Large joints are only suitable for large families, as freshly cooked meat is lighter and more digestible than that which has been recooked and warmed up. Of course cold meat with salad is very nice for a change, but no one cares to feed on such cold comfort day after day. How many young housekeepers, ay, and older ones too, are utterly helpless when called upon to order meat for a small household. Their ideas take the form of legs and shoulders of mutton and ribs and sirloins of beef, with hashes and minces to use up the remains. With a little thought and ex- perience all this may be avoided, and the aim of a good housewife is to have but few scraps beyond what should go into the stockpot. The best plan is to cook small portions of joints at a time, and to avoid purchasing those joints which cannot be divided. A sirloin of beef may be divided into three parts — the upper cut, the under cut, and the lump at the end. The under cut can be made into fillets, and is really the best beefsteak one can have, as it is so juicy and tender. The upper cut of the sirloin can be roasted, and makes a good cold joint after ; and then what is left can be minced, hashed, curried, or made into rissoles. The bone from this may be either thrown into the stock-pot, or grilled for breakfast. The piece at the end of the sirloin can be made into a pie with the addition of kidneys or pigeons, or into a steak pudding, or it might be salted and boiled. 78 74 THE housewife's BEFEKEE A top-side of beef can be divided into two, one half roasted or stewed, the other half put into salt and boiled ; the remains of salt beef make a good potato pie. Besides the more expensive joints, there are many inferior parts which, if properly cooked, make very appetising dishes where economy is an object, and these are especially liked by country servants. Sheep's head and pluck, pig's fry, ox- cheek stew or pie, bullock's heart, sheep's heart, liver, tripe, etc. Of course they require nice cooking. The cheapest food becomes wasteful if not eaten, and care should be taken to ascertain which of these dishes are liked before having them cooked. The cheapest roasting joint is the top-side ; the principal thing is to rather under-cook it, otherwise it will be dry and stringy. More and richer gravy runs from this joint than from any other. The next most economical joint is the middle rib. One of the best ways to cook this, where only a small joint is required, is to cut the joint in half, salt the ends and roast the chine. One rib is rather an uncom- fortable joint to cut, hence it is a good plan to take out the bone and roll it, and put the bone into the stockpot. A rib rolled and tied round in a cloth, salted or pickled, makes also a pretty little boiling joint ; but it should not be cut till it is cold, and then a silver skewer should be run through it. For boiling, the silver-side is perhaps the cheapest, as there is little or no bone. A loin of mutton is very useful in a small family. It will either make two little joints, or else one half can be divided into chops, and the half which cannot be jointed can be kept to roast, or it may be boned and served up with a thick brown sauce.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Large joints are only suitable for large families, as freshly cooked meat is lighter and more digestible than that which has been recooked and warmed up. Of course cold meat with salad is very nice for a change, but no one cares to feed on such cold comfort day after day. How many young housekeepers, ay, and older ones too, are utterly helpless when called upon to order meat for a small household. Their ideas take the form of legs and shoulders of mutton and ribs and sirloins of beef, with hashes and minces to use up the remains. With a little thought and experience all this may be avoided, and the aim of a good housewife is to have but few scraps beyond what should go into the stockpot. The best plan is to cook small portions of joints at a time, and to avoid purchasing those joints which cannot be divided. A sirloin of beef may be divided into three parts — the upper cut, the under cut, and the lump at the end. The under cut can be made into fillets, and is really the best beefsteak one can have, as it is so juicy and tender. The upper cut of the sirloin can be roasted, and makes a good cold joint after ; and then what is left can be minced, hashed, curried, or made into rissoles. The bone from this may be either thrown into the stock-pot, or grilled for breakfast. The piece at the end of the sirloin can be made into a pie with the addition of kidneys or pigeons, or into a steak pudding, or it might be salted and boiled. THE HOUSEWIFE'S REFEREE A top-side of beef can be divided into two, one half roasted or stewed, the other half put into salt and boiled ; the remains of salt beef make a good potato pie. Besides the more expensive joints, there are many inferior parts which, if properly cooked, make very appetising dishes where economy is an object, and these are especially liked by country servants. Sheep's head and pluck, pig's fry, oxcheek stew or pie, bullock's heart, sheep's heart, liver, tripe, etc. Of course they require nice cooking. The cheapest food becomes wasteful if not eaten, and care should be taken to ascertain which of these dishes are liked before having them cooked. The cheapest roasting joint is the top-side ; the principal thing is to rather under-cook it, otherwise it will be dry and stringy. More and richer gravy runs from this joint than from any other. The next most economical joint is the middle rib. One of the best ways to cook this, where only a small joint is required, is to cut the joint in half, salt the ends and roast the chine. One rib is rather an uncomfortable joint to cut, hence it is a good plan to take out the bone and roll it, and put the bone into the stockpot. A rib rolled and tied round in a cloth, salted or pickled, makes also a pretty little boiling joint ; but it should not be cut till it is cold, and then a silver skewer should be run through it. For boiling, the silver-side is perhaps the cheapest, as there is little or no bone. A loin of mutton is very useful in a small family. It will either make two little joints, or else one half can be divided into chops, and the half which cannot be jointed can be kept to roast, or it may be boned and served up with a thick brown sauce.

The housewife's referee