b. A good thin, sharp-bladed knife. c. A pair of carving scissors. A bird or a joint of meat badly carved will prove wasteful, because fewer -persons will be served than would be when well and properly carved. Anything which needs to be carved at table should be placed on a dish sufficiently large to allow the joint to be turned, if needed, without moving the dish from its position. The dish should be placed close in front of the carver. The knife used for carving must be light and sharp, and of a convenient size. Such joints as ham, veal, and beef should be cut very thin ; while pork, lamb, and mutton should be cut a trifle thicker. The carver ought also to be acquainted with the choice cuts of each kind of joint. 1242. To Carve Fish. — A silver slicer or trowel should be used for this purpose ; a steel knife applied to fish often spoils the delicacy of its flavour. Great care must be taken in serving out fish to prevent breaking the flakes, which ought to be kept as entire as possible. Short-grained fish, such as salmon &c. should be cut lengthwise, not crosswise. 1243. To Carve Sirloin of Beef. — A sirloin should be cut into thin slices, with a sharp, firm cut from end to end of the joint. At the upper portion the cut should be clean and even ; then use the point of the knife to loosen the slices from the bones. In carving the undercut remove the superfluous fat, and cut the slices from end to end in the same manner as the upper portion. Be careful always to cut down 430 THE NEW CENTURY COOKERY BOOK straight to the bone of a sirloin or rib of beef ; by so doing you will not spoil the appearance of the joint, and what remains will look tidy. 1244. To Carve Neck of Veal or Mutton. — See that the neck is properly jointed before it is cooked. Cut the joint diagonally from the left-hand side into slices of moderate thickness. 1245. To Carve Loin of Veal. — Cut out the kidney, turn the joint over, and carve into slices of moderate thickness. Serve a slice of kidney and fat with each slice of meat, having first inquired of . the guest if the former are desired. 1246. To Carve Leg or Loin of Pork. — In carving either of these the knife must follow in the lines marked out or scored by the cook before the meat is roasted on the skin which forms the crackling, the skin when roasted being usually too crisp to be conveniently cut through with -the knife. It frequently happens that the lines scored on a leg of pork are too far apart for single cuts ; when this ie the case the crackling must be raised to enable one to cut thinner slices. Always cut the meat across the grain, not lengthways. A little seasoning should be placed on the side of the plate ; also apple sauce, if such is served, which is usually the case, but it is better to hand both round in separate bowls. 1247. To Carve Rabbit or Hare. —In either case first separate the legs and shoulders ; then cut the back part across, into two parts. This is best accomplished by inserting the knife into the joint, and PRACTICAL HINTS ON CARVING 431 raising up the back by means of the fork. The back or fillet part is considered the best portion of a hare or rabbit.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

b. A good thin, sharp-bladed knife. c. A pair of carving scissors. A bird or a joint of meat badly carved will prove wasteful, because fewer -persons will be served than would be when well and properly carved. Anything which needs to be carved at table should be placed on a dish sufficiently large to allow the joint to be turned, if needed, without moving the dish from its position. The dish should be placed close in front of the carver. The knife used for carving must be light and sharp, and of a convenient size. Such joints as ham, veal, and beef should be cut very thin ; while pork, lamb, and mutton should be cut a trifle thicker. The carver ought also to be acquainted with the choice cuts of each kind of joint. 1242. To Carve Fish. — A silver slicer or trowel should be used for this purpose ; a steel knife applied to fish often spoils the delicacy of its flavour. Great care must be taken in serving out fish to prevent breaking the flakes, which ought to be kept as entire as possible. Short-grained fish, such as salmon &c. should be cut lengthwise, not crosswise. 1243. To Carve Sirloin of Beef. — A sirloin should be cut into thin slices, with a sharp, firm cut from end to end of the joint. At the upper portion the cut should be clean and even ; then use the point of the knife to loosen the slices from the bones. In carving the undercut remove the superfluous fat, and cut the slices from end to end in the same manner as the upper portion. Be careful always to cut down straight to the bone of a sirloin or rib of beef ; by so doing you will not spoil the appearance of the joint, and what remains will look tidy. 1244. To Carve Neck of Veal or Mutton. — See that the neck is properly jointed before it is cooked. Cut the joint diagonally from the left-hand side into slices of moderate thickness. 1245. To Carve Loin of Veal. — Cut out the kidney, turn the joint over, and carve into slices of moderate thickness. Serve a slice of kidney and fat with each slice of meat, having first inquired of . the guest if the former are desired. 1246. To Carve Leg or Loin of Pork. — In carving either of these the knife must follow in the lines marked out or scored by the cook before the meat is roasted on the skin which forms the crackling, the skin when roasted being usually too crisp to be conveniently cut through with -the knife. It frequently happens that the lines scored on a leg of pork are too far apart for single cuts ; when this is the case the crackling must be raised to enable one to cut thinner slices. Always cut the meat across the grain, not lengthways. A little seasoning should be placed on the side of the plate ; also apple sauce, if such is served, which is usually the case, but it is better to hand both round in separate bowls. 1247. To Carve Rabbit or Hare. —In either case first separate the legs and shoulders ; then cut the back part across, into two parts. This is best accomplished by inserting the knife into the joint, and raising up the back by means of the fork. The back or fillet part is considered the best portion of a hare or rabbit.

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