The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-16
RRoILING

1
| There is no mode of cookery that may be SO
abused as broiling, and it is surprising how
few persons understand doing it properly.
have often heard people who travelled good
deal say there was nothing in all bill of fare
| so difficult to get as nicely broiled steaks or
| chops. ThereTis knack that few cooks get,
because they do not comprehend the full value
OF the process. take pleasure in giving you
a few directions that will be of valae to all
housekeepers, and delight to all who eat at
their table. These directions were given me
by Mrs. Lincoln, of the Boston Cooking School,
and they form the basis of the chapter on
Broiling in her forthcoming cook book You
will be surprised to see how simple matter it
is when you once have the philosophy of it.
Broiling, really meaning to burn is cooking
directly over the hot Goals. The degree of
heat is so intense that the articles to be cooked
would be very quickly burned, if they were
allowed to remain for any length of time over
the fire. The secret of nice broiling is frequent
turning. The fire should be bright, red, and
nearly to the top of the fire boz, SO that the
broiler may almost touch the fire. There
should be no flame, as the flame from coal is
due to the combustion of tiny vapors, and will
cause deposit of coal tar on the meat, giving
it smoky, nauseating flavor. When the fat
from the chop OF steak drps on the Goals and
blazes it deposits a film of mutton or beef fat
all over the meat which has very different
flavor from that of the coal flame. When the
steak has much fat, remove part of it. A little
fat will improve the flavor; haste the meat and
keep it from becoming too dry. The oven
damper should always be opened while broil-
ing, that the smoke of the dripping fat may be
carried into the chimney. There is nothing
better for broiling than the double wire broil-
or. Grease it we'll with a bit of the fat from
the meat or with salt pork rind. Place the
thickest part of whatever is to be broiled next
the middle of the broier. Do not salt the
meat, as salt draws ont the juice. Have the
platter heating and everything else ready that
you may not leave the broiling for an instant.
Hold the broiler firmly, with coarse towel
wrapped around yodf hand to protect from the
heat. Place it as near the fire as possible to
scar the outside instantly. Count ten, then
turn and scar the other side. The heat hard
ems the outside, and starts the flow of the juices.
They cannot escape through the hardened outer
surface, but if the meat was cooked wholly
on one side before turning they would soon
come to the top, and then in turning the meat
the juices would drip into the FIRE. This IS
precisely the way in which the majority of
people cook steak, and in SO doing they lose the
juicy part of the meat, and it is dry. tough and
indigestible. But if the meat be turned before
the juices reach the top and the other surface
is hardened they cannot escape, but flow to the
centre and make the meat juicy tender and
full OF line flavor. Do not cut into it while
cooking, as this lets out the juices turn over
as often as you count ten, and cook five min
utes ii the meat is an inch thick, six minutes
If it is an inch and a half thick. Fish should
be Toured to keep the skin from sticking,
large baking pan to keep in the heat should
be held over anything which is vesy thick and
requires to be cooked long time. Chickens,
which need to be thoroughly broiled, but not
burned or dried, require about twenty minutes.
A safe way is to wrap them in buttered glazed
paper; cook the inner side first, and after the