FoodNet

Plain cookery recipes

1908

Page 1

Presented as published in 1908. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
esteemed, and for cutlets the best end of the neck is the most suitable. Excellent stew can be made from cheaper cuts — example, scrag end neck of mutton. Veal, being immature meat, must be eaten fresh, and it must also be thoroughly cooked. The best cut is the fillet. This is used for cutlets or for roasting, and though expensive it is economical, as there is little waste. The breast, neck, and shoulder are excellent for stews, and the head and knuckle are unequalled for stock. Lamb, like veal, is immature, therefore it must be well cooked. When it first comes into season, about February, it is divided into the forequarter, which includes the shoulder, ribs, and neck ; and the hindquarter, which includes the leg and the loin. At this season lamb is expensive ; later in the year it is divided into joints in the same way as mutton. Pork should be chosen with care. Nowadays, owing to the strict inspection of food, it is usually quite safe, and forms a pleasant variety in diet. Pork should never be eaten in summer. The leg and loin are suitable cuts for roasting, the legs are often salted for hams, and the sides for bacon. Pig’s head is excellent for brawn. Poultry. — Chickens and young fowls should be chosen for roasting, and older fowls are suitable for boiling. A young fowl should have a plump breast, soft legs, and pliable feet. Poultry is valuable as a food, as it gives variety in the diet, and is a nourishing and easily-digested form of animal food. Ducks are less digestible than chickens ; the same points should be observed in their choice as in the choice of fowls. Fish* — Signs by which the freshness of fish can be ascer- tained are : (i) a fresh smell, (2) the flesh firm, (3) the eyes bright, (4) the gills red. 1. White Fish — examples, haddock, sole, whiting, etc. In PRELIMINARY. 9 white fish the oil is stored in the liver. This is removed before cooking, and the fish is light and digestible. 2. Oily Fish — examples, salmon, herring, mackerel. The oil is dispersed through the flesh, and this renders the fish more nourishing than white fish, but more difficult to digest. The rule is that all fish must be eaten as soon as possible after it is caught. Turbot, cod, skate, and salmon may, in cool weather, be kept a day or two. The Greengrocer* — All vegetables should be used fresh. Green vegetables should be crisp, of a good colour, and have a fresh smell ; and they should be bought as they are re- quired. Root vegetables, if in good condition, are firm and unshrivelled. They can in many cases be stored by covering them with straw and soil for winter use. Fruit, when good, in addition to being fresh, must be perfectly ripe and sound for table use. Butter* — Fresh butter is best purchased in small quan- tities from a reliable dealer. It should be kept in a cool larder, merely covered with a piece of muslin. Salt butter, being preserved, can be bought in large quantities, and kept tightly covered. Eggs*— When eggs are plentiful — in spring and early autumn — a wise housekeeper should buy in a considerable quantity, and preserve them for winter use. The use of “ water glass ” is an easy and reliable method of preserving eggs. It can be bought at a grocer’s or chemist’s, with full directions for its use on each tin.