Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/19



S a rule in this country all joints are baked instead of being roasted. No doubt this is owing to the inconvenience of our fires: it is well nigh impossible to roast before a colonial oven. But I believe there is a new roasting apparatus, consisting of a deep pan, and sort of high screen or fender, coming into fashion. However, in the meantime we bake our meat, and very badly too, in some households. The cook lays her joint flat in the baking tin, smears a quantity of dripping over it, adds a spoonful or two for the pan, and pops it into her oven, never once troubling to look at it till the dinner hour. As one remarked to me once:—“I likes a good joint to cook, it’s all straight sailing, for you just lay the fat on it and it cooks itself; the only thing is to keep up a right good fire.” This is the opinion of a good many. Few ever think of basting the meat, consequently, the joint is either dried up, or burnt outside and only half cooked inside. If carefully basted and the fire regulated, baked joint is quite pleasant to eat as one roasted in the old-fashioned orthodox style. The meat should be placed on a rest in the centre of the baking-dish: this will prevent it catching underneath. Put your fat or suet round and let your fire be gentle at first. No greater mistake can be made than putting meat into a red-hot oven. Common-sense must tell you that the outside will cook and become done before the inner portion is warmed through. Directly it begins to cook it should be well basted, and this repeated every quarter of an hour. About ten minutes to every pound is the usual time to allow with these colonial ovens, but it depends a good deal on the oven, for an old one will cook very quickly, and heat almost at once, while a new one will require some time to get heated through.

While on the subject of ovens, I may mention here a novel one which I have used, and found very successful. I mean an ordinary oil drum: a square one if possible. I built one in with some bricks, and the bushman's cement of ant-bed and sand. I made it secure,