Middle class cookery book

Basting prevents the meat becoming dry and scorched. Then withdraw the meat 15 or 18 inches from the fire, and baste it fre- quently with the dripping produced by the melting of the fat. Much saving of weight and of flavour is effected by folding the meat in clean white paper — with pieces of fat all round the meat or fowl, etc. Tie up the parcel and hang it on the roasting-jack by the string. Very little basting is required, because the fat melts gradually. A lean piece of meat should be basted with hot drip- ping melted for the purpose. The meat may be dredged with flour a quarter of an hour before it is quite ready, to make it browner and to thicken the gravy a little. When it is placed on a dish sprinkle it with a little salt. Before making sauce of the brown gravy, pour 36 MIDDLE CLASS COOKERY BOOK PAST II away the dripping from the dripping pan (keep this dripping for other purposes), add a little boiling water to the browned gravy left in the pan, mix well, add a little salf, and pour round the roast. Roasting in the Oven. — This is usually called baking meat. Place the meat in a baking tin in a very hot part of the oven, for five minutes, to harden the outside and keep in the juice. Baste it as soon as the fat melts ; then remove it to a cooler part ; place beside it a cup or basin of hot water to keep the air of the oven moist without cooling it. Baste the meat fre- quently. For the length of time required, see preced- ing directions. All ovens in which meat is cooked should be properly ventilated, in order to allow the escape of an injurious vapour produced by meat when cooked in a close oven. Meat roasted in the oven is not considered so digestible as when roasted before the fire. Roasting in the Pan. — Melt and heat 1 oz. of drip- ping in an iron pan.1 Brown all sides of the meat in this, so as to harden the outside and keep in the juices. Then draw the pan aside, and let the meat cook slowly with the lid on, basting it constantly. For the length of time required, see preceding directions. This way of roasting is especially suitable for small pieces of meat, and is eco- nomical because of the small quantity of fuel required. Broiling or Grilling Broiling is cooking over a hot clear fire on a gridiron. Place a thoroughly clean gridiron over the fire; let it be- come quite hot, as the hot metal will help to harden the outside of the meat, and so keep in the juices ; rub the gridiron with suet to prevent the meat sticking to it. Place the meat on the hot gridiron, turn it continually, so as to let the inside of the meat cook slowly and so remain 1 Tin is apt to melt with the great heat and little moisture. CHAr. I GENERAL DIRECTIONS 37 tender. Be careful to put the fork into the fat or skin. If you pierce the lean, you will allow the juices to escape. If tongs are used, do not squeeze the meat. The length of time required depends chiefly on the thickness of the meat to be cooked. A separate gridiron should, if pos- sible,be kept for fish. When the top of the fire cannot be used (as in close rauges), suspend a hanging gridiron in front of the fire with the meat between the two halves of the gridiron, which must be turned with the meat. Boiling