Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

The white of the egg, being pure albumen, hardens when exposed to a temperature above the boiling-point, but remains soft when kept just below this temperature. Meat is largely made up of albumen and fibrine. Heat, when as great as that of boiling water, hardens and shrinks fibrine ; but if the heat be less than boiling, and be continued with moisture for a long time, it will soften the toughest piece of meat. Now, understanding these principles, there need be no mistake in cooking meat : First, heat, when greater than the boiling-point in water, hardens and shrinks meat ; but when meat is kept at the boiling-point for a long time, it is made tender, provided always that there is plenty of moisture. Second, meat, when to be roasted or boiled, must be exposed for the first fifteen or twenty minutes to a greater heat than the boilingpoint, that the surface may become hardened and a crust be formed to keep in the juices. Third, the heat must not be lower than the boiling-point while the meat is cooking, that temperature being necessary for the development of the proper flavor. From this we see that the meat must first be subjected to a high temperature to close the pores on the surface, and as soon as this is accomplished the temperature must be lowered to the boiling-point (212°), and kept at that degree until the cooking is done. BOILING. For all meats except ham, corned beef, and salt tongue, the water should be boiling when the meat is put in, and when the water begins to boil again (it will be cooled somewhat when the meat is put in), skim it, and keep it at the boiling-point for fifteen or twenty minutes. At the end of that time draw the kettle back where there is only enough heat to keep the water at the boiling-point. If the water bubbles a little, it is about right for cooking meat. A leg of mutton weighing ten or twelve pounds will be cooked moderately rare in two hours. A turkey of about the same weight will require cooking for three hours and a half, unless it happens to be very tough, when it will require an hour longer to make it tender. A piece of corned beef will take five hours to cook, no matter how small the piece may be. If it should weigh more than eight pounds, give it an extra hour. It will be improved by letting it partially cool in the water in which it was boiled. This is true of all boiled meats that are to be used cold. Ham and smoked tongue should be soaked in cold water for twelve hours, and should then be boiled from five to six hours. Fowls take from two to four hours to cook. If these directions be followed, every piece of boiled meat that comes to the table will be found tender and juicy. It will cut smooth ; whereas meat that has been boiled rapidly will break into long shreds when you attempt to cut it, and will be found hard and flavorless. We are all too well acquainted with this kind of boiled and roasted meats. It is time that such waste of good materials should cease. ROASTING. There are three modes of roasting, — before the fire, in a tin-kitchen ; under a sheet of flame, in a gas-stove ; or