Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/429

* COOKERY. 369 COOKERY. please, impute the trouble he takes with the dressing of his meat to the inferiority of the material, but this can be said of meat only; the preparation of vegetables and fruits is attended to with equal care. The great diU'erencc between French and English or American cooking consists in the fact that the French cook their meat much longer, knowing (hat this renders it more digesti- ble. They are thereby enabled to multiply dishes by altering or annihilating the original taste of llie meat, and making it a vehicle for foreign Havors. The variety, daintiness, and grace of form which dishes thus acquire are very admira- ble. In the point of economy, the French have a decided superiority over Anglo-Sa.vons. The French cook throws nothing away. Instead of going to the butcher for meat for stock, as the American cook does, he uses the trimmings for stock and glaze, and the skimmings of his boiled meats in many combinations wherein we use but- ter or lai'd; and like every skilled workman, he produces great results from small means. The estimation in which the services of a cook are held may be loiown by the large salary at- tached to the office in wealthy families, hotels, and club-houses. A visit to the kitchens of one of these establishments will show what a highly important post is that of chef de cuisine. There must be in such a person not only the necessary knowledge of how things are to be done, but the power to arrange and direct the work of the numerous assistants, as to the exact part which each must fulfill at every moment of the long and busy day. These places indeed are excellent schools for cooks, where they can undergo that severe training without which a thorough prac- tical know'ledge of the art cannot be attained. The art of cooking as a branch of woman's ed- ucation has latterly engaged considerable atten- tion in America; and there are in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other places establish- ments where young women receive this kind of instruction. A school of cookei-y has been at- tached to the South Kensington Museum in Lon- don. England. Efforts are also made to teach cooking to the humbler classes of girls, but much in this respect remains to be done. For any shortcomings in cooking, however, the taste of llie American is in some measure accountable. BotuxG. The use of the term 'boiling' in con- nection with cooking meat in water is rather un- fortunate, for the operation thus designated, if properly carried out. should involve hardly any boiling. The coloring matter of the blood is changed, the fibre softened, and the connective dissolved at a temperature far below the normal boiling-point of water. Boiling over-coagulates the proteids, dissolves the mineral salts, and renders the meat less valuable as a food. This is best shown in a hard-boiled egg, in comparison with one cooked below the boiling-]ioint. In the forniei' the albumin is rendered hard, dense, and indigestible; in the latter the albumin is soft and creamy, and is even more easily digested than when raw. While the effect of over-boiling on meat is not so apparent as in the case of an egg, the results are precisely the same. In the case of meat, however, some boiling in the be- ginning of the operation is necessary. As the juices of meat are rich in albumin, it is neces- sary to cover the meat with boiling unsalted water, boil rapidly for five minutes to coagulate the albumin on the surface, and inclose the meat in a water-proof casing. This will prevent the escape of the juices from the interior. But after this first hard boil the kettle should be ])laced over a moderate fire, where the water will sim- mer at 180° F., twenty minutes being allowed for each pound of meat. Seasoning may be added when the meal is partly cooked, salt having the ell'ect of drawing the juices from raw meat. These rules apply to the ilcsh of fish ami fowl. The llesh of lisli, however, is found to Ijc firmer and more highlj- llavored if cooked in water con- taining more or loss salt. Salt meat.s, as corned beef and ham, should be carefully washed in cold water, and soaked in cold water twelve hours be- fore cooking. Ham will be more tender if the temperature never exceeds lfi,5° F. Soup. The preceding directions do not by any means apply to making soup. In fact, directly opposite methods must there be followed in order to get the best results. Soup should contain as much as possible of the juices of meat. For this ])ieces, covered with cold water, and either soaked in cold water, or slowly brought to the boiling- point, and then allowed to simmer for four or five hours until the meat falls apart. In this way the water dissolves and holds all the extractives, mineral salts and gelatin. Stewixo. Stewing, or en casserole, occupies a midway position between boiling and soup-mak- ing. The perfection of a stew depends upon the thorough coagulation of the outside juices and the slow process by which it is finished. The temperature should never exceed 180° F. The meat should be divided into small pieces, thrown into a kettle containing two ounces of hot suet and shaken until the outside is thoroughly coagulated ; the pieces may then be gathered to one side of the kettle, a thickening of two .ounces of ilour. added, the whole well mixed with the fat, and a ]iint of water or soup-stock added. The contents of the kettle are then heated to boiling and a level teaspoonful of salt, a salt- spoonful of pepper, and a teaspoonful of brown- ing are added. Such flavorings as bay-leaf, onion, and celery are also usually added. The kettle should be closely covered and the contents cooked for one and a half hours, at a tempera- ture of about 180° F. The meat is best softened in a rich sauee. A ragout is nothing but a highly seasoned stew-. Stewing is a very econom- ical method of cooking; there is no w'aste, all escaped juices are held in the sauce, all the nour- ishment is secured, and if the dish is well cooked and not too greasy or over-seasoned, the meat is tender and easy of digestion. SxEAifiKG. Steamed foods as a rule are more > liighly flavored than those boiled, for the reason tliat in steaming the soluble constituents are not so easily lost as in 'boiling.' The operation of steaming may be carried out in a modern 'steam cooker,' or in a perforated kettle that fits closely over another kettle containing boiling water. If the steam is under pressure, the teiiiperature may be much higher than that of boiling water, and hence the method may be used for sterilizing canned foods; in large establishments the meth- od is also used for the 'baking' of meats. Ordi- nary home steaming is an excellent method of cooking vegetables, hams, fniit cakes, puddings, and other dishes that require the prolonged appli- cation of moist heat. Such vegetables as pota- toes, rice, young peas, corn, squash, cucumbers.
 * )urpose, the meat slumld be divided into small