Meat is sometimes cooked in water in the oven instead
of over the fire, and this way of cooking is often erroneously
called roasting, but it is a form of baking.
Roasting means to heat violently and is done either before
the open fire, or in a hot oven without any water. If water
be used the meat cannot be made any hotter than boiling
water; and a much greater degree of heat is required to
cook meats with a tender fibre and rich in juice and flavor,
so that the outside surface may be quickly seared thus pre-
venting the escape of the juices.
Tough pieces, which require the solvent power of water,
and which are lacking in flavor, are improved by the addition
of a savory stuffing, or by seasoning the water with herbs and
vegetables ; also by first browning the meat in hot dripping.
The flavor imparted by the partially confined heat of the
oven is stronger than that of boiling.
Sometimes meat is steamed over boiling water until it is
made tender, then put in the oven to be browned and receive
the flavor which can be obtained only by means of this dry
heat.
A convenient way is to put the meat into a tightly covered
stone jar, or bean pot, without water ; place it in a moderate
oven for one hour, or until some juice is drawn out, then
increase the heat and cook a half hour for every pound of
meat. There will be a large quantity of juice in the jar, which
should be diluted with water, thickened, and used as a gravy.
The meat may be cut in small pieces when the time for cook-
ing is limited.
These are all savory and wholesome methods of cooking
215
216 SCHOOL KITCHEN TEXTBOOK
the less expensive parts of meat. Fresh meat cooked prop-
erly is equally palatable and far more nutritious than corned
or salt meat, which forms too large a part of the diet of many
people.
GENERAL RULE FOR BAKED MEAT
All meat for baking or roasting should be dredged all over
with salt and flour, but not until just before cooking. Salt
draws out a little of the juice, but the flour absorbs it, and
when the heat hardens the albumin, this helps to make a
thick crust through which the juices cannot escape.
Use no water at first, nor at all with small pieces which
require quick cooking or to be done rare ; but after the first
searing, large pieces that require to be cooked thoroughly
may have a little water added to prevent them from burning
or becoming too dry. Baste often and bake.
Meat which has a layer of fat on the top, — such as ribs
of beef, loin of mutton or of pork, — if put into the pan
with the fat side up, will need but little basting. The fat
in melting bastes the meat.
CASSEROLE COOKING
Page 113
Presented as published in 1915. 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
Meat is sometimes cooked in water in the oven instead of over the fire, and this way of cooking is often erroneously called roasting, but it is a form of baking.
Roasting means to heat violently and is done either before the open fire, or in a hot oven without any water. If water be used the meat cannot be made any hotter than boiling water; and a much greater degree of heat is required to cook meats with a tender fibre and rich in juice and flavor, so that the outside surface may be quickly seared thus preventing the escape of the juices.
Tough pieces, which require the solvent power of water, and which are lacking in flavor, are improved by the addition of a savory stuffing, or by seasoning the water with herbs and vegetables ; also by first browning the meat in hot dripping. The flavor imparted by the partially confined heat of the oven is stronger than that of boiling.
Sometimes meat is steamed over boiling water until it is made tender, then put in the oven to be browned and receive the flavor which can be obtained only by means of this dry heat.
A convenient way is to put the meat into a tightly covered stone jar, or bean pot, without water ; place it in a moderate oven for one hour, or until some juice is drawn out, then increase the heat and cook a half hour for every pound of meat. There will be a large quantity of juice in the jar, which should be diluted with water, thickened, and used as a gravy. The meat may be cut in small pieces when the time for cooking is limited.
These are all savory and wholesome methods of cooking
the less expensive parts of meat. Fresh meat cooked properly is equally palatable and far more nutritious than corned or salt meat, which forms too large a part of the diet of many people.
GENERAL RULE FOR BAKED MEAT
All meat for baking or roasting should be dredged all over with salt and flour, but not until just before cooking. Salt draws out a little of the juice, but the flour absorbs it, and when the heat hardens the albumin, this helps to make a thick crust through which the juices cannot escape.
Use no water at first, nor at all with small pieces which require quick cooking or to be done rare ; but after the first searing, large pieces that require to be cooked thoroughly may have a little water added to prevent them from burning or becoming too dry. Baste often and bake.
Meat which has a layer of fat on the top, — such as ribs of beef, loin of mutton or of pork, — if put into the pan with the fat side up, will need but little basting. The fat in melting bastes the meat.
CASSEROLE COOKING