But, after all, the exact quantity and kind of food required by the
individual cannot be definitely determined by any general rules. It
must be left to the feeder, whose peculiar constitutional organization
should be considered under the guidance of such knowledge of food,
feeding, and cookery as we are endeavouring to supply, and by prac-
tical experiment. The temperament and habits of the individual and
the changeful conditions of the stomach are alone too important in
connection with these questions to be safely ignored, and these are
complicated with other individual peculiarities known chiefly to their
possessors.
METHODS OF COOKERY.
Turning now to the methods of cooking, viz., Roasting, Roiling,
Stewing, Grilling, Broiling, Frying, and Baking, we will devote a few
practical remarks to each.
Roasting1.
The smell and taste of roast meat arise from the slight alteration
made in the cooking of its soluble qualities. Roasting is a process
which, if well done, implies great care, attention and thoughtfulness
on the part of the cook, the method being a difficult and important one,
and by no means a thing of rule which can be mechanically performed.
In the first place the fire must be in the right condition — clear, bright,
and giving out uniform but not too strong heat ; and its breadth and
depth should be regulated to the size of the joint. The weight of the
joint to be roasted, the condition and form of the meat, and its propor-
tions of fat and lean, should also be considered. Meat of newly-killed
beasts requires longer cooking. In warm weather joints require slightly
less roasting than in cold. Thick joints — say sirloins of beef or legs of
mutton — will not be well cooked if roasted as long as you would roast
thinner ones, such as ribs of beef or shoulders. Boned or stuffed meat
will require longer cooking than the same joints would unstuffed, or
with the bone in. The meat of young animals and of older ones
requires different treatment (as a rule young flesh, containing less
fibrine, requires most cooking) ; one kind of meat is best roasted before
a brisk fire (pork, veal, and lamb, for instance) ; another should be
more slowly cooked. Some flesh requires very little cooking, some
much longer ; the flesh of old and full-grown animals — poultry excepted
— requiring the shorter time. The cook’s aim should be to preserve
the real flavour and nourishing qualities of the meat, and to preserve
the juices from being dried out during the roasting process. Attaining
this aim depends chiefly upon the roasting being neither too quick nor
too slow, and upon the care given to the basting, which should be
thorough always. Avoid thrusting forks into roasting meat. It is a
good plan to begin with the meat rather close to the fire and then a
COMMON-SENSE COOKERY.
19
Page 5
Presented as published in 1890. 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
But, after all, the exact quantity and kind of food required by the individual cannot be definitely determined by any general rules. It must be left to the feeder, whose peculiar constitutional organization should be considered under the guidance of such knowledge of food, feeding, and cookery as we are endeavouring to supply, and by practical experiment. The temperament and habits of the individual and the changeful conditions of the stomach are alone too important in connection with these questions to be safely ignored, and these are complicated with other individual peculiarities known chiefly to their possessors.
METHODS OF COOKERY.
Turning now to the methods of cooking, viz., Roasting, Roiling, Stewing, Grilling, Broiling, Frying, and Baking, we will devote a few practical remarks to each.
Roasting.
The smell and taste of roast meat arise from the slight alteration made in the cooking of its soluble qualities. Roasting is a process which, if well done, implies great care, attention and thoughtfulness on the part of the cook, the method being a difficult and important one, and by no means a thing of rule which can be mechanically performed. In the first place the fire must be in the right condition — clear, bright, and giving out uniform but not too strong heat ; and its breadth and depth should be regulated to the size of the joint. The weight of the joint to be roasted, the condition and form of the meat, and its proportions of fat and lean, should also be considered. Meat of newly-killed beasts requires longer cooking. In warm weather joints require slightly less roasting than in cold. Thick joints — say sirloins of beef or legs of mutton — will not be well cooked if roasted as long as you would roast thinner ones, such as ribs of beef or shoulders. Boned or stuffed meat will require longer cooking than the same joints would unstuffed, or with the bone in. The meat of young animals and of older ones requires different treatment (as a rule young flesh, containing less fibrine, requires most cooking) ; one kind of meat is best roasted before a brisk fire (pork, veal, and lamb, for instance) ; another should be more slowly cooked. Some flesh requires very little cooking, some much longer ; the flesh of old and full-grown animals — poultry excepted — requiring the shorter time. The cook’s aim should be to preserve the real flavour and nourishing qualities of the meat, and to preserve the juices from being dried out during the roasting process. Attaining this aim depends chiefly upon the roasting being neither too quick nor too slow, and upon the care given to the basting, which should be thorough always. Avoid thrusting forks into roasting meat. It is a good plan to begin with the meat rather close to the fire and then a