Utensils used for gas stoves should never be placed on
coal fires, as the soot which forms not only acts as a non-
conductor, but when again placed on a gas burner throws off
carbon mon-oxide, and causes an unpleasant smell through,
tha house.
14 MISS CAMERON'S COOKERY BOOK.
The oven should be thoroughly heated before the joint is
placed in it. This can be accomplished in. about ten minutes.
Place the joint either on the hanging hook (fattest side up) or
on the bottom grid. In this position the joints will largely
baste themselves. Expose them to a large heat at starting so
as to hermetically close and seal up the pores, and thereby
retain all the nourishing juices. After being thus exposed (say
for fifteen minutes) lower the gas, and complete the cooking
at a lower temperature. Beef and mutton require about
twelve minutes to the pound, pork and veal about fifteen.
Never use tins for roasting, but always the hanging hooks
or grids.
To Bake Cakes.
Light the gas in the oven, and' allow it to remain full on
for fifteen minutes. Then lower to half, and place the cakes
on the middle grid; when risen and slightly browned, turn
the gas as low as possible and finish baking gently. Rich
cakes take some hours to bake, and require a very moderate
oven. Anything containing much sugar is liable to burn, se
great care should be taken. After the cakes are baked, anc
the gas is turned out, sufficient heat will be retained in th<
oven to bake meringues, cocoanut biscuits, etc.
Bread.
Heat the oven as before mentioned, put in the loaves
turn the gas half down, and bake gently. A two-pound loa
will take from .forty-five to fifty minutes.
Pastry.
Short crust should be baked quickly, so that rather
quick oven is required. After heating the oven, place th
fruit tart or meat pies on the shelves in the middle of th
oven, turn tihe gas half down, and bake. For steak pies th
gas should be turned as low as passvb\fc a£te>x \&s> ^*sfcrNf ;
MISS CAMERON'S COOKERY BOOK. 15
risen and slightly browned, so as to allow the meat to cook
very slowly. If too great a heat is kept up the meat will be
hard.
For puff pastry a slower oven is necessary, as if this is
baked too quickly it will not rise sufficiently, and will be very
indigestible. Sausage rolls and! jam puffs should have quite
three-quarters of an hour, when they will be found to be light
and flaky. This I have found by experience.
To Grill and Toast.
With gas cookers this is done by placing the meat or bread
under the grilling burners, all of which have a deflector which
radiates the heat upon the steak, etc., when red-hot f and so
cooks it. A very little care and attention is required to
render a steak or chop thus grilled perfection.
Habitually lecturing on gas cooking, it is only to be
expected that I should declare that method to be the best;
yet speaking without any prejudice, I am convinced that it
obtains many valuable advantages, for the following reasons :
1. Cleanliness and convenience in cooking. The fuel,
being gas, is always under complete control, and whether
roasting, boiling, baking, etc., one is able to regulate the
heat in any way by simply turning a key, thus obviating
the necessity, and very often difficulty, of lifting heavy pots
and joints quickly on and off the fire to prevent burning,
boiling over, etc., not to speak of having constantly to re-
plenish the fire with coal at the expense of hands and gown.
Of course, these remarks apply largely to houses where there
are a limited number of servants, or perhaps none, and
where the mistress has to see to most of the cooking herself.
I know that the principal, objection raised in many cases by
kdies to learning cooking is, that there is so much
dirty work entailed in it.
2. Speed in preparing a meal is of gimi \xx^ar\«x\Rfc.
Bow often does a man or woman rusk Taxrmatfty aw^ ^°
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16 MISS CAMERON'S COOKERY BOOK,
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Page 4
Presented as published in 1898. 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
Utensils used for gas stoves should never be placed on coal fires, as the soot which forms not only acts as a nonconductor, but when again placed on a gas burner throws off carbon monoxide, and causes an unpleasant smell through the house.
The oven should be thoroughly heated before the joint is placed in it. This can be accomplished in. about ten minutes. Place the joint either on the hanging hook (fattest side up) or on the bottom grid. In this position the joints will largely baste themselves. Expose them to a large heat at starting so as to hermetically close and seal up the pores, and thereby retain all the nourishing juices. After being thus exposed (say for fifteen minutes) lower the gas, and complete the cooking at a lower temperature. Beef and mutton require about twelve minutes to the pound, pork and veal about fifteen.
Never use tins for roasting, but always the hanging hooks or grids.
To Bake Cakes.
Light the gas in the oven, and allow it to remain full on for fifteen minutes. Then lower to half, and place the cakes on the middle grid; when risen and slightly browned, turn the gas as low as possible and finish baking gently. Rich cakes take some hours to bake, and require a very moderate oven. Anything containing much sugar is liable to burn, se great care should be taken. After the cakes are baked, and the gas is turned out, sufficient heat will be retained in the oven to bake meringues, cocoanut biscuits, etc.
Bread.
Heat the oven as before mentioned, put in the loaves turn the gas half down, and bake gently. A two-pound loaf will take from forty-five to fifty minutes.
Pastry.
Short crust should be baked quickly, so that rather
quick oven is required. After heating the oven, place the
fruit tart or meat pies on the shelves in the middle of the
oven, turn the gas half down, and bake. For steak pies th
gas should be turn as low as possible after it has risen; ;
risen and slightly browned, so as to allow the meat to cook very slowly. If too great a heat is kept up the meat will be hard.
For puff pastry a slower oven is necessary, as if this is baked too quickly it will not rise sufficiently, and will be very indigestible. Sausage rolls and jam puffs should have quite three-quarters of an hour, when they will be found to be light and flaky. This I have found by experience.
To Grill and Toast.
With gas cookers this is done by placing the meat or bread under the grilling burners, all of which have a deflector which radiates the heat upon the steak, etc., when red-hot f and so cooks it. A very little care and attention is required to render a steak or chop thus grilled perfection.
Habitually lecturing on gas cooking, it is only to be expected that I should declare that method to be the best; yet speaking without any prejudice, I am convinced that it obtains many valuable advantages, for the following reasons : 1. Cleanliness and convenience in cooking. The fuel, being gas, is always under complete control, and whether roasting, boiling, baking, etc., one is able to regulate the heat in any way by simply turning a key, thus obviating the necessity, and very often difficulty, of lifting heavy pots and joints quickly on and off the fire to prevent burning, boiling over, etc., not to speak of having constantly to replenish the fire with coal at the expense of hands and gown. Of course, these remarks apply largely to houses where there are a limited number of servants, or perhaps none, and where the mistress has to see to most of the cooking herself. I know that the principal, objection raised in many cases by ladies to learning cooking is, that there is so much dirty work entailed in it.
2. Speed in preparing a meal [illustration: continued on next page]
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