Meat, fish, poultry, or game should never be laid
upon shelves, but rather hung by hooks or laid upon racks :
if the box is too small to permit this, they should be placed
upon earthen dishes large enough to prevent contact with
the box or shelves. Milk should always be kept in closed
jars, even when in the ice-box, for no other substance is so
quickly affected by air and surroundings ; it absorbs every
odor and gas to which it is exposed, and takes on every taint
in the atmosphere : therefore, as soon as its first natural heat
8 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY.
has passed away, it should be strained, and kept in covered
vessels, unless it is put into a perfectly clean milk-room shel-
tered from air and dust. Butter, like milk, readily takes on
odors and taint : it should always be kept in covered tubs or
jars, with brine or a wet cloth covered with salt over it. It
should never be put near fish, meat, or vegetables which can
impart any odor to it.
The ice-box should not be kept in a damp place, because
dampness will cause the ice to melt, and predispose food to
ferment and mould. No steam or furnace pipes or chimney-
flues should be near enough to vary, its temperature in the
least degree, for this in itself is a frequent cause of injury
to food. When the weather is variable, it is necessary to
closely watch food which is not refrigerated. In the winter,
there is less danger to food from decomposition than in sum-
mer ; but some kinds are impaired by freezing. And then,
too, there is always more or less danger of decomposition
attending the thawing • of frozen meats : they should be
thawed at a dry temperature, only a little above the freezing-
point, in a well-ventilated room, or in very cold water, — •
never near the fire, or in a warm kitchen. When meat has
once been frozen, it should be kept at that temperature until
it is thawed for cooking ; for, when once thawed, it is likely
to spoil quickly, especially in close, damp weather.
A word in regard to frozen vegetables : they should be
placed in cold water to thaw, not exposed to the action of
heat ; but as freezing effects a chemical change in the sub-
stance and composition of vegetables, — as, for instance,
when it partly changes the starch in potatoes into glucose,
— they should generally be protected from frost. Vegetables
will be referred to again in treating of the cellar.
As dampness favors decomposition, even at a low tem-
perature, the ice-compartment in refrigerators should be
separated from the food-closet by permanent walls, so that
THE KITCHEN, PANTRY, AND CELLAR. 9
Page 14
Presented as published in 1885. 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
Meat, fish, poultry, or game should never be laid upon shelves, but rather hung by hooks or laid upon racks : if the box is too small to permit this, they should be placed upon earthen dishes large enough to prevent contact with the box or shelves. Milk should always be kept in closed jars, even when in the ice-box, for no other substance is so quickly affected by air and surroundings ; it absorbs every odor and gas to which it is exposed, and takes on every taint in the atmosphere : therefore, as soon as its first natural heat
has passed away, it should be strained, and kept in covered vessels, unless it is put into a perfectly clean milk-room sheltered from air and dust. Butter, like milk, readily takes on odors and taint : it should always be kept in covered tubs or jars, with brine or a wet cloth covered with salt over it. It should never be put near fish, meat, or vegetables which can impart any odor to it.
The ice-box should not be kept in a damp place, because dampness will cause the ice to melt, and predispose food to ferment and mould. No steam or furnace pipes or chimney-flues should be near enough to vary, its temperature in the least degree, for this in itself is a frequent cause of injury to food. When the weather is variable, it is necessary to closely watch food which is not refrigerated. In the winter, there is less danger to food from decomposition than in summer ; but some kinds are impaired by freezing. And then, too, there is always more or less danger of decomposition attending the thawing of frozen meats: they should be thawed at a dry temperature, only a little above the freezingpoint, in a well-ventilated room, or in very cold water, — • never near the fire, or in a warm kitchen. When meat has once been frozen, it should be kept at that temperature until it is thawed for cooking ; for, when once thawed, it is likely to spoil quickly, especially in close, damp weather.
A word in regard to frozen vegetables : they should be placed in cold water to thaw, not exposed to the action of heat ; but as freezing effects a chemical change in the substance and composition of vegetables, — as, for instance, when it partly changes the starch in potatoes into glucose, — they should generally be protected from frost. Vegetables will be referred to again in treating of the cellar.
As dampness favors decomposition, even at a low temperature, the ice-compartment in refrigerators should be separated from the food-closet by permanent walls, so that