The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-16
Hygiene Of

Our health and strength depend upon
the food we eat. The value of the
food depends upon its nutritious quai-
| tiles and the way it is prepared. \
good flavor in any food promotes Its
easy digestion and its power of nutrl-
ton. SO we have a few words to say
on cooking meat. Albumen IS the
leading constituent of animal food as
starch is Of vegetable. They differ,
however, in their chemical composition
and in their way of digestion, and in
the changes they undergo in the stom-
ach. Albumen Is a compound. insolu-
BILE in water, but the gastric juice
| dissolves it in the stomach. Otherwise
it would be useless as food. Every
kind of nutriment must be soluble and
reduced to a fluid before it can enter
the blood and nourish the body.
We are now ready to consider the
various modes of cooking Stewing.
boiling, roasting, broiling, baking and
irving are each worth a distinct con
sideration. Stewing is conducted by
slowly cooking in a close vessel. The
better the meat the better the stew,
but the toughest and coarsest meat may
be so stewed as to become tender and
digestible. This way of preparing
meat requires more time than any other,
and SO should be partially prepared on
the day previous to its being served.
Pieces and trimmings of meat can be
cheaply bought, and in this way be
made into good, digustible and nutri-
tious food. Even bones may be broken
into small pieces and s;mmered until
the gelatine has eXuded, Gelatine is
not a very nutritious element, but may
thicken the mass and add somewhat to
its nutrition. Bones contain aver 40
| per cent. of gelatine. Lean meat is
the best for stewing. Cover the meat
with soft water and a little butter and
let it simmer for four or five hours.
Stews may be thickened by vegetables,
or by oat meal, roast potatoes or barley
and favored with herbs to suit the
taste. This mode of cooking is usually
done in stew pans with a closely fitting
cover. A good stone jar with a we'll
fitting lid is better. 1t retains the heat
for a long time and can be easily kept
clean. The grey jar has no red glazing
on the inside, that may peel off in the
contact with salt. The stcwing should
go on slowly and the lid be seldom re-
moved. The sticking of the meat, etc,
may be prevented by shaking the jar
now and then.
Closely allied to stewing is boiling.
The vessel in which the meat is to be
boiled should be completely cleansed,
have a closely itting-lid and have
water enough to completely owe the
meat. The fire should be just enough
for a moderate boiling. The scum
should be removed as it comes to the
surface. Adding a pint or more of
water will promote this rising. Pure
rain water is usually the best for all
cooking purposes. Whether the meat
should be put into cold water or into
hot depends upon the object IN
view. Place a piece of meat into
water at a temperature of 90 degrees
Fahrenheit, and gradually raise it to
the boiling point, its soluble and nu-
t~ritious properties will gradually exude
is partially dissolved and comes out o.
the meat, the fibres become hard, dry
and stringy. The thinner the meat.
the more easily the juices will ooze
out and SO deprive the meat of its
savory and palatable juices. In this
way the water becomes enriched and
forms a broth. The value of the meat
is chiefly in the broth. The meat has
lost its former value. These facts
show that soaking fresh meat in cold
water before cooking is not wise. 1t
should only be wiped with a moist
cloth.
Place a piece of meat in boiling water
for five minutes and her reduce the
temperature to 100 degrees Fsshr.. or
40 degrees below boiling. The boiling
water cOagulates the albumen on the
surface of the meat, more or less. In
this way we have principles involved
that always may be applied to all
sorts of meat. Some of the Juices
will escape even if we plunge the
meat into boiling water and coagulate
the aibumen.
Broiling, by burying the meat in hot
ashes, was practised in early times.
Even now it is a favorite way of cook
ing. Roasting is the royal way of
cooking meat. 1t needs a clear, bright
tire and frequent basting. Next to
stewlng or broiling, it is the cheapest
way of cooking. The stoves of these
modern days have superseded the open
fires of former times, and SO roasting is
nearly unknown in private families.
The gradual dlsuse of open fires and
open CRATES has substituted baking for
roasting. Baked meat never has the
Suaat and dnlIonta Aaror IF rooo4-l