"A roast of beef✪ Roast Meat is much improved by searing the cut sides just before putting it in the oven. This is done by laying it in a hot pan or spider, over a bright fire, for two or three minutes. As soon as one side is brown, turn it over in the spider and brown the other, and place in a hot oven immediately. In roasting meat it is custom- ary to allow fifteen minutes to each pound of beef, and twenty-five minutes to each pound of lamb or mutton. But when it has been seared before it is placed in the oven, at least half an hour can be deducted from the usual time allowed an ordinary roast of eight pounds. The advantage of the AT DINNEK. 109 searing process is not, however, so much in saving time in roasting, as in saving the juices of the meat by the instant forming of crusts on the out- side. I feel confident that no sensible woman, after a fair trial of the method of roastins: meats by placing them dry in the pan, will ever return to the old way of basting them with water or drip- pings. It is a prevalent idea that meat will burn in roasting, if not basted, or wet w^ith drippings ; but the fact is, meat will bear all the heat neces- sary to roast it in the most perfect manner, and not burn. Eesting dry upon the bottom of the pan, upper and under sides brown evenly at the same time ; and not only is the process of roasting shortened, but nearly all the trouble of changing the positions of the meat in the oven is avoided. "To boil meats or fowls, put them in boiling water and simmer smartly, until tender. Never allow them to boil fast or furiously, as so doing toughens the meat, and at the same time robs it of its juices. The smallest quantity of water possible should be used in boiling meats, and no salt should be added until the meat is nearly done. The fowl or joint should be covered closely, and frequently turned in the pot while boiling. Ham is best put in cold water and sim- mered gently until well done. The ham should be placed in the boiler with the skin down, and with sufficient water to cover it. After it begins to boil, 110 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING. fifteen minutes to each pound it weighs is not too much time to give it for thorough boiUng. When removed from the water it should be allowed to cool before it is skinned. After skinning, place it in a pan, cover the outside thickly with white sugar, saturate with wine or vinegar✪ Boiled Ham, and brown richly in a moderate oven. Smoked ham should always be soaked over night in cold water, scraped and well washed before boilinsr. "Salted meats, such as corned beef, tongue, etc., if too salt to be boiled in a small quantity of water, should be soaked in cold water, which extracts the salt without injuring the meat." "Kate, in your cook-book do you mean to con- sider the whole bill of fare from besrinnino: to end; or will you select from it here and there, taking only such articles and subjects as seem to you most needing consideration ? "

AI-modernized reading of the original text

"A roast of beef is much improved by searing the cut sides just before putting it in the oven. This is done by laying it in a hot pan or spider, over a bright fire, for two or three minutes. As soon as one side is brown, turn it over in the spider and brown the other, and place in a hot oven immediately. In roasting meat it is customary to allow fifteen minutes to each pound of beef, and twenty-five minutes to each pound of lamb or mutton. But when it has been seared before it is placed in the oven, at least half an hour can be deducted from the usual time allowed an ordinary roast of eight pounds. The advantage of the searing process is not, however, so much in saving time in roasting, as in saving the juices of the meat by the instant forming of crusts on the outside. I feel confident that no sensible woman, after a fair trial of the method of roasting meats by placing them dry in the pan, will ever return to the old way of basting them with water or drippings. It is a prevalent idea that meat will burn in roasting, if not basted, or wet with drippings ; but the fact is, meat will bear all the heat necessary to roast it in the most perfect manner, and not burn. Resting dry upon the bottom of the pan, upper and under sides brown evenly at the same time ; and not only is the process of roasting shortened, but nearly all the trouble of changing the positions of the meat in the oven is avoided. "To boil meats or fowls, put them in boiling water and simmer smartly, until tender. Never allow them to boil fast or furiously, as so doing toughens the meat, and at the same time robs it of its juices. The smallest quantity of water possible should be used in boiling meats, and no salt should be added until the meat is nearly done. The fowl or joint should be covered closely, and frequently turned in the pot while boiling. Ham is best put in cold water and simmered gently until well done. The ham should be placed in the boiler with the skin down, and with sufficient water to cover it. After it begins to boil, fifteen minutes to each pound it weighs is not too much time to give it for thorough boiling. When removed from the water it should be allowed to cool before it is skinned. After skinning, place it in a pan, cover the outside thickly with white sugar, saturate with wine or vinegar, and brown richly in a moderate oven. Smoked ham should always be soaked over night in cold water, scraped and well washed before boiling. "Salted meats, such as corned beef, tongue, etc., if too salt to be boiled in a small quantity of water, should be soaked in cold water, which extracts the salt without injuring the meat." "Kate, in your cook-book do you mean to consider the whole bill of fare from beginning to end; or will you select from it here and there, taking only such articles and subjects as seem to you most needing consideration ? "

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Roast MeatBoiled Ham

Cooking and castle-building