Part 17

Pour a pint of boiling water on an ounce of coffee; let it boil five or six minutes, then pour out a cupful two or three times, and return it again; put two or three isinglass slips into it; or a lump or two of fine sugar; boil it five minutes longer, set the pot by the fire to keep hot for ten minutes, and the coffee will be beautifully clear. A hot cream should always be served with coffee. For foreigners, or those who like it extremely strong, make only eight dishes from three ounces. If not fresh roasted, lay it before a fire till hot and dry; or put the smallest bit of fresh butter into a preserving-pan, when hot throw the coffee into it, and toss it about till it be freshened.

THE COOK.

On her first going into a family the Cook will do well to inform herself of the rules and regulations of the house,—the customs of the kitchen,—the peculiarities of her master and mistress,—and above all, she must study, most sedulously, to acquire a perfect knowledge of their TASTE; which, when attained, will most probably lead to her permanent establishment in the sovereignty of the kitchen.

She will enter into all the economical plans of her employers, and endeavour to make the most of every thing, as well for the sake of her own character as for their interest. Not forgetting, that “wilful waste makes woful want.”

She will consider the encomiums of her master and mistress as her highest praise, and will accept even their admonitions as pleasing proofs of their desire to make her useful to themselves, and to enhance her own confidence and consequence.

The presidency of the kitchen being a situation of great trust and responsibility, she will best evince her sense of the confidence reposed in her by her anxiety to please, and a sedulous regard to the health and comforts of the family, which are, necessarily, in her keeping; governing her whole conduct by that most excellent moral maxim “Do unto others as you would they should do unto you.”

To be well qualified for every situation, the Cook must not only understand the business of the kitchen, but must be a good judge of provisions, as in many families, where there is no housekeeper, she will be required to go to market. She must also be able to keep an account of the current expenses of the family; and to examine, check, and pay the tradesmen’s bills, which she will have to settle with her mistress weekly, or when required.

The Cook should give directions to her assistants to _rise early_, particularly when a great dinner is to be dressed, that so every thing may be got quite ready in the kitchen to begin business as early in the morning as possible; else, nine times out of ten, the dinner will be too late: and it must always be recollected that “things done in a hurry are never well done,” and that, “an hour lost in the morning may be run after the whole day, but never overtaken.” Besides, to have every thing properly dressed, and to be punctual, as to time, with the dinner, will afford great satisfaction to her employers, and do credit both to them and to herself. Having learnt the precise time of dinner, she must not fail to be _punctual_.

Cleanliness, in every branch of domestic concerns cannot be too forcibly inculcated, and in the business of a Cook, particularly, it becomes a CARDINAL VIRTUE. Cleanliness and neatness of person and dress are not less important in her than the arrangement of the kitchen and larder, and all her operations.

_Boiling._

The boilers, saucepans, and other vessels, to be used for culinary purposes, must be kept perfectly clean and well tinned. BLOCK TIN saucepans, &c. are safest, and perhaps best for these purposes.—When washed they should be dried by the fire, before they are put away; and they should always be wiped out again, with a clean dry cloth, immediately before they are used. This is to be done chiefly to prevent rust, and its baleful effects.

Poultry, and every kind of meat, both fresh and salted, should be washed and wiped dry, and then dredged well with flour, before it be put into the boiler, or pot; this will prevent its being soiled in the water, and will, also, prevent its looking greasy, when taken up.

Meat must always be put into _cold_ water, with _just enough water to cover it_; say, about a quart of water to a pound of meat,—and it must be kept _so covered_, during the whole process of dressing, by adding boiling water occasionally.—By this method the inside will always be heated thoroughly, and be properly swollen, before the outside becomes hard; and the whole will be regularly done. This will, also, occasion the meat to look plump; and veal and poultry, in particular, will be the whiter and the better for it.

Beef loses about one-fourth, and mutton about one-fifth, in boiling.

A moderate fire must be kept up under the pot, increasing the heat _gradually_, till it boils, when it must be drawn back, kept close covered, and _constantly simmering, quite gently_, but by no means boiling fast. A tea-spoonful of salt thrown into the water, before it boils, will cause the scum to rise the better, which must be very carefully skimmed clean off, immediately; and if, afterwards, a little cold water be thrown in, more scum will be cast up, which must frequently be taken off, _as it rises_, as on this alone depends the good appearance of all boiled articles.

Remember—that water cannot possibly be made _hotter_ than it is when it first boils; it is, therefore, a waste of firing, and very detrimental to the meat to make it boil _fast_, as it is thereby rendered hard, and its juices and finest flavour are evaporated in steam.

Generally, beef, mutton, and lamb, unless the joints are very thin, or small, require boiling from a quarter of an hour to eighteen minutes to a pound; lamb, veal, and pork, and _thick_ joints also, of whatever kind, require somewhat longer, especially in _cold_ weather, or when _fresh_ killed. A large leg of pork, for instance, will take a little more time;—always reckoning from the time of its first coming to boil, and taking into the account that the pot must _always be kept gently simmering;—the slower the better, so that it be kept boiling_. If you suffer boiled meats to remain in the pot after they are done, they become soddened and lose their flavour.

_Examples in Boiling._

_A Round of Beef._—After it has been carefully salted, and has lain in the pickle eight or ten days, wash it and wipe it dry; then cut out the bone, and skewer and tie it up tight and quite round. As soon as the pot boils skim it clean, and keep it boiling very gently, till done. The time will be according to its weight. Garnish with slices of carrot and turnip.

A LEG OF PORK.

If large, after it has been in salt eight or ten days, let it lie in cold water half an hour to make it white—weigh it, let it boil gently, allowing twenty minutes for every pound—skim it as soon as it boils, and often afterwards.—A small Leg of Pork is most delicate.—The liquor will make excellent peas-soup. Serve it up with peas-pudding and turnips.

A LEG OF MUTTON.

Put it in warm water for ten minutes, and wash it clean, then put it into the pot and cover it with water—let it _simmer very gently_ and skim it carefully. A leg of ten pounds will take two and a half or three hours. Mutton, to be tender, should hang as long as it will keep.

A TURKEY.

Take a hen bird, pick nicely, singe, wash, draw the sinews of the thighs, and truss it. Make a stuffing of bread, herbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon-peel, a few oysters, or an anchovy, a bit of butter, some suet, and an egg, put this into the crop, fasten up the skin, and skim the pot most carefully to make it white. Serve with oyster sauce made rich with butter, a little cream, and a spoonful of soy or parsley and butter. Tongue, ham, or pickled pork, are the usual accompaniments.

A FOWL.

The legs, for boiling, should not be black.—Pick nicely, wash, singe, truss, and flour it—put it into boiling water, and _simmer gently_. A middling fowl will take forty minutes. Serve with parsley and butter, oyster, lemon, liver, or celery sauce.

Neither parsley and butter, liver and parsley, celery, onion, caper, curry, nor other sauce should be poured over boiled meats, but sent up separately in a boat.

VEGETABLES.

All vegetables are best when fresh from the garden,—when dead they are useless. They are also in the greatest perfection when in the greatest plenty;—unripe vegetables are unwholesome.

_Greens_ must be carefully picked, neatly trimmed, washed _quite clean_ from vermin, and laid on a cullender to drain. Then, having ready a well-tinned saucepan, with plenty of clean, soft, boiling water, into which some salt has been thrown, and the scum taken off, plunge them into it, boil them _quickly_, watch them, and keep continually pressing them under the water with a fork as they rise; and when they begin to sink of themselves, they are done, and must be taken up instantly, and drained dry; for if over done, they will lose not only their crispness and beautiful appearance, but their flavour also. Cabbages, savoys, and turnip-tops, require that the water should be changed when _half done_, the second water should be boiling, and if managed as above directed, they will eat much the milder and sweeter for it. _This is the whole art of dressing vegetables to look green and eat well._ We therefore deprecate the use of those factitious and filthy expedients recommended by some, and practised by many, to give, as they pretend, a _good colour_, to boiled vegetables. _This is the best way_;—and all artificial means ought to be avoided, as unnecessary and pernicious.

Esculent _roots_ of all kinds may be set on to boil in cold water.

_Fish._

Fish, particularly if large, must be put into cold water, with plenty of salt; when ready, it will part from the bone; or it may be tried with a fork, and must be taken out of the water the moment it is done.

If not immediately wanted, let it stay on the fish-plate, over the hot water, and throw over it a clean cloth, dipped in boiling water, to preserve its colour.

A sliced cod should be stewed fifteen minutes.

In all cases, dinner should be served up as soon as possible after it is ready, because keeping the boiled articles, particularly fish, in hot water, renders them vapid and heavy; and hot closets, covers, and other means used to keep them hot, dry the juices and make them eat strong and rancid.

Neither fish, nor vegetables of any kind, (except ripe potatoes,) should be boiled by steam.

_Elements of Roasting._

CLEANLINESS must ever be the _maxim_ for the kitchen.

Before the spit is drawn from the meat, let it be wiped clean, and when done with, let it be rubbed with a little sand and water.

A good brisk fire, due time, proper distance, and frequent basting, are the chief points to be attended to in roasting.

Much depends on the fire;—it should always be _brisk_ and glowing, clear at the bottom, and suited to the article to be roasted.

Beef and mutton lose about one-third in roasting.

The ashes should be taken up, and the hearth made quite clean, before you begin to roast. If the fire require to be stirred during the operation, the dripping-pan must be drawn back, so that then, and at all times, it may be kept clean from cinders and dust.—Hot cinders, or live coals, dropping into the pan, make the dripping rank, and spoil it for basting.

Beef requires a strong, steady fire, which should be made up a little time previous to its being wanted. If the meat has been hung up some time, the dry outside parts must be pared off, and it must be basted, first, with a little salt and water, then well dredged with flour, and afterwards basted, continually, with the dripping; but, if the meat be frozen, it must be brought into the kitchen several hours before it is dressed.—Large joints should be kept at a good distance from the fire at first, and gradually brought nearer and nearer;—the average distance for a large joint, at a good fire, may be about ten or twelve inches, an inch or two more or less, according to circumstances: when kitchen paper, dipped in the dripping, must be tied, not skewered, over the fat parts, to prevent their being scorched. When nearly ready, the smoke will draw from the meat towards the fire; at which time the paper must be taken off, and the meat must be put nearer to the fire to _brown_ it; it must also be sprinkled with a little salt, and well dredged again, with flour, to froth it.

It is as necessary to _roast slowly_ as to _boil slowly_;—and the _General Rule_ is to _allow full a quarter of an hour to a pound for roasting_ with a proper fire, under ordinary circumstances, and with frequent basting. But neither beef nor mutton require to be so well done as pork, lamb, and veal.—Pork, in particular, requires to be thoroughly done. It must be basted with salt and water; and the skin or rind of the leg, loin, and spare-rib, must be scored, with a sharp knife, after it has been some time at the fire, to make it eat the better. Geese, pigs, and young pork, require a brisk fire, and should be turned quickly.

Great care should be taken in spitting the meat, that the prime part of the joint be not injured:—to balance it on the spit, cook-holds and loaded skewers are very handy.

A BOTTLE JACK is an excellent substitute for a spit, _in small families_, and for want of that, ten or a dozen yards of worsted, folded to a proper length, will answer the purpose very well. Meat if _hung_ to be roasted, should have its ends changed when about half done. A good meat skreen, lined with tin, should always be set before the fire when roasting; it keeps off the cold air, renders the heat more equable, and saves coals.

After all, the above _General Rule_ is liable to many exceptions. If the meat be _fresh killed_, or the weather be _cold_, a good joint will require half an hour longer than if the meat be _tender_ and the weather _temperate_ or _warm_.

We give the following particulars as a more certain guide to the Cook, in most cases on this important point.

BEEF.—_A Sirloin_ of about sixteen pounds, will take three hours and a half or four hours.

_Ribs of Beef_, of nearly the same weight, being thinner, will require half an hour less.

MUTTON.—_A Leg_ of eight or nine pounds, will take about two hours.

_A Loin or Neck_, from an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters.

_A Breast_, an hour and a quarter.

VEAL requires to be managed as beef.

_A Fillet_, of fourteen or sixteen pounds, will take five hours.

(It must be placed at a distance from a strong fire _at first_, in order to be thoroughly soaked)

_A good Loin_, will take full three hours.

_A Breast_, from an hour and a half to two hours.

_A Hind-quarter_, of eight pounds, about two hours.

_A Fore-quarter_, of ten pounds, about two hours.

_A Leg or Loin_, about an hour and a quarter.

_A Breast_, three quarters of an hour.

PORK, as it must be well soaked and well done, requires longer time, in proportion, than any other meat.

_A Hare_ will require an hour, at the least, and care must be taken that both ends be done enough. It should be well basted; first, with a pint of milk, or salt and water, then floured and basted with butter; when half done, it should be cut between the shoulders and the neck, to let out the blood.

_A large Turkey_, will require two hours roasting.

_A smaller one_,—one hour and a half.

_A small one_,—one hour and a quarter.

_A Goose_,—one hour.

_A large Fowl_,—about three quarters of an hour.

_A middle sized Fowl_,—thirty or forty minutes.

_A Capon_,—thirty or thirty-five minutes.

_A Duck_,—twenty or thirty minutes.

_A small Fowl or Chicken_,—twenty minutes.

_A Partridge_,—twenty or twenty-five minutes.

_A Turkey Poult_,—twenty minutes.

_A Pheasant_,—fifteen minutes.

_Wild Ducks, or Grouse_,—fifteen minutes.

_Pigeons_,—fifteen minutes.

_Quails_, and _small Birds_,—ten minutes.

_Tame_ Fowls require more roasting than _wild_ ones.

_Poultry_ should not be dressed in less than four days.

All fowls must be well washed, and singed when put down to the fire, and they must be kept well basted with butter.

_Examples in Roasting._

A SIRLOIN OF BEEF.

Wipe it clean and dry, and tie paper over the fat parts to preserve them. Baste it immediately with dripping, and frequently afterwards. Within the last half hour, sprinkle it with a little salt, baste it with butter, and dredge it with flour, and as soon as the froth has risen, dish it up. Garnish with horse-radish, scraped fine. If it weigh 15 lbs. or 16 lbs. it will require nearly four hours.

THE RIBS, OR OTHER JOINTS OF BEEF.

Must be roasted in the same way. If fifteen or twenty lbs. they will take three hours and a half, more or less according to circumstances.

LEG, SHOULDER, LOIN OR NECK OF MUTTON.

Let it be well basted and frothed in the same manner as directed for the _Sirloin of Beef_. The time and dressing will be according to its weight.

A LOIN OF VEAL.

Will take about three hours roasting. Paper the kidney, fat, and back, to preserve them.—Some will have it sent up with a toast to be eaten with the delicate fat of the kidney; brown it, and pour good melted butter over it. Garnish with slices of lemon and force-meat balls.

LAMB.

_The Hind-quarter._—The leg and loin are best dressed together; baste and froth it as directed for beef. Serve it up with green mint-sauce and a salad.

The _Leg_, _Shoulder_, _Ribs_, _Loin_, _Neck_, and _Breast_ are all to be dressed, and served up, in the same way.

FOWLS.

_Turkeys_ and _Fowls_ are to be roasted by a clear brisk fire, in the same way as each other, only allowing time according to their size. In drawing Poultry care must be taken not to break the gall-bag. The sinews of the thighs of Turkeys and large Fowls should be pulled out, and they should be trussed with the legs outward.—Wash well, dry, singe, extract the plugs, and dredge before roasting.

A GOOSE.

Stuff the _Goose_ with onion, sage, pepper, and salt, fasten it tight at the neck and rump, and then set it down to the fire, at first, at some distance, bringing it nearer by degrees.—Paste a slip of paper over the breast-bone, and when the breast is rising, take it off. Send a good gravy up in the dish; but first take a table-spoonful of made mustard, half a tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper, and three spoonsful of port wine; mix and pour it hot into the body of the goose, by a slit in the apron: this will wonderfully improve the stuffing, and is, as Dr. Hunter says, a secret worth knowing.

_All poultry must be nicely drawn, picked, the plugs removed, and the hair carefully singed off with white paper, and then well washed and dried._

_Baking._

We do not much approve of baking butcher’s-meat, as a substitute for roasting it, though it cannot be denied that some articles may be baked to answer nearly as well as if roasted; and when a great dinner is to be prepared it may be convenient to send a dish or two to the oven, but over these the cook can have no controul, and must, therefore, depend entirely on the baker. The following are articles that may with most advantage be baked, provided the meat be good and fat, and the baker be very attentive:—A sucking-pig, goose, some joints of beef, leg and shoulder of mutton, leg and loin of pork, fillet of veal, ham, hare, sprats, and other small kinds of fish in pans, or jugs. To poor families, however, the oven affords great convenience as well as a considerable saving of expense and trouble.

Beef loses about one third of its weight by baking.

A SUCKING PIG.

Let it be prepared as for roasting; fasten buttered paper on its tail and ears to prevent their being scorched; and send with it a little butter, tied up in a bit of cloth, to baste its back with, occasionally, which the baker must be requested to do.

_Broiling._

For this operation let the fire be _brisk_ and _clear_. The bars of the gridiron must be bright at top and clean betwixt; wipe the gridiron quite clean with a cloth, make its bars hot, and rub them with nice mutton suet, before you lay on the meat. Set the gridiron slanting over the fire, to prevent the fat dropping into it so as to occasion a smoke, which must be prevented. We shall give as an example in this branch of cookery,

A RUMP STEAK.

The steak should be cut from the middle of the rump, must be about half an inch thick, and have been kept till tender. Broil it _quick_, and turn it often, with steak-tongs, to keep in the gravy and make it a nice brown; it will be done in fifteen or twenty minutes. Having ready, before the fire, a warm dish, with a table-spoonful of catsup, and a little minced shallot or onion, lay the steak on it, rub it over with a little butter, and garnish the dish with pickles and horse-radish scraped fine.

_Frying._

Frying is, in fact, _boiling in fat_. Before you begin to fry, rub the inside of the Frying-pan with a little fat, warm it and wipe it out with a cloth, quite clean.—To fry fish, half fill the pan with fat, olive oil, nice fresh lard, clarified drippings, or beef or mutton suet;—but whatever fat be used let it be perfectly sweet, free from salt, and nice and clean. Keep a _brisk_ fire, and make the fat _very hot_, which may be known by its having done hissing. When ready, carefully drain it quite dry before the fire.

We give the following as an example of _the best method of Frying_ SOLES, _and most other kinds of fish_:

Let them be quite fresh, and some time before you dress them, wash them thoroughly, and wipe them with a clean cloth, quite dry.—If to be fried with bread-crumbs, beat up an egg, the white and yolk together, quite well, dip the fish in the egg, and cover them completely with grated crumbs, and if you wish the fish to look still better, do them twice over with egg. The fish, if large, may be cut into pieces, the proper size for the table, otherwise they may be fried whole; when cut they must be dished up as if whole. Let the fat in the pan be sufficient to cover the fish, and when it _quite boils_, and begins to smoke, put in the fish; it will be nicely browned in about five minutes, when it should be turned, and fried just as long on the other side. When done lay them on a soft cloth, before the fire, and turn them every two or three minutes, till they are perfectly dry on both sides.

The fat in which any thing is fried will serve to fry the same kind of thing several times.

_Broths, Soups, Stock, &c._

Cleanliness in this, as in every department of kitchen business, must ever be held as the _leading principle_, and will contribute most to the satisfaction of all parties.

An economical Cook, when she boils animal food, will make a rule to convert the liquor, or broth, into some sort of _soup_ or _stock_, which may be done at her leisure, and by which means she will always have _a rich kitchen_, as it is technically called, and will be able to make an _extra dish_, or an additional tureen of soup, at a short notice, and at a trifling expense. The fragments of meat left after dinner, with the trimmings of undressed meat and game, the heads, necks, gizzards, and feet of fowls, &c. when picked and washed clean, will help to enrich _soups_, or make _stock_, and save much expense in gravy meat. The _broths_, if saved in separate pans, will assist in making white or brown soups, and the gravies left in the dishes after dinner, will be good in _hashes_, or, with some trifling ingredients added, will make sauce for fish, goose, &c.

The liquor of a knuckle of veal may be converted into GLAZE, if boiled with a knuckle of ham, till reduced to a fourth or a third part, with the necessary herbs and spices added.