The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20

in Economy

\ very important point gained by cook
ing is the digestibility Of certain materials
and the greater facility for mastication.
Animal food in the raw state is tough and
tenacious and torn apart with difficulty.
Cooking removes the toughness. thereby
assisting mastication and digestion. Broil-
ing or roasting. baking and boiling or stew
ing may be considered the chief methods of
cooking The first two-broiling and roast
ing-are practically the same. cooking by
direct application TO heat.
Baking is cooking in the oven by means
OF heated air. The so-called roasts are
really baked meats. The old-fashioned tin
kitchen roasts meat to perfection. Boil
ing and stewing is to cook with heat APP
piled by means OF water. Boiling is the
method employed TO cook vegetables, while
stewing is best suited for cooking tough
parts of meat and means cooking in as lit
tie water as possible, for a long time, at
a temperature below boiling.
There are other ways and means of cook
ing which differ somewhat from the above.
Steaming is a sort of double process-frst,
moist cooking in a steamer, by contact with
steam, or dry cooking in a double boiler,
by the heat of the steam surrounding the
upper vessel.
Frying is another form of cooking by
immersion. In this instance the heat is APP
piled direct as in boiling in water, but by
means of hot fat in sufficient quantity to
cover or float the articles cooked. Sauteing
is cooking in just enough fat to keep tbs
food from burning until it is sufficiently
cooked and nicely crowned. This method
is enormously called frying. Braising is a
combination. of ~stewing. steaming and bak-
ing, and is a very excellent way to cook all
tough meats. Hot water is used, a covered
pan and the cooking done in the oven.
Fricaseeing is a combination OF ~sauteing
and stewing; the first being sauted, then
stewed until tender and served in a sauce
or gravy made of the broth in which it is
stewed.
The roasting or broiling method is en-
ployed to retain the nutritive juices and
extractives as much as possible. TO do
this most effectually the joint must first
be exposed to a very strong heat and then
the temperature lowered to allow the meat
to cook more slowly and not be scorched
to q bitter, crisp. hard crust outside and
raw in the center. y hotter fire is used for
steak than for a roast for obvious reasons.
If meat is roasted or baked too quickly
there is a much greater shrinkage and
hardening of the muscular fiber. while
slower cooking allows the heat TO pene-
trate more slowly into the interior and the
albumen and colored juices of the meat
are slowly %coagulated and there is less lost
a certain amount of juices escape dur
ing the process, especially if the joint is
large. but only enough to enrich and flavor
the gravy which seems a natural accom-
paniment TO a roast. The loss of weight
in roasting is chiefly due 10 loss of water.
Basting. roasting or baking meats is neces-
sary in order TO avoid the formation of a
hard, dry crust on lean meat.
Boiling is the simplest mode Of cooking
animal food. but not always the most sue
cessful. One must know just what they
wish TO accomplish before they begin
When the object is to retain\ as much az
possible the soluble constituents in tn,
meat the process must be conducted in I
different manner than from that requires
when a contrary result is desired. and yoI
wish to extract as much as possible of tn,