GRILLING. — The smaller and thinner the meat, the greater
the amount of heat should be applied. Take as an instance a grilled
chop or steak. Grilling is nothing more or less than true roasting,
but instead of a large joint, the chop or steak is small, so that it
takes proportionately less time for the heat to travel through to
the centre. To simplify this explanation, suppose it is a steak that
is being grilled. Have a gridiron that is made of thin wires, and
made double, so that the meat can be placed in between and turned
over as required without being handled. Grease the bars, sprinkle
the steak with pepper and salt, and put it in the gridiron. Have
a fire that is burning quite red, as, if there is any black coal burning,
the gases given out will impart a disagreable flavour and bad
colour to the steak. Sprinkle a little salt on the fire to make it
burn clearer. Place the steak quite close to the fire, in fact almost
touching it, if the steak is thick raise it an inch or two from the fire
after the outside has hardened a little, if the steak is thin keep it
close to the fire ah the time. Watch it closely, and when the top
of the steak becomes moist turn it over so that the heat may harden
that surface, keep watching and turning until the steak is cooked
When done enough the steak will be slightly thicker in the middle
than at the edges, owing to the juices being expanded by the heat.
• 30
Do not on any account stick a fork in the steak to see if it is
done enough, as in this way you will make an opening for the juice
to escape and entirely spoil the results. It is not necessary to serve
gravy with grilled steak, as sufficient will escape from it when it is
cut at the table. If there is an occasional spurt of flame caused by
the fat melting and dropping in the fire during the process of grilling,
it will be quite harmless to the meat, and as a matter of fact, it will
be favourable.
GARNISHING. — The appearance of a dish when it is sent to
table is of great importance, and should be carefully studied by all
cooks. Made dishes are always improved by garnishing, and the
appetising appearance will go a long way towards assisting in the
proper enjoyment of food. It is difficult at sea to obtain many of
the things used for making a dish look attractive, but still many
things can be used that are often overlooked. Suppose you are
serving a fricasse, it can easily be garnished with a few sippets of
bread which have been previously cut into star, diamond, or other
fancy shapes, and fried in hot fat until they have changed to a
bright golden tint. Parsley that has been preserved as in the
foregoing directions can also be used to relieve the colour. Pickled
walnut makes a very pretty garnish if soaked in water for an hour
and then cut into slices. Lemon sliced and the slices cut into
quarters can be used for garnishing fish or curries. Carrots and
turnips cut into small fancy shapes and then boiled, are very
effective in decorating hashed meats of any description. Pickled
gherkins may be prepared in the same way as walnuts, and used for
decorative purposes, and so can hard boiled egg, capers, or tomatoes. ✪ Grilled Steak
Sea Cookery
1911Page 19 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1911. 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
GRILLING. — The smaller and thinner the meat, the greater the amount of heat should be applied. Take as an instance a grilled chop or steak. Grilling is nothing more or less than true roasting, but instead of a large joint, the chop or steak is small, so that it takes proportionately less time for the heat to travel through to the centre. To simplify this explanation, suppose it is a steak that is being grilled. Have a gridiron that is made of thin wires, and made double, so that the meat can be placed in between and turned over as required without being handled. Grease the bars, sprinkle the steak with pepper and salt, and put it in the gridiron. Have a fire that is burning quite red, as, if there is any black coal burning, the gases given out will impart a disagreeable flavour and bad colour to the steak. Sprinkle a little salt on the fire to make it burn clearer. Place the steak quite close to the fire, in fact almost touching it, if the steak is thick raise it an inch or two from the fire after the outside has hardened a little, if the steak is thin keep it close to the fire all the time. Watch it closely, and when the top of the steak becomes moist turn it over so that the heat may harden that surface, keep watching and turning until the steak is cooked. When done enough the steak will be slightly thicker in the middle than at the edges, owing to the juices being expanded by the heat.
• 30
Do not on any account stick a fork in the steak to see if it is done enough, as in this way you will make an opening for the juice to escape and entirely spoil the results. It is not necessary to serve gravy with grilled steak, as sufficient will escape from it when it is cut at the table. If there is an occasional spurt of flame caused by the fat melting and dropping in the fire during the process of grilling, it will be quite harmless to the meat, and as a matter of fact, it will be favourable.
GARNISHING. — The appearance of a dish when it is sent to table is of great importance, and should be carefully studied by all cooks. Made dishes are always improved by garnishing, and the appetising appearance will go a long way towards assisting in the proper enjoyment of food. It is difficult at sea to obtain many of the things used for making a dish look attractive, but still many things can be used that are often overlooked. Suppose you are serving a fricasse, it can easily be garnished with a few sippets of bread which have been previously cut into star, diamond, or other fancy shapes, and fried in hot fat until they have changed to a bright golden tint. Parsley that has been preserved as in the foregoing directions can also be used to relieve the colour. Pickled walnut makes a very pretty garnish if soaked in water for an hour and then cut into slices. Lemon sliced and the slices cut into quarters can be used for garnishing fish or curries. Carrots and turnips cut into small fancy shapes and then boiled, are very effective in decorating hashed meats of any description. Pickled gherkins may be prepared in the same way as walnuts, and used for decorative purposes, and so can hard boiled egg, capers, or tomatoes.
Records on this page
Grilled SteakThick Brown Gravy