The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-10-07
THE ART OF BOILING.

THE ART OF BOILING.
How rare it is to find this simple
operation well done. and how often
do we hear the expression Of boiled
ham and beef: Fine flavor, but so
fought" Few housekeepers know
that the fault generally lies in the
hasty boiling. Slow and lengthy boil
ing in plenty of water is what ten
ders meat. A fair-sized ham, If
placed in the kettle at 10 o'clock in
the forenoon and kept slowly boiling
or simmering on the back of the
stove or range, has abundant time to
be done by 5 o'clock in the after
noon. 1t is good plan to remove
the kettle. The same rule applies to
sailed beef. Corned beef is general
ly hard, dry fare, but If properly
cooked in plenty of water it should
be as tender and juicy as roast beef.
However, what applies to meat
does not apply to vegetables. For
them, with few exceptions, quick
boiling is necessary. Cut a head of
cabbage in quarters, place in a ket-
tie Of boiling water and boil until
tender and no longer, as this vegeta-
BILE loses its flavor and color if over
boiled, and becomes rank, yellow and
wilted. Green peas should be placed
in boiling water with only just
enough water to cover them, to
which may be added a spoonful of
sugar, and when nearly done a very
little salt, generous piece of good
butter and, just before dishing them,
a half cupful of sweet cream. AS
asparagus is an early vegetable and
often takes the place of green peas,
it may be cut in inch lengths and
boiled half an hour, but seasoned
more sparingly than green peas.
The Irish potato, so generally used
in most families, can be greatly i'm
proved after pairing by standing in
cold water an hour before cooking.
This common and nutritious vegetable
should be placed in boiling water and
kept rapidly boiling until it can be
easily pierced by fork, after which
the water should be turned off at
once. Place the kettle on the back
of the stove, put on the cover and
let them steam until served, and the
family will be rewarded by prime,
dry, mealy potato instead of a soggy,
insipid, water-logged specimen.
In by-gone days the capacious pud-
ding bag, made from strong linen
cloth, was considered a household
nnNnCcifu hniln6 of
description often graced the family
dinner table, especially among the
farming class, with large families
and good healthy appetites. They
were often made from scalded corn
meal, stirred to the right consistency,
interspersed with dried berries or
cherries; the life of the pudding was
in the manner in which it was boil
ed. After being put in the pudding
bag it was placed in kettle of boil
ing water; not for one moment must
it cease boiling for the space of three
hours, and the bag was occasionally
turned over, lest it adhere to the
side or bottom Of the kettle. A
sauce Of sweet cream, thickened with
maple sugar, usually accompanied
this pudding.
Among various other kinds, a YER
liable English plum pudding occa-
sionally appeared, which was COM
pounded in the following manner:
Raisins well stoned. currants we'll
washed, one pound each; suet finely
chopped, one pound; add bread, fine
ly pulverized, one-half pound; three
ounces of sugar, one ounce of grated
lemon peel; mace, half grated nut
meg; three teaspoonfuls of ginger;
seven eggs we'll beaten; half cupful
of sweet milk; the same of -four.
This compound was worked by the
hand until we'll mixed together, af-
ter which it was placed in the pud-
ding bag, leaving space, however, for
the pudding to swell; after which it
was dropped in large kettle of
boiling water and boiled without a
moments intermission for the space
OF two and half hours. Sauce, one
cupful of sugar, one of boiling wa
ter, one ounce of butter; this sauce
is thickened with heaping spoonful
OF -four. But, except in few in
stances, the pudding bag has become
obsolete; wisely superseded by the
kitchen steamer, from whose depths
quite large pudding may be steam
ed with less anxiety and care But
the same principle applies to steam
ing as to boiling. Placed over a ket-
tie of boiling water, the ebulition
must not for moment cease. Some