Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-08-06
The Art OF Cooking.

The science and art of cooking
says the Housekeepcr, may be divi-
ded into few principal parts; the
rest is all fancy. These parts are
baking, boiling, broiling, frying,
roasting, seasoning, simmering, and
stcwlng. Tasting is an adjunct to
all.
Baking.-In baking, see that the
furnace or oven be proprly heated;
some dishes require more heat than
others. Look at the object in pro-
cess of baking from time to time,
and especially at the beginning; turn
it round, if necessary, in case it be
heated more on. one side than the
other, to prevent burning. In baking
meat and fish, besides keeping the
bottom of the pan covered with broth
or water, place piece of buttered
paper over the object in the pan; it
not only prevents it from burning,
but acts as a selfbasting operation,
and keeps the top moist and juicy.
IF the top of a cake bakes faster than
the rest, place a piece of paper on it.
Boiling.-This is the most abused
branch in cooking. We know that
many good-meaning housewives and
even professional cooks boils things
that ought to be prepared otherwise,
with view to economy; but great
many do it through laziness. Boil
ing requires as much care as any 9th
cr branch, but they do not think SO,
and therefore indulge in it. Another
abuse is to boil fast instc ld of slowly.
Set small basin of water Oh a brisk
fire and boil something IN it as fast
as you can; you make much steam,
but do not cook fa< ter, the degree of
heat being the same as if you were
boiling slowly. If the object you
boil, especially boil fast, contains any
flavor, you evaporate it, and cannot
bring it back. Many things are
spoiled, or partly destroyed by boil
ing, such as meat, coffee, etc. Water
that has been boiled is inferior for
cooking purposes, its gases and
alkali being cvaporatcd.
Broiling.-Whatcv you broil
grease the bars of the gridiron first.
Broiling and roasting are the same
thing; the object in process of cook
ing by either must be exposed to the
heat on one side, and the other side
to the air. Bear in mind that no
one can broil or roast in an oven,
whatever be it's construction, its pro-
cess Of heating, or its kind of heat.
An object cooked in an oven is baked
1t is better to broil before than over
fire. In brolling before the fire
the Juice can be saved. In broiling
by gas there is great advantage.
The meat is placed under the heat,
and as the heat draws the jjuic. ofthe
meat, the consequence is that the
juice being attracted upward, it is re-
tanned in the meat. Agas broiler is a
square, flat drum, perforated on one
side, and placed over frame. Broil-
ing on live Goals or on cinders, with
ont a gridiron, is certainly not better
than with one, as believed by many;
on the contrary, besides not being
very clean, it burns or chars part OF
the meat. That belief comes from
the fact that when they partook of
meat prepared that way it was with
sauce that generally accompanies
hunters, fishermen, etc.,-hunger-
the most savory Of all savory sauces.
Frying.-That part of cooking is
not as difficult as it is generally be-
lieved, and properly fried objects are
good and do not taste greasy. TO
fry requires care, and nothing fried
Will taste greasy if it has been drop
ped in fat properly heated and in
enough Of it to immersc the object.
When an object tastes greasy, it is
not because it has been fried in
grease, but because there was not
enough of it, or because it was not
properly heated, for, if heated enough
it closes the pores of the object and
carbonizes the exterior, so that it can
not absorb any.
Roasting.-When an object is
placed on the spit according to di
rections, remember that it cannot be
basted too often The time necessary
for roasting piece of meat, or any
thing else, depends as much upon
the fire as upon the nature of the
meat. Meat especially requires to be
placed very near the fire at first, and
then put back by degrees. There is
nearly as much difference between
roasted and baked meat as there is
between broiled and fried meat. 1t
is generally admitted here that En-
glish roast beef is so superior to
American roast beef that it cannot
be compared to it, 1t Is not in the
quality of the meat that the differ
ence lies, but in the process of cook
ing. Meat cannot be roasted in an
oven, be it in an ordinary or paten-
ted one. That peculiar flavor in
roasted meat is produced by the air
coming constantly in contact with
the heated meat while revolving on
the spit. Cold roast meat, when de-
sired to be served warm, is envelop-
ed in a buttered paper and placed on
the spit just long enough to warm it.
Seasoning.-This is the most diff
cult part in the science of cooking.
TO season is not difficult, but
to season properly is quite anoth-
CT thing. 1t is not only necessary to
know well how to stew or roast q
piece Of meat or anything else, but
to know how to season it, to be able
to judge what quantity and what kind
of spices can be used to season such
and such a dish, to what extent all
the spices used agree together, and
what taste and flavor they will give
to the object with which they are
cooked; for, if not properly used they
may just as likely destroy the taste
and flavor Of the object as improve
it. Some dishes require high and
much seasoning, others just the con-