, then rinse in clean water and soak ten or twelve hours, in sufficient water to cover it, with the skin side up. To Prepare a Dried Tongue.— A dried, smoked 24 The Art of Cookery. tongue should be prepared in the same manner as a ham. To Prepare Salted Fish. — Soak the fish, skin side up, in cold water ten or twelve hours, or long enough to freshen it sufficiently, then hang in a cool place to drain and become dry enough to broil readily. To Prepare Liver — Skin the liver, cut it in slices half an inch thick, soak half an hour in cold salt water, and dry with a soft towel. To Prepare Sweetbreads. — Put in cold salt water, and let them soak an hour.

The art of cookery