Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/129

 MEATS. 109

a hot dish and seasoned. The best pieces for steak are the porter- house, sirloin and rump.

THAWING FROZEN MEAT, ETC.

IF MEAT, poultry, fish, vegetables, or any other article of food, when found frozen, is thawed by putting it into warm water or placing it be- fore the fire, it will most certainly spoil by that process, and be rendered unfit to eat. The only way to thaw these things is by im- mersing them in cold water. This should be done as soon as they are brought in from market, that they may have time to be well thawed before they are cooked. If meat that has been frozen is to be boiled, put it on in cold water. If to be roasted, begin by setting it at a dis- tance from the fire, for if it should not chance to be thoroughly thawed all through to the centre, placing it at first too near the fire will cause it to spoil. If it is expedient to thaw the meat or poultry the night before cooking, lay it in cold water early in the evening, and change the water at bed-time. If found crusted with ice in the morn- ing, remove the ice, and put the meat in fresh cold water, letting it lie in it till wanted for cooking.

Potatoes are injured by being frozen. Other vegetables are not the worse for it, provided they are always thawed in cold water.

TO KEEP MEAT FROM FLIES.

PUT in sacks, with enough straw around it so the flies cannot reach through. Three-fourths of a yard of yard-wide muslin is the right size for the sack. Put a little straw in the bottom, then put in the ham and lay straw in all around it ; tie it tightly and hang it in a cool, dry place. Be sure the straw is all around the meat, so the flies can- not reach through to deposit the eggs. (The sacking must be done early in the season before the fly appears.) Muslin lets the air in and is much better than paper. Thin muslin is as good as thick, and will last for years if washed when laid away when emptied.

National Stockman. ROAST BEEF.

ONE very essential point in roasting beef is to have the oven well heated when the beef is first put in ; this causes the pores to close up quickly, and prevents the escape of the juices.

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