With all game, the judgment of a reliable dealer is the
best guide for the buyer ; but a few hints may be given as
to the possibility of keeping game in order to make the flesh
tender. All wild meat will keep good longer than domestic
meat, because of its firm texture. In average temperate
weather, clear and dry, meat which liao not been frozen will
keep the following length of time : veal and pork, one day ;
lamb, two days ; beef and mutton, from three to ten days ;
large poultry and game-birds, from three to six days ; small
game from two to five days, and large game about a week.
In clear winter weather, meat and game frozen in the air
will keep until there are signs of a thaw : they should then
be put into an ice-house, where they will remain frozen, or
thawed out in cold water and speedily used. In warm, muggy
weather, and during summer rains, meat exposed to the air
spoils quickly ; and the conditions of warmth and moisture
to which it is exposed are not unlike those which prevail
when frozen meat is exposed to the heat of the fire in roast-
ing and baking. Meats should be hung up, and entirely
covered with thin cloth or fly-screens, in a cool, dark place,
free from dampness : they should not be laid upon dishes
or boards, because the blood which flows from them taints
more quickly than the flesh itself. It is for the purpose of
entirely removing this blood, that butchers scrape their
meat-blocks instead of washing them. Meats designed for
broiling, roasting, and baking can be hung longer than those
which are to be boiled.
,, FISH.
In selecting fish, have it as fresh as possible. This con-
dition is indicated by the fulness and brightness of the eyes,
and the clean skin and firm flesh : above all, the odor
should be sweet and fresh. Fish which is marketed in a
38 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY.
frozen state should be thawed in cold water, and cooked at
once. Sea-fish, and those which run from the sea into bays
and rivers, have the finest flavor : fresh-water fish sometimes
have a muddy taste, which can be removed to some extent
by soaking them in salted cold water for a couple of hours
before they are cooked. All fish are best before spawning :
afcer that period, the flesh becomes soft and watery. Good
crabs and lobsters are heavy in proportion to their size, and
while uncooked their movements are rapid if they are in
good condition : if cooked, their odor is sweet as long as
they are good. Oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels should
be eaten as fresh as possible always. Salted and smoked
fish should always have a good odor and clean appearance.
VEGETABLES AND FRUIT.
All juicy and green vegetables should be very fresh and
succulent, and are best just before flowering, as also are the
sweet herbs called pot-herbs. Roots and tubers should be
full and fresh-colored : if withered or sprouted, they art
inferior. The green vegetables should not be bought in
larger quantity than can be used while they are still fresh :
they will keep best if sprinkled with water, and laid in a
cool, dark place. All the roots and tubers are improved
by laying them in cold water for an hour before using
themi Details of the keeping of vegetables are given else-
Vhere.
Page 29
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
With all game, the judgment of a reliable dealer is the best guide for the buyer ; but a few hints may be given as to the possibility of keeping game in order to make the flesh tender. All wild meat will keep good longer than domestic meat, because of its firm texture. In average temperate weather, clear and dry, meat which has not been frozen will keep the following length of time : veal and pork, one day ; lamb, two days ; beef and mutton, from three to ten days ; large poultry and game-birds, from three to six days ; small game from two to five days, and large game about a week. In clear winter weather, meat and game frozen in the air will keep until there are signs of a thaw : they should then be put into an ice-house, where they will remain frozen, or thawed out in cold water and speedily used. In warm, muggy weather, and during summer rains, meat exposed to the air spoils quickly ; and the conditions of warmth and moisture to which it is exposed are not unlike those which prevail when frozen meat is exposed to the heat of the fire in roasting and baking. Meats should be hung up, and entirely covered with thin cloth or fly-screens, in a cool, dark place, free from dampness : they should not be laid upon dishes or boards, because the blood which flows from them taints more quickly than the flesh itself. It is for the purpose of entirely removing this blood, that butchers scrape their meat-blocks instead of washing them. Meats designed for broiling, roasting, and baking can be hung longer than those which are to be boiled.
,, FISH.
In selecting fish, have it as fresh as possible. This condition is indicated by the fulness and brightness of the eyes, and the clean skin and firm flesh : above all, the odor should be sweet and fresh. Fish which is marketed in a
frozen state should be thawed in cold water, and cooked at once. Sea-fish, and those which run from the sea into bays and rivers, have the finest flavor : fresh-water fish sometimes have a muddy taste, which can be removed to some extent by soaking them in salted cold water for a couple of hours before they are cooked. All fish are best before spawning : after that period, the flesh becomes soft and watery. Good crabs and lobsters are heavy in proportion to their size, and while uncooked their movements are rapid if they are in good condition : if cooked, their odor is sweet as long as they are good. Oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels should be eaten as fresh as possible always. Salted and smoked fish should always have a good odor and clean appearance.
VEGETABLES AND FRUIT.
All juicy and green vegetables should be very fresh and succulent, and are best just before flowering, as also are the sweet herbs called pot-herbs. Roots and tubers should be full and fresh-colored : if withered or sprouted, they art inferior. The green vegetables should not be bought in larger quantity than can be used while they are still fresh : they will keep best if sprinkled with water, and laid in a cool, dark place. All the roots and tubers are improved by laying them in cold water for an hour before using themi Details of the keeping of vegetables are given else- Vhere.