The girl's own cookery book

Now I believe and hope that the majority of women would, instead of weeping, set to work and help when trouble came. Sympathy is not worth much unless it passes into action. Girls who would, when their fathers were overworked and ailing, content themselves with weeping instead of trying to restore them by placing good food before them — beef-tea, meat, or fish — would not be worth the salt with which they would have savoured the food if they had prepared it. Such girls would not, however, be likely to attend our cookery class, and therefore we need not trouble about them, but turn our attention to those who will act more reasonably. We must not suppose, however, that all fish is equally How to Cook Fish. 8S valuable from the point of view of nourishment. Fish which are of an oily nature, for example, such as salmon, herrings, and eels, are more nourishing than white fish, such as sole, turbot, plaice, etc. The latter, however, possess the advantage of being more digestible and less perishable than the oily kinds. Turbot or sole would not spoil so quickly as would herring, mackerel, or salmon. One of the disadvantages connected with the use of fish is that it spoils so quickly, and it must be fresh and in good condition or it is worthless. It is very necessary, therefore, that the cook should know how to choose what is good in this direction. Here, as in so many other cases, a little experience is worth any amount of theory. The very best course which a girl could pursue to gain what was required would be to go every day to the fishmonger’s, and select for herself the fish which was needed. We may tell her that fish should be plump for its size, that it should be in season, that its eyes should be bright, its gills bright red, its flesh firm ; but if she once came to understand what fresh fish looked and smelt like, she would need none of these hints, and could no more be induced to purchase a stale specimen of the finny tribe than she would buy a feather to trim her new bonnet which had been out in a shower of rain. The fact is, that it is very easy to deceive a novice in marketing, and if a fishmonger choose he can generally do so with impunity. The gills should be bright red, not brown, we are told ; but that is delusive, for it is said that a bright colour is often imparted artificially. The eyes should be full and bright ; but what is a bright eye when there are scores of fish to choose from ? A girl becomes confused and is scarcely able to distinguish between slight degrees of variation. True, the smell of fish is an unmistakeable test of its quality, but to try even this requires experience. Yet one sign of freshness may be given which even a novice may discern — that is, the stiffness of the fish. If ever you see a fish lying on the slab which looks as if it were cut out in marble, and in which the tail stands out firmly, instead of hanging down, you will be sure to find the fishmonger in a jubilant state of mind, and when you speak to him he will tell you his 86 The Girl’s Oivn Cookery Book. fish is not fresh only, it is all but alive. Flabbiness is a sure sign of staleness or of the fish being out of season, and fish in this condition is not only worthless, but may be injurious.