Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/472

410 before cooking. Any kind of salt meat intended to be served cold will be more mellow and juicy if allowed to remain in the liquor until cold; but this practice cannot be recommended in warm weather unless the meat will be quickly consumed, for the large amount of moisture it contains soon renders it unfit for use.

Stewing.—This process of cooking may be defined as "simmering in a small quantity of liquid." Undoubtedly it is the most economical method of cooking meat, not only on account of the small amount of fuel required to keep up the gentle simmering, but also because tough, coarse, inexpensive kinds of meat may, by this long, slow continuous process, be rendered tender and palatable. There is practically no loss of nutritive constituents, for everything abstracted from the meat is contained in the gravy. The fibres of coarse meat should never be exposed to a higher temperature than 160° F.; simmering point is 180° F., boiling point, 212° F. To cook meat at this comparatively low temperature it is absolutely necessary that the vessel containing it should be provided with a lid fitting so closely that the steam cannot escape; or failing this, 2 or 3 thicknesses of greased paper must be placed under the lid. Lean meat alone is suitable for stewing, more particularly when the liquid is thickened with flour, which prevents the fat rising to the surface of the liquid. In consequence of not being able to remove the fat by skimming, stews are apt to disagree with those who are in the least inclined to dyspepsia; but when made of lean meat they are easily digested. A few rough trimmings of vegetables should be added to flavour the stew; but it is better to cook the vegetables to be served with it separately, for the low temperature at which the meat stews destroys the colour of both carrots and turnips. When the meat is very coarse its fibres may be softened either by adding a little vinegar to the stew, or by pouring a little over the meat and allowing it to soak in it for at least an hour before cooking. But when the meat is tender if it is quickly fried on both sides before it is stewed, it has both a better appearance and flavour.

No definite rule as to time can be given; stews may be allowed to cook gently from 4 to 5 hours, but longer cooking usually reduces the fibres of beef and mutton to a stringy, thread-like mass, so hardened that they cannot be digested, and consequently afford no nourishment. Stews cannot cook too slowly; it is not necessary that there should be the least ebullition, but there must be sufficient heat applied to evaporate the liquid and fill the vessel with steam, otherwise the meat is not cooking.

Braising.—This excellent method of cooking is a combination of roasting and stewing, for when a properly constructed pan is used heat is applied from above by means of a depressed lid on which charcoal is burnt. When meat is braised in an ordinary stewpan it is simply placed on a foundation of vegetables surrounded, but not