did not stand in the way, olive oil would be the best liquid to use. Any pure, clear fat that is free of strong odor will answer. Many folk use mutton and ham fat, and say that they do not find the flavor of the meat in the articles fried ; but others would discover the taste at once and be disappointed. But the housekeeper will select the fat she will use according to her taste and means ; and attention may as well be turned now to the conditions which will insure satisfactory and comparatively wholesome fried food. In the first place, the fat must be perfectly clarified. Even the purest and sweetest butter must go through this pro- cess before being used for frying. Oil and lard, when pure, already are clarified. When the fat to be clarified is that which has been skimmed from gravies, soups, or the water in which corned beef has been boiled, it will contain water and other impurities. While there is water in fat the latter cannot be heated to a temperature suitable for frying purposes ; and if there be other for- eign substances present, such as particles of meat, gravy flour, or starch, they will burn at as high a temperature as 345°, blackening the fat and making it unfit for frying articles of food. Processes of Clarifying. As soon as the fat is skimmed it should be clarified, as the water and other objectionable particles contained in it will cause it to become rancid if it stands a long time. Put it on the stove, in a frying-pan, and heat it slowly. When it becomes melted, set it where it will simply bubble, and keep it there (being careful not to let it burn) until there is no motion and all the sediment has fallen to the bottom of the pan. When this stage is reached the fat is clarified. Sometimes fat that has been used several times for frying, and has not been strained, will become dark and 240 MISS PARLOA'S KITCHEN COMPANION. unfit for use. This may be put into a kettle with about six times as much hot water, boiled for twenty minutes, turned into a large pan, and set in a cold place. When the contents of the pan become cold, the fat will be found in the form of a solid cake on the surface of the water. It must be removed, and clarified in the manner already described. Then there is another kind of fat which is used a great deal, — the pieces taken from beef, chicken, veal, etc. These should be cut fine, placed in a frying-pan, and cooked slowly until all the oily particles are extracted. Strain the liquid, and it will be ready for use. To clarify butter, put it in a stew-pan and set it on the back part of the range, where it will heat slowly. When a clear, oily substance is found on top, and a cloudy sediment at the bottom of the pan, lift the pan gently and pour off the clear substance, which will be the clarified butter. How to Use Fat. Having the fat in the proper condition for use, the next question is, how to use it. Articles of food are fried in fat that has been heated to a temperature vary- iog from 345° to 400° Fahrenheit. Most mixtures com- posed in part of flour, sugar, milk, or eggs — like fritter batters, doughnuts, etc. — may be cooked at 350° ; where- as such articles as oysters, white-bait, croquettes, etc., require a heat of at least 400°.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

did not stand in the way, olive oil would be the best liquid to use. Any pure, clear fat that is free of strong odor will answer. Many folk use mutton and ham fat, and say that they do not find the flavor of the meat in the articles fried ; but others would discover the taste at once and be disappointed. But the housekeeper will select the fat she will use according to her taste and means ; and attention may as well be turned now to the conditions which will insure satisfactory and comparatively wholesome fried food. In the first place, the fat must be perfectly clarified. Even the purest and sweetest butter must go through this process before being used for frying. Oil and lard, when pure, already are clarified. When the fat to be clarified is that which has been skimmed from gravies, soups, or the water in which corned beef has been boiled, it will contain water and other impurities. While there is water in fat the latter cannot be heated to a temperature suitable for frying purposes ; and if there be other foreign substances present, such as particles of meat, gravy flour, or starch, they will burn at as high a temperature as 345°, blackening the fat and making it unfit for frying articles of food. Processes of Clarifying. As soon as the fat is skimmed it should be clarified, as the water and other objectionable particles contained in it will cause it to become rancid if it stands a long time. Put it on the stove, in a frying-pan, and heat it slowly. When it becomes melted, set it where it will simply bubble, and keep it there (being careful not to let it burn) until there is no motion and all the sediment has fallen to the bottom of the pan. When this stage is reached the fat is clarified. Sometimes fat that has been used several times for frying, and has not been strained, will become dark and unfit for use. This may be put into a kettle with about six times as much hot water, boiled for twenty minutes, turned into a large pan, and set in a cold place. When the contents of the pan become cold, the fat will be found in the form of a solid cake on the surface of the water. It must be removed, and clarified in the manner already described. Then there is another kind of fat which is used a great deal, — the pieces taken from beef, chicken, veal, etc. These should be cut fine, placed in a frying-pan, and cooked slowly until all the oily particles are extracted. Strain the liquid, and it will be ready for use. To clarify butter, put it in a stew-pan and set it on the back part of the range, where it will heat slowly. When a clear, oily substance is found on top, and a cloudy sediment at the bottom of the pan, lift the pan gently and pour off the clear substance, which will be the clarified butter. How to Use Fat. Having the fat in the proper condition for use, the next question is, how to use it. Articles of food are fried in fat that has been heated to a temperature varying from 345° to 400° Fahrenheit. Most mixtures composed in part of flour, sugar, milk, or eggs — like fritter batters, doughnuts, etc. — may be cooked at 350° ; whereas such articles as oysters, white-bait, croquettes, etc., require a heat of at least 400°.

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