Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-21
LADIES' COLUMN.
REGULATION OF HEAT IN COOKING.

one or Gne mOSC VeX1nS prOOlemS
with which the young and in
experienced housekeeper has to
wrestle, says the Christian AdUocate,
is the exact degree Of heat required
for cooking the various foods which
she may have to prepare. AS the di-
gestibility as we'll as palatability Of all
roasted, baked and fried dishes de-
ponds upon the proper adjustment of
the heat used in cooking to the re-
quirements of the article to be cooked,
it is absolutely necessary for every
conscientious cook or housewife to
pay special attention to this subject.
1t is largely a matter of judgment
after all, for while general rules are
helpful in certain measure, they
cannot always be applied to particu-
lar cases and the experienced cook or
housekeeper can tell at a glance
whether her roast, fish or chicken is
receiving just the right amount of
time and heat.
AS regards roasts, the hottest oven
is required for beef and mutton-hot
enough to at once form crust on the
outside of the meat, so that none of
the rich juices may escape. The old
rule Of fifteen minutes to the pound
and fifteen minutes over is a good one
to follow in cooking these meats, I'M
less one prefers them quite we'll done,
when a longer time will be needed.
Lamb, requiring full twenty minutes
to the pound, also needs a hot fire,
though more steady than for beef or
mutton and not SO hot at the start.
Veal or pork, on the contrary,
should be roasted in a moderate oven,
so that the heat may pass through the
outer skin to the very heart of the
meat, leaving no part of the fibre un-
cooked and on that account indigesti-
| BILE. The time of cooking is the same
as for lamb, and the same rule may be
followed with poultry.
Pastry is best baked in a very hot
oven, but the heat must be largely at
the bottom, that the undercrust may
be dry and crisp, not soggy.
All articles fried in deep fat must,
! GO d 1uIS, NC COOhSu DUU
chicken and chops are exceptions, as
they must be cooked slowly enough
to be thoroughly done down to the
| bone.
If the fat begins to foam while fry
ing croquettes, goldfish balls or dough-
nuts, it is sign that it is not hot
! enough. The frying should be stop
! ped for few moments and the kettle
| pulled to the front of the range until
| the proper degree of heat is reached.
! The digestibility of these articles de-
! ponds upon their immediate encase-
| ment in a crust firm enough to prevent
/ further absorption of the fat. When
| the fat begins to smoke, a bit of bread
may be dropped in and if it browns
! while one can count sixty, it is hot
| hot enough for doughnuts and pOta-
| toes; for croquettes, oysters and fish
balls it should be hot enough to brown
! the bread while counting forty.
The following list from Rdrper's
Bazdr will be found helpful by those
whose experience along this line is as
! yet limited.
To be cooked in a slow but steady
| oven: Pork, veal.
To be cooked in a moderate oven:
Poultry, game.
To be cooked in hot oven: Beef,
| fish, omelettes, mutton, breads,
souffies, lamb, cakes, buildings.
To be cooked in very hot oven:
Pastry.
To be fried slowly in hot fat: Chick
en-, pork chops.
To be fried deep in boiling fat: Soft
shell crabs, crullers, oysters, GRO
quettes, scallops, fritters, potatoes.
To be saute in hot shallow fat: Fish,
omelettes, sliced ham, eggs.-Ane. Cul-