The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

It is then placed in a small tin and grated cheese added to it, and a small piece of butter. When it is piled up sufficiently high, and the whole surmounted with a dome of bread-crumbs, the dish must be placed in the oven till it is browned over. This is a common form, but I would remind housekeepers that when macaroni is dressed in this fashion a considerable amount of heat is necessary to brown the breadcrumbs. Consequently, while the bread- ’s GUIDE. crumbs are browning, the butter that has been added to the macaroni is “ oiled,” and so gives the macaroni cheese an oily taste. I would therefore recommend when making macaroni cheese which is to be covered with bread-crumbs that the bread-crumbs should be very dry ; then they brown much more quickly than when somewhat moist. A far better method of browning macaroni is to brown the top with a “ salamander.” For the benefit of those who do not know what a salamander is I would explain that on the Continent this extremely useful piece of iron is used for a variety of purposes — for browning over portions of joints, dishes, etc., that have not acquired a good colour. It is simply a thick piece of iron put into the fire till it is red-hot. This is then held over the part that has not acquired a good colour. In a very few seconds the colour is obtained. In England, where salamanders are, comparatively speaking, unknown, the cook will find an excellent substitute in the kitchen shovel. This can be ' thrust into the hot ashes, and when red-hot forms as good a salamander as any which can be obtained ; but the tendency is to wear out the shovel prematurely. When macaroni is served with tomato sauce and Parmesan grated cheese, it forms that very well-known dish called “ sparghetti.” A particular kind of macaroni is specially sold for making sparghetti (see Spaghetti). Next to macaroni cheese, probably the most common form of eating macaroni in this country is that of macaroni soup. I remember, many years ago, when at school, that the boys designated the soup in question as “ gas-pipes.” Macaroni soup is simply macaroni served in some good clear stock. Cooks must, however, bear in mind that the outside of macaroni contains a certain amount of flour, and therefore they should boil the macaroni in some plain water before it is added to the soup. Were they to add macaroni to the stock direct, however bright it was originally, the fresh macaroni would instantly make it cloudy. In serving macaroni soup I would always recommend the cook to cut it into pieces not longer than an inch, because when macaroni is served in long pieces it has a tendency to slip over the side of the spoon, and will prove a severe trial to bashful persons.