The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-29
HOUSEKEEPING NOTES.
An Interesting Chat With a
Butcher.

Hat is really too bad" said prominent
sg butcher in one of the city markets 10
liz representative of THE CALL, that 80
many women should have the care OF
family without really understanding how
to make money 90 as far as possible, ana 10
prevent waste As any experienced house.
keeper will tell you, the greatest leakage IN
her finances is through the kitchen depart
ment. Besides, there is another thing. L
have so often heard some women complain
ing that their husbands spent so much on
drink. L am speaking now OF those WHO
have every reason TO take care tnat tneTe 10
no waste in their kitchens, ana yet L II ven
ture to say that if their husbands did drink
a good deal Of the reason was because at
home there was not proper toCd. IN, II
makes me angry sometimes when l thlnK
of so much good meat being spolled Dy LOO
much cooking, wrong seasoning ana CARE
lessness. When food is too highly pep
pered it will make man desperately
thirsty, and he's bound to take something
to quench his thirst.
"rhe reason that so few people like stews
or hashes or soups is because so few people
know how to COOK these things well. Most
people think that they can Try or pIolI or
roast, and they do, but in what style!
Perhaps you will wonder what concern 1t IS
of mine how the meat is cooked, after 1
have sold it and the money is IN my drawer.
Don't you see that by poor COOKING poor
cooks can give me and my stock very PAD
reputation? us so. Does the lady at her
table stop to think about the 1ault OF tlie
cook in the kitchen when the steak is toughT
No, she simply says to her husband: My
dear. | wish you would stop on your way
downtown tomorrow morning and tell that
butcher that if he can't send us better meat
We'll try some one else.' That's how the
thing works. OF course | can't set uD
cOoking-SehoOl, but l often wish l might
take the liberty to suggest that the fault
lies in the ignorance OF tue COOK, ana not IN
the animal from which the meat came. Of
course you must understand that it is very
difficult in the midst of a hot spell to get
really tender meat, for we do not dare
to keep it on the hooks long enough
to let it grow tender. If we did we would
be apt to have a chance to throw 1t away.
And meat when IL is too fresh Is bound
to be tough. But it is so easy TO be good
cook of meats and, indeed, it is the same in
regard to vegetables. Both require great
heat at first. In them both is albumen every
one knows what that is, it's like the white
of an egg. This hardens ii exposed to great
heat and so shuts in the juices OF the meats
and vegetables. But as soon as this result
has been reached, and it comes in very
few minutes, gentle heat is required, or
the meat will be hard and tough. See how
easy it is to apply this rule. III 1t Is roast,
you will put your meat in very hot oven
for five minutes, and then cool the oyen so
that it will COOK more gently. Nearly all
stoves have device by which the oven can
be cooled off instantly. know that there
are thermometers for attachment on stoves,
ON the oven doors L believe, but have
heard that they did not work with salts
faction; they break too quickly. The good
cook thrusts bare arm into the oven
and tells by the feeling Others, also
good cooks, can determine the effectiveness
of the heat by the rapidity with which
,Nia - inrn ha
becomes Drowned. A roast of meat is
good deal of trouble. for after having been
exposed to this great heat 1t Is very likely
to burn, If not properly watched ana
basted. That is hot piece OF work, blind
ing and eXhausting to the cook, although
think it is a very appetizing process when
the long spoon turns up the gravy over the
meat, and the rich juice goes sizzling down
IN savOry steamlng rlvulets over the crack
ling crust. But the best roasted. or rather
baked meat | ever tasted-for all our oven
cooked meats are baked, not roaSted-that
requires an open fire, the best say, was
cooked in a device that is like sheet-lron
box, which is not opened while the meat is
cooking, but simply turned around IN the
oven so as 20 present all sides 10 the differ.
ent degrees OF heat. In this the juices of
the meat rise and fall upon the crust, thus
doing its own basting, and by this means
tough piece of meat can be made very
tender.
" IL you were DOlllng meat you WOulQ
plunge your leg of mutton or corned beef
into boiling water, and then after a few
minutes push the pot aside and let it
simmer. In the case of very salt piece of
meat. it may be put on the stove in cold
water and allowed to come to the boil, as
the salt keeps the juices in. The best way
to cook salt meat is to pour off the water
and replace it with fresh water at the boil
ing point But meat should never be kept
at the boiling point. I'd as lief eat boiled
shOe-strings as leg of mutton when I'M
properly cooked.
But it is in regard to frying that good
meat suffers most. A half-warmed pan and
poor drippings are answerable for much Of
the dyspepsia that we hear about. The pan
should be very hot. the fat must smoke be-
fore the meat is put in, SO that by quickly
cooking the outside you keep the juices in.
Do you know how the best broiled meat is
cooked? It's by Pierre Blot's famous re-
cipe. q frying-pan is heated red hot and
then wiped over with piece of suet. the
steak, the chops or the piece Of fowl
whisked in and covered with tin pan or
pot-cOver, uncovered only to turn the meat;
seasoned, and served with butter, it is de-
licious."