Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

Why fried food and pastry are hard to digest. — It is easy to see that fat finely divided or mixed with other food can be made ready for absorption more quickly than if swallowed in a mass. Perhaps it is for this reason that we instinctively spread butter on bread instead of eat- ing it by itself, and in general prefer to take fat in com- bination with other food. But what happens if we incorporate it so closely with other food that particles of this are actually coated with grease, as when butter is allowed to melt and soak into toast ? In this case the butter, since it is affected by neither saliva nor gastric juice, acts as a seal, preventing these juices from reaching the starch and other foodstuffs in the bread, which, therefore, remain undigested till the 216 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY fat is removed from them in the intestine. The juices here do their best to digest the bread, but, as they were never meant to do all the work of digestion, and as the bread is constantly being pushed along past the little cells eager for it, but unable to take it in unprepared, some of it is almost sure to be left unabsorbed. With pastry the case is still worse ; for in this, not only is butter rubbed into the flour so as to envelop the starch granules, but so little water is added that the latter cannot swell as they should (§ 117). Food that has soaked up fat in frying is in much the same state. Section 2. Cooking in Pat: Prying and Sauteing 349. The difficulty of cooking food in fat without having it greasy makes this the least desirable method of cooking. Nevertheless, certain kinds of food are good fried, and, if properly fried, need not be unwhole- some. 350. Experiments with heated fat. — A. Take the temperature of butter or drippings while it is foaming and bubbling over the fire. Heat it until it no longer bubbles, and take its temperature again. Is it hotter or cooler than before ? Does v/ater stop boil- ing unless it is allowed to cool? Does it grow hotter after it reaches the boiling-point? Do you think the fat was boiling when it bubbled? 351. Why we should not speak of "boiling " fat. — Fats, generally speaking, burn before they boil. It is water contained in the fat that makes it bubble when heated. Until this water has boiled away, the fat cannot be FAT FROM ANIMALS AND OIL FROM PLANTS 217 raised to a temperature much above 212°, but after it lias all passed off, as is shown by the fat becoming still, the latter grows rapidly hotter, rising to 300° or 400°, some kinds of fat even higher. 352. Experiment. — B. Drop a bit of bread into bubbling-hot lard : after a minute take it out. Continue to heat the lard until it smokes and is perfectly still. Drop in another bit of bread, let it stay a minute, then take it out. Break open both pieces. Which piece has soaked up the most grease? Which has browned? How does a coating of grease affect the digestion of food? How does browning (carmelization) affect the digestion of starch? Should food be fried in bubbling or in still fat? AVhat makes the fat bubble when the bread is dropped into it ? How does moisture affect the temperature of hot fat? Experiment. — C. Heat butter, lard, and drippings in separate saucepans. Which burns first? Which can be made hottest without burning? Which is best for frying? Which least desirable ?