Middle class cookery book

Spread a sheet of kitchen paper on the board ; place a wire sieve the wrong side up, on it ; rub a portion of the crumb of a stale loaf through the sieve, or grate . on a breeid-grater, then pass the crumbs through a neve. The former is the quicker way. To Break Eggs for Puddings, etc. Each egg should be separately broken into a cup before being used, unless the cook is certain that the 134 MIDDLE CLASS COOKERY BOOK PART 11 eggs are perfectly fresh. Crack the shell as nearly in the middle of the egg as possible, by striking it against the rim of the cup ; divide the shell in half, letting the contents fall into the cup. Remove any pieces of shell that may have fallen in with the egg. If the yolk is to be separated from the white, hold the egg, after cracking it, in a somewhat upright position, letting the white drop into a plate or cup ; separate the white as much as possible from the yolk, by slipping the yolk from one half of the shell into the other, over the plate or cup. When quite clear, put the yolk into a separate vessel, or use as required. To Beat Eggs for Omelettes, etc. Separate the whites from the yolks as directed above : put the yolks into a basin, and beat them with a wooden spoon. Put the whites on a plate, with a pinch of salt, and slope the plate slightly from you. With a spatula or knife, held so that the blade is rather slant- ing, beat the whites to a stiff froth ; when the froth can be divided with a knife it is sufficiently stiff. If the white is beaten with the yolk, put the egg into a basin and whisk it to a froth. To Prepare Cutlets for Frying Break an egg on to a plate ; beat it up slightly ; add pepper and salt ; dip the cutlets into the egg, or brush them over with it. Put some bread crumbs on to a sheet of kitchen paper, and toss the cutlets in it. Each cutlet must be prepared separately. Fish is prepared for frying in the same way. Browning for Gravies The best browning for gravy or sauce is a sliced onion browned in butter, with a little flour added, and CHAP. X MISCELLANEOUS 135 allowed to brown, but not to burn. As this cannot always be done when wanted, the following recipe gives the cook a material with which to colour her gravies, which is always at hand. It must be borne in mind that as little as possible should be used, as it is apt, if used freely, to give a disagreeable flavour to the gravy or sauce. Browning ^ lb. Brown Sugar | J Pint Boiling Water Heat an old iron pan on the fire ; rub it with a little dripping. Put the sugar into it, let it melt, stir with an iron spoon till it is a dark brown. Draw the pan to the side of the fire, add the water gradually, stirring all the time. Place the pan on the fire again, and stir till all is smooth. Let it cool, and pour it into a bottle; cork it well, and it will keep for some months. To Draw a Fowl