Boiling and Steaming. — In boiling the food is surrounded
with water at or near the boiling point. Steaming is con-
ducted on the same principle, except that the surrounding
and cookina: medium is steam instead of water.
PRINCIPLES OF COOKING 167
The cells of vegetables are for the most part enclosed in
walls of cellulose. The older the vegetables the harder and
more woody are the walls. From this it follows that the
older vegetables will require long boiling to set free the
cell contents. Green vegetables are chiefly valuable for
the mineral salts that they contain. These unfortunately
are somewhat soluble in water. They should, therefore,
be cooked no longer than necessary. All vegetables are
boiled from the beginning in water at the boiling point.
In general, boiling of vegetables makes them soft and
tender, and develops the flavor usually by dissolving out
dextrin, which is apt to be present wherever starch is found,
or by changing the starch into dextrin.
For further details consult the chapter on Starchy Foods.
Meats and fish are made more tender by boiling ; the
gelatinoid substances of the connective tissue and of the
bones are dissolved out, and flavors are developed.
Meat contains from five to eight per cent of soluble food
materials. These include not only the amids, extractives,
and gelatinoids, but also some albumen. Remembering, too,
that boiled meat takes longer to digest, it seems doubtful
wisdom to cook it in this way.
But it is possible to minimize the loss and to utilize the
unavoidable waste. This is done by making use of the
principle that heat coagulates albumen, and that the higher
the temperature the harder will be the product.
For this reason all meats to be boiled are immersed in
boiling water and kept boiling for ten minutes. The result
of this is that a coat of hard albumen will be formed which
will efficiently prevent the further escape of juices. If this
treatment were to be continued, the interior of the meat
would become hard and indigestible, too. To avoid this, the
temperature is allowed to fall to about 180° F. ; and with long
cooking at this "simmering" temperature the meat within
will be tender and juicy.
168 HANDBOOK OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE
Since the escape of the juices has been prevented in a
measure, the water in which the meat is boiled is not as
rich as it would be otherwise; but it is still too good to
throw away. It may be used in a nutritious, albeit econom-
ical soup, the recipe for which is given under the head of
Boiling in the chapter on Proteids.
Boiling of Bones. — Long boiling of bones changes their
gelatinoids into soluble gelatin. When this is done under
high pressure, as in the manufacture of commercial gelatin,
then nearly all the cartilage is dissolved. Soft, spongy
bones contain the most gelatin. It must not be forgotten
that the gelatinoids are excellent fuel foods. It is, there-
fore, great extravagance not to add bones to the stock pot
instead of throwing them away.
Page 80
Presented as published in 1900. 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
Boiling and Steaming. — In boiling the food is surrounded with water at or near the boiling point. Steaming is conducted on the same principle, except that the surrounding and cooking medium is steam instead of water.
The cells of vegetables are for the most part enclosed in walls of cellulose. The older the vegetables the harder and more woody are the walls. From this it follows that the older vegetables will require long boiling to set free the cell contents. Green vegetables are chiefly valuable for the mineral salts that they contain. These unfortunately are somewhat soluble in water. They should, therefore, be cooked no longer than necessary. All vegetables are boiled from the beginning in water at the boiling point.
In general, boiling of vegetables makes them soft and tender, and develops the flavor usually by dissolving out dextrin, which is apt to be present wherever starch is found, or by changing the starch into dextrin.
For further details consult the chapter on Starchy Foods.
Meats and fish are made more tender by boiling ; the gelatinoid substances of the connective tissue and of the bones are dissolved out, and flavors are developed.
Meat contains from five to eight per cent of soluble food materials. These include not only the amids, extractives, and gelatinoids, but also some albumen. Remembering, too, that boiled meat takes longer to digest, it seems doubtful wisdom to cook it in this way.
But it is possible to minimize the loss and to utilize the unavoidable waste. This is done by making use of the principle that heat coagulates albumen, and that the higher the temperature the harder will be the product.
For this reason all meats to be boiled are immersed in boiling water and kept boiling for ten minutes. The result of this is that a coat of hard albumen will be formed which will efficiently prevent the further escape of juices. If this treatment were to be continued, the interior of the meat would become hard and indigestible, too. To avoid this, the temperature is allowed to fall to about 180° F. ; and with long cooking at this "simmering" temperature the meat within will be tender and juicy.
Since the escape of the juices has been prevented in a measure, the water in which the meat is boiled is not as rich as it would be otherwise; but it is still too good to throw away. It may be used in a nutritious, albeit economical soup, the recipe for which is given under the head of Boiling in the chapter on Proteids.
Boiling of Bones. — Long boiling of bones changes their gelatinoids into soluble gelatin. When this is done under high pressure, as in the manufacture of commercial gelatin, then nearly all the cartilage is dissolved. Soft, spongy bones contain the most gelatin. It must not be forgotten that the gelatinoids are excellent fuel foods. It is, therefore, great extravagance not to add bones to the stock pot instead of throwing them away.