well in mind, the young housekeeper need make no
e^Tor in the preparation and cooking of meat : First, heat
higher than the boiling point hardens and shrinks meat,
but when kept at the boiling point for a long time,
it will make the meat tender, provided there is plenty of
moisture. Second, meat to be roasted or boiled should ,
be exposed for the first fifteen minutes to a greater
degree of heat than the boiling point, so that the surface
of the meat may be crusted and hardened to keep in the
juices. Third, the heat must not be allowed to fall below
the boiling point while the meat is cooking, that tempera-
ture being necessary for the development of the flavor.
Thus we see that the meat must first be treated to a high
degree of heat, to close the pores of the surface, after
which it must be maintained uniformly at boiling point
(212°) until the cooking is done.
ROASTING.
There are three modes of roasting^-before the coals,
under a sheet of flame in a gas stove, and in an ordinary
range or stove. The last named process is unanimously
conceded to be inferior to either of the others, but
the oven is always available while the first two are not,
unless special preparation has been made for the
work.
For roasting before the fire it is necessary to have the
range constructed for this purpose, and a tin screen with
a spit and jack to place before the coals, on which to do
the work. Some of the roasters are arranged with a
spring-jack ; the meat is placed on the spit and the
spring wound up, which sets the meat revolving slowly
before the fire. The meat should first be placed near
PLAIN DIRECTIONS. 59
the coals to quickly crust the surface, and then moved
back a little to cook through without burning. Baste
the meat frequently ; and if the roast is very large, it
should be surrounded with a buttered paper. Just before
the meat is done, it should be basted with a little butter,
then sprinkled with flour and placed nearer the fire to
brown. Sprinkle a little salt upon the roast, but not
until it is ready to serve, as salt draws out the juices.
The fire should be made ready some time before putting
in the meat, that the coals may be bright and hot ; and
it should be strong enough to last through the roasting,
with possibly the addition of a little coal.
In roasting in a pan, the nifeat should be placed on a
meat rest, and thus raised from the bottom of the baking
pan. (This rest is described among the kitchen utensils.)
Dredge the meat with flour, salt and pepper it, and sprin-
kle a quantity of flour in the bottom of the pan. The
salt draws out the juices, but the flour unites with them,
making a paste that soon hardens and imprisons those
within the meat. When the flour in the pan is brown,
put in just enough water to cover the bottom. After the
meat has browned, it should be basted at least every ten
minutes, wifti the gravy in the pan, and then treated to
another light sprinkling of flour. The water in the pan
should be renewed frequently, but none should be added
during the last half hour, so that there will be nothing
remaining in the pan but oil and sediment. When the
meat is done, lay it on a warm platter, lift the meat-rest
from the pan, pour off the fat, and scrape the sediment
from the sides and bottom.
Page 20
Presented as published in 1890. 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
well in mind, the young housekeeper need make no error in the preparation and cooking of meat : First, heat higher than the boiling point hardens and shrinks meat, but when kept at the boiling point for a long time, it will make the meat tender, provided there is plenty of moisture. Second, meat to be roasted or boiled should , be exposed for the first fifteen minutes to a greater degree of heat than the boiling point, so that the surface of the meat may be crusted and hardened to keep in the juices. Third, the heat must not be allowed to fall below the boiling point while the meat is cooking, that temperature being necessary for the development of the flavor. Thus we see that the meat must first be treated to a high degree of heat, to close the pores of the surface, after which it must be maintained uniformly at boiling point (212°) until the cooking is done.
ROASTING.
There are three modes of roasting—before the coals, under a sheet of flame in a gas stove, and in an ordinary range or stove. The last named process is unanimously conceded to be inferior to either of the others, but the oven is always available while the first two are not, unless special preparation has been made for the work.
For roasting before the fire it is necessary to have the range constructed for this purpose, and a tin screen with a spit and jack to place before the coals, on which to do the work. Some of the roasters are arranged with a spring-jack ; the meat is placed on the spit and the spring wound up, which sets the meat revolving slowly before the fire. The meat should first be placed near
the coals to quickly crust the surface, and then moved back a little to cook through without burning. Baste the meat frequently ; and if the roast is very large, it should be surrounded with a buttered paper. Just before the meat is done, it should be basted with a little butter, then sprinkled with flour and placed nearer the fire to brown. Sprinkle a little salt upon the roast, but not until it is ready to serve, as salt draws out the juices. The fire should be made ready some time before putting in the meat, that the coals may be bright and hot ; and it should be strong enough to last through the roasting, with possibly the addition of a little coal.
In roasting in a pan, the meat should be placed on a meat rest, and thus raised from the bottom of the baking pan. (This rest is described among the kitchen utensils.) Dredge the meat with flour, salt and pepper it, and sprinkle a quantity of flour in the bottom of the pan. The salt draws out the juices, but the flour unites with them, making a paste that soon hardens and imprisons those within the meat. When the flour in the pan is brown, put in just enough water to cover the bottom. After the meat has browned, it should be basted at least every ten minutes, with the gravy in the pan, and then treated to another light sprinkling of flour. The water in the pan should be renewed frequently, but none should be added during the last half hour, so that there will be nothing remaining in the pan but oil and sediment. When the meat is done, lay it on a warm platter, lift the meat-rest from the pan, pour off the fat, and scrape the sediment from the sides and bottom.