It is true, that of late great improvements
have been made in our own stoves ; and
the hot plates, or hearths with which the
kitchens of good houses are always fur-
nished, are admirably adapted to the sim-
mering system ; but when the cook has not
the convenience of one, the stewpans must
be placed on trivets high above the fire, and be constantly watched,
and moved, as occasion may require, nearer to, or further from the
flame.
No copper vessels from which the inner tinning is in the slightest
degree worn away should be used ever for this or for any other kind
of cookery ; or not health only, but life itself, may be endangered by
them.* We have ourselves seen a dish of acid fruit which had been
boiled without sugar in a copper pan from which the tin lining was
half worn away, coated with verdigris after it had become cold ; and
from the careless habits of the person who had prepared it, the
chances were greatly in favour of its being served to a family after-
wards, if it had not been accidentally discovered. Salt acts upon the
copper in the same manner as acids : vegetables, too, from the portion
of the latter which they contain, have the same injurious effect, and
the greatest danger results from allowing preparations containing any
of these to become cold (or cool) in the stewpan, in contact with the
exposed part of the copper in the inside. Thick, well-tinned iron
saucepans will answer for all the ordinary purposes of common
English cookery, even for stewing, provided they have tightly-fitting
lids to prevent the escape of the steam ; but the copper ones are of
more convenient form, and better adapted to a superior order of
cookery.
* Sugar, being an antidote to the poisonous effects of verdigris, should be
plentifully taken, dissolved in water, so as to form a syrup, by persons who may
unfortunately have partaken of any dish into which this dangerous ingredient
has entered.
enAP. ix.]
STEWING AND BROILING.
175
The enamelled stewpans and saucepans which have now very much
superseded the old-fashioned metal ones for many purposes, are
peculiarly suited, from the nicety of the composition with which they
are lined, and which resembles earthenware, to the preparation of
fine preserves, and all very delicate compounds, as well as to those of
milk, and of various articles of diet adapted to invalids ; and they
possess the further advantage of being easily kept beautifully clean.
Care should be taken not to allow anything which they may contain
to burn to them, which it will quickly do if they be placed flat upon
a fierce fire ; and when this has once occurred, there will always be
some difficulty in preventing their contents from adhering to them
where they have been burned. They should always be filled with
water immediately after being emptied, and will then merely require
to be well washed and rinsed with more boiling water ; but when
they have been neglected, strong soda and water should be boiled in
them for a few minutes.
BROILING.
Page 174
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
It is true, that of late great improvements have been made in our own stoves ; and the hot plates, or hearths with which the kitchens of good houses are always furnished, are admirably adapted to the simmering system ; but when the cook has not the convenience of one, the stewpans must be placed on trivets high above the fire, and be constantly watched, and moved, as occasion may require, nearer to, or further from the flame.
No copper vessels from which the inner tinning is in the slightest degree worn away should be used ever for this or for any other kind of cookery ; or not health only, but life itself, may be endangered by them.* We have ourselves seen a dish of acid fruit which had been boiled without sugar in a copper pan from which the tin lining was half worn away, coated with verdigris after it had become cold ; and from the careless habits of the person who had prepared it, the chances were greatly in favour of its being served to a family afterwards, if it had not been accidentally discovered. Salt acts upon the copper in the same manner as acids : vegetables, too, from the portion of the latter which they contain, have the same injurious effect, and the greatest danger results from allowing preparations containing any of these to become cold (or cool) in the stewpan, in contact with the exposed part of the copper in the inside. Thick, well-tinned iron saucepans will answer for all the ordinary purposes of common English cookery, even for stewing, provided they have tightly-fitting lids to prevent the escape of the steam ; but the copper ones are of more convenient form, and better adapted to a superior order of cookery.
* Sugar, being an antidote to the poisonous effects of verdigris, should be plentifully taken, dissolved in water, so as to form a syrup, by persons who may unfortunately have partaken of any dish into which this dangerous ingredient has entered.
enAP. ix.]
STEWING AND BROILING.
The enamelled stewpans and saucepans which have now very much superseded the old-fashioned metal ones for many purposes, are peculiarly suited, from the nicety of the composition with which they are lined, and which resembles earthenware, to the preparation of fine preserves, and all very delicate compounds, as well as to those of milk, and of various articles of diet adapted to invalids ; and they possess the further advantage of being easily kept beautifully clean. Care should be taken not to allow anything which they may contain to burn to them, which it will quickly do if they be placed flat upon a fierce fire ; and when this has once occurred, there will always be some difficulty in preventing their contents from adhering to them where they have been burned. They should always be filled with water immediately after being emptied, and will then merely require to be well washed and rinsed with more boiling water ; but when they have been neglected, strong soda and water should be boiled in them for a few minutes.
BROILING.