Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 138, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1911 — HINTS FOR THE COOK [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR THE COOK

RIGHT AND WRONG WAYS OF PR*i PARING MEAT. v ! —— -Simmering* and "Bolling" Are Differ, ent Things—Steaming Excellent , for Cooking Large Joints— Braising Pan Useful. The ordinary housewife rarely underatands the meaning of the words “boll” and "simmer.*’ Water boils ati eea level at 212 degrees Fahrenheit;) at high altitudes it bolls at lower temperature. We find by experience that meat becomes tender more quickly at simmering point—a temperature of 180 degrees—than when it is boiled at 212 degrees. Simmering Is whew the bubbles form on the bottom of the vessel, safely pass through the water and rupture at the top, says the Christian Science Monitor. This is not the boiling motion. To have a piece of boiled meat rare, juicy and tasty the outside must be thoroughly sealed, the same as in baking. To do this, put the meat into boiling water, bring: quickly to the boiling point, boll for 20 minutes, then push the kettle back where the meat will simmer 15 mln-, utes to each pound. If the meat is to be served rare 12 minutes will be long enough; on the other hand, it It is to be well done, cook it 20 minutes to the pound. Even when well done it should be juicy, tender andi palatable. Boiled meats are more easily digested than baked meats, even when baked meats are carefully cooked.; Broiled meats are preferable to those cooked in a dry pan, and dry-panned! meats are far superior to those fried;: In fact, fried meats have no place at a well-regulated table. Steaming Is an admirable method of cooking tough meats, or large joints like a leg of mutton or a ham. This may be done in a common boiler, using sufficient water to create a good, volume of steam. Place the meat in the boiler, on a rack, above the water. As the water evaporates replace it with boiling water. Do not check the boiling or you reduce the heat and soften the surface of the meat. Braising is a cross between baking and boiling. This method is largely used for tough meats. A braising pan is a baking pan with a tight-fitting cover. These pans are sold under the astonishing name of "roasting pans;”; roasting means to cook before a fire;; you cannot roast in a covered pan. These pans are, notwithstanding their illogical name, admirable utensils in which to cook fricandeau ct veal, beef a la mode, leg of mutton, braised beef, or. an old turkey or fowl. Place the meat in the pan and partly fill the pan with boiling stock or water; add, if you like, a sliced; onion, a bay leaf and a little chopped celery. Cover the pan, stand tn a very hot oven and bake for three or four hours, according to the size and the kind of meat. A leg of mutton will require two; beef a la mode four, and! fricandeau of veal three hours. VeaL to be at all edible, must be very well cooked.