The profession of cookery, from a French point of view

Frying plays an important part in French cookery, but it is a very different method to that which is pursued by most English cooks. The English way more nearly resembles what a Frenchwoman would call "to sauté," that is, to toss up, turning first to one side, then to the other, in only a little fat, while the vessel used is a shallow one. This method has its advantages for several things — vegetables, for instance, which are to be lightly browned, chops or steaks which require very quickly doing, and most dishes of eggs, such as omelettes, although these last should have a vessel kept for their sole use. Fish of all kinds, bread-crumbed cutlets, rissoles, fritters, etc., all require to be plunged into boiling fat. The principle in cooking them is the same as in boiling meat — to form a crust FRYING AND '' SAUTE''-ING. 8 at once upon the outside that shall keep in the flavours and juices of the article fried. For this purpose a deep iron vessel is the only true frying-pan; its depth may be from six to eight inches, and its dimensions sufficient to take in a good-sized fish. Most French pans of this description have the handles across the top, so that the pan can be hung on a chain if more convenient when using over an open fire. Here again the charcoal stove is preferable, as the embers should be red-hot; it is impossible to fry well over a smoky or blazing fire. These frying-pans are invariably quite half filled with fat; at first sight it may seem extravagant, but it is not really so, as with care, and taking due precautions, the same fat will serve very many times. If poured off into a jar, which already contains a little boiling water, as soon as it is finished with, and covered over when quite cold, keeping in a cool place, it will but seldom require renewing. Of course, when fish has been fried in this, it should be reserved for that purpose alone, as also anything else of a strong flavour. An excellent idea of good frying might be gained by watching the performance of the *'"marchand de pommes-de-terre frites," whose stall is such a common sight in the streets of all French towns.His little furnace is filled with coke, red-hot, the iron pan, slung on a chain, so that he can raise or lower it at will, is three parts full of boiling fat. The fat he prefers, by the bye, is suet melted, as it is clear and tasteless. The potatoes, pared, drained, and cut into finger lengths by a little machine made for the purpose, are thrown into the pan, and occasionally stirred about; a few minutes see them cooked, brown and crisp, then the pan is drawn up, the potatoes lifted out into the strainer; and here it should be noted how careful he is not to leave one in the fat, lest that should, by being overdone, impart a burnt flavour to the rest. In this same manner suburban Parisian restaurants will turn out the most tempting dishes from the rather coarse and tasteless river fish. If the precaution is taken to have the fat quite boiling, there is no fear of anything becoming soddened with grease when cooked in this way. Boiling fat is generally still, free from bubbles, and a faint blue vapour may be seen to rise from it. FRYING AND '' SAUTE ''-ING: 85