Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1696

1516 All food cooked in the Chafing Dish has, of course, to be prepared in the same manner as if it were to be cooked at the kitchen range, and though many hostesses like to show their deftness in the preparation of the food, the utensils and measures that are frequently necessary for that purpose would so crowd a supper table that the materials are best brought to hand ready for cooking, i.e. the lamp filled, eggs already beaten, oysters washed and drained, butter measured out, etc.

Cooking by the aid of the hot-water pan is the distinctive feature of Chafing Dish Cookery, and dishes like Creams, Sauces, and Rarebits, that need slow cooking, always require the use of this pan. Frying and sautéing can, of course, be accomplished in the blazer of the Chafing Dish without the aid of the hot water pan; but those methods of cooking are obviously not adaptable to the dining-room where the Chafing Dish is mostly used.

The Casserole.

Casserole Cookery is the most wholesome of all methods of cooking. The word "Casserole" is the French name for "stew pan," but en casserole is now applied to all styles of cooking performed in stone or fireproof earthenware vessels, and implies that the food is served at the table in the vessel in which it has been cooked, a method that, of course, ensures the meal being served quite hot. All styles of cooking, and especially brazing, stewing, and boiling may be accomplished in casserole pots, and differently shaped vessels are sold for each purpose. Fireproof casseroles made of brown earthenware are the best, but there are many varieties of make. Some are of buff earthenware, others are lined with white enamel.

The Casserole possesses many advantages over the ordinary iron and copper cooking utensils, for the pots always look clean; they will impart no disagreeable flavour to the most delicate foods; they will not rust or tarnish, and if properly kept will not stain; they cook the food evenly and slowly, and consequently less fuel is required and the contents are not liable to burn. Moreover, they are inexpensive, and with careful management will prove cheaper than metal pots.

Ingredients.—1 dozen large oysters, finely crushed shredded wheat biscuits, 2 ozs. of butter, oiled butter, salt and pepper, lemons.

Method.—Remove the beards from the oysters, cut them in halves, wipe and season with salt and pepper, and dip them in oiled butter.