Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/161

Rh melt any soldered strainer. To fry well the food should be dried. Fish can be lightly coated with flour; vegetables well-dried in a cloth. Before dropping into hot fat anything that contains much water lift the pan off the stove, as the fat is likely to bubble over and catch fire.

Many things that are fried are previously covered with egg and breadcrumbs, or flour and milk or batter, in order that a crust may be formed round them to keep the juice in and the fat out. The essential thing is to cover them completely and leave no crack.

HINTS FOR AMATEUR COOKS.

The two most common faults with amateur cooks are not giving sufficient time and attention to the details of preparation, and ignorance of the varying action of heat. It is admitted that the making of soups and sauces is a test of a good cook. Now, both soups and sauces (with a few exceptions, which prove the rule) require very careful preliminary preparation and close attention during cooking. The time devoted to planning, cleaning, chopping, paring or trussing, as the case may be, is not lost. The actual process of cooking is immensely facilitated, and success half assured, if everything has been properly prepared beforehand.

Then, as regards the utilization of heat; it is essential in boiling and roasting that the temperature should be very high at first, to prevent loss of nutriment, and then be lowered to prevent the meat being scorched and dried. In stewing, however (and this applies to soup making) the heat should be moderate and the cooking slow. Frying in most cases should be done in hot fat, so a deep vessel full of oil or fat at a very high temperature should be used. Omelets, pancakes, and a few other preparations only require to be placed in a pan with a little butter; in such cases the fire should be fairly brisk. When using an oven, if the dish requires long cooking, get up a high temperature at first and then lower it slightly; but pastry requires quick cooking in a fairly brisk oven.

All dishes should be duly flavoured with the necessary condiments during the process of cooking, except in the case of roast meats, when salt should only be applied just before serving. Water is a solvent, so all meat and vegetables should be plunged into fast boiling water, unless the object is to extract flavour for making soups. Dried peas and beans, however, should be put on in cold water, as it is necessary to soften them.

Amateur cooks may prepare dainty breakfasts and suppers if they give their attention to the peculiarities of electric heated stewpans, or the still more convenient chafing-dish. The dishes prepared in these vessels are generally of the stew or daube order. For stews a fairly large amount of sauce is allowed, and the cooking should be somewhat moderate; for daubes very little moisture is allowed and the pan must be closely covered, apply high temperature, then lower