Foods and home making

How is the temperature of fat tested for deep-fat frying? If one does not have a thermometer in the home, the temperature of fat may be tested by observing how rapidly bread is browned in the fat. Fat is the right temperature for frying (a) oysters and cooked foods (such as croquettes) if bread browns in 40 seconds, and (6) uncooked foods (such as doughnuts) if bread browns in 60 seconds. Salads and Other Dishes 297 When food has been fried and removed from the kettle, test it before adding the second quantity of food. Fat for frying is much hotter than boiling water. For this reason one should handle it very carefully lest accidents occur. A deep kettle should be used (1) to hold a deep bath of fat, and (2) to prevent fat bubbling over when food is dropped in it. Put the food carefully in the hot fat so that it does not spatter. If a kettle of hot fat must be lifted or carried, wrap a towel around the hand before grasping the handle of the kettle. How are codfish balls made? Salted codfish is very salty. By cooking the fish with a food like potatoes, requiring salt, the mixture is pleasantly seasoned. Balls made of codfish and potatoes, browned in deep fat, are delicious. Not only codfish and potatoes but eggs are used in making these balls. The egg is used for several reasons — principally to hold the foods together and to keep fat from soaking into the mixture. Because eggs harden when they are heated, they harden at once when they are dropped into the fat. This forms a covering through which the fat cannot soak readily. CODFISH BALLS 4 small potatoes 1 egg 1 cup boiling water \ tablespoon butter 1 cup codfish broken into bits teaspoon pepper Scrub the potatoes, pare them, and cut them into quarters. There should be 1 pint of potatoes. Put the water in a saucepan. When it is boiling, add the potatoes and fish. Cover the pan. Let the water boil gently so the potatoes will not break up. When the potatoes are tender, drain the water from them. Then dry very thoroughly by shaking the pan over a low flame. If the potatoes and fish are not dried thoroughly, the balls will break into pieces when they are fried. Mash the potato mixture. Beat the egg. Add it and the butter and pepper to the potato mix- ture. Mix well. Have the hot fat ready. Test its temperature as suggested on page 2q6. Drop a tablespoon of the mixture into the fat. The balls look 298 Luncheon or Supper more attractive with rough edges than with smooth. Drop more balls into the fat — not more than 5 at a time. When golden brown in color, lift the balls from the fat with a wire spoon. Drain for a minute on unglazed paper. Serve at once. Gar- nish with parsley. Codfish balls may be served with white sauce, cheese sauce, or horse radish. Yield : 10 or 12 balls. How are croquettes made? Croquettes may be made from cooked potatoes, rice, meat, or fish mixtures. The food is shaped into cones or cylinders. Then it is coated with dried bread crumbs and egg. The coating is used to make the food taste good and look good, and to prevent the fat from soaking into the mixture. Put all the ingredients, except the egg, in the top of a double boiler. Heat over hot water until the mixture is hot. Stir in the egg. Stir and cook until the egg thickens.