Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

290. General directions for using gelatine. — First soften the gelatine by soaking in cold water,^ then dissolve it 1 Pronounced like gelatin. 2 Cooper's gelatine softens in ten minutes ; Knox's requires at least fifteen ; some kinds take longer. Follow the directions on box. Granulated gelatine is more easily measured than that in sheets or shredded. A two-ounce box of granulated gelatine holds five table- spoonfuls. 164 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY in boiling water, hut never boil it. If stirred much while hot the gelatine may become stringy and refuse to jelly ; for this reason, do not stir to help sugar dis- solve, but keep the gelatine mixture hot by setting the bowl over hot water. Strain it through cheese-cloth or muslin doubled, into a mold, and set it away to cool, in summer on ice. It will jelly in from three to six hours. The larger the proportion of gelatine to liquid, the sooner it sets, but too much makes the jelly taste of gelatine, and also makes it tough. Use a mold of earthen or enamelled ware wet with cold water just before it is filled. See that it stands level while the jelly is cooling. Recipes for Gelatine Jellies Lemon Jelly Gelatine, 1 ounce, or if granulated, '2)4 tablespoonfuls. Cold water, }4 cupful. Sugar, 1 cupful. Boiling water, 2^ cupfuls. Lemon juice, }4 cupful. Soak the gelatine in the cold water, add the boiling water, then the sugar, and stir till the latter is dissolved. Add the lemon juice, and strain through a cloth wrung out of hot water and laid over a wire strainer into a mold wet with cold water. To vary the flavor, boil in the water one inch of stick cinnamon^ and the thinly shaved peel (yellow only) of one or two lemons. For Coffee Jelly use ojie cupful of strong boiled coffee} 1 Made with two tablespoonfuls of coffee to one cupful of water. THE FLESH OF ANIMALS 165 and two of boiling water. Strain through a fine cloth, doubled. Serve these jellies turned out in a glass dish, with cream, whipped or unwhipped ; or make them a little less stiff, and serve lightly broken up, as " Sparkling Jelly." 291. The manufacture of gelatine. — Gelatine is ob- tained by extracting under pressure the gelatinous parts of cleaned bones, horns, hoofs, and hides of animals. The first product strained off is made into size and glue ; the rest, purified by treatment with sulphuric acid, is the gelatine of commerce, which is used not only in jellies, but for medicine capsules, photograph films, and many other purposes. Gelatine is made also from fish-bones, and a very pure kind, called isinglass, from the air-bladder of the sturgeon. 292. Digestion of gelatin. — Gelatin is more readily digested than collagen. Like proteids, gelatinoids are changed to peptones by the gastric and pancreatic juices. HOW TO COOK TOUGH MEAT: STEWING AND BRAISING 293. We have seen that tender meat is cooked chiefly to improve its color and flavor, not to make it more digestible ; but tough meat requires first of all that its connective tissue be softened to enable the digestive juices to reach the albuminous matter within. What substance in plant foods corresponds to connective tissue 166 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY in meat ? How does this have to be cooked ? By stew- ing, tough meat may be softened with the least possible sacrifice of juiciness and flavor. Recipe for Lamb Stew