The Portland daily press., 1899-07-21
SLOW COOKING.

The advantage of slow cooking under
certain circumstances cannot be disputed.
In order to extract the flavor OF meats the
soup must not reach tho boiling point,
but merely simmer. To make custard,
the heat, whether the custard be baked,
steamed or boiled, must be slow and
steady. II a,.sustard Is cooking rapidly,
1t curdles. -that Is, the yolks and whites
of the eggs tougher and separate from the
says her custard has "wheyed" when this
happens. II q virtually the same condi-
lions that causes the aibumsn OF meats
to tougher when the meat is cooked as
too rapid rate In water.
Whom the meat Is served. and Is not dis
solved into broth. intense heat is wanted
for a short time. This toughens the .out-
side Of the meat and forms coating
through which the heat cannot easily
penetrate. After this coat or crust Is
formed on the outside of the roast, broiled
fried or boiled meat the rate of cooking
must be lower. but kept at a steady pol mt
in ORDER to finish the work of cooking.
All processes of cooking that do not allow
for slow and fast cooking are faulty. 1t
is impossible to cook maoaroni and other
paste foods successfully by slow msthod s.
Such foods must be thrown into an album
dance Of boiling water. Potatoes, green
peas and other leguminous foods requi re
rapid cooking In a small amount of wa ter
which should boil off before the process
of cooking is through. and leave the vege-
table to steam during the last ten minutes
of the cooking. 4s
There are at least four degrees of baking
heat required in doing the baking OF a
family. The hottest oven TINT the ord In
airy range will give Is one that turns
writing paper dark brown In ten minutes.
This Is the heat suitable for fruit, pies
and pastry, and roasting meat at FIRST
A little slower heat. "light-browa-papsr
heat, is suitable for mullins, rolls. for
cheese making, for PRAISES and for roast
ing meat when 1t has been crusted over
A tight yellow paper heat. THAT is,
light yellow In ten minutes. Is sufficient
for bread or pound cake, and still less
degree Of heat Is sufficient for sponge
cake. angel cake, meringues, crstard and
other slow baking. 1t requires range
or regular oven to give all these degrees
The disadvantage of most summer stoves
and most modern methods Of simplifying
the cooking of the family In the summer
Is that they ARE monotonous. II all the
food could he cooked satisfactorily by the
slow methods of some summer stoves or
by the various methods of others, there
would be nothing to complain OF, but this
Is not the case The stove that does va
risty Of things, that gives different d.
grees OF heat to suit different processes
OF cooking, must be a somewhat compli-
Gated stove, and the advantages of the
average summer stove are more than over
come by disadvantages in the limited
range OF work that can be accomplished
by IL. These stoves do all that the aver
age cook asks for from her range, but this
is poor criticism on the knowledge of
the cook. An Intelligent cock knows
when slow heat is demanded and when
a rapid heat Is needed an it is her knowl-
edge OF the baking braising, broiling and
boiling capacity of her stove which Is her
chief recommendation. as any one oan
test and try recipes but not one cook In a
thousand knows when to regulate the
hampers OF her oven or of the top Of her
sto 70 SO that the food she Is cooking
shall be cooked to perfection. When our
housewives recognize cooking as an art
that can be 10 more readily apici<a adj NM